WE HAVE OFFICIALLY ENTERED THE CINEMATIC DUMPING SEASON, THAT HALLOWED TIME OF YEAR WHEN STUDIOS WRESTLE WITH THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: RELEASE IT FOR FRONT-LOADED BOX OFFICE THEN QUICKLY ONTO VOD, OR BURY IT IN THE VAULT FOR THE TAX DEDUCTION? INTO THAT FRAY, WE FEARLESSLY SEARCHED TO UNEARTH REASONS TO VENTURE TO YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL MULTIPLEX OR ARTHOUSE

BY DAN SALAMONE

ROUNDING FEBRUARY 14

This unsettling new horror flick by the director of Saint Frances (an excellent 2019 indie horror movie) concerns a driven medical student (Namir Smallwood, Chicago Fire, Elementary), who transfers to a rural hospital and takes the case of an asthma patient (Sidney Flanigan), unearthing personal demons and terrifying visions. This festival favorite has been in the vault since 2022, but the uber-talented director, Alex Thompson, is more than enough reason to seek this one out.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD FEBRUARY

14 Every issue, we tell you optimistically about some new Marvel-related media, and are frequently disappointed by the result (looking at you, Kraven The Hunter). That said, we have every reason to believe that Anthony Mackie (as the new Captain), Harrison Ford (as his boss with potentially nefarious motivations), and a Red Hulk (Yes, he’s red this time!) will be the rare excellent February blockbuster.

LOVE HURTS FEBRUARY 7

This one falls squarely in the “retired hitman forced to resume his old gig” genre, but this one stars one of the most unlikely action heroes ever: Ke Huy Quan. This former child star (The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) experienced a dream rebirth as an actor when his co-starring role in Everything Everywhere All at Once earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. For his leading man turn, he has a star stunt coordinator, Jonathan Eusebio, and Ariana Debose in tow.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (RE-RELEASE) FEBRUARY 13

Surprisingly, February is the home of one potential mega blockbuster (see: Captain America), but the jury is still out on that one. For a quick fix of uncut franchise joy, here’s the re-release (and re-master) of the first entry in the wildly successful Harry Potter franchise. Grab a box of popcorn and experience the wonder of small British wizards all over again.

SCREAMBOAT JANUARY 31ST

This is truly the dump season in its purest form: a quickie cash-grab horror built around an idea that boils down to, “Hey, here’s a familiar character that’s fallen into the public domain! Let’s have it kill teenagers in impressively revolting ways!” (See also: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Popeye the Slayer Man) In this case, the beloved character publicly debased is Steamboat Willie, the earliest incarnation of Mickey Mouse. Will this be cinematic gold? Of course not! Will it be bad in a fun, delightfully dumb way? Here’s hoping so!

DOG MAN JANUARY 31

Here’s another one that definitely feels like the dump season, except with an opposite audience (sugar-addled children and their patient parents) and a much bigger budget (courtesy of Dreamworks). The plot of this animated chancer finds a police officer and his police dog fused together after an injury at work, then tasked with arresting a feline supervillain named Petey The Cat. The trailer suggests this may well land on the smart kind of silly comedy (see also: Dumb and Dumber, The Naked Gun series). Pete Davison stars.

PADDINGTON IN PERU FEBRUARY

14 The film series for kids and parents with incredibly good taste in films returns to prove that nothing is more charming than a self-effacing British bear in a rain suit. This time finds the furry cute-machine (played perfectly by Ben Wishaw) venturing to the jungles of Peru to find his missing aunt.