Wednesday, December 29, 2010

January Movie Preview!

Welcome to January and the movie dumping ground!

Yes, this is where the studios tend to dump the below average films. Once in a while, you find a gem, but you have to wade through the muck.

So to offset the total lack of movies (on January 7th, there’s only one - be ironic if it’s not tops at the box office) I have included some DVD release dates as well. Movie descriptions from IMDB.

4 -

Machete
on DVD
Go ahead - you know you want to watch it!

(Ishtar also comes out on BluRay. Yeah, I know you’re excited about that one.)

7 -

Season of the Witch

Director: Dominic Sena
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy
The Plot: A 14th-century Crusader (Cage) returns to his homeland, which has been devastated by the Black Plague. To appease members of the church, he and his comrade (Perlman) look to transport an accused witch (Foy) to a remote abbey, where monks hope that a ritual will end the pestilence.
Okay, this one has been delayed a year - never a good sign. And yet, I keep hoping…

11 -

The Social Network
on DVD
No, I haven’t seen it yet - I will, I will!

Piranha 3D on DVD
Yeah, Ill watch it. I just have to know – is it bad or really bad?

14 -

The Green Hornet

Director: Michel Gondry
Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz
The Plot: A newspaper publisher by day and masked crime fighter by night, The Green Hornet and his martial arts expert sidekick, Kato, fight crime while trying to keep their true identities a secret.
Early screenings have not been good, so we’ll see what the critics say.

25 -

RED and Secretariat on DVD
I reviewed both - click on title to read. Good movies. Yes, even the stupid horse movie!

28 -

The Mechanic

Director: Simon West
Stars: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland
The Plot: An elite assassin (Statham) takes on an apprentice (Foster) who has a connection to one of his earlier targets.
Okay, I admit it - Statham is cool. Even if the movie is sub-par, the man is still cool. However, this one does have a good cast.


Any other exciting films in January?

69 comments:

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

The Green Hornet is on the top of my list of Must-see January releases. :)

Kristi said...

I'm a sucker with anything having to do with Nicholas Cage!! I'm intrigued...and the Green Hornet definitely looks like it might be good. ::crosses fingers::

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I do enjoy reading your reviews although the only films I see is on TV.

Hope you have a very successful New Year.

Yvonne.

DEZMOND said...

last January brought us the wonderfully campy LEGION with Paul Bettany and fallen angels, but this January doesn't seem to have anything overly interesting :(

Jeremy [Retro] said...

season of the witch, looks great... to a one eyed pirate. i have high hopes. just watched sorcerer's apprentice, i enjoyed it.

green hornet, outside of kato and gadgets ... looks really bad, someone here does not like seth rogen... that's me.

statham rocks, and the cast is a-listers... promising?

and machete... well sign me up!

Old Kitty said...

Alex J Cavanaugh - what are you doing?!?! January is so next week!! I'm not even thinking January. It's still Christmas gosh darn it! LOL!!!

Oooh but I am tempted with the Green Hornet!! LOL!! Take care
x

Kal said...

What is it about every single big movie out there like 'The Green Hornet' that makes them doomed to failure? Too many cooks in the kitchen? No central vision? Why does one out of every ten big movies fail but make money while good or great indie movies are ignored. Makes me crazy. How can we be that starved for entertainment that we watch crap. I know, I watch alot of crap so maybe I am also part of the problem.

I loved Machete and Statham never lets me down so I am hyped for The Mechanic. I can see the effort all over his performances and that is all I ask - give me some effort.

M.J. Fifield said...

I know a January release is never a good sign for the quality of a movie but I am really looking forward to seeing Season of the Witch and the Green Hornet. I'll still probably end up waiting for them to be available on Netflix though. I never do get to the theater as often as I'd like.

Vicki Rocho said...

I'm so clueless...I haven't heard of a lot of these and don't think I've seen any of them. :(

Creepy Query Girl said...

huh, season of the witch sounds good! I wonder why it was delayed?

Jules said...

I hope they have not screwed up the Green Hornet. That was a favorite of mine growing up :)

I still haven't seen the "Stupid Horse" movie.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Sarah Ahiers said...

ooh i'm pretty excited about those DVD releases since 3 of them i wanted to see in theaters and never got the chance.
I'm still cautiously hopeful for Witch and Green Hornet...

Pat Tillett said...

I have some catching up to do, so I'm glad to see the DVD releases. thanks for the reviews!

Carol Kilgore said...

I might see The Mechanic. Thanks for the DVD release dates :)

Unknown said...

Machete rules!!! I love, love campy movies. They are unapologetic, fun and never pretend to be anything else.

I'm kind of looking forward to Season of the Witch as I am a Ron Perlman fan. I'm also interested in The Eagle, a Roman epic with Channing Tatum (Blech!) and Jamie Bell.

Jamie Gibbs said...

I can't believe they delayed Season of the Witch for a whole year. i have to review it so i can justify talking about it this time last year! Green Hornet will be another must see, though I'm not expecting much.

Melissa Gill said...

Season of the Witch sounded really good until I realized Nicolas Cage was in it. Now I'll for sure wait for that on Red Box and then probably curse myself for even renting it.

