The entertainment world continues to be overturned by the pandemic. Although traditionally a big month for television, February this year is seeing relatively few high-profile premieres. (It is far from a complete desert, however, and includes the return of one of the FBI’s most famous fictional agents.)
Those looking for movies, however, will have many intriguing options, both in theaters and at home. This includes some acclaimed films that were only shown briefly in theaters for award-qualifying screenings in December, and the first films to emerge from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Here are some that look like good bets for the shortest month, and usually the coldest month of the year.
More from Rolling Stone
Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar (VOD, February 12)
The last time Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo co-wrote a film, we had Bridesmaids, a complicated look at female friendship that also featured one of the most memorable poop sequences ever filmed. The extent to which poop will feature in this new team, in which Wiig and Mumolo co-star as a pair of Florida midwesterners, remains unknown. We know, however, that the pair will be involved in an evil scheme and will be accompanied by co-stars like Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr. and Vanessa Bayer.
cherry (Cinemas, February 26)
As directors of Captain America Civil War, Joe and Anthony Russo helped introduce Tom Holland to much of the world, introducing him as Spider-Man of the MCU. With Cherry, they seem ready to help him shake off his youthful image through an adaptation of Nico Walker’s semi-autobiographical novel about an opioid-addicted army veterinarian who turns to a life of crime.
Clarice (CBS, February 11)
For three seasons in the mid-2010s, NBC’s cannibal he gave Thomas Harris’ serial killer, Hannibal Lecter, a series of his own. Now CBS is giving its favorite FBI agent, Claire Starling, a chance with Clarice, who starts not long after the events of Silence of the innocents. Australian actress Rebecca Breeds takes on the role made famous by Jodie Foster, but thanks to copyright issues, don’t expect any reference to Lecter. Stream here with a free CBS All-Access trial.
Fall (Theaters and VOD, February 5)
Viggo Mortensen makes his debut as a writer and director with the story of a middle-aged gay man forced to deal with a conservative and uncaring father (Lance Henriksen) when his father starts to go into dementia. Laura Linney co-stars as a sister involved in the drama of a film that had a warm welcome when it debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The father (Cinemas, February 26)
Anthony Hopkins is famous for marking non-challenging scenes in his scripts with the letters “NAR”, short for “no need for acting”. He probably didn’t need that abbreviation for the dramatist’s debut as director Florian Zeller, an adaptation of his own play that puts Hopkins as a man succumbing to dementia and his daughter (Olivia Colman) doing her best to take care of him as his condition worsens . The film was hailed at the January Sundance Festival and looks like it’s going to challenge Hopkins in ways that, say, Transformers: the last knight probably not.
Firefly Lane (Netflix, February 3)
Released in 2008, Kristin Hannah’s best-selling novel Firefly Lane traces the friendship between two women in the Pacific Northwest over several turbulent decades, accompanying them from adolescence to adulthood. Readers have fallen in love and Netflix expects viewers to do the same with this new series starring Kathrine Heigl and Sarah Chalke playing characters whose lives follow different paths but continue to intersect anyway. Watch on Netflix.
French exit (Cinemas, February 12)
What does a woman who built a life around spending money do when the money disappears? If she is Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), she leaves Manhattan for Paris with her adult son (Lucas Hedges) and a cat who may be more than just a cat in tow. It is based on a novel by Patrick deWitt, who previously provided reference material for the great, though somewhat forgotten, western, The sisters brothers.
A matrix failure (Cinemas and VOD, February 5)
What if the world as we know it was actually a computer simulation and we were just lines of code in a higher reality? This may sound crazy, but not for the real believers interviewed by Rodney Ascher, alongside philosophers and others who have explored the implications of the theory. The latest news from the Room 237 explores simulation theory, the ways in which this was reflected in films like The Matrix and the Truman Show, and how these films and other pieces of pop culture have made some see the world differently.
The investigation (HBO, February 1)
The strange and tragic death of Kim Wall, a Swedish journalist murdered while on board a home-made submarine by an inventor, is the subject of this six-part dramatization by Danish director Tobias Lindholm. This could have inspired a sinister approach, but Lindholm decided not to lean towards the real crime clichés, focusing on Wall’s life and the hard work of investigating a murder. Broadcast here on HBO Max.
