It’s January!

Traditionally, as far as pop culture goes, January doesn’t get much respect.  If a studio has a film that they knew isn’t going to be a hit with critics or audiences, January is where they usually dump it with the full knowledge that, as bad as it is, everyone will have forgotten about it by the time summer rolls around.  The same can often be said of publishers.  With everyone busy getting caught up on what they missed during the last few months of the previous year, chances are that they won’t notice a few bombs dropped on the cultural landscape.  That’s the theory anyways.

But, you know me!  I’m an optimist.  And I remain convinced that, even in January, there are things to which we can look forward,  And here’s six of those things!

(Why six?  Because Lisa Marie doesn’t do odd numbers!)

1. The Oscars

Yes, it’s that time of year!  The Oscar nominations are going to be announced on January 17th!  That’s two and a half weeks from now!  Obviously, I’ve got quite a bit that I still need to watch.  Wish me luck!

2. Sundance Film Festival

The first big film festival of the year opens on January 23rd.  Which films will emerge as Oscar contenders from this year’s festival?  It’s also possible that this year’s Sundance could be the last to be held in the snowy mountains of Utah.  If Sundance does move to either Boulder or Cincinnati, this year’s festival will indeed be the end of an era.  (Quite frankly, it’s hard for me to imagine a Sundance Film Festival without snow.)

3. Wolf Man

Directed by Leigh Whannell, the latest version of the Wolf Man will be released on January 17th.  Will this Wolf Man be as full of self-pity as Lon Chaney Jr’s version was?  We’ll find out!

4, Presence

As a filmmaker, Steven Soderbergh can be hit-or-miss.  He’s directed some truly brilliant films.  He’s also directed some rather pretentious dreck.  His latest film, Presence, appears to be a horror film but, knowing Soderbergh, there will probably be some twist that will annoy me to no end.  That said, the film stars Lucy Liu and she’s someone who definitely deserves to make a comeback.  The film is due to be released on the 24th and I’m hoping for the best!

5. Screamboat

This is apparently a horror version of Steamboat Willie.  This movie is probably going to suck but I’m just curious to see whether it’s going to be merely forgettable or a full-on disaster.  Screamboat is destined to ruin some childhood memories on January 24th.  Normally, I’d assign Case to check this out for us but I don’t think he’s forgiven me for making him watch Escape From Tomorrow.

6. Back In Action

Cameron Diaz came out of retirement to star in this action comedy.  The script must have been really amazing, right?  Uhmm….right?  We’ll find out when the film is released on January 17th.

What are you looking forward to in January?  Let us know in the comments!