The Must Watch (& Skip Movies) of January & February
Plus Oscar Predictions!
For those who have been readers of Wild About Film for a while, you know that I am always quick to point out that January & February are easily the worst two months for movies every calendar year.
In fact, things get so bad from a quality perspective during this time that it has earned the unofficial title of “Dumpuary” since the studios often dump their bad movies during this window. For anyone curious as to why this is or how it came to be, check out my 2023 post on Dumpuary.
Despite this reputation, there are normally a few hidden gems that shine through the stink of dumpuary. Today I want to celebrate a few of those films & mention a few of the clunkers that you should stay away from.
It is worth noting that in the grand scheme of 2025, anything I recommend today likely won’t be high up on any year end lists. After all, being a great movie in January/February isn’t that hard - the bar is pretty darn low.
I will say though, there are a few more films from this January/February that I enjoyed than past dumpuarys.
Enough talk, let’s get to the movies!
5 Must Skip Movies of Dumpuary 2025:
1. Flight Risk (Directed by Mel Gibson)
My thoughts - The only thing that made me even keep watching was how much fun Mark Wahlberg was having with his obnoxious accent & dialogue throughout the film. Glad at least one person was having fun because it certainly wasn’t me.
Rating - 1/5
2. Back In Action (Directed by Seth Gordon)
My thoughts - In my opinion, this is Netflix moviemaking at its absolute worst. Get two well known stars (Diaz & Foxx) in a interesting sounding plot that will get lots of people to click on it, yet have no intention of being remotely good. I wrote a whole piece on these “algorithm movies” a few years ago - Why Most Netflix Movies Are So Bad.
Despite this one being really bad, I will say that it is the only movie on this list that is still really fun at times.
My biggest question about “Back in Action” is why did Cameron Diaz take a decade long break from acting, only to come back for this? (I know the answer is money, but it is fun to ask the question).
Rating - 2/5
3. Love Me (Directed by Andrew & Sam Zuchero)
My thoughts - While I applaud the massive creative swings taken throughout the film, they ultimately didn’t work. Particularly, the animated sequences in the second act completely took me out of it. The Walle-esque vibe of the first act was really captivating and not only the most grounded part of the film, but the most effective. The performances make the whole thing much more watchable than it should be.
Rating - 1.5/5
4. Kinda Pregnant (Directed by Tyler Spindel)
My thoughts - I have never been a fan of Amy Schumer & we all know that most Netflix originals aren’t great these days. So on paper, this shouldn’t have worked at all for me & let me tell you what! That is exactly what happened. Not sure why I was surprised by it!
Rating - 1/5
5. Captain America: Brave New World (Directed by Julius Onah)
My thoughts - It seems like the further we go into the Marvel filmography past “Avengers Endgame”, the worse it gets. If you thought that “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” from 2023 was bad, you have no idea how much worse it can get. In fact, if the upcoming “Fantastic Four” movie is another disappointment, I think these movies will lose entirely whatever cultural relevancy they have left at this point.
Rating - 1.5/5
4 Must Watch Movies of Jan/Feb 2025:
1. Presence (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
Plot - “A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.”
My thoughts - Shot completely from the perspective of a ghost, I went into the film thinking it would be a horror film, but it ends up playing more like a family drama (in the best way possible).
There has been a lot of talk about the theme of trauma throughout the film, but I’m surprised that more people aren’t addressing how the whole movie is about control. So many characters are obsessed with it & trying to seize it in different ways (as most humans do).
Those themes would work in most family dramas, but when the audience is seeing things through the eyes of a ghost roaming the house, it just makes it even more laughable how much control that we as humans think we have vs. how much we actually have. Oh you think you have control? Guess what? There is a presence that could literally end you at any time standing right behind you.
It’s obvious that’s why Soderbergh wanted to tell this story in this way & I’ve got to say, it really works.
I also love that we actually never see the presence because it allows us as the audience to make it whatever we want. As a religious person, I kept thinking about watching all of this essentially through the eyes of God. Which really puts into perspective the wrangling for control that’s always happening between characters and how little control we actually have. But the movie works because you can make the presence whatever you want & it still plays - ghost, spirit of someone who passed away, demon, guardian angel, etc. They all work & add layers to what Soderbergh is doing here.
I think some of the performances hold it back from being truly great, but my goodness did I enjoy watching it. In a decade or so when people are glossing through the dozens of movies that Soderbergh directed, it will be fun to point to this one as a hidden gem.
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Bridget Jones: Made About the Boy (Directed by Michael Morris)
Plot - “Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn't the only thing that is causing problems.”
My thoughts - As someone who isn’t really a fan of the first film, I never in a million years expected for this to be as good as it was. Sat down expecting another eye rolling dumpuary movie & boy I couldn’t have been more wrong.
A sincere & poignant examination of grief & how to move on from tragedy wrapped inside the fun that one expects from a Bridget Jones movie.
Rating - 3.5/5
3. Inheritance (Directed by Neil Burger)
Plot - “When Maya learns that her father was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. In her quest for answers, she must travel the globe, mastering her father's skills and unraveling the mysteries of his past.”
My thoughts - A really great examination of parental relationships. What do we owe our parents? How far should we go for them? How much disappointment from them is okay to withstand & put up with? You go so much of your life chasing their love & approval that you don’t even realize you are enabling their manipulation. It makes you think that they hold all the leverage in the relationship.
When you are younger, they almost certainly do, but at some point comes a glorious day when you wake up to the fact that you not only have leverage, but possibly even more than they do. That realization though comes with the reminder of how it felt being on the other side & you’ve got to make a conscious decision around how you are going to wield it. It’s a scary moment, but a beautiful one as well.
