2014 Preview: February

(Note: Due to Computer Issues, I was unable to do a Preview for the Films that came out in January. However, even with that setback, I will still be doing these monthly previews for this year. It’s just that this post will be the first of these for the year when normally this would be the second.)

So, with the dead month of ‘January’ over, we might find ourselves with a few more noteworthy films this month. Welcome to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview for the films set to come out in 2014. This is Part 1 of… well, what is now 11 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters in February.

FEBRUARY 7- The month kicks off with a trio of new films hitting theaters this weekend, including an animated film based off of a world-famous franchise and a film starring a major ensemble cast.



*The first release of the month is ‘The LEGO Movie’, an animated film based on the popular line of construction toys of the same name. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (the duo behind ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ and ’21 Jump Street’ (as well as the latter’s sequel)), the film follows an ordinary ‘guy’ (mini-figure to be precise) named Emmet who is mistaken to be a great ‘Master Builder’ and is sent on a quest to defeat an evil tyrant named Lord Business who plans to take over the LEGO universe. The film’s ensemble voice cast includes Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, and Morgan Freeman.



*Based on the book of the same name by Robert M. Edsel, ‘The Monuments Men’ was originally set to come out in December 2013 but was pushed back to this month due to the fact that more time was needed in post-production. George Clooney directs and stars as the leader of a ‘platoon’ of museum directors, curators, and historians who are sent into Germany during the final months of WWII in order to find valuable pieces of art before the Nazis have them all destroyed. The film also stars Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, and Cate Blanchett.



*Another book adaptation hits theaters this weekend, ‘Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters’. The film is based off of the 2007 novel of the same name (minus the ‘Blood Sisters’ part) by Richelle Mead, which is the first in a series of six books, and is directed by Mark Waters (‘Mean Girls’). The film centers on two vampires, a half-human/vampire named Rose (Zoey Deutch) and a ‘mortal’ vampire named Lissa (Lucy Fry) who return to their old boarding school to deal with the growing threat of a group of bloodthirsty undead vampires known as the ‘Strigoi’.

FEBRUARY 14- Valentine’s Day weekend will be full of new romantic movies; two of them along with a film that, while technically a fantasy film, has been marketed as a ‘Love Story’. For the action crowd, one film will be hitting theaters this weekend as well, albeit two days early. Ironically, three of these films are remakes while the other one is an adaptation of a book.



*The early release on February 12^th is ‘Robocop’, a remake of the 1987 sci-fi classic of the same name directed by Paul Verhoeven. This new film is directed by Brazilian director Jose Padilha and stars Joel Kinnaman (AMC’s ‘The Killing’) as Alex Murphy, a Detroit cop who is critically wounded and turned into a part-man/part-robot machine, Robocop, by the corporation known as OmniCorp in order to deal with the crime in Detroit. The film also stars Michael Keaton as the head of OmniCorp, Gary Oldman as the head scientist behind the ‘RoboCop’ operation, and Samuel L. Jackson as the host of a TV show in support of using machines in order to deal with crime, amongst others.



*‘About Last Night’ is a remake of a 1986 film, which starred Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, of the same name, which is itself based off of a 1974 play called ‘Sexual Perversity in Chicago’. This film features an all-black cast and centers around two couples whose relationships begin to develop further after one-night stands. The film stars Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, and Joy Bryant in the lead roles.



*Another romance remake hits theaters this weekend as well, ‘Endless Love’. This one is a remake of a 1981 film that was directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1968’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’) and starred Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, along with Tom Cruise in his film debut. This version is directed by Shana Feste (2011’s ‘Country Strong’) and stars Alex Pettyfur and Gabriella Wilde as a couple who begin to fall in love despite the fact that their parents try to split them up.



*Finally, of the films to come out this weekend, we have ‘Winter’s Tale’, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. The film is directed by Akiva Goldsman (writer of ‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘The DaVinci Code’ and… ‘Batman and Robin’ (do with that information as you will)) who makes his directorial debut with this film. Colin Farrell stars as a thief in 1916 New York who falls in love with a girl named Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is dying from tuberculosis. Soon after she dies, he finds himself in modern-day New York and discovers that he has the power of reincarnation as he sets off to rescue her. The film also stars Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crowe.

FEBRUARY 21- After a weekend with three romance films, a pair of action films will open this weekend.



*Kevin Costner stars in ‘3 Days to Kill’, an action thriller directed by McG (‘Terminator Salvation’, ‘Charlie’s Angels’) and written by Luc Besson (‘The Fifth Element). Costner plays a dying Secret Service agent who is given one last assignment in exchange for medical treatment that could save him from dying.



*Paul W.S. Anderson’s (‘Resident Evil’) latest film ‘Pompeii’ centers on the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried the titular Roman town in lava and rubble. The film centers on a slave named Milo (Kit Harrington (‘Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow)) who must rescue his true love, Cassia (Emily Browning), the daughter of a merchant who is forced into marrying a corrupt senator (Kiefer Sutherland), as Vesuvius erupts.

FEBRUARY 28- The month closes out with three new films; a thriller, a film adaptation of a TV miniseries, and a found footage Sci-Fi film. Also, the final film from a critically acclaimed director will have an expanded release after opening in limited release the previous week.



*Liam Neeson reunites with his ‘Unknown’ director, Jaume Collet-Serra, for ‘Non-Stop’, in which he stars as an air marshal who receives text messages stating that the passengers on his plane will be killed unless $150 million is transferred into a secret bank account… which turns out to be his own. The film also stars Julianne Moore and Lupita Nyong’o.



*Based off of the TV miniseries ‘The Bible’, ‘Son of God’ tells the tale of Jesus Christ from the time of his birth to his resurrection. The film will consist of scenes from the miniseries along with some deleted scenes that were not featured on TV.



*(UPDATE: Just a few days after I first posted this, Paramount postponed the film's release and it will now open on January 30, 2015) Produced by Michael Bay, ‘Welcome to Yesterday’ is a found-footage film that follows a group of teenagers who discover plans for a time machine. They end up making one themselves and use it for personal gain, not realizing the consequences that will come from their actions.



*Initially opening back in July 2013 in Japan and after a limited opening on February 21^st, ‘The Wind Rises’ will have an expanded release this weekend. The film is directed by renowned anime director Hayao Miyazaki in what is set to be his last film before retirement. The film itself is based off of Miyazaki’s manga of the same name (‘Kaze Tachinu’ in Japanese) which centers on Jiro Horikoshi, the creator of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane. The film’s English dub cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, and Stanley Tucci.

And those are the films that will be coming out in February 2014. Stay tuned for Part 2 next month where we’ll look at the March 2014 lineup.