The Complete Guide to Hollywood Movies Opening in February 2019
Chinese New Year is on 5 & 6 February, so there are a ton of CNY movies during that week, most of them in Chinese. I’m not too familiar with Asian movies, so the list below is only for English movies. Nonetheless, I do watch Asian movies during CNY, and none of this year’s crop of CNY movies interest me. Even Alita: Battle Angel (opening 5 Feb) looks dubious, despite being produced by James Cameron. The only good movie looks like The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (7 Feb). It’s the sequel to 2014’s The Lego Movie, which was an absolute joy to watch though it looked really silly at first glance. Can’t wait for the sequel!
The final glut of adult-skewed movies and awards nominees fill up the rest of the month. Keep an eye on The Favourite (14 Feb) — Olivia Colman has a high chance of winning Best Actress for her performance as Queen Anne.
Movies coming out in February 2019
(Click on the movie titles in the bullets to jump to that section if you don’t want to scroll through the entire list. You can also click on each movie’s heading to go to their IMDb pages. Release dates below are for Singapore, but if you’re outside Singapore, IMDb can tell you fairly accurately what’s the release date in your country.)
- Alita: Battle Angel (5 Feb)
- The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (7 Feb)
- Colette (7 Feb)
- The Favourite (14 Feb)
- Destroyer (14 Feb)
- Happy Death Day 2U (21 Feb)
- A Dog’s Way Home (21 Feb)
- Serenity (21 Feb)
- Cold Pursuit (21 Feb)
- Mary Queen of Scots (28 Feb)
- Ben Is Back (28 Feb)
- Vox Lux (28 Feb)
Opening on the week of 7 February
Director: Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”, “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D”)
Producers: James Cameron, Jon Landau
Writers: Screenplay by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis and Robert Rodriguez – Based on the graphic novel (“Manga”) series “GUNNM” by Yukito Kishiro
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Synopsis: From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (7 Feb)
Director: Mike Mitchell (“Trolls”, “Shrek Forever After”, “Sky High”, “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”)
Voice Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Synopsis: The much-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, global box office phenomenon that started it all, THE LEGO® MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt. The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.
Director: Wash Westmoreland (“Still Alice”)
Cast: Keira Knightley, Eleanor Tomlinson, Dominic West
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Synopsis: Unconventional country girl Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette has married a charismatic egomaniacal man of letters, 14 years her senior, known by the single name, Willy. Through his auspices, Colette is introduced into the fecund world of the artistic demimonde in Paris where her creative appetite is sparked. Ever quick to capitalise on talent, Willy permits Colette to write her novels only if she does so in his name. The phenomenal success of her Claudine series makes Willy a famous writer and Colette and Willy the first modern celebrity couple. Although they are the toast of the town, lack of recognition for her work begins to gnaw on Colette. Their marriage starts to internally combust – but emotionally and artistically, she cannot break free of him. On a downward slide, Willy resorts to increasingly desperate measures to pay his debts and sabotage his wife but Colette is developing resources of her own.
Set at the dawn of the modern age, COLETTE is the story of a woman who has been denied her voice by an overbearing man, and who goes to extraordinary lengths to find it; a battle of the sexes at the very beginning of the modern age, when seismic shifts were taking place in the roles of men and women. More than a century after the publication of her first novel, Colette is still one of the best-selling, and beloved, French authors.
Opening on the week of 14 February
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Lobster”, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”)
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith, Mark Gatiss
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Synopsis: Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen’s companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfill her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
Director: Karyn Kusama (“Jennifer’s Body”)
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Bradley Whitford, Jade Pettyjohn, Scoot McNairy
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Synopsis: DESTROYER follows the moral and existential odyssey of LAPD detective Erin Bell who, as a young cop, was placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. When the leader of that gang re-emerges many years later, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past.
Opening on the week of 21 February
Director: Christopher Landon (“Happy Death Day”, “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”, “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones”)
Producer: Jason Blum
Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Suraj Sharma, Steve Zissis
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U, the follow-up to Blumhouse’s (Split, Get Out, The Purge series) surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time, our hero Tree Gelbman (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.
Director: Charles Martin Smith (“Dolphin Tale”)
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King, Alexandra Shipp
Genre: Adventure, Family
Synopsis: A DOG’S WAY HOME chronicles the heartwarming adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human.
Director: Steven Knight (“Locke”)
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou, Jeremy Strong, Diane Lane
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: From the creative mind of Oscar nominee Steven Knight comes a daringly original, sexy, stylized thriller. Baker Dill (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey) is a fishing boat captain leading tours off a tranquil, tropical enclave called Plymouth Island. His quiet life is shattered, however, when his ex-wife Karen (Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway) tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her – and their young son – from her new, violent husband (Jason Clarke) by taking him out to sea on a fishing excursion, only to throw him to the sharks and leave him for dead. Karen’s appearance thrusts Dill back into a life he’d tried to forget, and as he struggles between right and wrong, his world is plunged into a new reality that may not be all that it seems.
Director: Hans Petter Molland (“Kraftidioten”)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Synopsis: COLD PURSUIT, an action thriller infused with irreverent humor, stars Liam Neeson as Nels Coxman, a family man whose quiet life with his wife (Laura Dern) is upended following the mysterious death of their son. Nels’ search for justice turns into a vengeful hunt for Viking (Tom Bateman), a drug lord he believes is connected to the death. As one by one each of Viking’s associates “disappear,” Nels goes from upstanding citizen to ice-cold vigilante, letting nothing — and no one — get in his way.
Opening on the week of 28 February
Director: Josie Rourke (Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse)
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Jack Lowden, David Tennant, Brendan Coyle, Simon Russell Beale
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Synopsis: MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I (Robbie). Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones – and change the course of history.
Director: Peter Hedges (“The Odd Life of Timothy Green”, “Dan in Real Life”, “Pieces of April”)
Cast: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton, Mia Fowler, Melissa van der Schyff, Jakari Fraser, Tim Guinee
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: 19-year-old Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges) unexpectedly returns home to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben’s mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother’s undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.
Director: Brady Corbet (Actor in “Funny Games”)
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Ehle
Genre: Drama, Music
Synopsis: VOX LUX begins in 1999 when teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor (Stacy Martin) survive a seismic, violent tragedy. The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making something lovely and cathartic out of catastrophe — while also catapulting Celeste to stardom. By 2017, the now 31-year-old Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mother to a teenage daughter of her own and struggling to navigate a career fraught with scandals when another act of terrifying violence demands her attention.
