The New Movies of January 2018, In Order of Anticipation

By Rob Hunter

Keep reading for a look at our ten most anticipated movies hitting screens this month!

On the one hand it’s a brand new year, so hooray! But on the other? It’s time for the January doldrums at the movies. Or… is it?

That’s honestly for you to decide as some of us find movies to look forward to every week and month of the year. Movies are magic dammit! This month sees a mix of movies from action to horror to, well, a lot more action and horror. And we’re excited for all of them!

9. Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Release date: 1/17

“Based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, a strange flower grants a girl magic powers.”

Pros: Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi previously gifted movie-lovers with The Secret World of Arrietty and When Marnie Was There.

Cons: I know literally nothing else about this one, have heard even less, and am very slow to actually bring myself to watch animated films.

8. 12 Strong

Release date: 1/19

“12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.”

Pros: Movies built on pure jingoism are rarely good — just look at the last few years of Clint Eastwood-directed films — but sometimes a tale of American heroes translates into a solid action picture along the lines of Michael Bay’s 13 Hours. I’m hoping this is the latter, and the addition of a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, and Michael Peña can only help.

Cons: Maybe it’s more like American Sniper.

7. Proud Mary

Release date: 1/12

“Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary’s life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.”

Pros: I’m always up for movies about assassins, and pairing that with a riff on John Cassavetes’ Gloria makes it even more promising. Add Taraji P. Henson into the title role, and I’ll be there opening night.

Cons: Director Babak Najafi’s last film was the fun but messy in a Cannon Films from the 80s kind of way London Has Fallen, and that approach won’t work with this type of story.

6. A Futile and Stupid Gesture

Release date: 1/26 on Netflix

“In the 1970s and ’80s, National Lampoon’s success and influence creates a new media empire overseen in part by the brilliant and troubled Doug Kenney.”

Pros: This is director David Wain’s sixth film, and four of the previous five are funny to very funny pictures. His first stab at a “true” story leaves him on familiar ground as the film explores the early years of a very funny magazine, The National Lampoon, and he’s joined by a stellar cast including Will Forte, Paul Scheer, Emmy Rossum, Domhnall Gleeson, Joe Lo Truglio, and more.

Cons: Wain also directed The Ten which is a misfire from beginning to end despite the presence of very funny people.

5. Insidious: The Last Key

Release date: 1/5

“Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet – in her own family home.”

Pros: James Wan’s original Insidious is a terrific chiller (until its final seconds) that succeeds in crafting scares and an original mythology, and it’s a world with more to offer. This fourth film in the series comes from director Adam Robitel whose last film, his feature debut, was the creepy as hell The Taking of Deborah Logan. So I’m in for whatever new terrors these two have cooked up for audiences.

Cons: As strong as Wan’s initial film is the two sequels are a series of diminishing returns — still okay in their own right, but a definite drop in quality — so it’s unclear where a third sequel will land, especially with a new voice behind it.

4. The Commuter

Release date: 1/12

“A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home.”

Pros: Director Jaume Collet-Serra delivers consistently good, sometimes great, genre films starting with House of Wax and ending most recently with The Shallows. In between those two he also delivered three thrillers with Liam Neeson in Unknown, Non-Stop, and Run All Night, and now the pair have re-teamed for a fourth alongside Vera Farmiga, Sam Neill, and Patrick Wilson.

Cons: Their three previous collaborations range in quality with the only other common thread being their varying degrees of ridiculousness.

3. Paddington 2

Release date: 1/12

“Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.”

Pros: 2014’s Paddington is a perfectly delightful family film pairing a cg bear with live-action surroundings, and this follow-up looks to bring back all of the same players.

Cons: I mean, if you didn’t give a shite about this goofy bear the first time then you won’t care now.

2. Before I Wake

Release date: 1/5

“A young couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams – and nightmares – manifest physically as he sleeps.”

Pros: Mike Flanagan burst — eventually — onto the horror scene with his fourth feature, Absentia, and since then he’s remained a strong talent with films like Hush and Gerald’s Game. His last five features have been good to great making him a filmmaker whose every effort is one worth getting excited by.

Cons: There might be a reason it’s taken two years for this film to make its debut in the U.S.

1. Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Release date: 1/26

“Young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the ‘Flare.'”

Pros: I’m not typically a big fan of YA adventures, but one of the few that stands apart from the herd is Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. The action is fantastic, the set-pieces are creative fun, and the story turns are exciting, and I’m excited to see the same creative team, both in front of and behind the camera, deliver more of the same with this follow-up.

Cons: The first film in the franchise is an absolute bore, so technically the series as a whole only has a fifty percent success rate heading into the third film.

The article The New Movies of January 2018, In Order of Anticipation appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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Neil Patrick Harris Rings in the New Year in ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ Teaser

By Sheryl Oh

The Baudelaires are on the run yet again.

Netflix couldn’t have picked a better time to release this new teaser for A Series of Unfortunate Events. The hit metatextual series was abruptly reintroduced onto Netflix homepages by a truly unfortunate appearance from Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris). Watch the teaser below.

The article Neil Patrick Harris Rings in the New Year in ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ Teaser appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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[The Daily] Goings On: Rohmer, Curtiz, and More

New York. “Starting in the mid-1960s, Michelangelo Antonioni became what the German essayist Hans Magnus Enzensberger would call a ‘tourist of the revolution,’” writes J. Hoberman in the New York Times. “Antonioni left Italy to make Blow-Up . . .