All that to say, it kind of caught me off guard just how much I loved “Inheritance”. The thriller aspects aren’t the most engaging, but the familial drama, tension, and character study at the heart of the film make it more than worth seeking out.
The movie being shot on an iPhone seems to be the only thing that people are talking about, which seems weird since films like “Tangerine” & “High Flying Bird” did the same thing years ago. Anyways, there should be more talk about how they actually filmed on location & how Phoebe Dynevor is a star in the making.
Rating - 3.5/5
4. Heart Eyes (Directed by Josh Ruben)
Plot - “A masked maniac with glowing, red eyes returns every Valentine's Day to slaughter unsuspecting couples.”
My thoughts - Committing so hard to the cheesiness of a 2000s rom coms in a slasher movie is just genius.
I was expecting a rom com inside of a slasher, but what a treat to get a slasher inside of a rom com.
Rating - 3.5/5
97th Academy Awards Predictions
On Sunday night, we will officially say goodbye to the 2024 year in film at the Oscars. 2024 was not only a strange year in film, but the campaign season leading up to the Oscars has somehow been even stranger. It seemed like every week there was a new controversy that would pop up and knock a leading movie out of contention.
Given all of the uncertainty, there are more tossups this year than there are in a normal Oscars year, which honestly is a lot of fun. Most of the time for people who follow this stuff super closely, the actual Oscar telecast is much more about watching the speeches than tuning in to see who will win. This year is very different given all of the unknowns & I couldn’t be more excited to see how it will all play out.
Another reason I am excited? Conan O’Brien is hosting! After a few years of ole reliable, Jimmy Kimmel, steering the ship, I am excited for something new & someone that will bring more energy to the show. Not to mention, Conan seems like a very genuine & nice guy. My wife & I ran into him on the streets of Chicago one evening & he didn’t even hesitate to stop and take a picture while he was on his way to dinner. We love it when kind people thrive!
Alright, enough talk of the show, lets get to some predictions! In an effort to not put you to sleep, I will only be giving my predictions for the 8 major categories. For each one, I will give my prediction of who will win on Sunday night & who I would have voted for if I was a member of the academy!
Best Supporting Actor
Who will win - Kieran Culkin
Who I would vote for - Guy Pearce - I am mixed on certain aspects on “The Brutalist”, but Pearce’s performance is not one of them.
Best Supporting Actress
Who will win - Zoe Saldana
Who I would vote for - Monica Barbaro - I rewatched “A Complete Unknown” last night & she is easily the most captivating part of the film. You could even argue that she outdoes Chamalet in the scenes when they share the screen. You get the feeling when you watch it that she is going to be in our lives for decades to come. Just glad she got nominated!
Best Original Screenplay
Who will win - Sean Baker (Anora)
Who I would vote for - A Real Pain - I think that Anora is a better overall movie, but A Real Pain is a slightly better screenplay.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Who will win - Conclave
Who I would vote for - Nickel Boys
Best Director
Who will win - Sean Baker (Anora) - this is one of the awards that I referenced earlier that could go either way. It has been neck and neck all season between Corbet & Baker. The good news is that both are incredibly deserving, so either way is fine.
Who I would vote for - Sean Baker (Anora)
Best Actress
Who will win - Demi Moore - this is probably the most interesting race at the moment. It is a two woman showdown between Demi Moore & Mikey Madison with Fernanda Torres hoping to play shocker from the shadows. I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if any of the three win. My heart wants Mikey too win so bad, so I am going to pick Demi & hope I am wrong.
Who I would vote for - Mikey Madison - Demi Moore has the comeback narrative going for her, which is why I think she will get over the finish line, but Madison gives the better performance.
Best Actor
Who will win - Adrien Brody - after wining the SAG award last week, there is now an opening for Timothee Chalamet to pull off an upset, but I think that is unlikely. If Chalamet does happen to win, he will be the youngest Best Actor winner in the history of the Oscars. The current holder of the title? None other than Adrien Brody! Talk about some drama!
Who I would vote for - Adrien Brody - I think Brody gives not only one of the best performances of the year, but also the decade.
Best Picture
Who will win - Anora - It is a two man race at this point between Anora & Conclave, anything outside of that would be a massive shock. I don’t feel super great about picking Anora winning, but I also would be genuinely surprised if Conclave was announced as the winner on Sunday night.
Who I would vote for - Anora - As many know, Dune: Part Two was my #1 film of 2024, but Anora was a close second. It was a win for Dune to even get nominated & we all know that it never really stood a chance to win, so my vote would go towards the best film that does, which is Anora.
One thing to watch closely for is the editing award early in the night. If Anora brings that home, we could be looking at an Anora sweep. If that happens, it would also put Sean Baker in play to win four Oscars in one night (editing, directing, original screenplay, and Best Picture). He would be the first person since Walt Disney to win four Oscars in one night & the first person ever to win four Oscars for the same movie.
Given the kind of movie that Anora is, it feels kind of odd to think that it could bring home so many Oscars on Sunday night. Then again, ever since the academy expanded back in 2016, they have made it pretty clear that things have changed in the types of movies they will nominate & award (Moonlight, Parasite, Everything Everywhere All At Once, etc). This isn’t your mom & dad’s academy anymore!
Will be fun to see if that continues on Sunday night or if we get another shocker or two. Either way, I am pumped!
Until next time, enjoy some great films (and the Oscars)
Aaron Nolan
Great stuff.