A Horror Dominated Quarter

by Melissa Uhrin

As I was collecting more and more titles to add to the list I wanted to post this week and it began to grow exponentially, I gave some thought as to what draws me to a movie. I had just about 80 movies on here at one point, but based on how many I actually saw in theatres last year, I thought I should write about the movies I am most looking forward to watching in theatres over the next couple of months. Then this piece won't be a fricken novel.

Ip Man 3 (dir. Wilson Yip) Currently in theatres, I thought I would kick this off in style. Wing Chung style (Groan). I love trilogies, and with this being the final installment in the series that made me love the genre, I am very much looking forward to it. Check out Mark's review of the film for an indepth look at the awesome!

The Finest Hours (dir. Craig Gillespie, January 29)  I saw the preview for this and immediately thought of The Perfect Storm. I have discovered that I love "Sea Dramas," and although early reviews are coming in as not containing the thrills to keep you engaged before lulling into predictable sentimentality, that's not stopping me from looking forward to it! Ima be in Cuba for the next week, though, so this one will have to wait. Unless I have my own sea drama while snorkelling in the Caribbean, so I may have a fun story to report once I return! I did survive Hurricane Sandy while on a beach in Cuba, so how many hurricanes is one supposed to live through in a lifetime?

Hail, Caesar! (dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, February 5) I LOVE when I have (what appear to be) awesome movies to look forward to being released on my birthday. YAY! I have been giving some thought lately as to why comedies have fallen to almost the bottom of my favourite genre list, and I think it's because more and more often they're all in the same tone and beat (with a couple exceptions of course). This one appears to be different and full of a bunch of actors I love, so the anticipation is growing! Hooray! Don't let me down, Coens!

Southbound (dir. Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, Radio Silence; February 9)) I LOVE horror anthologies. Love em. From what I have read, this one seems to be hitting quite a few marks, and the wait is damn near killing me.

Saturday, February 13th - F THIS MOVIE FEST! There's clearly nothing more important happening that weekend.

The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers, February 19) Okay. So I have been excited about this one ever since I first heard of it. Now to read review after review of glowing praise, I can't fricken wait! I was thinking the start of the year would be a slow one, but (for me at least) I have weekend after weekend of movies I am so looking forward to!

Eddie the Eagle (dir. Dexter Fletcher, February 26) I have a couple of friends from England that we catch up with rather infrequently, but when do, it's always a riot. A few years ago we got to chatting about proud moments for our nations, and they brought up a story about England's first ever ski jumper. The story they told was FASCINATING and we chatted about it at length. That was a couple years ago and I had mostly forgotten about it (learn something new and something old gets pushed out!) until the preview for Eddie The Eagle came on and I was the ONLY one in the theatre that was bouncing around in their seat whispering about the story excitedly to anyone who would listen to me. REALLY looking forward to this! YAY!

The Other Side of the Door (dir. Johannes Roberts, March 11) Okay, so is it just the movies I am picking, or is there actually an abundance of what appears to be awesome horror coming out in the next couple of months? Or is that what my blinders are steering me towards? This movie has me quite intrigued: a door is the divider between two worlds (life and the afterlife) and we must never open the door. DO NOT OPEN THIS DOOR. Tempting isn't it? "I wonder what's behind this door?" Famous last words is what that is.

10 Cloverfield Lane (dir. Dan Trachtenberg, March 11) Horror again! And on the same day no less. Looks like a double feature for me! The premise for this movie also has me intrigued, and I am excited to see how it plays out. John Goodman is just the added bonus!

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (dir. Zach Snyder, March 25) So apparently Batman and Superman have opted to battle it out for grand ruler of the world or something? And the best man for the job was Ben Affleck?

Green Room (dir. Jeremy Saulnier, April 15) I had missed my opportunity to see this in the fall, as I opted for an out of town concert to see my favourite band on their brief reunion tour (Alexisonfire) instead. EVERYTHING I have been reading about this movie has me on pins and needles, the storyline, the intensity, the Patrick Stewart. C'mon April!

The Jungle Book (dir. Jon Favreau, April 15) EEEEE!!! Excuse me while I squeal. THIS trailer had me feeling like a kid that knows Christmas is just around the corner. I haven't stopped thinking about it, and how could I be expected to though? This was one of my favourite stories as a kid, the book(s), the Disney film, and the songs that I still have running around in my head, I hold in my heart with such fondness. Not to mention all the stars giving voice to the animals of the jungle! Geez, is it April yet??

This is but the start of the year. I could have added so so so many more to the first quarter of the year list, but I opted for the ones I am excited for. Horror, horror, uplifting, horror and a childhood favourite. There's no logic to my madness, just roll with it.

Movie trailers are the key to building up the hype, but more and more often, I find they tend to be fabricated lies just to get you in the door...then BAM, Jupiter Ascending is what you get. A RUSE! I feel as though I try to keep my anticipation of a film at arms-length in an attempt to remove myself from any emotional let-down.

Who the hell am I kidding?! If I contain my excitement then it will just come out in other ways. Like rage lumps. And while I sleep they could separate from my neck and morph into some kind of rage lump spree of murderous proportions...

Sooo to keep the rage lumps at bay, I'll continue to be me and be excited about everything. Life is more fun this way anyways.