Movies To Watch 2017 Pt 1 of 6

     2016 has come and gone leading into another year full of ups and downs at the theater. This first list for 2017 will contain what I consider to be the most anticipated movies from the months of January and February. This list isn't exactly the movies I am looking forward to the most, although I will point out the ones I want to see above the others, but the films that are scheduled to bring out the widest audiences or have the highest critical ratings throughout the year.

January 2017 Films

1/20/17

• The Founder- Starring Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman. The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' fast food eatery, Mcdonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world.
• Split- Starring James McAvoy. A man with 24 distinct personalities kidnaps three girls who must find a way to use some of the personalities to help them escape while trying to stay safe from the others. My most anticipated of this month.
• xXx: Return of Xander Cage- Starring Vin Diesel. The third film in the franchise, second with Diesel as the lead, follows his character Xander Cage as he comes out of a self-imposed exile, recruits a new team, and takes on an enemy in a race to recover a secret and deadly weapon known as Pandora's Box.

1/27/17

• A Dog's Purpose- Starring Dennis Quaid and the voice of Josh Gad. A dog, voiced by Gad, looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners.
• Gold- Starring Matthew McConaughey. An unlikely pair, McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez, travel to Indonesia to find gold.

February 2017 Films

2/3/17

• Rings- Starring Vincent D'Onofrio. A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend who has began exploring an urban legend about a videotape that is said to kill the watcher in seven days. She watches the video first and in doing so finds that there is a "movie inside the movie" that no one has ever seen before. 
• The Space Between Us- Starring Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson. The first human born on Mars (Butterfield) travels to Earth for the first time and embarks on a journey with a girl (Robertson) to discover how he came to be.

2/10/17

• Fifty Shades Darker- Starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. When a wounded Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) tries to entice a cautious Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) back into his life, she demands a new arrangement. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian's past start to appear, determined to destroy their hopes of a future together.
• John Wick: Chapter Two- Starring Keanu Reeves. Legendary hitman John Wick (Reeves) comes out of retirement when a former associate plots to seize control of an international assassin's guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, Wick travels to Rome to square off against the world's deadliest killers. My most anticipated of this month as the first movie was incredible.
• The LEGO Batman Movie- Voices of Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Zach Galifinakis, and many more. Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy that he adopted. This looks to be a great family movie with plenty of good comedy for the adults as well.

2/17/17

• A Cure For Wellness- Starring Dane DeHaan. Directed by Gore Verbinski, an ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from a mysterious "wellness center" but he soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. Very intrigued as to what this movie could become.
• Fist Fight- Starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day. On the last day of the year English teacher Andy (Day) is trying to keep it together amidst senior pranks, a dysfunctional administration, and budget cuts that put jobs on the line. But things go from bad to worse when he accidentally crosses a deeply feared colleague, Ron (Ice Cube), who challenges him to an old-fashioned throwdown after school.
• The Great Wall-  Starring Matt Damon. When a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world.

2/24/17

• Collide- Starring Nicholas Hoult and Anthony Hopkins. To pay for his girlfriend's medical emergency while abroad, a man (Nicholas Hoult) hatches a scheme to pull off a drug heist for an eccentric gangster (Anthony Hopkins).
• Get Out- Horror film directed by Jordan Peele, from Key and Peele. Now that Chris and his girlfriend Rose have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

Next post will contain the films from March and April. Hope you find a movie in this list that you hadn't heard of but are now interested in watching once it gets to theaters.