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Hollywood Should Put an End to the December Contender Crunch

By Matthew Monagle

Releasing movies in the waning hours of the year might be a losing proposition for Oscar contenders.

In a week otherwise filled with friends and family members, I made one mistake over my holiday break: I jumped onto Fandango and looked at the movies playing in New York City. That brought about probably my first genuine case of FOMO since moving out of the city last summer; I even fell so far down the rabbit hole of limited releases that I began to discuss – seriously discuss, with dollar signs and everything – the feasibility of spending my post-Christmas week with friends in New York City going forward. The idea would be to cram as many Oscar contenders into a two- or three-day span as possible, allowing me to experience the assumed Best Picture nominees the right way (on the big screen). Sure, it’s a pipe dream, but one brought on by an increasing deluge of important motion pictures in the final months of the year.

All of which begs the question: why does Hollywood continue to release movies at the end of December, anyways?

Over the years, we’ve come to accept the December limited release in much the same way that sports fans accept icing the kicker in football or the circus of fouls at the end of a basketball game: it adheres to the letter of the law, even if its overall effectiveness is somewhat questionable. Much like those sports analogies, it’s a practice that is explicitly written into the rules of the game. The Academy Awards rules specifically allow movies to qualify as long as they are given a “qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days,” “for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County,” and “released within the Awards year deadlines.” This explains the popularity of December 25th releases: they (barely) meet the “seven consecutive days” qualification for theatrical releases, ensuring that these movies will be eligible for Oscar consideration in the following month.

And while there are very good reasons for distributors to open small and let the market determine the expansion of any particular arthouse title, the negatives of a December release far outweigh the positives. In November, Variety published a piece on the overcrowded December landscape, noting that award season contenders were finding it difficult to gain traction with fourth-quarter releases. “Many films follow a formula that used to be successful: a one-week Oscar-qualifying run in December, going wide in January or February to capitalize on (hoped-for) Oscar nominations,” noted Variety‘s Tim Gray. “The formula doesn’t work any more.” Gray argues that recent changes to the Academy’s schedule – changes that were put into place in 2004 – have made Oscar contention a difficult proposition for many of the films released at the end of the year. As Gray notes, this has also created a deadline crunch for many critical bodies, pushing up their end-of-year winners into early December or even November, making it difficult for many voters to watch every film in contention.

All of which, of course, could be forgiven if the strategy actually worked for studios, but there’s plenty of evidence that suggests this approach leaves many films just short of Oscar gold. Consider: here’s a list of recent high-profile December releases and how they fared at the Oscars:

• Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty opened on December 19, 2012, before expanding on January 11, 2013. It would lose Best Picture to Ben Affleck’s Argo.
• Spike Jonze’s Her opened on December 18, 2013, before expanding on January 10, 2014. It would lose Best Picture to Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave.
• Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper both opened on December 25, 2014, before expanding on January 9 and 16, 2015, respectively. Both films would lose Best Picture to Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman.
• Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant opened on December 25, 2015, before expanding on January 8, 2016. The film would lose Best Picture to Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight.
• Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures opened on December 25, 2016, before expanding on January 6, 2017. The film would lose Best Picture to Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight.

If you prefer it put another way, here is the complete list of Best Picture winners dating back to 2004:

• Moonlight – November 18, 2016 (Limited)
• Spotlight – November 6, 2015 (Limited); November 20, 2015 (Wide)
• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – October 14, 2014 (Limited); November 14, 2014 (Wide)
• 12 Years a Slave – October 8, 2013 (Limited); November 8, 2013 (Wide)
• Argo – October 12, 2012 (Wide)
• The Artist – November 25, 2011 (Limited); January 20, 2012 (Wide)
• The King’s Speech – December 25, 2010 (Wide)
• The Hurt Locker – June 26, 2009 (Limited); July 31, 2009 (Wide)
• Slumdog Millionaire – December 25, 2008 (Wide)
• No Country for Old Men – November 9, 2007 (Limited); November 21, 2007 (Wide)
• The Departed – October 6, 2006 (Wide)
• Crash – May 6, 2005 (Wide)
• Million Dollar Baby – December 15, 2004 (Limited); January 28, 2005 (Wide)

For those keeping track at home, the trend has increasingly been towards November releases; ten of the thirteen titles listed above was released in theaters on or before November 25 of their release year. This doesn’t bode particularly well for this year’s batch of Oscar hopefuls, either. This past month featured limited releases for movies like I, Tonya, The Post, and Phantom Thread, with Academy Award hopefuls Hostiles, Molly’s Game, and In the Fade also making it into the mix. And while most of you won’t have an opportunity to actually see these movies in theaters until mid-January – and only The Post seems to have sustainable buzz as a Best Picture contender – this year-end blitz of releases doesn’t seem to be doing these films any favors.

So, a modest proposal for Hollywood: stop saving some of your biggest titles until the final week of the year. It’s not generating any enthusiasm with your fans, it’s not upping your chances of taking home a Best Picture statue, and it’s creating a crowded playing field where impressive movies get lost in the shuffle. You just had your worst summer in nearly 25 years – if you really want to do something creative, throw The Post out there in mid-July and give it a second, limited theatrical run come December. If we can maintain our interest in a movie like Get Out all the way from February on, maybe it’s time to start thinking about Oscar season as lasting twelve months instead of, well, two weeks.

