Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time

Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Rating Principles
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Members’ Corner
  • Blog
Cast : Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich Release : February 5, 2016 Director : Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Genre : Comedy, Drama, Music, Mystery

February 2016 Movie Preview

Posted by Tim Brayton Posted on Feb - 3 - 2016 26 Comments
FEBRUARY 2016 MOVIE PREVIEW

Well, here we are, already in the second month of 2016, and I’m not even done with 2015 yet. But we’ll get there. In the meanwhile, the year is hopefully going to get revved up here pretty quick: obviously anything could turn out to be bad, but two of my most-anticipated titles for the whole calendar year are soon to be upon us. It’s still the winter, and that means plenty of dodgy crap, but even some of that looks maybe possibly okay. Fingers crossed.

5.2.2016

First and above all: new Coen film. Hail, Caesar! finds them returning to the world of classical Hollywood, where they set my most beloved of their films, Barton Fink; it contains one of the most interesting ensembles they’ve ever assembled, with Josh Brolin leading off a list including Coen vets (George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton), and exciting newbies (Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes). And as one of those weirdos who adored Burn After Reading and happily ranks it as top-tier Coen brothers, I’m extremely happy to see them moving back into pure comedy. Again, things can go wrong, and the lack of reviews this close to the release date is not great. But the Coen brothers have one of the best track records in modern cinema, and that is that.

As a warm-up to Valentine’s Day, there’s the requisite new Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Choice, which lost the lead actors lottery in a big way: Teresa Palmer and Benjamin Walker are the latest people attempting to wrestle human feeling from Sparks’s torrid prose. Also, our culture finally has its date with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a joke that got out of hand and never should have come to this point, but there’s no use crying over it now.

12.2.2016

Actual Valentine’s Day comes along with one of those ensemble romantic comedies that nobody ever seems to publicly cop to enjoying, How to Be Single. Step 1 is live in New York, so to hell with that.

More acerbically, Deadpool is positioning itself as the ironic anti-Valentine’s choice, among many other things. The R-rated gag-driven superhero film starring Ryan Reynolds is surely going to be one of the year’s most idiosyncratic major studio films, and probably not any damn good at all; but as one of the two 2016 releases that’s apparently trying to something actually different with the superhero genre, I’ll admit to being excited. “Excited” in scare quotes, maybe. At least it will be different, and sometimes that’s enough.

Also: Zoolander 2. Comedy sequels ten years past their sell-by date are always the best idea!

19.2.2016

There’s a movie about racing that’s also a movie about racism, you guys, and you know what it’s called? It’s called Race. Oh my God, it’s so clever! Almost as clever as positioning ultra-white Jason Sudeikis as the lead in a film that at least conceivably wants to be a Jesse Owens biopic. I eagerly anticipate a massive shitstorm that brings a hopelessly inept film to much greater prominence than it can possibly deserve.

More promisingly – only in this context – is Risen, the story of the resurrection of Christ done up as a costume drama police procedural, with Joseph Fiennes as the Roman hunting for Jesus’s body. Sure, why not. Maybe it will be enjoyable gaudy. Incidentally, if you combine Race and Risen, you get Rasen, the first sequel to the original Japanese Ring, a movie that I’d much rather watch then any of these.

Meanwhile, that other wide release film I’m looking forward to? It’s The Witch, the latest wildly-hyped horror indie. Probably over-hyped, but the trailer, anyway, looks intensely gorgeous. I’m trying not to learn any more about it than is seemly

26.2.2016

Man, Gods of Egypt is just going to be so unbelievably fucking terrible, and that makes me sad. Director Alex Proyas has a real spotty track record, but all of his films at least look interesting and carefully worked-out – even the dismal I, Robot – but Gods of Egypt? It looks like chintzy made-for-Syfy trash. And then factor in the controversy about its decision that, for the most part, the gods of Egypt are a bunch of white guys, and it’s just going to be a trainwreck, top to bottom.

The weekend also bears witness to Eddie the Eagle, an Inspirational Sports Biopic cross-bred with a Wacky English Rural Types comedy, starring Hugh Jackman as his character from Real Steel, only it’s for a skier played by Taron Egerton instead of robots. And just like that, Alex Proyas whitewashing ancient Egypt looks like a much safer bet. There’s also something called Triple 9, about which I have heard nothing whatsoever, but it’s directed by John Hillcoat and features Kate Winslet and Casey Affleck, and I like all of those people. It also provides a weird bookend to the month, as the other Teresa Palmer starring vehicle of the month.

Categories:
THOUGHTS ON THE 88th OSCAR NOMINATIONS
The Big Short
  • Subscribe

  • Connect With Us

    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 at 1:30pm
    There are a few things you should know about @HoneyBoyMovie, and one of them is not that @thecampaignbook looks amazing with a thinning mullet, that much is obvious.

    https://t.co/PVRwidhQtF
    View on Twitter
    1
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Monday, December 9th, 2019 at 6:13am
    For all the flack the Golden Globes gets for their crazy choices in years past, here are the 10 times they actually got it right.
    #GoldenGlobes

    https://t.co/wcNV0WYmI0
    View on Twitter
    1
    3
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Monday, December 9th, 2019 at 6:06am
    New episode! πŸŽ™

    The BEST movies about divorce from the perspective of a married couple and a single dude.

