As we enter 2020, we are back at the beginning of the pattern. Because the summer time is full of blockbusters, and the end of the year has all of the Oscar-bait, the beginning of the year can be a bit…lackluster. We are starting off with some generic scary movies, but as we get closer to springtime, the movies start to look better, more and more.
December 27
1917
Two young British privates during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier’s brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.
World War movies are interesting. Everyone is familiar with the context, everyone in the audience understands the stakes, they even know how the war turns out, so it’s easy to buy in. Also, there’s no need for special effects, there’s nothing otherworldly from a real, historical war. Therefore all the effort put in by the filmmakers can go into two things, cinematography, and character growth. It’s easy to make a good war film, and I believe that this will join the ranks of other good war films.
January 3
The Grudge
A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.
This probably won’t be the best horror film of the year or anything, but if you love horror movies, this will probably scratch your itch.
January 10
Underwater
A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear.
A monster movie with a good cast. If I had to choose between this and the movie above, I’d probably go with this.
January 17
Dolittle
A physician discovers that he can talk to animals.
Robert Downey Jr. gets to do a fun movie, which is nice after seeing the not-so-fun ending of Endgame. It’s great to see him have a smile on his face again.
January 24
The Turning
A young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw”.
Another horror movie, but there’s not much going on during January.
February 7
Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
Worlds of DC has been…rocky to say the least. But however bad Suicide Squad was, it was fun to watch nonetheless. So now the best character of that movie gets her own film, and Ewan McGregor gets to be a little evil. I’m so ready to watch this for the rollercoaster of crazy it’s going to be.
February 14
Sonic the Hedgehog
A cop in the rural town of Green Hills will help Sonic escape from the government who is looking to capture him.
I’m sure we all remember what Sonic was going to look like. We hated it. If you didn’t hate it, you aren’t affected by the Uncanny Valley. However, since the studio actually listened to us and fixed the monstrosity, the least we can do is actually go see the movie. If you’re one of those people that sign petitions about movies, this is your chance to show that we will actually give studios more money if they do what you want. If you don’t go see this, then studios aren’t going to listen to the audience again, because it’s not going to be worth it for them. Make it worth it for them.
February 21
Bloodshot
Ray Garrison, a slain soldier, is re-animated with superpowers.
Dungeons & Dragons mega-fan Vin Diesel plays a comic book anti-hero with superpowers. This sounds like a ton of fun, no matter how wooden Diesel’s acting can be (that was a Groot joke by the way).
February 28
Wendy
Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.
I’ve always been a sucker for Peter Pan stories. This movie will probably get ignored by the masses, but I don’t want to grow up.
March 6
Onward
Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.
Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are elves in a Pixar movie. If you’re playing The Nerdd Bingo, check your cards, because you might have just won.
March 13
Godzilla vs. Kong
As the gigantic Kong meets the unstoppable Godzilla, the world watches to see which one of them will become King of the Monsters.
I still haven’t seen the Godzilla: King of the Monsters because I heard there’s only like five minutes of Godzilla in it, but I loved Kong: Skull Island, and a full on Kaiju movie fight? What’s not to love?
March 20
A Quiet Place Part II
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
If you remember, we ranked A Quiet Place as the greatest movie of 2018. A great story, great cast, and a great movie, I’m super excited for the sequel.
The Nerdd 