Tag Archives: January

6 Things That I’m Looking Forward To In January

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

6 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In January

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ah, 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.  The same can often be said of publishers.  Everyone is so 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 doesn’t do odd numbers.)

  1. Morbius

Morbius stars Jared Leto as a “living vampire” and it’s scheduled to be released at the end of January.  This seems like one of those comic book adaptations that could be fun in a goofy sort of way.  The whole question is whether or not Jared Leto will take himself too seriously in the title role.  I’m hoping that he will.

2. Scream

Is it Scream or is it Scream 5?  On the one hand, this film is being promoted as a “reboot” of the series but, at the same time, it’s also being described as a direct sequel to Scream 4, with Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell all returning.  Personally, I’m expecting to be disappointed but I’m still interested in seeing for myself.  Scream opens on January 14th.

3. Sundance Film Festival 2022

Sudance!  Hey, who doesn’t love Sundance?  Over the past few years, it seems as if at least one Sundance hit always emerges as an Oscar contender.  Minari was a hit at Sundance, for instance.  Brooklyn was first discovered at Sundance.  It’s always tempting to kind of make fun of Sundance because it really is indie filmmaking at its most Hollywoodish but it’s still the first important event of the year in cinema.  This year, Sundance will run from January 20th to January 30th.

4. Sinclair Lewis Is In The Public Domain

As of today, the work of Sinclair Lewis is now in the public domain!  So, I’ll be looking forward to new cinematic versions of Babbitt, Main Street, Arrowsmith, and It Can’t Happen Here!  Get on it, Asylum!

5. Awards Season Continues

Yay!  We’re now about to enter the actual important part of Awards Season.  The Guilds will be announcing their picks for the best of 2021.  As far as precursors go, the Guilds are far more useful than the critics groups.  Of course, sometimes the guilds mislead us.  Remember when everyone thought Deadpool was going to get a best picture nomination?  Thanks a lot, Producers Guild!

6. Grammy Awards

Actually, I don’t care about the Grammy Awards but I needed something to list in the sixth slot.  What can I say?  It’s January!  Anyway, I know that some people are looking forward to the Grammy Awards and there will undoubtedly be some sort of silly twitter controversy about the ceremony so I guess we can all get behind that.  The Grammy Awards are scheduled to be handed out on January 31st.

What are you looking forward to in January?  Anything? Nothing?  Let us know.

Poll: Which Films ARE You Most Looking Forward To Seeing in January?

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last month, at this time, we asked you which four films you were most looking forward to seeing in the month of December.  The results are in and it appears that December is going to be all about The Adventures of TinTin, Shame, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and David Fincher’s remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Thank you to everyone who voted.

Here’s January’s poll.  As always, you can vote for up to four films and write-ins are accepted.  So, let us know — which films are you looking forward to seeing in January?