Judas and the Black Messiah (Theaters and HBO Max, February 12)
Best known for directing comedies for smart TV as High maintenance and Strident, director Shaka King turns left with this instantly acclaimed historical drama about Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), the president of the Illinois Black Panthers Party who died at the hands of the Chicago police in 1969. Lakeith Stanfield stars as William O ‘Neal , the man who joined the Black Panthers as an FBI informant. (“Judas” is not in the title by chance.) Broadcast here on HBO Max.
Earth (Cinemas, February 12)
Stimulated by an indescribable loss and a growing feeling of alienation, Edee Holzer decides to pack everything up and leave it all behind for a life of isolation in the first film directed by Robin Wright (who also stars). Wright did not choose the easiest route for his directorial debut: the film required extensive outdoor filming and placed it at the center of virtually every scene. It does have some support on the screen, however. Demian Bichir co-stars as a man who appears to have withdrawn from civilization for similar reasons.
The Mauritanian (Theaters, February 19)
In this court drama with roots in the real world, Tahar Rahim plays Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a Mauritanian man who reported his time being detained without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in the book, Guantanamo Journal. Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley co-star as two lawyers trying to gain their freedom, an attempt that requires them to maneuver a military prosecutor played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Minamata (Theaters and VOD, February 5)
Johnny Depp makes a peaceful return with this film taken from the life of photojournalist William Eugene Smith, famous for his work in World War II, contributions to Life magazine and – in the chapter that inspired the film – documenting the effects of pollution in the Japanese city of Minamata.
Minari (Cinemas, February 12)
For this story of a Korean-American family who left California to build a new life in the countryside, director Lee Isaac Chung drew on his own experiences growing up in Arkansas in the 1980s. This personal connection may be the reason why the film avoids clichés in such an artistic way, capturing the possibilities of starting over in America without underestimating the difficulties. As parents with sometimes contrasting views, Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri star, accompanied by Will Patton as an eccentric but helpful neighbor and Youn Yuh-jung who steals the show as the grandmother who joins them.
Nomadland (Theaters, February 19)
In another film about life in the American peripheries that avoids clichés, Frances McDormand plays Fern, a Nevada widow whose economically precarious situation leads her to a life traveling around the country in a van in search of a seasonal job where she can find. Working from a non-fiction book by Jessica Bruder, Chloé Zhao captures the freedom and fear of living without a connection in a film directed by a remarkable performance by McDormand. (Also like Minari, it is making its proper debut after a short qualifying race in December.)
Punky Brewster (Peacock, February 25)
Why relive a cutesy ’80s show about a brave foster boy? Well, why not? Soleil Moon Frye returns to the role that made her famous, only this time Punky is the one who is taking an adopted daughter, bringing her to the already busy house that she shares with her three children. Freddie Prinze Jr. co-stars as Punky’s ex-husband. Stream here with free Peacock trial.
Saint Maud (Epix, February 12)
Rose Glass’s religious-themed horror film received rave reviews last year, only to disappear from the release schedule when the pandemic closed theaters. In a better situation than ever, he is now making his cable TV debut accompanied by a limited screening in theaters. Morfydd Clark stars as a hospice nurse who develops a strange connection with a terminally ill American dancer (Jennifer Ehle), an atheist whose soul she sets out to save.
supernova (VOD, February 16)
Tusker (Stanley Tucci) and Sam (Colin Firth) are longtime romantic partners in the Lake District, England, but their trip is not without purpose: Tusker is suffering from early dementia and the two are doing the best they can to taste the life they built together before falling apart. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Harry Macqueen, the film received strong criticism when it was shown at festivals last year (and with those great protagonists and that heart-breaking scenario, this should probably come as no surprise).
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu, February 26)
Making her debut as an actress (not to mention her work in Cars 3), singer Andra Day plays Billie Holiday in a biopic focusing on the singer’s harassment at the hands of the FBI. Trevante Rhodes co-stars as the agent with whom she develops a complicated relationship in a film directed by Lee Daniels that may be Hulu’s best hope for entering the Oscar race. Watch with a free trial of Hulu.
See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone charts.
Subscribe to the Rolling Stone newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.