The article Hollywood Should Put an End to the December Contender Crunch appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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What’s New to Stream on Amazon Prime for January 2018

By Rob Hunter

Here’s what’s coming to Amazon Prime this month!

Amazon Prime is the only streaming service with a cost that also gets you free shipping, and that my friends is a deal. They’ve recently gotten into the Original programming game, but their biggest offering remains the ton of films available to watch anytime for Prime members.

The complete list of titles hitting Amazon Prime this month — January 2018 — is below, but first I’m going to shower some affection and point some eyeballs towards a few specific titles.

A Stone Cold Classic

Seven remains my favorite David Fincher film, and I have love for The Game, Fight Club, and Panic Room, but there’s no doubt that 2007’s Zodiac is his absolute best. He perfectly captures the time, the tedium, and the terror that encompassed the years in which the Zodiac killer operated, and from the meticulous production design to the stellar performers (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, and John Carroll Lynch among them) it’s every bit a modern masterpiece.

For Chase-Scene Connoisseurs

Everyone knows the heavy hitters when it comes to the “best” onscreen chase scenes, but while Point Break and The French Connection get the most attention there are more to love. Two such films arrive this month, and while both are good movies with great casts it’s their chase action that lifts them above the fray. First up is Ridley Scott’s Black Rain about an American cop in search of a suspect in Japan, and Michael Douglas gets down and dirty on foot, in cars, and on a motorcycle. Peter Hyams’ The Presidio, meanwhile, centers the action in San Francisco and takes terrific advantage of the city’s geography with car shenanigans and one hell of a foot chase.

Sci-Fi Others Love But I Do Not

My tastes are not your tastes, and that’s okay. To that end here are three sci-fi films that have ardent fan-bases despite being “not good.” See? That’s my taste rearing its head, and since I know I’m in the minority I’m going to recommend you give these three a spin. Evolution was Ivan Reitman’s bid for a return to Ghostbusters glory as it pits a fun cast against aliens. Their bigger threat, though, is a dearth of laughs. Ignore that last sentence. Tobe Hooper, meanwhile, passed away in 2017 but left behind a filmography featuring some legendary classics in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist. He also re-made Invaders from Mars. I’m sorry, that didn’t sound as positive as I would have hoped, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Finally, 1986’s The Wraith is something of a cult favorite, and even I loved it when I was a kid. A. Kid.

Ninjas!

Two ninja classics come to Prime this month too along with an early 90s action gem that is one in spirit. First up in 1983’s Revenge of the Ninja which sees Sho Kosugi kicking ass ninja-style after trying to make a new home in America. He ripped himself off a couple years later with Pray for Death, but this is the better of the two and a ton of fun. American Ninja sees the same director introducing a new lead in Michael Dudikoff, and while four sequels followed the first is where it’s at. Finally, Jeff Speakman’s The Perfect Weapon sees the martial arts master dealing death blows left and right, and while he’s never explicitly labeled a ninja he’ll always be one in our hearts.

Keep reading for a look at all of this month’s new arrivals:

January 1st

• The 2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish (Amazon original)
• All is Lost
• American Ninja
• Assassination
• Avenging Force
• Babel
• Baby Mama’s Club
• Black Rain
• Brothers
• Burning Blue
• But I’m a Cheerleader
• Capote
• Coming Soon
• Cool World
• Cross Bronx
• Dangerous Curves
• Drop Dead Sexy
• Doctor Who, season 10
• Evolution
• Flawless
• Freedom Writers
• Hamlet
• Highway
• Horsemen
• Hustle & Flow
• Invaders from Mars
• Love and Death
• Love Story
• Murphy’s Law
• Platoon Leader
• Pretty Bird
• Primitive
• Requiem for a Dream
• Reservoir Dogs
• Revenge of the Ninja
• Revolutionary Road
• Richard the Lionheart
• Show of Force
• Six Degrees of Separation
• Step Into Liquid
• Street Smart
• The Perfect Weapon
• The Presidio
• The Wraith
• Thelma & Louise
• Uncommon Valor
• Words and Pictures
• Zodiac

January 5th

• The Devil’s Double

January 6th

• Grimm, season 6

January 7th

• A Ghost Story

January 9th

• Prime Suspect: Tennison, season 1

January 12th

• Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, season 1 (Amazon original)

January 16th

• My Mother & Other Strangers

January 17th

• The Midwife

January 19th

• Just Add Magic, season 2 (Amazon original)

January 30th

• Grantchester, season 3
• Remember Me

January 31st

• xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

Follow all of our monthly streaming guides.

The article What’s New to Stream on Amazon Prime for January 2018 appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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What’s New to Stream on Netflix for January 2018

By Rob Hunter

Here’s what’s coming to Netflix this month!

Some people spend their days arguing over the merits of Netflix and how it’s “killing cinema” as we know it, but the rest of us know better. It’s just one more way to re-watch the movies we already love and find new ones to cherish. This month sees plenty of both hitting the service.

The complete list of movies and shows hitting Netflix this month — January 2018 — is below, but first I’m going to highlight a few that stand apart from the bunch.

