Major Theatrical Releases January 2017

Major Theatrical Releases January 2017

Typically the first few months of the new year brings the films that studios aren't all that excited about, and want to dump them out before the upcoming sizzling summer season, while also showcasing a certain few prestige films to entice the Oscar voters before the nominees are announced at the end of the month.

January brings two female-centric fledgling franchises that should've ended many films before, another sequel from a series that ended well over ten years ago (looking at last year's films you can judge how well this one will do), three films geared towards families, some Oscar-bait films and some intriguing horror movies.

Here are the major theatrical movies being released in January 2017.
(Dates are subject to change)

January 6

Hidden Figures

"Hidden Figures" is the true-life story of three African American women who assisted with NASA in sending John Glenn to orbit the earth successfully using their highly intellectual mathematics calculations.  This is truly a prestige film, as it's already garnered several accolades including several Golden Globe and Screen Actors' Guild Award nominations, and Oscar isn't probably too far off.  The film also features a knockout cast including Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, as well as Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Oscar winner Kevin Coster, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons, and it looks like it'll be a soaring film about the perseverance of ordinary people and serve as an inspiration to everyone.

A Monster Calls

Based on the beloved children's book by Patrick Ness, "A Monster Calls" centers around the life of young Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall, in his first film), who is bullied in school and dealing with the terminal illness of his loving mother Lizzie (Oscar nominee Felicity Jones).  One night he encounters a monster (voiced by Liam Neeson), who helps him cope with life's troubles.  Unfortunate parallels to last summer's big flop "The BFG" come to mind here, and since it was pushed back from October it doesn't bode well, but the animation looks beautiful, the story heart-wrenching, and features a stellar cast, so we'll see if this can become a hit.

Underworld: Blood Wars

For the fourth time (yes, this is the fifth movie, but she didn't appear in the prequel "Rise of the Lycans"), Kate Beckinsale once again dons the skin-tight outfit as vampire hunter Selene, as she still continues to evade both Lycans and vampires who want to use her blood to become hybrids.  The first two "Underworld" movies were blockbusters and catapulted Kate Beckinsale to A-list status, but now the franchise just seems to keep dragging its heels by offering the same exact story every time with the same dark photography and set designs, and same ole action.  Hopefully this will be the final installment, we can only hope.

January 13

Patriots Day

 "Patriots Day" is the true-life story of the Boston Bombing that occurred on April 2013, and the subsequent hunt for the terrorists and the unprecedented security measures that effectively shut down one of America's biggest cities.  Featuring Mark Wahlberg as Boston Police Department Sergeant Tommy Saunders, and showcasing a strong supporting cast including J.K. Simmons, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon and Michelle Monaghan - as well as being a movie that focuses on an event still so fresh in our minds - there's no doubt this will be a big hit with critics and audiences alike, plus it's directed by frequent Walberg collaborator Peter Berg, who also directed true life stories "Deepwater Horizon" and "Lone Survivor."

Live By Night

Set in the 1920s and 30s, the film centers around Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck), who was the son of a Boston police captain who moved to Florida and became a bootlegger, rum-runner and eventually a notorious gangster.  Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the film is another prestige picture that was written, directed and co-produced by Affleck, who has had a more prestigious career behind the camera than in front of it (he directed stellar films "Gone Baby Gone," "The Town" and the Oscar-winning film "Argo").  The visuals look stunning, the costume and set designs on point, and features a strong supporting cast including Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller and Chris Cooper.

Sleepless

Police detective Vincent Downs (Jamie Foxx) works both sides of the law, as he also serves to steal cocaine from a powerful drug lord that subsequently puts his life - and the life of his son - in danger.  He uses his underground connections to save his son before it's too late.  Tell me if you've heard this premise before, as you probably have in other easily forgettable movies.  

The Bye Bye Man

When I see the movie poster, the first thing that came to mind was Keanu Reeves' "The Watcher":

Dunno why I included that here, but it was just bugging me I guess.  Plus the film looks to be an absolute trainwreck (get it, the girl getting hit by the train in the trailer?).  This PG-13 sleeper (since it's not "R" I doubt we'll see the outcome of the girl getting hit by the train) centers around a group of college students who stumble across the Bye Bye Man - a supernatural entity that inhabits people and may have been the cause for every bad thing that ever happened in the history of existence ever.  The only way to avoid him is not saying or thinking his name.  Don't worry, no one will remember his name - or this movie - in a few days.