The Mechanic seems like the best choice to me, but the Green Hornet might be funny.

Thanks for the reviews.

Mason Canyon said...

I'm wondering about The Green Hornet, but I guess I couldn't help but compare it to the original. Enjoy watching Nicholas Cage no matter what. Always look forward to your reviews and previews.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Chris Phillips said...

Statham being in a movie tends to mean the movie sucks unless it was made by Guy Ritchie.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I have Red on my netflix list.

I just watched the movie Winter's Bone because it was set in the Ozarks. Maybe I was comparing it to my part of the Ozarks, or to the drug problem we see in my area but I saw very little that seemed real. Maybe the book is better, but I was not impressed by the movie.

I also have Inception on my list.

Wendy Tyler Ryan said...

I remember when I first heard about them remaking The Green Hornet - I was excited. Then I heard who they cast in the lead role - not so excited. I don't have a lot of expectations now. Will probably see it on DVD. Nick Cage is up and down to say the least. I don't know why he's been struggling with projects, but he's kind of like a crap shoot right now. I'll probably see this movie though, as I like period and I still hold out hope for Nick.

Stephanie Lorée said...

I'm looking forward to Season of the Witch and Green Hornet, even if the reviews aren't great or there were problems in production. The trailers for both enticed me, so I'm in.

Budd said...

Statham is cool, but this sounds like every movie he has ever been in. Guess he knows his nitch.

Not excited about January.

Jeff Beesler said...

January sounds like the black sheep of the movie release month family. Thank goodness I have other things to amuse me during this month.

Charles Gramlich said...

I want to see Machete and season of the witch. I will not be watching Green Hornet. It looks horrible.

Ricky said...

Piranha and Machete are both guilty pleasures.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I want to see Season of the Witch and I usually love Nick Cage though he's been in some disappointments too. Nothing else sounds tempting to me.

The Words Crafter said...

I can't wait till Red comes out! Nick Cage....lately he hasn't made great choices.

I think some of us should get together and write our own script and get it produced....it can't be any worse!

I have goodies for my followers today!

Kelly Polark said...

I didn't realize that January was a blah movie release month!

I do want to see The Social Network...but none of the others will probably be watched. I don't have much time for movies so if I do watch one it will either be a comedy or something I really, really want to see. Or an animated one with the kids of course.

Colene Murphy said...

I'm really hoping Season of the Witch isn't terrible. The idea is good, trailers look good. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hoping Green Hornet is good too but that one I will wait for on video.

Theresa Milstein said...

I just taught the 8th-graders about the Black Plague. Too bad it's not coming out for a year. Is it going to be PG-13?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nebular, fingers crossed it's good.

Thank you, Yvonne!

Jeremy, Sorcerer's Apprentice is in my NetFlix queue.

Kitty, I always do a preview just before the month starts - it just seems scary because it's next year as well.

Kal, I feel that way about music as well.

Haleine, January has that reputation, doesn't it?

Vicki, then I'll help you keep up with the movie industry!

Creepy, I wonder the same thing...

Jules, well soon you can see the stupid horse movie!

Melissa, I'll have to check on The Eagle's release date.

Jamie, that's funny!

Melissa, that's even funnier!

Chris, my tastes are the opposite. And sadly the only Guy Ritchie film I've ever liked was Sherlock Holmes.

Teresa, that's good to know - Winter's Bone is in my NetFlix queue right now.

Wendy, crap shoot is an accurate description.

Budd, January's not a good month for movies.

Charles, Green Hornet has gotten bad early reviews, so my hopes aren't high.

Words Crafter, we should! And I'll be right over...

Jennie Bailey said...

Alex - how have you NOT seen The Social Network yet?? I have to confess, when the movie started, I groaned. I thought I was going to be totally bored because of the format, but it sucked me in and I actually loved it! I do "totally" want to see Machete as well. I don't admit that to many people. Couldn't get The Hubster to go see it with me. He's not wiggling out of it on DVD, though.

Karen M. Peterson said...

I figured I might wander over to catch The Green Hornet, but I'm REALLY looking forward to the other green superhero movie.

Unknown said...

I wanna see the the season of the witch along with the black swan. And my hubby wants to go see the Green Hornet. I'm looking forward to seeing the other green superhero movie when it comes out.

Andrew said...

I, too, am a big Nicholas Cage fan....
Is this new Season of the Witch related to the George Romero film of the same name?

Cheeseboy said...

I wonder if Piranha 3D is as bad as Troll 2. Have you seen Troll 2? If not, you really should.

I smell an Oscar.

M Pax said...

Let me knnow if Piranha 3D is anywhere near the master entertainment of Megapiranha [my current favorite bad movie].

Season of the Witch sounds intriguing, but probably is not. Huh?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jennie, I know! It just came at a bad time. Think I had a book release or something that month...

Karen and Carol, The Green Latern looks cool!

Andrew, totally different film!

Cheeseboy, I have seen Troll 2 (sad to say) and that's not what I smell...

M Pax, I'll rank it on my Sharktopus scale for you!

