| USA TODAY
Four famous figures come together for Regina King’s “One Night in Miami”
‘One Night in Miami’ features Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir).
USA TODAY
When it comes to films, 2021 will look like 2020 – at least for a while.
Theaters were closed for much of last year as a security measure for COVID-19, which threw Hollywood into chaos, but also placed an emphasis on audiences receiving new films through streaming services and digital video on demand platforms. And with 2021 starting exactly as it ended 2020, with spikes in coronavirus cases and requests to stay home again bringing productions to a standstill, it doesn’t look like going to the cinema will return to normal anytime soon.
So that’s the bad news. The good news, however, is that there is a lot of material coming to keep you entertained, from Oscar-ready films to star-studded projects. Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV + continue to generate an original rate, in addition to Warner Bros. is making its entire 2021 list – including major franchise films like “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “Dune” and “The Matrix 4” – available the same day in cinemas and on HBO Max (for 31 days).
Here are 10 films that will be released in the first half of the year that you will definitely want to include in your streaming calendar:
Rated! The 10 best films of 2020, from ‘Night in Miami’ to ‘The Invisible Man’
What to broadcast: All Warner Bros. films. coming to HBO Max, from ‘In the Heights’ to ‘Suicide Squad’
‘One Night in Miami’ (January 15)
Stars: Eli Goree, Leslie Odom Jr. and Kingsley Ben-Adir
Director: Regina King
The skinny: After winning the heavyweight title in 1964, boxer Cassius Clay (Goree) brings together his friends and other icons – NFL star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), singer Sam Cooke (Odom) and activist Malcolm X (Ben- Join) – for a celebration. A hotel room is the starting point for a lively discussion about their lives, passions, beliefs and roles in the civil rights movement at King’s directorial debut.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
‘Palmer’ (January 29)
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple and Alisha Wainwright
Director: Fisher Stevens
The skinny: In one of his most dramatic roles, Timberlake plays a former Louisiana high school football star who spent 12 years in the league. A story of redemption follows when he returns home to live with his grandmother (June Squibb), finds a connection with a 7-year-old boy (Ryder Allen) who lives next door and falls in love with the young man’s teacher (Wainwright), though it is still haunted by the past.
Where to watch: Apple TV +
‘Malcolm & Marie’ (February 5)
Stars: Zendaya and John David Washington
Director: Sam Levinson
The skinny: Filmed during the pandemic, the romantic black-and-white drama – and an ode to old school Hollywood movies – stars Washington as a filmmaker and Zendaya as his girlfriend who attends a high-profile debut. Awaiting criticism from critics, the couple returns home for a night filled with unforeseen revelations that will test their love and relationship.
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ (February 12)
Stars: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya and Martin Sheen
Director: Shaka King
The skinny: The period drama set in the 1960s features Stanfield as a criminal who, instead of going to jail, accepts a court order to work with the FBI as an informant. His mission: to infiltrate and gather intelligence about Fred Hampton (Kaluuya), president of the Illinois Black Panthers Party, when the government is concerned, Hampton is building a rainbow coalition of oppressed people.
Where to watch: HBO Max
‘Supernova’ (February 16)
Stars: Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci and Pippa Haywood
Director: Harry Macqueen
The skinny: In the exciting love story, Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci) are a gay couple who have been together for 20 years. When Tusker is diagnosed with early dementia, they promise to spend as much time as possible together, which includes jumping in a van and traveling around England to see his loved ones and places from his past.
Where to watch: On-demand video
‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday ‘(February 26)
Stars: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes and Garrett Hedlund
Director: Lee Daniels
The skinny: The Grammy Day-nominated singer / songwriter stars as legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday in this drama set in New York City in the 1940s. The escalation of the federal government in the war on drugs targets Holiday to stop her from singing her controversial ballad “Strange Fruit”, and its challenge proves crucial to the nascent civil rights movement.
Where to watch: Hulu
‘Coming 2 America’ (March 5)
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Jermaine Fowler
Director: Craig Brewer
The skinny: With a supporting cast that includes James Earl Jones, Tracy Morgan and Wesley Snipes, the sequel to the beloved 1988 comedy returns Murphy as the newly crowned King Akeem (Murphy) of Zamunda and Hall as his confidant Semmi, who returns to Queens when Akeem finds out that he had a son (Fowler) with a New York City woman (Leslie Jones).
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ (March 5)
Stars: Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina
Directors: Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada
The skinny: Set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons used to live in harmony, Disney’s animated adventure revolves around the lone warrior Raya (voiced by Tran) in the face of the return of the dangerous and monstrous Druun. To save the world, Raya must find the last mythical dragon, a magical and self-deprecating type called Sisu (Awkwafina).
Where to watch: Disney +
‘Cherry’ (March 12)
Stars: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo and Jack Reynor
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
The skinny: The Russo brothers (the filmmakers behind the last three “Avengers” films) meet with Holland for this darkly comical tale of adulthood. Holland’s title character is a young man who dropped out of Ohio college and an Army doctor who returns from Iraq as a war hero, but is plagued by symptoms of PTSD. He robs banks to finance his drug addiction, which jeopardizes Cherry’s relationship with her true love (Bravo).
Where to watch: Apple TV +
‘The Woman at the Window’ (spring / summer)
Stars: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore
Director: Joe Wright
The skinny: Based on the novel by AJ Finn, the thriller stars Adams as the agoraphobic psychologist Anna Fox, who never leaves her home and spies on nearby residents. Anna befriends a woman (Moore) who lives across the street, witnesses a bloody incident involving her neighbor through the window, and then a mystery arises involving the police and the woman’s husband (Oldman).
Where to watch: Netflix