The first months of the year are generally a cold, desolate time at the theaters, a period of audience fodder several steps below the Oscar-campaigning pieces of November and December. That isn’t the case in Los Angeles, a town notorious for being neither cold nor desolate, as last year’s festival hopefuls and foreign hits steadily begin heading into cineplexes. For better or worse, here are eight of the most Liam Neeson-fighting, Grey-shading, Jupiter-ascending movies releasing before spring break.
“Taken 3”
Directed by Olivier Megaton
Jan. 9
In the first “Taken,” fatherly skull-crusher Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has to save his daughter from a life of forced prostitution. In the second, Bryan and his wife are the ones titularly taken, by the Albanian mobsters he already angered before. “Taken 3,” brilliantly stylized as “Tak3n,” is a story of Bryan being unlawfully accused of murder. But even without an obvious “taking” connection, leave it to the incomparable Neeson, joined by Forest Whitaker as a law-enforcement agent, to make surprises happen.
“Paddington”
Directed by Paul King
Jan. 16
Over the summer of 2014, Colin Firth was replaced as the voice of the cuddly though somewhat creepy looking Paddington, a CGI bear brought to the big screen from Michael Bond’s English children’s novels. Firth was deemed “too mature” for such a boyish role, which was then given to “Skyfall’s” Ben Whishaw. Though seemingly predictable and formulaic in its trailers, “Paddington” has been receiving surprisingly stellar reviews since its November release in the U.K., so don’t be surprised if it’s the family flick everyone’s talking about.
“The Wedding Ringer”
Directed by Jeremy Garelick
Jan. 16
Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a shy, newly engaged man with no real friends to make his groomsmen. He desperately needs a professional, knowledgeable guy who can make his life seem awesome to his in-laws. Naturally, he calls Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), a “wedding ringer” whose job is to make Doug’s wedding and party seem naturally polished, and not wrought with hijinks and tomfoolery like is common in these sorts of situations. “The Wedding Ringer” draws parallels to “I Love You, Man” and “Wedding Crashers,” so hopes are high that the Gad-Hart duo can pull off the buddy comedy dynamic.
“Jupiter Ascending”
Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski
Feb. 6
From “The Matrix” to “Speed Racer” to “Cloud Atlas,” the Wachowskis’ films are always a bit insane. “Jupiter Ascending,” originally scheduled for 2014, but pushed back due to increasing work on “over 2,000 special effects,” looks to be no different. Mila Kunis stars as Jupiter Jones, the human janitor who discovers that she is of incredible alien importance, and Channing Tatum plays the wolf-soldier Caine Wise who must help her. It’s all fairly outlandish, but it also looks to be very entertaining, the kind of thing that inspires cult fanboyism like only the Wachowskis can do.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service”
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Feb. 13
Anyone who isn’t immediately intrigued by the aura of “Kingsman” of what is essentially a mash-up between Harry Potter and James Bond should hopefully be excited by the name of the man running the whole thing: Matthew Vaughn, the director of such high-profile action movies as “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class.” If that’s not enough, add in the cast of spy professionals Vaughn’s lined up, including Colin Firth, Mark Hamill, Mark Strong and Michael Caine to take down Samuel L. Jackson as the sociopathic villain. Add in some explosions, some mature language and a pint of je ne sais quoi, and a solidly hyped action adventure flick emerges.
“Fifty Shades of Grey”
Directed Sam Taylor-Johnson
Feb. 13
It’s pretty hard to tell what kind of tone “Fifty Shades of Grey” is going to take at this point. Is it going to aim for fun over drama? Will it have more of a young adult “Twilight” vibe or a middle-aged appeal? Can it be open-minded without adopting on an unsettling horror dynamic? Who’s to say at this point, but one thing is for sure: “Fifty Shades of Grey” has a captive audience. It’s only a matter of time before the theatrical story of Ana Steele’s (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) sexual exploration reveals itself as something original in the genre or an unappealing adaptation.
“Insurgent”
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Mar. 20
Most of the appeal from the first film in the “Divergent” series came from the recalcitrance of its cast. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Kate Winslet make for a top-notch lineup when trying to get teenagers to the theater. “Insurgent,” at least from the spare details presented in its trailers and advertising so far, doesn’t seem to be short on that, hitting hard with action, an immersive, detailed world and Woodley’s role as buff heroine Beatrice Prior. Add in new faces like Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts, and “Insurgent” promises the continuing fight against the Erudite alliance to be an admirable one.
– Sebastian Torrelio, A&E; senior staff