Now that award season is officially over… we can all look forward to what else 2015 has in store for us. February is practically dead in terms of new releases, in fact I only saw Jupiter Ascending & Kingsman in the theater. But there are more intriguing stuff coming next month. I have rsvp-ed for The Second Best Marigold Hotel and Cinderella‘s screenings and Ted will be going to Chappie & Run All Night in the next couple of weeks.
I might rent Get Hard and Serena, but I have zero interest in seeing yet another Taken variation that Liam Neeson is doing, Run All Night. I mean it just looks so darn awful from the trailer, oh why’s Ed Harris doing in there?? [face palm] Oh and Sean Penn’s The Gunman is directed by the first Taken‘s director too, and so he apparently wants a piece of the action moolah from that bankable violent thriller. As for Insurgent, well I’ve completely lost interest in that Divergent franchise even though I quite like the first movie. So maybe I’ll rent that on a slow night.
Anyway, you can check out the full March Release schedule here over at IMDb, but here are some of the movies I’m looking forward to seeing:
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
As the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy – posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals – Sonny pursues his expansionist dream of opening a second hotel.
I LOVE the first movie, the ensemble cast is simply splendid. I mean you can’t beat Maggie Smith & Judi Dench, two of my favorite Dames, together again in a movie. This time we’ve got Richard Gere to spice things up 😉
Cinderella
A live-action retelling of the classic fairy tale about a servant step-daughter who wins the heart of a prince.
I grew up w/ Disney Princess movies so naturally I’m drawn to this. Plus I quite like Kenneth Branagh as director so he’s another draw for me to see it!
The Riot Club
Two first-year students at Oxford University join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening.
All those gorgeous British boys doing VERY bad things. I dunno about you but that intrigues me 😉 Plus I’ve had a crush on Sam Reid ever since BELLE (he’s in the far right in the pic below), and Jeremy Irons’ hunky son Max is in the main cast, too. It’s from the director of An Education, which I like, so hopefully it’ll be good!
Seymour
Director Ethan Hawke explores the life and lessons of piano teacher Seymour Bernstein.
I heard about this after I saw Predestination and it sounds like a great doc! I love that Hawke is doing a personal project like this, I hope this arrives on Netflix soon.
Chappie
In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
I proceed this one w/ caution even though I LOVE sci-fi that deals w/ man vs robot relationships. I was quite disappointed w/ Neill Blomkamp‘s Elysium so hopefully this has more of an engaging and emotional story like District 9.
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So which March movie(s) are you most excited about folks?
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Has to be Chappie for me. I found Elysium disappointing too but I’m willing to give Blompkamp another chance
Hi Mikey! I might rent it if it’s good, but the trailer did intrigue me a bit. So are you excited about Blomkamp doing Alien reboot btw?
Very, very excited!!! He just has to cast Sharlto Copley as an android!
Cool!! That’s like D-9 all over again, at least in concept. I LOVE Sharlto as Wikus but he’s just awful in Elysium but then again the writing of that whole flick is just bad.
Chappie and It Follows for me. There’s also a movie called Spring that looks interesting. Described as if Richard Linklater made a horror/romance movie.
Ahah, a Linklater horror/romance? Now that sounds interesting 😀
Chappie and It Follows are drawing me.
It Follows looks too scary for my feeble nerves, as you know 😛 I’m cautiously optimistic about Chappie though.
I would say It Follows but I’ve already seen it! Despite the not great trailer, I’m still looking forward to seeing Chappie. I hold out hope.
Yeah I saw your review of It Follows. I’m still holding out hope for Chappie too, hopefully it’s a return to form from Blomkamp.
I’m awaiting Maps to the Stars on VOD!!!
Oh I just saw the trailer of Maps of the Stars! Looks pretty freaky but then again it’s Cronenberg!
Uh… The Gunman. I don’t think there’s a lot of good movies coming out though Cinderella might be decent (but it will be overshadowed by that Frozen short).
