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February 19th

Shutter Island

Who? Directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Laeta Kalogridis from a novel by Dennis Lehane; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Brewmeister Smith, and Rorschach

What? An inmate at a maximum security security asylum disappears, and two US Marshals are sent to investigate. And judging by the trailers I’d say one of them has forgotten to take his medication…

Why should you care? This is probably the biggest prestige release of the month due to the talent involved, but I’m still not entirely sold. Scorsese (After Hours) is a solid director obviously and the cast is filled with impressive names, but I’m expecting to be let down by the ending. I just have a fear that the twist at the end will be the most obvious one… and I have nothing to base that on except for the trailer. Hopefully I’m wrong and instead end up pleasantly surprised, but otherwise this may explain why the movie was bumped from a Fall release to the wastelands of February.

Watch the Trailer:

February 26th

Cop Out

Who? Directed by Kevin Smith, written by Not Kevin Smith, Mark & Robb Cullen; starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Jordan, Rashida Jones, Seann William Scott, and Jason Lee

What? A buddy cop flick in the grand tradition of Cop and a Half, Theodore Rex, and Collision Course…

Why should you care? I kid of course. The trailers haven’t blown anyone away yet, but the cast and director hold some strong comedic promise. This is Smith’s first foray into the Hollywood system where he isn’t directing his own material meaning it should be interesting at the very least. We know he can do funny, but we’ll have to see if he can do action. Hopefully it succeeds and we can look forward to A Couple More Dicks in a year or two.

Watch the Trailer:

The Crazies

Who? Directed by Breck Eisner, written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright; starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell

What? A small town sheriff begins to notice small changes in his constituents. And by small I mean they go crazy and start killing their neighbors…

Why should you care? The trailers have already sold me with their promised combination of creepiness, scares, and gore. Olyphant and Mitchell are always worth watching too so I have high hopes going in to this one. It’s a remake of a mediocre George Romero flick and looks to follow a similar plot path but with a much higher level of style and terror. I fully expect a Return of the Living Dead-style ending too.

Watch the Trailer:

In Limited Release:

• A Prophet - One of the best foreign films of 2009 hits US theaters, and if you have the chance you should definitely check it out. A low-level French criminal enters prison and through a combination of luck, skill, and hard work he becomes something else entirely. Smart, engaging, and surprisingly thoughtful.

Which movies are you excited about in February? Which ones will you avoid?