LIST: Movies to Watch This January 2020
January is an exciting time for movie buffs in the Philippines. With multiple movie releases throughout the month, you’ll be finding yourself in the movie theater quite a lot than usual.
From CGI cats and inspirational biography dramas to deep-sea creatures and cursed houses, here are the movies you shouldn’t miss this January!
Cats (January 8)
Based on the famed stage musical by Andrew Llyod Webber, Cats revolves around a tribe of felines called the Jellicles. Every year, they have to decide which of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
The whimsical tale is brought to life by CGI technology and a jampacked cast composed of James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, and Francesca Hayward among others.
Jojo Rabbit (January 15)
Roman Griffin Davis stars as Johannes “Jojo” Betzler, a Hitler Youth member at the height of World War II. His beliefs will be challenged as he finds out his mother is secretly hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. With the aid of his “friend”, an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, he has to confront the cracks in his blind nationalism.
Jojo Rabbit is a satirical dramedy written and directed by highly acclaimed director Taika Waititi, who also plays as the fanciful Hitler character.
Underwater (January 15)
When an earthquake destroys their underwater laboratory, a group of aquatic researchers has to do whatever it takes to survive and get back to safety. As if being 11 thousand meters deep into the ocean is not enough, they also have to walk across the seafloor with a limited amount of oxygen.
Little do they know their situation is about to get way worse with the presence of a deadly creature. Underwater is directed by William Eubank and is starred by Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, Jessica Henwick and more.
The Grudge (January 15)
An American nurse who used to work in Tokyo gets exposed to a curse that leads her to murder her young family and herself. The curse, which locks one in a powerful rage and vengeance, spreads to the people who came in contact with the house where the first murder took place.
A young detective tries to solve the puzzling case and ends up running to save her and her son’s life. Directed by Nicolas Pesce, The Grudge is a spin-off based on the 2004 American remake of the Japanese horror movie of the same name.
Richard Jewell (January 15)
Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, this biographical drama follows the story of Richard Jewell, an American security guard who discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympics which led him to save thousands of lives at the Centennial Olympic Park.
However, instead of being celebrated as a hero, Jewell was vilified by the media, wrongly accusing him of planting the bomb himself. Paul Walter Hauser plays the character of Jewell alongside Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, and Olivia Wilde.
Bad Boys for Life (January 22)
Bad Boys for Life is the third and final installment of the Bad Boys trilogy starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
It follows the duo of Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, now both aging police detectives. As the two were about to officially retire, a cartel mob boss exacts revenge for his brother who was defeated by Burnett and Lowrey in the past. They had no choice but to reunite perhaps for the last time.
Just Mercy (January 22)
Michael B. Jordan takes on the role of Bryan Stevenson in Just Mercy, a film based on the true story of how the then young attorney worked to free Walter McMillian (played by Jamie Foxx), an African-American man sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit in 1987.
What follows is a tale of overcoming societal inequalities in the legal and political system, of winning despite having the odds stacked against you.
The Gentlemen (January 29)
What happens when a businessman looks to cash out his highly profitable London-based marijuana empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires? You guessed it right: plots, schemes, bribery, and blackmail.
The Gentlemen is directed by Guy Ritchie and starred by Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant.
Dolittle (January 29)
As Robert Downey Jr. leaves the Iron Man role behind, he dons another iconic character in the form of the eccentric John Dolittle who has the ability to talk with animals. Dolittle depicts the famed veterinarian in the aftermath of his wife’s death, hiding behind the high walls of the Dolittle Manor.
He was forced to set out in an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure to Queen Victoria’s sickness, meeting new friends and foes along the way. Included in the voice cast are Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard.
Which among these movies are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments below!
