February, like January, is usually one of the biggest “dump months” for movies. However, in recent years, the film industry has been slowly moving away from this trend, and the last few February's will have the first blockbuster of the year, alongside some other quality releases. In the last three years, we’ve seen movies like Deadpool, John Wick: Chapter 2, The LEGO Batman Movie, and Black Panther all released in February, to both critical acclaim and big box-office turnouts. February 2019 continues this trend, with sequels to popular family-friendly hits getting released, as well as the release of a few indie films that already went through the festival circuit and already receiving critical acclaim. Here’s what’s in store for this month:
1) Velvet Buzzsaw - Feb. 1
Directed by: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, John Malkovich
After satirizing the media in 2014’s Nightcrawler, director Dan Gilroy is teaming up once again with his debut film’s stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo to bring us another satire, Velvet Buzzsaw, this time tackling greed and consumerism. Whereas Nightcrawler and Gilroy’s follow-up, Roman J. Israel, Esq, were thrillers, Buzzsaw dives into horror territory, with supernatural forces afoot, all while maintaining a darkly comic tone. From the looks of this, we’ll also be treated to potentially one of Gyllenhaal’s most unhinged performances to date. Reviews are already slowly getting released for this one, and so far have been leaning towards way more positive than negative, though I’m sure this will certainly divide quite a few people. Either way, this will definitely go down as one of the year’s more interesting releases, and with a Netflix release, will surely have a high viewership to make for some interesting discussions.
2) Arctic - Feb. 1
Directed by: Joe Penna
Starring: Mads Mikkelson
If there’s one thing movies like 127 Hours and Buried proved to us, it’s that movies with only one person for the majority - or in some cases, all - of the movie can still be engaging to watch, with some still managing to contain quite a lot of character development that allow it to hold up for repeat viewings. Arctic looks to continue that trend, centering around a man (Mads Mikkelson) stranded in the arctic who ventures off to find civilization after a helicopter that was going to rescue him crashes. This is another one where reviews are already out and about, so far leaning towards positive. While this looks like it’ll be a low-key release, critics are already singling out Mikkelson - one of two actors in the entire film - for a solid performance. While this doesn’t appear to be one of the most groundbreaking releases of the year, this should still make for a suspenseful character piece.
3) Lords of Chaos - Feb. 8
Directed by: Jonas Akerlund
Starring: Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Anthony De La Torre, Sky Ferreira
Director Jonas Akerlund just released one film this year on Netflix - Polar, starring the previously mentioned Mads Mikkelson - to mixed reviews. However, he has a second movie on the way out soon, which has so far been getting much better reviews than Polar, though it’s doubtful it’ll be watched as much. Lords of Chaos centers around the true story behind the 1990’s black metal bands Mayhem and Burzum, and the crimes committed involving both bands. If you don’t know the story, I won’t spoil it here. The actual story is fairly disturbing, and from the looks of this movie, it maintains that creepy feel, venturing into the horror territory that goes with the overall themes of black metal bands. This may be one of the weirder releases of 2019, but with so-far positive critical reception, should still make for a solid release that should please both metal fans as well as horror enthusiasts.
4) The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot - Feb. 8
Directed by: Robert D. Krzykowski
Starring: Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald, Larry Miller, Ron Livingston
This movie is worth being on the list for its ridiculous title alone. While it doesn’t look like it’ll get into the campy territory that matches its off-the-wall title, reviews for this one indicate this is still a fairly entertaining adventure drama. It’ll also be nice to see Sam Elliott, coming off an Academy Award-nominated performance in A Star is Born, get to lead a movie for once, after gaining a reputation for mainly appearing in supporting roles. This probably won’t make as much of an impact as one would hope a movie with this title would make, but depending on how this goes, can turn out to be one of this year’s cult releases.
5) Cold Pursuit - Feb. 8
Directed by: Hans Petter Moland
Starring: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum
I was very close to not including this one. Once Taken was released, I’ve come to learn that one needs to play “angry old man Liam Neeson on the loose” movies by ear. For the most part, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. There are some exceptions, such as 2012’s underrated The Grey, but for the most part, most of Neeson’s better releases are movies where he plays either supporting roles or he’s not doing his revenge schtick. However, reviews are already out for this one, and it appears this is another exception to the rule. A remake of 2014’s In Order of Disappearance (also directed by Moland), this is an action film that also appears to be way more character-based, with plenty of focus dedicated to some of its supporting characters, including those played by Dern and Rossum. And apparently, the trailers apparently have been hiding the fact this is a lot funnier than one would expect. If this was truly done right, this can easily be one of the more fun releases this year.
