February serves up plenty of variety for movie-lovers – the welcome return of Matthew Vaughn with an outrageous action-comedy, romance; an Oscar-worthy civil rights drama; Hollywood’s take on a contemporary sex-lit hit; the long-awaited arrival of a controversial comedy; Channing Tatum in funny ears; and plenty more. Read on for our picks of the month’s best new releases.
Kingsman: The Secret Service – Feb. 5
Director Matthew Vaughn returns from the X-Men universe to the more irreverent side of ass-kicking here, with this over-the-top spy thriller blending elements of 007 and Vaughn’s own Kick-Ass. Colin Firth plays Harry Hart, dapper mentor to a wayward youngster introduced to a secret society known as Kingsman. So far, so YA novel – but the hilariously excessive violence and foul language will have you rolling in the aisles, as will Samuel L. Jackson’s turn as an unlikely super-villain.
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Selma – Feb. 12
Nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Picture.
David Oyelowo (Interstellar) is the great Martin Luther King in this historical drama detailing the legendary activist, civil rights marches, and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (Tom Wilkinson) role in the eventful era. Tightly focused on a few months in 1965, Selma avoids the need to cram King’s life into feature length, instead serving as a snapshot of a movement for freedom in which the everyday participants proved as crucial as its figurehead. If you, like many citizens of Western democracies, take voting for granted, this will prove an eye-opener.
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A Most Violent Year – Feb. 26
Oscar-nominated writer-director J.C. Chandor (All is Lost) delivers this crime drama set in ’80s New York, starring Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Albert Brooks (Drive). In 1981, what would statistically end up being one of the city’s most violent years, an immigrant and his family attempt to grow a business amidst a world looking to drag them into its dark underbelly.
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Fifty Shades of Grey – Feb. 12
The soft-porn novel that became so huge it was ok to read on the bus becomes a big-screen affair, coming full circle from its origins as Twilight fan fiction. Depicting the relationship between a young college graduate (Dakota Johnson) and a wealthy entrepreneur with a taste for S&M (Jamie Dornan, TV’s The Fall), this may not be one to take your mum to – but like us, she’s probably just as interesting in finding out how Hollywood tackles an erotic tale when they’re now so seldom made. Yes, that’s why we’re going. Professional curiosity. Yep.
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The Interview – Feb. 12
After the well-documented hacking of Sony and subsequent threats to cinemas derailed its release (still with no-one held to account), James Franco and Seth Rogen’s absurd comedy finally makes it to screens here. Asked to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who they have been granted an interview with, a hapless talk show host and his producer find themselves way out of their depth – and sometimes with things up their butts.
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Jupiter Ascending – Feb. 19
Speaking of absurd, have you seen what Channing Tatum looks like in the trailer to this? Magic Mike himself plays a genetically-engineered alien butt-kicker who comes to Earth in order to protect Jupiter (Mila Kunis), unknowingly targeted for assassination by powerful interstellar forces – part of a galactic civilisation we pathetic Earthlings have no idea even exists. Coming from the Wachowskis (The Matrix, Cloud Atlas) this space opera looks like a spectacularly excessive sci-fi adventure, albeit one that Eddie Redmayne, in a villainous role, is unlikely to repeat the award nominations he’s received for playing Stephen Hawking.
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