Monster Trucks

So, this is a movie about a kid (Lucas Till) who makes a monster truck and finds a strange creature that somehow knows about cars or something and likes to live in the monster truck the kid made, and they're hunted down by people who want the creature.  There's so many great family-friendly films out there that are intelligent and enjoyable for young and old alike, but "Monster Trucks" surely isn't one of them.  I look forward to seeing this in the bargain DVD bin on January 14th.

January 20

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

 "xXx" was a huge action hit for Vin Diesel, but he didn't choose to return for the sequel, so they instead got Ice Cube, and it was a bomb.  That was back in 2005, and now - twelve years later - the franchise has been reborn with Vin Diesel returning as Xander Cage, brought out of exile to stop villain Xiang (Donnie Yen) from unleashing a powerful weapon known as Pandora's Box.  While this isn't set to be anything amazing, it's still got some pretty cool action sequences, as well as Diesel's return to the franchise could electrify it, but I feel it'll fall the way of other attempts to re-vitalize a long-dead franchise.

Split

There was a time where M. Night Shyamalan was the go-to person for freaky, mind-bending psychological thrillers.  "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable" and "Signs" still hold a certain place in cinematic history as some truly groundbreaking and thought-provoking thrillers, but then he began a rapid descent into mediocrity with "The Village," "The Lady in the Water," "The Last Airbender" and "After Earth," and it looked like his career was over.  Then, last year, he released the critically acclaimed "The Visit," and audiences were once again willing to give him another chance.  "Split" looks to be a great thriller featuring the amazing James McAvoy as a man with 24 personalities who kidnaps three girls (including "The Witch" star Anya Taylor-Joy).  As they try to convince one of the personalities to let them go, another personality takes shape and seems to be the darkest of them all.  I'm eagerly anticipating the classic Shyamalan twist and an exciting thrill ride into madness.

The Founder

 Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, who acquires the rights to the fast food chain "McDonald's" and turns it from a small mom-and-pop operation into a global powerhouse.  This is one of those films that will probably be very good, as Keaton is a strong actor and the meteoric story of a rise to power is always an interesting one, but it's also one of those films you need to be in a particular mood to see.  It's not something to see on a whim, but you have to go into it prepared for a seriously dramatic piece with little to no action.

January 27

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Taking place after "Retribution," the world is in chaos as the apocalypse is almost complete, and Alice (Milla Jovovich) sets out to put an end to the darkness once and for all by infiltrating the Umbrella Corporation and making one final stand.  When it comes to movies based on video games, "Resident Evil" is one of the best - but that's not saying much.  There were some good sequels and some bad ones, but since this is the final chapter (let's face it, years down the road they'll be some reboot), it sets a final period on the very long sentence that the movie series began with.  Plus Milla Jovovich is an amazing action actress and the action looks top notch, plus it reunites characters from all the previous films for the last stand.  While it doesn't look to be stellar by any means, it'll be an enjoyable popcorn movie.

A Dog's Purpose

For someone who often holds animal life more than humans, I must admit I teared up every time I see this trailer, because it shows the true bond between a dog and his owner, as the dog is reincarnated several times and eventually finds his way back to his original owner.  While it serves as a comedy, it's also a dramatic piece that tugs at the heart strings and makes you really appreciate your pet on a whole new level. 

Gold

Kenny Wells (Matthew McConaughey) is a businessman down on his luck when he teams up with geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) to find gold in Indonesia, propelling him back to prominence.  McConaughey transformed himself into the role by gaining a lot of weight and put all he had into the project, which looks to be a critical success if not an audience hit, and features some great supporting actors including Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson and Stacy Keach.

So there are the films being released in January 2017. 

Here is a list in how excited I am to see them from the best, to the worst.

Split
Patriots Day
Hidden Figures
Live By Night
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
The Founder
A Monster Calls
Gold
Underworld: Blood Wars
A Dog's Purpose
Sleepless
The Bye Bye Man
Monster Trucks