The Underdog

Sometimes great Sundance premieres go on to become the year’s best film, and other times they get unfairly lost in the shuffle of a full release calendar. Bad Day for the Cut (shoots its way onto Netflix starting 1/18) was one of my favorites at last year’s Park City film fest (my full review), and this month it finally comes available to a wider audience. It’s a terrific little revenge tale in the vein of Blue Ruin in that its hero is in no way prepared for the journey he sets himself upon after the murder of his mother. Quick bursts of action, fun characters, and smart plot turns make it a sharp and satisfying thriller well worth your time.

Netflix Originals

Some Netflix Originals are made directly for the streaming service while others are picked up at festivals. Sometimes, though, they lay claim to a movie that’s otherwise been left in the cold. Mike Flanagan’s 2016 release, Before I Wake (1/5), is one such “original” after finding itself trapped in limbo for the past couple years. Like the other Originals below I haven’t seen this one yet, but coming in the middle of Flanagan’s terrific genre run — Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Gerald’s Game — it’s one I’m excited to watch. The Polka King (1/12) was picked up after premiering at Sundance last year, and while reviews were mixed a cast that includes Jack Black, Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, and others means it’s at least deserving of a watch. David Wain’s A Futile and Stupid Gesture (1/26) is premiering at Sundance later this month and hits Netflix almost immediately after. Wain’s track record is pretty good, and he’s stacked his look at the early days of the National Lampoon with an equally reliable cast of comedy greats including Will Forte, Joe Lo Truglio, Martin Mull, and more.

Franchise Fans

What’s better than one film about mismatched cop partners, cheerleaders, and a billionaire dressed as a bat? Four or five, obviously. This month sees the arrival of all four Lethal Weapon films (just prepare yourself for the quality decline after part two), the first four Bring It On movies (that’s right, there’s more than four), and five of DC’s live-action Batman films (two from Tim Burton, two from Joel Schumacher, and one from Christopher Nolan).

Modern Comforts

Some movies are just generally accepted as modern classics, and while they’re not always award winners they are movies it’s just impossible to turn off once begun. Peter Weir’s The Truman Show is one of my favorites and remains every bit as funny, original, and inspiring on every re-watch. Jim Carrey’s never been better, and if you’re not cheering along at the end then you’re probably a beret-wearing robot. It’s become “cool” to hate on The Shawshank Redemption over the years, but screw those people. Frank Darabont’s first (feature-length) Stephen King adaptation is still a gem of character, plotting, and third act perfection. Caddyshack doesn’t quite have the cache of these other two, but good gravy is it still a ridiculously good time with the likes of Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, and Ted Knight.

Keep reading for a look at all of this month’s new arrivals:

January 1st

• “10,000 B.C.”
• “30 Days of Night”
• “Age Of Shadows”
• “AlphaGo”
• “America’s Sweethearts”
• “Apollo 13”
• “Batman”
• “Batman & Robin”
• “Batman Begins”
• “Batman Forever”
• “Batman Returns”
• “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
• “Bring It On”
• “Bring It On Again”
• “Bring It On: All or Nothing”
• “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish”
• “Bring It On: In It to Win It”
• “Caddyshack”
• “Chef & My Fridge: 2017”
• “Defiance”
• “Definitely, Maybe”
• “Eastsiders” (Season 3)
• “Furry Vengeance”
• “Glacé” (Season 1, Netflix Original)
• “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”
• “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”
• “King Kong”
• “Lethal Weapon”
• “Lethal Weapon 2”
• “Lethal Weapon 3”
• “Lethal Weapon 4”
• “License to Wed”
• “Like Water for Chocolate”
• “Love Actually”
• “Lovesick” (Season 3, Netflix Original)
• “Maddman: The Steve Madden Story”
• “Marie Antoinette”
• “Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World”
• “Midnight in Paris”
• “Monsters vs. Aliens”
• “National Treasure”
• “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming”
• “Stardust”
• “Strictly Ballroom”
• “The Dukes of Hazzard”
• “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”
• “The First Time”
• “The Godfather”
• “The Godfather: Part II”
• “The Godfather: Part III”
• “The Italian Job”
• “The Lovely Bones”
• “The Shawshank Redemption”
• “The Truman Show”
• “The Vault”
• “Training Day”
• “Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable”
• “Troy”
• “Wedding Crashers”
• “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”

January 2nd

• “Mustang Island”
• “Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
• “Rent”

January 5th

• “Before I Wake” (Netflix Original)
• “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (Netflix Original)
• “DEVILMAN crybaby” (Season 1, Netflix Original)
• “Rotten” (Netflix Original)

January 6th

• “Episodes” (Seasons 1-5)

January 8th

• “The Conjuring”

January 10th

• “47 Meters Down”
• “Alejandro Riaño Especial de stand up” (Netflix Original)
• “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”
• “In The Deep”

January 12th

• “Colony” (Season 2)
• “Disjointed: Part 2” (Netflix Original)
• “Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix Original)
• “The Man Who Would Be Polka King”
• “The Polka King” (Netflix Original)
• “Tom Segura: Disgraceful” (Netflix Original)

January 14th

• “Wild Hogs”

January 15th

• “2018 Olympic Winter Games Preview: Meet Team USA & Go for the Gold”
• “Rehenes”
• “Unrest”