6) The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part - Feb. 8
Directed by: Mike Mitchell
Starring: The voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Will Arnett
The LEGO gang is back and after the mixed reception of The LEGO Ninjago Movie, it appears everything is back to being awesome. While Phil Lord and Chris Miller are not back in the director’s chair for this one, they did pen the screenplay, so this should still contain a lot of the signature humor that made the first LEGO Movie such a wild success. This sequel gets a little more ambitious than its predecessor and while the verdict’s already out that it’s not quite as good as the first movie or The LEGO Batman Movie, critics all agree it’s still quite a good time. If it’s anything close to the other two, this should be a family movie that will have plenty to offer for both children and adults.
7) Happy Death Day 2U - Feb. 13
Directed by: Christopher Landon
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu, Suraj Sharma
The first Happy Death Day was a surprise hit. A film that people were skeptical about as it was viewed as just being “a horror version of Groundhog Day,” it delivered… exactly that, but with a twist. The film was surprisingly very self-aware and played more as a horror comedy, openly acknowledging its influences and having fun with the premise. The second film appears to continue that trend, with all the main characters returning once again, and reliving the same day once more. The film seems to acknowledge the ridiculousness of repeating itself and looks like it’ll be just as fun as the first. With the same cast and crew returning, this should be another solid entry into the genre that will appease horror fans.
8) Isn’t It Romantic - Feb. 13
Directed by: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine
The romantic comedy genre is one with many of the biggest movie cliches. Even a lot of the better entries into the genre tend to follow the same pattern, and there’s only so many exceptions to the rule that break away from the standard “guy meets girl, falls in love, break up, get back together” routine. Rather than necessarily trying to break away from the formula, so to speak, Isn’t It Romantic plans of tackling every rom-com trope head on in a blatantly self-aware story about a woman who gets knocked out, only to wake up and find herself experiencing every single rom-com standard in the book. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, who previously tackled another type of movie cliche in 2015’s The Final Girls to successful results, hopefully lightning strikes twice for the director and we end up having a great anti-rom-com just in time for Valentine’s Day.
9) Fighting With My Family - Feb. 14
Directed by: Stephen Merchant
Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn, Dwayne Johnson
While the trailers indicate this will be headed in a bit of familiar territory, it looks like we’ll still get some solid entertainment out of it. Writer-director Stephen Merchant has always been very funny when it comes to his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, and it looks like despite hitting some familiar notes, we’ll still get some good laughs out of it, mainly from supporting players Nick Frost and Lena Headey (in what will hopefully be a nice change of pace for her as a more likable character than her time as Cersei on Game of Thrones). While I also highly doubt Dwayne Johnson’s in the movie as much as marketing is making it appear, I’m sure his presence will make for a welcome addition, as this literally allows the likable former wrestler to just be himself. While I doubt this will turn out to be one of the year’s funniest or anything extreme like that, this looks like it’ll be a fairly entertaining addition to the sports genre.
10) Alita: Battle Angel - Feb. 14
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein
Live action movies based on manga have never been successful. Like video game adaptations, there’s just something about the original source material that no one’s ever able to translate successfully onto the big screen. However, this one’s certainly going to be intriguing due to the involvement of James Cameron. Originally to be his next directorial effort, only for him to shift his focus on the long-gestating Avatar sequels, he still co-wrote and produced this one, with Robert Rodriguez taking over directorial duties. While Rodriguez’s filmography tends to be hit and miss at times, if there’s one thing that remains consistent it’s how visual and stylish his direction is. There’s certainly a lot of talent behind this one, and it is easily one of the most ambitious efforts of the year. Early press screenings indicate positive reactions, though we have yet to see any reviews released. This one can easily go either way, but for now, it’s certainly on the radar.
11) How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - Feb. 22
Directed by: Dean DeBlois
Starring: The voices of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson
I already just mentioned this one in my “Most Anticipated Movies of the Year” list so I’ll keep this short and try not to repeat myself. But considering how well-crafted the first two How to Train Your Dragon films were, and the fact that all the reviews released thus far have indicated it captures just as much of the same magic as its predecessors, you better believe this one’s high on the radar. What should certainly be a fitting end to one of the best animated film series not to come from either Disney or Pixar, don’t be surprised to see this pop up on a few “Best of the Year” lists - at the very least, as a potential front-runner for Best Animated Movie of the Year.
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