By Will Kastner
February is well underway, and to no surprise, the movies released were disappointing. Perhaps they were even more disappointing than expected.
“Fifty Shades of Grey,” while busting the box office, managed to be even more awful than I originally expected. “Jupiter Ascending” tanked, which I can’t help but smile about. However, there were a few pleasant surprises this month that came in the form of “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “SpongeBob”.
Anyway, here’s the good news. March is shaping up to be a much better month for movies. There are enough exciting movies on the horizon that I couldn’t list them all in this article, and I’m looking forward to seeing most of them. Enough of my rambling, here are the most compelling March move releases.
Chappie
Director Neil Blomkamp writes and directs a very distinct type of sci-fi movie. Present in every movie he releases are robots and machines, stratification, violence, and blood – tons and tons of blood. Gallons of blood. There is blood everywhere. Between “District 9” and “Elysium,” there were at least five scenes where a human body exploded into red mist and chunks of flesh. I expect as much in “Chappie,” and I could not be more excited.
I love Blomkamp’s directorial style, and I love his go-to actor, Sharlto Copley. Regardless of the cheap blockbuster elements Blomkamp’s movies seem to have (over-bloodied violence), they haven’t failed to produce amazing stories that set them high above other Indie, sci-fi films.
Run All Night
Alright, I know it was somewhat of a misnomer placing a Liam Neeson movie in a list of most compelling movies. In fact, there is nothing compelling about Liam Neeson’s films anymore. Anyone who walks into the theatre intent on seeing one of his movies should know exactly what they’re getting into. There is going to be shooting, running, Neeson’s menacing voice and betrayal. That’s it. End of story. Honestly, in recent years there’s been very little variation on the theme (i.e. Taken 1, 2, and 3).
Insurgent
This movie makes it on to my list of most compelling films, partly because the series has had such great financial success – both in literature and film. However, the main reason I find this movie so compelling is the fact that I had no freaking idea that there was a sequel to “Divergent.”
When did that happen? Why did that happen? Who decided that the first book/movie was good enough to make a sequel book/movie? The obvious answer to that question is because of the financial success of the first movie, but honestly I don’t know if I can sit through another boring plot line and horrible acting performance. I had enough of teen-fiction dystopia with “The Hunger Games.” I don’t want any more.
Get Hard
Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart together in a movie? That sounds pretty awesome. I don’t know much about “Get Hard,” but I do know I will end up seeing it one way or another. This movie has “Netflix by Summer 2015” written all over it. I cannot guarantee anything with the film itself. However, I can guarantee that your one friend who says, “Will Ferrell is hilarious!” will say it’s hilarious. Good grief people. Not everything he touches is gold (I’m not bitter or irritated). But regardless, this film should definitely elicit some laughs.
Serena
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are one of my favorite acting duos. In my opinion – which I take the liberty to share, “Silver Linings Playbook” is the best Rom-Com that has ever been made, and Lawrence and Cooper are to thank for that. However, the story line also bolstered the movie’s success. I speculate that “Serena” won’t achieve this same success. Set in the South during the Great Depression, the two actors seem slightly “out of their element.” And for those two, expectations are high. I’ll be interested to see how this one plays out.
