January 2010 Wide Releases

Disclaimer: It should goes without warrant that these films’ schedules are subjected for its respective North-American releases.

January, 8th:
Daybreakers
With the success case of Twilight series, Hollywood has tried to market more and more films that revolves around the Vampire theme. However, as the first Cirque du Freak adaptation struggled to impress financially albeit with presumably a better base material, one must suspect that whether Vampires or that shirtless young men showing their abs, that attracted all those money that came with the Twilight series.

Verdict: I love the theme. In Daybreakers, Vampires aren’t exclusive asset for young girls to be mooned over. Instead, they are fighting for their survival. I’m not expecting a “Children of Men” quality, but well, January is usually pretty boring season for a film.

Leap Year
Pretty easy to figure, eh? It surely going to have something to do with February 29th. In January, and in a year 2010. Not 2008 or 2012. Also, this film is a romantic.

Verdict: Amy Adams. Good enough reason for me.

Youth in Revolt
Oh, I hate Michael Cera. Why? Superbad, Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Year One. If you’ve seen at least two of his latest film, you’ll know why.

Verdict: It does seem that Cera doesn’t willing to venture beyond his usual stereotype as evident in his last *few* films just yet.

January, 15th:
The Book of Eli
Denzel Washington travels across post-apocalypse America to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to save humankind.

Verdict: Strictly personal preference, I never tired of post-apocalyptic universe. However, from the small description above, I had a suspicion that what inside the book is going to disappoint me.

The Spy Next Door
Its tagline was as follows, “Spying is easy, babysitting is hard.” Doesn’t really takes a lot of amount of imagination to figure this one out. Plus, Jackie Chan was in it.

Verdict: Jackie Chan wasn’t getting any younger, that’s all I’m saying.

January, 22th
Extraordinary Measures
A potential tear-jerker? From its description it looks like it. Marketed in January, this film is going to be dusted, shelved, and forgotten as quickly as it comes.

Verdict: Harrison Ford and Brendan Frasier used to be a crowd-magnet. It’s a shame really.

Legion
Not the one with Aishwarya Rai that arrives at the local theater not so long time ago, it’s a horror film with what I suspect a rather religious theme.

Verdict: The jury is still out for this one. Never heard of it, and albeit with known actors on board, I’ll say that I’m going to catch it, when I caught it.

The Tooth Fairy
Dwayne Johnson as The Tooth Fairy. I read the cast, and apparently it involves no kid actor, so that is definitely a plus. Not by much, though.

Verdict: The jury is also still out.

January, 29th:
Edge of Darkness
First Mel Gibson film in, oh, I don’t know, but measured in Internet time, it’s already ages ago. From my point of view, it looks like another “Payback.”

Verdict: Mel Gibson is one of my favorite actor, and also this film is directed by Martin Campbell, the man who revived James Bond to compete against Jason Bourne. Er, I was talking about “Casino Royale” in case you’re not an attentive movie buff.

When in Rome
In my opinion, a rom-com is a genre that relies heavily upon the interaction between its main actors. Can Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel bring this film home?

Verdict: The jury is out but I have a soft spot for Kristen Bell.

In summary, here’s the list of the films ordered by my anticipation level. First one on the list, is my most anticipated.
1. Daybreakers
2. Edge of Darkness
3. Leap of Year
4. The Book of Eli
5. Extraordinary Measures, Legion, When in Rome
6. Youth in Revolt, The Spy Next Door, The Tooth Fairy
Number 5 being those films that I would see if there are no other options left in the theater, and number 6 being those films that fit into the description of number 5 above plus an “if the mood is right”-clause.