February is going to be a great month for catching up on older movies and writing. The theaters are not going to have too much to offer, and the Oscars are sure to be charged with politics (in case you’re not aware – they already are, and for good reason). But, all is not lost. There’s going to be some cool things going on here on the blog, and I am sure that at least one movie will end up being a pleasant surprise (my money is on Get Out).
So, unless you’re a fan of the particular brand of irreverence sported by the likes of The LEGO Movie (with Batman) or John Wick Too, February promises to be a huge letdown in the world of new releases. Each of these movies has a chance to be pretty good, but they could also fall pretty flat. Sequels can miss marks pretty badly, after all. A Cure for Wellness has the feel of a better version of Shutter Island. That may be no grand feat, but I am still generally intrigued by the whole, “Am I Going Crazy?” sub-genre. Get Out could be an instant horror classic if you believe all the buzz, and I am going to do my best to attend an early screening so that I can review it early for all you fine readers.
As for pieces you can expect in the next month, I’m definitely still continuing with the Kubrick series, and the next in line is the magnificent anti-war film Paths of Glory, a film that features one of the most touching and disarming endings of any war film ever. I’ll be certain to publish a couple more long-form essays over the course of the month, and I know there are going to be a few things to talk about that pop up (The Superbowl Teaser commercials come to mind; and if there isn’t one for Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi: A Star Wars Story during the actual Superbowl, there will be one after. I’ll be certain to provide another piece full of genuine reactions and definitive predictions.
The Oscars will likely occupy another one of these shorter posts. I am not going to post a gigantic analysis / prediction piece, because they end up being formulaic. I also hate the natural tension of “predicting what will win” vs. “what I want to win”. It’s just a big chore that ends up barely mattering, and I think I’ll have much more fun just watching the show. I’ll probably tweet a bunch on the night of the awards, so make sure to follow @PlotandTheme so you can be exposed to my witticisms.