January 16th

• “Dallas Buyers Club”
• “Katt Williams: Great America (Netflix Original)
• “Rita” (Season 4)

 January 17th

• “Arango y Sanint: Ríase El Show” (Netflix Original)
• “Friday Night Tykes” (Season 4)

January 18th

• “Bad Day for the Cut”
• “Tiempos de guerra” (Season 1, Netflix Original)

January 19th

• “Drug Lords” (Season 1, Netflix Original)
• “Grace and Frankie” (Season 4, Netflix Original)
• “The Open House” (Netflix Original)
• “Trolls: The Beat Goes On!” (Season 1, Netflix Original)

January 23rd

• “Todd Glass: Act Happy” (Netflix Original)

January 24th

• “Ricardo Quevedo: Hay gente así” (Netflix Original)

January 25th

• “Acts of Vengeance”

January 26th

• “A Futile and Stupid Gesture” (Netflix Original)
• “Dirty Money” (Netflix Original)
• “Llama Llama” (Season 1, Netflix Original)
• “One Day at a Time” (Season 2, Netflix Original)
• “Sebastián Marcelo Wainraich” (Netflix Original)
• “The Adventures of Puss in Boots” (Season 6, Netflix Original)
• “Mau Nieto: Viviendo sobrio… desde el bar”  (Netflix Original)

January 28th

• “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (Seasons 1-2)
• “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (Season 3, Netflix Original)

January 29th

• “The Force”

January 30th

• “Babylon Berlin” (Season 1-2, Netflix Original)
• “Death Race: Beyond Anarchy”
• “Retribution” (Season 1, Netflix Original)

January 31st

• “Disney·Pixar Cars 3”

Follow all of our monthly streaming guides.

The article What’s New to Stream on Netflix for January 2018 appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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What’s New to Stream on Hulu for January 2018

By Rob Hunter

Here’s what’s coming to Hulu this month!

Hulu has been stuck in the third place position when it comes to movie streaming behind Netflix and Amazon Prime because most people still see them strictly as a home for next-day television. They have movies too, though, and more than a few of them are terrific gems that make Hulu a destination for more than just TV.

The complete list of new movies hitting Hulu this month — January 2018 — is below, but I wanted to highlight the best of the bunch along with several others worth seeking out.

The Best

Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 was one of 2017’s many critical darlings that failed to find much of an audience in 2017, but unlike most of them it seems destined to find a growing fan base in years to come. It’s the visionary director’s tenth film and comes after a brilliant run of titles in a row including Arrival, Sicario, Enemy, Prisoners, and Incendies. All are varying degrees of greatness, but his best remains 2009’s Polytechnique. The film explores the horrific mass shooting that occurred at a Montreal university in 1989, and it’s a devastatingly powerful watch. The shooter targeted women specifically, and the film offers a terrifying look at the most nightmarish outcome of male entitlement. As horrifying as it is, from the build-up to the attack itself, the film and performances instill a beautiful sliver of hope in spite of the pain.

New Releases

I wasn’t much of a fan of Vin Diesel’s first two XXX adventures and therefore skipped the latest — the concept of James Bond as an X Games champion does little for me — but those who’ve seen XXX: The Return of Xander Cage (hits Hulu on 1/13) are still singing its praises as a big pile of stylish fun. I do enjoy dark comedies, though, and to that end I can happily recommend Ingrid Goes West (1/22) for like-minded film fans. Aubrey Plaza gives a terrific performance balancing laughs and mental instability as a fan obsessed with a social media celebrity played by Elizabeth Olsen. It’s a dark tale, and while it loses its way a bit in the third act the film still delivers a damning commentary our star-obsessed culture. Like Villeneuve’s film above, Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit (1/24) tackles a horrific real-life incident from the relatively recent past without flinching. Unfortunately, though, similarities end there as it fails to build emotional connections before tearing the world apart and instead delivers a increasingly cruel stream of frustrations and brutalities.

For Charles Bronson Fans

Charles Bronson is an action mainstay with great movies spread across the decades from the 50s through the 80s (and technically dipping into the 90s with a terrific supporting turn in Sean Penn’s The Indian Runner). Three of Bronson’s films are new to Hulu this month starting with the vicious serial killer thriller, 10 to Midnight, which sees him playing a detective on the trail of a Ted Bundy-like madman. It’s nasty fun. Bronson re-teamed with director J. Lee Thompson a few years later for the lighter but still entertaining Murphy’s Law. Bronson plays a cop — again — forced to balance his pursuit of his wife’s murderers with babysitting duty for a foul-mouthed young woman. It tries a bit too hard for laughs at times, but Bronson’s charms shine through. The third Bronson film hitting Hulu this month is a lesser affair in general, but what Assassination lacks in R-rated thrills it (almost) makes up for in the always sweet pairing of Bronson and Jill Ireland.

Have Time to Kill?

Sometimes you sit down to watch a movie and are happy to see it’s only ninety minutes long, but other times? You want the story to continue. Those who fall into the latter group will be happy to see six franchises available to stream this month including Full Moon’s four-film Subspecies series about a vampire’s quest for blood and love. Keeping with the genre trend, Canada’s Cube trilogy offers up a bloody slice of sci-fi/horror while the Look Who’s Talking trilogy explores the horror of adult brains transplanted into baby skulls. Those looking for lighter fare might enjoy the animated shenanigans of an undead canine in All Dogs Go to Heaven and its sequel (both coming to earth on 1/31) or the totally wicked joys of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey. Lastly, all four films in the epic anti-bully adventures of The Karate Kid are ready to stream their way into your dojo too.