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm hoping to drag my hubby to the movies sometime before we go back to work next week! Don't know what I want to see though! :)

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Thanks for keeping us abreast of what's going on at the movies! Hadn't thought about January releases being not so good, but that makes sense.

Monti

Hart Johnson said...

Green Hornet trailers look COOL. I wonder how they could screw it up... I wish that witch one was good--looks like a good premise, but you're right, that the signs aren't very promising.

Chuck said...

Green Hornet looks stupid and I have no intention of seeing. Cage and the witch...absolutely seeing it. And I agree with you on Statham, anything he has done I like. Especially the Guy Ritchie movies he was in. I am looking forward to seeing Secretariat because that horse was friggin' awesome!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Also waiting for Season of the Witch, Alex.

Let's hope they get it together soon.

Michael

Helen Ginger said...

I'll probably watch Season of the Witch and I'd like to catch The Social Network before it disappears.

Went to see Tron at the IMAX this past Monday.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, if you want great acting - True Grit. You want a fun time with amazing sound & visuals - Tron Legacy.

Hart, I know - bummer.

Chuck, Statham is just... cool. And Secretariat was actually quite good.

Helen, and I'm glad you enjoyed Tron! IMAX would've been cool.

Bob Sanchez said...

The Social Network, Red, and True Grit (the new one) are on my must-see list.

Anonymous said...

Never cared for the movies playing in theaters so early in the year but a lot of cool DVD releases at any rate! I love Nic Cage even though his new stuff is nowhere near as good as the films he did several years ago... Sigh.

Powdered Toast Man said...

I need to see Red, The Social Network and Machete ASAP

Ella said...

I so want to see Red, then Green, I love Statham's voice, this one sounds great! The Season of the Witch would be a pick for me, too~
ooh, I am headed to Cheapeake, VA today...so want to go to the movies. I promised daughter n' friend a trip to the Mall. Wonder what is playing at the mall theater ;-D

Luna said...

I remember seeing previews for Season of the Witch when I went to see Sherlock Holmes last year. It's been on my Netflix cue for a while because I thought it had already been out in theatres. Hoping to see it soon!

Oh, thanks for the review of True Grit. That's one we plan to see soon.

Happy New Year!

N. R. Williams said...

Interesting Alex. Thanks for sharing.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Amanda, he used to do good movies!

PTM - get on it then!

Ella, you should have some good choices!

Jamie, they've been touting it for a while haven't they? Happy New Year!

Jen said...

You are so right... I do want to see Machete. After all the hype with Lindsay and stuff, how could you not?

As for Green Hornet, I'm not sure about that one. It looks so-so.

Happy Thursday Darling! xo

Oh, and I'm having a perfume giveaway if you're interested!

Nicki Elson said...

Alex, you HAVE to see The Social Network!

Bummer about The Green Hornet's early reviews. :/ I thought that one looked like it had promise if only because Seth Rogan's casting was unexpected.

And the first time I saw a preview for Seaason of the Witch it was back to back w/ a preview for ANOTHER Nicolas Cage movie in which he looked EXACTLY the same. What up with that?

Thanks for the January preview...think I'll catch up on some TV that month.

Anonymous said...

Here's hoping the Hornet is freakin' awesome.

Anonymous said...

I can see Season of the Witch appealing to the Pillars of the Earth crowd (of which I sort of am one...). Didn't know they'd already delayed it a year though, whoops!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nicki, I bet the other Cage movie was the Sorcerer's Apprentice! And yes, I will watch The Social Network. Promise.

Hampshire, yeah, and that's never good.
Although it is good to hear from you!

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to Cowboys & Aliens. Not due out until July though but the trailer is pretty cool.

Unknown said...

I love Statham. I would put up with a crappy movie to watch him in action. Great movies. Can't wait to watch some.
CD

Sheila Deeth said...

Not sure we'll get to many movies, but the DVD releases sound fun.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Mechanic? You can't beat Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent (1972). MHO

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stephen, that will be the highlight of the July movie preview.

Clarissa, I agree.

Mary, you could beat them, but they'd beat you right back.

Carol Kilgore said...

Stopping back in to wish you Happy New Year!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Happy new year, Alex!
xoRobyn

Maurice Mitchell said...

This is not a good month for movies. Of all of these the only one I'm really looking forward to Green Hornet. I can't really say I'm excited about it either.

Okie said...

Thanks for the list.

RED is a must buy in our house (my wife actually got a "copy of RED" for Christmas from a cousin...it's a $20 bill with a post it note saying "this will turn into a copy of RED in one month")

I have mixed feelings about Green Hornet and Season of the Witch. I'm worried that Hornet will be a little too cheesy and while I like the idea of Witch, I just have a real hard time taking Nicolas Cage seriously in anything he does. Still, my birthday is near the end of the month so I may try to go see one of them.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Maurice - I know!!

Okie, you will dig RED. And with the exception of Kick Ass, Cage hasn't done a good movie for several years now.

Ty said...

Season Of The Witch was ok. There were some unintentional funny moments in it. The Green Hornet had some good bits in it.

The Mechanic was a blast though! It had an old-school action feel to it.