January has arrived … when movies are typically taken out to pasture and killed. Bleak, I know, but there are a few films this month that might rise above that predestined path. Welcome to 2022!
First up is The Tender Bar. Written by William Monahan (The Departed) and directed by George Clooney, the film stars Tye Sheridan as J.R. Moehringer, a young boy seeking a father figure after his own left when him when he was young. Ben Affleck stars as the uncle who tries to take up the mantle. This story is based on Moehringer’s own memoir of the same name and looks to be an affectionate story with the ups and downs of growing up. It releases to Amazon Prime on Jan. 7.
If you want a nostalgic horror story from the ’90s, look no further than Scream. A soft re-launch/continuation of the series, the film picks up after Scream 4 with a new killer donning the Ghostface mask and targeting a set of teenagers in the town of Woodsboro. Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell all reprise their roles as they try and help the new set of teens deal with a killing spree, a concept of which they’re all too familiar. The film slices into theaters Jan. 14.
Next up is an erotic psychological thriller titled Deep Water. Directed by Adrian Lyne, who hasn’t helmed a film since Unfaithful in 2002, the story follows Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a married couple on the rocks, spurring a deadly series of mind games with each other. Based on the 1957 book of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, it will surely have all the twists, turns and excitement of Lyne’s earlier works that include Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal. Or, it will be a fun-to-watch mess! Either way, it hits theaters on Jan. 14.
For your superhero fix this month, Morbius is here. The film stars Jarred Leto as scientist Michael Morbius, a man suffering from a rare blood disease that pushes him to try a dangerous cure, which then afflicts him with a form of vampirism. Co-starring Matt Smith, Jared Harris and Tyrese Gibson, the film might be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the trailer has Michael Keaton reprising his role from the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming. It also makes references to Spider-Man, and who knows which version of Spider-Man they mean! We’ll find out on Jan. 28.
Lastly, a drama series that aired on BBC One in June of 2021, Time is absolutely worth your viewing. The story focuses on Mark Cobden (Sean Bean) as he enters prison and feels overwhelming guilt for his crime. Meanwhile, prison officer Eric McNally (Stephen Graham) deals with the dangerous inmates, as one of them discovers his weakness and tries to exploit him. Lasting only three episodes, it bolsters tremendous performances from both leads and a compelling story told over a short period of time. It’s streaming on Vudu, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