Keep reading for a look at all of this month’s new arrivals:

January 1st

• 10 to Midnight (1983)
• A League of Their Own (1992)
• All Is Lost (2013)
• American Ninja (1985)
• Anger Management (2003)
• Art of the Prank (2015)
• Assassination (1987)
• Avenging Force (1986)
• Babel (2006)
• Baby Mama’s Club (2010)
• Beyond the Sea (2004)
• Bloodsport (1988)
• Big Driver (2014)
• Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
• Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
• Black Rain (1989)
• Bolero (1984)
• Brothers (2009)
• Burning Blue (2014)
• But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
• Capote (2005)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Coming Soon (1999)
• Cool World (1992)
• Cross Bronx (2004)
• Cube (1998)
• Cube 2: Hypercube (2003)
• Cube Zero (2005)
• Daddy Day Care (2003)
• Dangerous Curves (1989)
• Down in the Delta (1998)
• Drop Dead Sexy (2006)
• Evolution (2001)
• Excess Baggage (1997)
• Flawless (1999)
• The Fourth War (1990)
• Frailty (2001)
• Freedom Writers (2007)
• The Future (2011)
• Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College (1991)
• Green Street Hooligans Underground (2005)
• Grizzly Man (2005)
• Hamlet (1990)
• Hercules in New York (1970)
• Highway (2012)
• Horsemen (2009)
• Hot Rod (2007)
• Hustle & Flow (2005)
• I Spy (2002)
• Invaders from Mars (1986)
• Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
• Ironweed (1987)
• The Karate Kid (1984)
• The Karate Kid: Part II (1986)
• The Karate Kid III (1989)
• Kill the Irishman (2011)
• Liz & Dick (2012)
• Look Who’s Talking (1989)
• Look Who’s Talking Now (1993)
• Look Who’s Talking Too (1990)
• Love & Death (1975)
• Love Story (1970)
• Missing in Action II: The Beginning (1985)
• Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
• Murphy’s Law (1986)
• My Boss’s Daughter (2003)
• The Next Karate Kid (1994)
• Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006)
• Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection (2012)
• Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
• P.O.W. The Escape (1986)
• P2 (2007)
• Paper Heart (2009)
• The Parent Trap (1961)
• The Parent Trap (1998)
• The Perfect Weapon (1991)
• The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
• Platoon Leader (1988)
• The Pom Pom Girls (1976)
• The Presidio (1988)
• Pretty Bird (2008)
• Primitive (2011)Punch Drunk Love (2002)
• Requiem for a Dream (2000)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
• Revolutionary Road (2008)
• Richard the Lionheart (2013)
• Saturday Night Fever (1977)
• Secretary (2002)
• Shirley Valentine (1989)
• Show of Force (1990)
• Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
• Sliding Doors (1998)
• Songcatcher (2000)
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Step into Liquid (2003)
• Street Smart (1987)
• Subspecies (1991)
• Subspecies 2 (1993)
• Subspecies 3 (1994)
• Subspecies 4 (1998)
• Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
• Thelma & Louise (1991)
• Total Recall (1990)
• Two Family House (2000)
• Uncommon Valor (1983)
• War (2007)
• Witless Protection (2008)
• Words and Pictures (2013)
• The Wraith (1987)
• Zodiac (2007)

January 2nd

• Cruel and Unusual (2017)

January 3rd

• The Game Changer (2017)

January 6th

• Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait (2017)

January 7th

• Yakuza Apocalypse (2015)

January 8th

• Frank (2014)

January 11th

• These Final Hours (2013)

January 13th

• XXX: The Return of Xander Cage (2016)

January 15th

• 12 O’Clock Boys (2013)
• Advanced Style (2014)
• Afterimage (2016)
• The Alchemist Cookbook (2016)
• Are We Done Yet? (2007)
• Are We There Yet? (2005)
• Bending Steel (2013)
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
• Coherence (2013)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
• Dogs on the Inside (2014)
• Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
• Polina (2016)
• Polytechnique (2009)
• The Queen (2006)
• Sex Guaranteed (2017)
• Soul on a String (2016)
• We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
• Wendy & Lucy (2008)

January 18th

• Barista (2015)

January 19th

• My Best Friend (2016)

January 21st

• School Life (2017)

January 22nd

• Espionage Tonight (2017)
• Ingrid Goes West (2017)

January 24th

• Detroit (2018)

January 25th

• Sword of Vengeance (2015)

January 27th

• Crash Pad (2017)

January 29th

• Beside Bowie (2017)
• Halloween Pussy Trap Kill Kill (2017)

January 31st

• All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
• All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 (1996)

Follow all of our monthly streaming guides here.

The article What’s New to Stream on Hulu for January 2018 appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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[The Daily] Most Anticipated Films of 2018

One of the most intriguing films we can look forward to in the new year is Claire Denis’s English-language debut, High Life. “I’ve always been interested in science, in astrophysics,” Denis told the Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Roxborough in . . .