I’m curious how well The Gunman will do box office wise, I mean it looks so much like another Taken variation, but w/ a much less likable actor. Oooh so the Frozen short is gonna be in front of Cinderella? Very cool!
yep, which means lots of little girls will be seeing that “frozen” short and the boys will be tormented for days about “frozen”.
Semour, I guess. Nothing grabs me at the moment. Sorry 😦
Ahah that’s ok Cindy! Seymour does look intriguing doesn’t it? It’s cool that Hawke is venturing into directing and chose a very personal subject.
March is definitely hit or miss for sure, last year I saw two bad flicks, NEED FOR SPEED & that 300 sequel. Hopefully CHAPPIE and RUN ALL NIGHT will be decent. And of course I’m looking forward to seeing THE GUNMAN, never thought of seeing Penn doing an action film, guess now that he’s old and realized he needs to make action pictures to collect big paychecks. It’s funny because he ripped Nic Cage back in the 90s for doing action films after Cage won the Oscar. Talk about being a hypocrite.
Ahah yeah I remember those two sound awful from your reviews Ted. I hope Chappie is decent though I don’t have much hope for Run All Night based on the trailer. Well not surprised Penn is a hypocrite, I mean in the end he wants a ton of moolah like what Neeson’s been getting but he’s not nearly as charismatic or likable as Neeson, so I have a feeling The Gunman will tank.
Hi, Ruth:
Wasn’t much of a fan of ‘District 9’. So, not much going on with ‘Chappie’. Never been a fan of Will Farrell. so scratch ‘Get Hard’.
Sean Penn as a “Bang! Bang! Shoot ’em up Action Hero”?!!! Aren’t you a bit slow and long in the tooth for that?
Go back to being unrecognizable and selling secrets to the Russians with Tim Hutton, ala ‘The Falcon and the Snowman’. Or a bent lawyer and gangster in an update of ‘Carlito’s’s Way’,
‘The Riot Club’ looks interesting. In a full blown Class Warfare, costume stage play brought to the screen kind of way. And in the ways the wee, spoilt rotten little monsters will no doubt behave tearing themselves, their families and their club apart before the final reel.
Hello Kevin! Since you’re not a fan of D-9, I presume you skipped Elysium? I like D-9 a lot but Elysium was disappointing. I’m not a big fan of Farrell but Kevin Hart is so hilarious!
Re: Penn ” Aren’t you a bit slow and long in the tooth for that?” Mwahahaha, my thoughts exactly!! I never cared for him, he’s not charismatic nor likable at all.
I’m curious about Riot Club for that class warfare commentary, and the fact that apparently David Cameron was part of the real Riot Club, wow!
Very cool month. With the exception of Hawke’s doc, these all look fascnating. I don’t which of these will open in my neck of the woods, though, haha!
Hi Fernando! I think a lot of these should get a wide release, so hopefully you can see ’em soon!
Fingers crossed!
March looks like a total drag for me, so much so that Neeson’s redundant flick excites me most (and that’s not much).
I haven’t just loved either of Blomkamp’s previous films and Chappie looks pretty blah. Predictable and probably just as heavy-handed. Neither Marigold nor Cinderella does much for me either. Sigh….
Hi Keith! I’m surprised you’re not into ‘Marigold.’ Did you see the first one? I LOVE that ensemble cast w/ mostly seasoned British actors, esp the two Dames 🙂 I cringed when I saw that Run All Night trailer, I mean even the title sounds daft.
I was actually a tad disappointed in Marigold. I remember being intrigued by the cast & concept. Maybe I should give it another look.
There are some silly moments but overall I adore ‘Marigold.’ I think the fact that I’m a huge fan of all those actors make it more enjoyable. This time I’m intrigued by Richard Gere’s appearance as he hasn’t been in anything for ages.
Oh Ruth…you’ve read my mind. I saw a poster for that new Neeson flick and couldn’t believe it when the trailer confirmed my worst fears! Is he just about getting paycheques now or what? Over here I’m keen to see The Duke of Burgundy, which is actually already out, but it hasn’t made its way to a cinema near me yet. I might go and see Chappie but didn’t really care for Elysium all that much and I’m not a fan of Sharlto Copley or Dev Patel. Undecided on that one! Still Alice is out here in March too, but it’s the kind of film I could probably wait to see on the small screen. I have a ton of stuff to catch up on from 2012 and 2013 though, so maybe I’ll watch those; I haven’t seen Zero Dark Thirty or Lincoln yet, for example!