    With reviews of @thefarewell & @HoneyBoyMovie & Children of Men.

    https://t.co/zfhiEqxVFR
    View on Twitter
    0
    2
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 at 11:44am
    Given how easily this could have been a heavy-handed awards-seeking lecture, the fact that @melinamatsoukas has turned it into a borderline art film, sort of just by her strength of will, is something of an Oscar-season miracle. #QueenAndSlim

    https://t.co/hkkGJ1uGic
    View on Twitter
    0
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 at 1:28pm
    Wanna know whodunnit? It's always the person you least expect. Or maybe the twist is, it's the most obvious person? Or maybe it just ends up being a movie about a bunch of well-dressed chefs. #KnivesOut

    https://t.co/CTfnZ4X7ZM
    View on Twitter
    0
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 at 11:38am
    #TheIrishman is a monumental achievement for Martin Scorsese, though it's up for debate if it adds anything new to the mafia genre.

    https://t.co/nqhAl22t2e
    View on Twitter
    0
    2

    Alternate Ending

    Alternate Ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid. What makes Alternate Ending different from other film sites and podcasts? Well, we’re not 5 dudes in a room talking about our passion for Fight Club and Braveheart. We’re two dudes, and a lady, of which our tastes are quite varied. Rob, the film-school dropout, has seen an absurd amount of movies, and if we’re being honest, rounds out our Fight Club fan-base. Tim Brayton, our seasoned film critic, shares a more critical view of film, an appreciation for vintage cinema and perhaps limited-release movies that we might otherwise miss. Carrie, our casual movie-goer, reminds us all that cinema is in fact supposed to be fun and entertaining and that sometimes, just sometimes, happy endings are good. Too many film sites cater to the same kind of audience, with one overwhelming voice in the writing, but what we treasure at Alternate Ending is diversity: diversity of opinion, diversity in belief about what film should do and how it should do it. We want to celebrate our different opinions, and celebrate yours as well. This isn't a site for people who just want to talk about the latest hot new movies in theaters right this minute. This is a place for people who can't get to the theater until the third week a film is out; a place for people who just want to find something great to stream online after the kids have gone to sleep, a place for people whose favorite pastime is to grab a bunch of classic films on DVD from the library and watch them all weekend. It's a place that believes that every great movie is a wonderful new treasure, whether you see it the night of its premiere or fifty years later. It's a site about discovering good movies... one bad movie at a time. Join us for our weekly review of movies worth seeing, worth avoiding and our Top 5 lists – and don’t forget to play along at www.alternateending.com.
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingTuesday, December 10th, 2019 at 4:30pm
    There are a few things you should know about @HoneyBoyMovie, and one of them is not that Shia La Beouf looks amazing with a thinning mullet, that much is obvious.
    Alternate Ending
    5 Facts About Honey Boy You May Not Have Known - Alternate Ending
    Honey Boy is a semi-autobiographical story of the life of a child actor. Here are five facts about Honey Boy you may not have known.
    alternateending.com
    6    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingTuesday, December 10th, 2019 at 12:30pm
    You think you know what happened in Frozen II but we think, you think, you know what happened, but really we think you're wrong. #Frozen2
    Alternate Ending
    Frozen II ending explained: what happened in that enchanted forest? - Alternate Ending
    Who or WHAT is Elsa in Frozen II? Who was that voice? Here is my Frozen II ending explained to answer these burning (chilling?) questions...
    alternateending.com
    8 1    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingTuesday, December 10th, 2019 at 12:30pm
    You think you know what happened in Frozen II but we think, you think, you know what happened, but really we think you're wrong. #Frozen2
    Alternate Ending
    Frozen II ending explained: what happened in that enchanted forest? - Alternate Ending
    Who or WHAT is Elsa in Frozen II? Who was that voice? Here is my Frozen II ending explained to answer these burning (chilling?) questions...
    alternateending.com
       View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingMonday, December 9th, 2019 at 6:46pm
    For all the flack the Golden Globes gets for their crazy choices in years past, here are the 10 times they actually got it right!
    Alternate Ending
    Ten Times the Golden Globes Actually Got It Right - Alternate Ending
    In the spirit of defending the oft maligned Golden Globes, here are ten times when the Golden Globes actually got it right.
    alternateending.com
    5    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingMonday, December 9th, 2019 at 9:00am
    New episode! πŸŽ™

    The BEST movies about divorce from the perspective of a married couple and a single dude. But in fact,no couple is perfect. And then sometimes you think you have a parasite and need your spouse to confirm if you have worms. And that's marriage. πŸ’©

    And you thought this episode was going to be awkward.

    Tune in!
    Alternate Ending
    Top 5 Movies About Divorce - Alternate Ending
    Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story premieres this weekend on Netflix, so we're going to look at all of our favorite movies about divorce.
    alternateending.com
    6    View on Facebook
  • Support The Show

    Rent the Looks, Own the Style - The Mr. & Ms. Collection

    Rent the Looks, Own the Style - The Mr. & Ms. Collection

Copyright © 2019 Alternate Ending - Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time.
WordPress Development by Gibson Web Development
This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.