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18 Comfort Food Films to Nurse Your 2017 Hangover

By Meg Shields

New Year’s Eve has laid waste to your body and soul. Let film help.

Welcome to 2018: a fresh new year teaming with sparkly new hopes, dreams, and possibilities. But first, welcome to your 2017 hangover. And boy, given the jerkoff kind of year 2017 was, we’ll bet that it’s a doozy. Luckily for your hangover ass, cinema is chock-full of comforting films to shepherd you through this corporeal comeuppance for partying/sob-drinking your way into the new year.

So, without further ado, grab your Gatorade and Gravol and snuggle up: here are 18 curative films to help you get back on your feet and kick 2018 in the ass. 

1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

“Me and this fat kid / We ran we ate and read books / And it was the best”

Leave it to human sunbeam Taika Waititi to craft a film as warm and comforting as a Merino wool sweater. Hunt for the Wilderpeople sees bad egg Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) fleeing into the New Zealand bush with his cranky foster dad/uncle (Sam Neil) in an attempt to elude the bumbling (if tenacious) child welfare (headed by the indomitable Rachel House). The manner and clarity of Waititi’s prose is soothing, as is the camera’s loving attention to New Zealand’s scenery; it’s the kind of film you want to crawl into and make a home in.

2. Everybody Wants Some!!

*My Sharona thumps softly in the background*

Does Everybody Wants Some!! have a plot? Not particularly. It’s a good old-fashioned hangout movie courtesy of the subgenre’s patron saint Richard Linklater. Our cast of crop-top sporting baseball bros just sort of drift together for 120 minutes. It’s the kind of lackadaisical, light-hearted, risk-free coasting that can shepherd you through this trying, hungover time. Meandering, plot-light films are a welcome bedfellow when uncharted parts of your forehead won’t stop throbbing.

3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

No one slings cinematic comfort food like John Hughes, nostalgia high priest, and gatekeeper of childhoods. And yes, some of his stuff hasn’t aged great but look, you’re hungover. Critical thought isn’t in your wheelhouse right now. And damn it if Ferris Bueller’s Day Off isn’t the quintessential “staying home sick” film. You know, for irony reasons. Cameron got yanked out of his self-loathing deathbed but it’s New Years Day. The Ferris in your life knows better…and is probably also hungover.

4. Howl’s Moving Castle (and all things Ghibli)

“may all your bacon burn”

Hayao Miyazaki famously works without screenplays and (for better or for worse) of all his films, Howl’s Moving Castle feels the most formless, strange, and winding; like a half-remembered dream. I don’t know about you but when I’m dehydrated and #dying that’s right up my immaculately animated ally. That said, any Ghibli film would be the perfect hangover companion; a gentle back rub in film form. Take your pick.

5. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil

“we’ve had a doozy of a day”

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is an intelligent film about genre stereotypes as well as a stupendously good-spirited bloody buddy comedy. Seeing hateful jerk teens meet grisly (accidental) ends? Therapeutic. Watching Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine support one another through plentiful viscera and mishap aver mishap? Aspirational. Nothing like some over the top situational comedy murder to put everything in perspective. At least your “shouldn’t have had that last shot” shot didn’t cause any jocks to throw themselves into wood chippers.

6. Moonrise Kingdom

“it’s been proven by history: all mankind makes mistakes”

Science can’t prove that the symmetry of Wes Anderson films has healing properties but I have my suspicions. And Moonrise Kingdom’s brown-faded gentleness seems particularly restorative; the way it lets things be genuinely precious and enchanted. It has quirk in spades but Anderson’s sardonic strain has been muzzled and replaced with teenage love, best-laid plans, and Françoise Hardy.

7. The Princess Bride

pictured: true friendship

Every time I am hungover I wish Peter Falk would shuffle to my bedside and read to me. Baby Fred Savage should be so lucky. I’d even settle for the tried-and-true soup/head dunk method Fezzik pulls on boozed-up, disenchanted Inigo. Good thing Rob Reiner’s quick-witted, warm-hearted storybook masterpiece is the next best thing.

8. The Big Lebowski

“fuck it, Dude, let’s go bowling”

The Coen Brothers are maestros of the cause and effect; of weaving together plots that unravel as a consequence of questionable decision-making by flawed folks just trying to do the right thing. And like the most righteous of post-party migraines, the series of ridiculous events that befalls the Dude feels both tangible and absurd. In the meantime, snuggle up in a bathrobe and try to abide.

9. Planet Earth (Blue Planet too)

me, hungover, doing my best

Let international treasure David Attenborough lull you into a hypnotic trance. Listen as his dulcet tones describe polar bear cubs emerging from hibernation, Galapagos racer snakes being dicks to baby iguanas, and birds of paradise desperately trying to bump uglies. Be soothed by high definition visuals of gypsum mineral formations, cordyceps-infected ants, and adorable swimming sloths. When you’re in the throes of a hangover, there’s no better way to remember that life goes on.

10. What We Do in the Shadows

“I can’t eat solids now”

What We Do in the Shadows is everyone’s favorite New Zealand vampire horror hangout comedy. It is also a great hangover movie. Per vampire rules, there are no bright lights. Per Taika Waititi rules, even the most conflict-heavy parts of the film are sweet, endearing, and gentle. But maybe consider fast-forwarding through Nick’s violent back ally post-chip chunder ordeal. Might be too close to home.

