The year ahead promises to be chock full of blockbusters and here we take a look at some of the films being released this month which should help us ease into the New Year viewing comfortably. After the massive haul ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ has brought in, filmmakers are hoping the public still have an appetite to see movies on the big screen and make 2016 a year of record breakers.
One of the first films being released this month is a low key affair that aims to spook us. ‘The Forest’ comes out on January 8th and stars Natalie Dormer of ‘Game of Thrones’ fame. When her twin sister disappears in Japan, a young American named Sara (Natalie Dormer) becomes determined to find out what happened to her. Sara’s investigation leads her to the legendary Aokigahara Forest, located at the base of Mount Fuji. Accompanied by expatriate Aiden, she enters the mysterious wilderness after being warned to “stay on the path.” Her investigation plunges her into a dark world where the angry and tormented souls of the dead prey on those who dare to explore the forest. Natalie’s star appeal is growing but it’s yet to be seen if it’s enough to bolster what sounds like a run of the mill horror movie you would expect to be released over Halloween.
‘The 5th Wave’ based on the young adult series of books by Rink Yancey could very well tap into the huge teen audience out there hungering for the next ‘Twilight’ or ‘Hunger Games’. Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. It stars Chloe Grace Moretz (18) who made her name in Kick-Ass as Hit Girl. There are a number of sequels to the first book so there is a lot riding on the film doing well.
Trying for comedy gold is ‘Dirty Grandpa’. Right before his wedding, an uptight guy is tricked into driving his grandfather, a perverted former army general, to Florida for spring break. Uptight lawyer Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) is one week away from marrying his boss’s controlling daughter, putting him on the fast track for a partnership at his firm. Tricked by his grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro), Jason finds himself driving the foulmouthed old man to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a wild spring break that includes frat parties, bar fights and an epic night of karaoke. While Jason worries about the upcoming wedding, Dick tries to show his grandson how to live life to the fullest.
In ‘The Finest Hours’ the Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952. A massive storm splits the SS Pendleton in two, trapping more than 30 sailors inside the tanker’s sinking stern. Engineer Ray Sybert bravely takes charge to organize a strategy for his fellow survivors. As word of the disaster reaches the Coast Guard in Chatham, Mass., Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff orders a daring rescue mission. Despite the ferocious weather, coxswain Bernie Webber takes three men on a lifeboat to try and save the crew against seemingly impossible odds. Chris Pine who is now best known for playing Kirk in the new Star Trek movies takes leading man duties, while Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana are all aboard for the action.
One for the kids is ‘Kung Fu Panda III’. Continuing his “legendary adventures of awesomeness”, Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home. Voice duties are provided by stars such as Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Bryan Cranston, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen and Lucy Liu.
2016 will see movies such as ‘Batman Vs Superman’, ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘X-Men Apocalypse’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ among others hit our screens. Happy viewing all.