2019 has come and gone, and it brought some big cinematic events along with other interesting, funny, terrifying, and entertaining movies, many of which help set up some of the movies coming up in 2020. Last year was marked by Doctor Sleep.
The live-action trend continued with Marriage Story. All in all, it was a good year in of movies, and although 2020 doesn’t have as many or big releases as 2019, it has some interesting and fun titles lined up.
The first month of 2020 isn’t bringing any big franchise entries, but it does have movies for everyone, with a very generous dose of horror and suspense with remakes, adaptations, and more. Here are the biggest January 2020 movies.
The Grudge - January 3
Andrea Riseborough) who discovers that a suburban house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who dare enter it with a violent death. Not only will she have to save herself, but also her son, as those demonic spirits will follow her even outside the house. This new version is the fourth entry in the Grudge movie series, and it’s not properly considered a “remake”, but more like a “sidequel”, as the events in this one take place at the same time as those in the 2004 version.
Underwater - January 10
Cloverfield movie.
Like A Boss - January 10
For those in the mood for some comedy, comes Like a Boss. Directed by Miguel Arteta, the movie follows two friends, Mia Carter (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel Paige (Rose Byrne), with very different ideals who decide to start a beauty company together – but things take a turn when industry titan Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) shows interest in the company and offers to buy it out to get them out of debt. Like a Boss was initially scheduled for a June 2019 release but was pushed back to January 2020 (and it’s releasing for real this time).
Dolittle - January 17
A Dolittle’s voice cast includes Emma Thompson, Tom Holland, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Ralph Fiennes, and many more.
Bad Boys For Life - January 17
Seventeen years after Bad Boys II was released, comes a third Bad Boys movie with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith back as the detective duo Burnett and Lowrey. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Bad Boys For Life sees Burnett and Lowrey parting ways: Burnett has become a police inspector, and Lowery is assigned to head a “young guns” group of millennial cops. However, they forces one last time after a mob boss looks for revenge against them, just as they are about to officially retire.
The Last Full Measure - January 24
January will also have its dose of war drama thanks to The Last Full Measure. It tells the true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), who saved over sixty men before making the ultimate sacrifice in one of the most hardcore battles of the war. Thirty-two years later, Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman (Sebastian Stan) investigates a Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger. Huffman then seeks out the testimony of veterans who witnessed Pitsenbarger’s actions, but he also uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the long denial of the medal.
The Gentlemen - January 24
Guy Ritchie returns to the action crime genre with The Gentlemen follows American immigrant Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) who became rich by building a marijuana empire in London – but when word gets out that he’s trying to sell off his company, a number of plots and schemes from those who want his fortune start to emerge. It’s the type of action and humor you would expect from a Guy Ritchie movie.
Color Out Of Space - January 24
Color Out of Space is a horror film based on the short story “The Color Out of Space” by H.P. Lovecraft and starring Nicolas Cage (yes, really). The story follows the Gardner family, who move out of the city after inheriting a rural family estate near Arkham, Massachusetts. After a meteorite lands in their front yard, the Gardners find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism that can infect their minds and bodies too. It’s as crazy and twisted as you would expect from a Lovecraft story.
Gretel & Hansel - January 31
The horror continues on the last days of the month with Oz Perkins’ much darker take on the famous tale, and perhaps that’s exactly how the story should be in the first place.
The Rhythm Section - January 31
If you’re not in the mood for horror movies, you can check out Reed Morano’s action drama The Rhythm Section. Based on Mark Burnell’s novel of the same name, it follows Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), a woman seeking to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family. Patrick eventually finds out that the crash was not an accident and goes on a mission to track down those responsible for it. Also starring are Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, and Max Casella.