11. The ‘Burbs

oh, hello my favorite on-screen pairing of all time

“How did this happen?” you gargle. “Who did this to me?” you wonder. Well if you’re Tom Hanks in Joe Dante’s oft-overlooked 80s satire The ‘Burbs the answer is clear: Satanists. Well mostly clear. Hanks is pretty sure something’s off with his suspiciously eccentric new neighbors and damn it if he isn’t going to get to the bottom of it. Just like it was you and only you who got to the bottom of that bottle of champagne last night.

12. Four Weddings and a Funeral

sweet baby jesus

Four Weddings and a Funeral is one of those rare films that keep you grinning until the credits roll (with a couple sporadic emotional gut punches, with a coup de grace courtesy of John Hannah). From the deft, situational comedy stained hands of Richard Curtis, Four Weddings follows a small circle of friends through wedding season, with Hugh Grant’s commitment fearing Charles at its center. It’s a warm hug of a film, and frankly, one of the best romantic comedies ever made. Just ask Kumail Nanjiani.

13. Galaxy Quest

looking through all your drunk texts like

In this brave new era of franchises, sci-fi tent poles, and wrinkly stars yanked back into beloved roles for the sake of nostalgia, like that fine wine you definitely had too much of last night, Galaxy Quest has only improved with age. It is also, fundamentally, a goofy late-90s ensemble comedy with the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Sam Rockwell. Your hangover may feel bleak, but remember: never give up, never surrender!

14. Evil Dead II

“groovy”

 Sometimes, when you’re hungover, your body betrays you. Maybe not Kandarian-demons-possessed-my-hand levels of betrayal, but close. Laugh the pain away as Ash (Bruce Campbell) and friends summon an ancient Sumerian evil that loves physical comedy.

15. The Emperor’s New Groove

Without much in the way of plot, Emperor’s New Groove reeks of the funky, unfussy sass of goofball Broadway buffoonery. The film sees whiny egoist emperor Kusco (David Spade) transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor Yzma (Eartha Kitt), a rude awakening that forces the young tyrant to revaluate his life. It’s light and wacky and Tex Avery adjacent and it stars cinema’s dad John Goodman. What more could you want? It’s a long-form Saturday morning cartoon: unpretentious, self-assured, and crackling.

16. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

“You are beaten. It is useless to resist.”

One of the best follow-ups of all time, Empire Strikes Back is high space fantasy at its best.  A visual tour-de-force and a nostalgic bubble bath of the highest order, we rejoin our beloved rebel scum in their struggle against the eeeeeevil galactic empire. Empire is film nerd chicken soup. It is curative. It is therapeutic. It is exactly what your poor, wounded, hungover soul needs. Search your feelings, you know it to be true. 

17. Young Frankenstein 

A film with a ridiculous amount of jokes per minute, Young Frankenstein will bring you back from the dead and then some. Fun fact: to preserve the film’s self-serious Universal Monster tone, director Mel Brooks abstained from his usual cameo appearance. Well. Kind of. That’s him making a werewolf (there, wolf) howl off-camera.

18. The Trip

pictured: true friendship (again)

Playing almost-versions of themselves, British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite with director Michael Winterbottom for a largely improvised and crushingly bittersweet visit to the northern English countryside for a fine dining journalism assignment. A meditation on friendship and moving on masquerading as a travelogue, The Trip is a deft (and tenderly executed) examination coming to terms with your own quirks, and those of others. 

Happy hangover!

The article 18 Comfort Food Films to Nurse Your 2017 Hangover appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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Very Cool Trailer for Vintage Time Travel Indie Comedy 'Future '38'

"See you in 1938." Let's kick off the New Year by taking a time travel trip into 2018! A trailer has launched for a wacky little indie film titled Future '38, a spoof of classic screwball comedies from the 1930s. The story involves a man being sent via time travel into the future, 80 years ahead to the year 2018, to help them figure out how to solve their problems in the past. Something about defeating Hitler, but then he falls for a young lady, and it all becomes a big mess. The film's cast features Betty Gilpin, Nick Westrate, Ethan Phillips, Sean Young, Robert John Burke, and Ilana Becker, with an appearance by Neil deGrasse Tyson. This actually looks very fun! Yes, it's super cheesy, but it seems like they nailed the tone and balance of humor and quirk and screwball-ness for a very amusing, entertaining little film. Might be worth a watch.

Here's the first trailer (+ poster) for Jamie Greenberg's Future '38, direct from YouTube (via TMB):

The Peppiest Picture of 1938! An American Agent Travels Through Time to Hamstring Hitler! Transported to the year 2018 AD, he finds a strange world of silvery skyscrapers, connected computers, and working women! He hobnobs with hoodlums, infuriates the Fuhrer, and goes gaga for a gal 80 years his junior! To save the world he must leave his love behind… What will he choose?! (Shucks that'd be telling! …You'll have to BUY A TICKET!) Pleasure beyond measure in this future-feature… In stunning 1938 Spect-a-color. Future '38 is both written and directed by American comedian / writer / filmmaker Jamie Greenberg, of only the film Stags previously. This hasn't premiered at any film festivals or otherwise as far as we know. Future '38 will be released direct-to-VOD starting on January 2nd, 2018 this month. Anyone interested?

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