Ahah, well high five Stu! It seems that Neeson has forgotten how to act if he’s not holding a gun in his hand and killing a bunch of people 😦 Which one is Duke of Burgundy? I’m curious now, I haven’t heard of it before or I’ve forgotten about it. I might rent Still Alice to to see Moore’s performance. Oh ZDT is an excellent film, I haven’t seen Lincoln either, though I did see the preposterous-yet-entertaining Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter 😉
Two very different Abraham Lincoln films, I’d wager!! The Duke of Burgundy is the new film by Peter Strickland (it’s not a period drama, though – the title apparently refers to a type of butterfly). It has got very good reviews over here across the board. Looks like it’s well worth seeing.
I want to see all of those films you mentioned. The Gunman, Danny Collins and While We’re Young also look interesting. I missed Taken 3 in theaters, but I’ll probably see that and Run All Night, since I’m a sucker for Liam Neeson action movies. 🙂
I have to look up Danny Collins and While We’re Young, are those indies? Ahah well, if you like Neeson in action movies then you’re in luck as that seems to be ALL he does nowadays.
I saw Riot Club and it was so bad, reprehensible, filled with awful people and Dormer was the only good thing about. I think I’ll see that Hotel movie, never seen the first one so I need to check it out and the trailer for the sequel looked really funny and cute. I’m there for Cinderella and Robb Stark and Blanchett 🙂
Oh no, THAT bad eh? It is about rich boys behaving badly, though I really like Sam Reid so he’s the main draw for me there. I LOVE Marigold Hotel, I mean that cast is just superb. Oh right, Blanchett is the other main draw for Cinderella too, and of course Stark as Prince Charming for eye candy too 😉
Great choices Ruth. Over here in the UK I’m looking forward to Chappie, Still Alice, Suite Francaise and Far From The Madding Crowd. Hope you enjoy Marigold Hotel, I just saw it today and although I liked it I didn’t find it quite as entertaining as the first one. Riot club is definitely worth a watch, I’m interested to see what you make of it 🙂
Hi Natalie! I remember reading your review of Riot Club, I’m definitely keen on seeing that one. Oooh, Far From The Madding Crowd opens in March in the UK? I really want to see that too!
I think so. They’re pushing the trailer quite hard at the moment. It features a beautiful song performed by Carey Mulligan, have you heard it?
Thanks for the Gaga link by the way, I’m definitely going to check that out 🙂
My mistake Ruth, it’s the re-release of the 1967 version of Far From The Madding Crowd that we get in March. We have to wait until May 1st for the new version! 🙂
I am well up for Chappie but then I have a soft spot for Blomkamp because he’s pretty much the only South African director to have ever made an international hit movie. We had Riot Club last year and it’s… okay… the ending is a total cop out. But let me know what you think. Can’t think of anything worse than a live action Disney Cinderella though. Ugh!
I hear ya Abbi! That’s great for Blomkamp, I just hope he sticks more to story & character like he did in D-9. I also love Sharlto in that one. I just want to see Sam Reid in Riot Club to be honest, though he’s the least known actor in that bunch. Ahah, not a fan of live-action Disney flicks eh? For me I’m just curious if they can pull it off, plus there’s miss Blanchett!
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for me.
Awesome Alex! I’ve seen that trailer over and over, can’t wait for it!
Who wouldn’t want to see Dame Judi Dench?
Exactly! And her BFF Dame Maggie Smith too!
(in no particular order of excitement):
1) The Gunman, for the cast (I love how much people hate Sean Penn)
2) While We’re Young, for the director (‘Frances Ha!’ was my intro to Noah Bambauch and I LOVED it)
3) It Follows, for the buzz that surrounds it. Heard it’s quite spooky. 😉
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Chappie and It Follows 😀
Definitely Cinderella! I already have a date with my girl friends 🙂
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