JANUARY : IN THEATERS
JANUARY : IN THEATERS
I
Kerry Condon in Night Swim
t ' s hard to write the number 2024 , let alone realize we finally made it here ! With all the turmoil last year , it ' s a great relief to say goodbye to 2023 . Theaters are usually filled with indie releases , festival darlings , sci-fi , and a bunch of films to take you away from reality . Here are some films to watch this month .
Night Swim
Directed by Bryce McGuire Rated NYR • January5-InTheaters
Wyatt Russell stars as Ray Waller , a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness . He moves his wife , Eve ( Kerry
By Lori Vernon
Condon ), and kids , Izzy ( Amélie Hoeferle ) and Elliot ( Gavin Warren ), into a new home , secretly hoping , against the odds , to return to pro ball . Ray persuades Eve that the new home ’ s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him . But a dark secret in the home ’ s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family into the depths of inescapable terror .
Mean Girls
Directed by Samantha Jayne Rated NYR • January 12 - In Theaters
This is not a “ remake ” but a new musical interpretation of Tina Fey ' s 2004 classic . New student Cady Heron ( Angourie Rice ) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “ The Plastics ,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George ( Reneé Rapp ) and her minions Gretchen ( Bebe Wood ) and Karen ( Avantika ). When Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina ’ s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels ( Christopher Briney ), she finds herself prey in Regina ’ s crosshairs .
The Beekeeper
Directed by David Ayer Rated R • January 12 - In Theaters One man ’ s ( Jason Statham ) brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “ Beekeepers .”
The Book of Clarence
Directed by Jeymes Samuel Rated PG-13 • January 12 - In Theaters
Abold new take on the timeless Hollywood era Biblical epic follows a streetwise but struggling Clarence ( LaKeith Stanfield ) trying to find a better life for himself and his family , make himself worthy to the woman he loves , and prove that he ’ s not a nobody . Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah , he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life . The official soundtrack features new music by Jeymes Samuel , JAY-Z , Lil Wayne , Kid Cudi and more .
I . S . S .
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite Rated • January 19 - In Theaters
Tensions flare aboard the International Space Station ( I . S . S .) as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth . Reeling , the US and Russian astronauts aboard each receive orders from the ground : take control of the station by any means necessary . Ariana DeBose ,
John Gallagher Jr ., Chris Messina , Maria Mashkova , Pilou Asbæk , and Costa Ronin star .
The End We Start From
Directed by Mahalia Belo Rated R • January 19 - In Theaters
Anew mother ( Jodie Comer ), her partner ( Joel Fry ), and their infant are driven out of London into the English countryside by cataclysmic flooding in this adaptation of Megan Hunter ’ s prophetic bestseller .
Distant
Directed by Josh Gordon / Will Speck Rated PG _ 13 • January 19 - In Theaters
Andy Ramirez ( Anthony Ramos ), a low-level mining engineer , was aboard a transport ship struck by an asteroid , crash-landing him on an unknown alien planet . With his oxygen running low and his AI survival suit ( Zachary Quinto ) not helping , his only chance to get out of this alive is to find another survivor . Andy thinks his prayers are answered when he connects via radio to a fellow crew member , Naomi ( Naomi Scott ). That is , until he finds out Naomi is trapped inside her escape pod , and he may not have enough oxygen to make it to her . Did we mention aliens ?
Miller ’ s Girl
Directed by Jade Halley Bartlett Rated - NYR • January 26 - In Theaters
Atalented young writer ( Jenna Ortega ) embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher ( Martin Freeman ) assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web . As the lines blur and their lives intertwine , professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose and the things they hold most dear .
12 illinoisentertainer . com january 2024