After a few bland weeks for new movies, this Valentine’s weekend delivers the goods. The latest Lego movie will not only crack up the kids, but will draw and please geeky moviegoers in hordes. The next ‘Fifty Shades’ adaptation is bound to become another guilty pleasure for certain audiences. At the far opposite end of the spectrum, everyone’s favorite assassin is back to deliver even more headshots. It’s a win-win-win weekend.
Following the wild success of ‘The Lego Movie‘, the toy brand is back on 4,088 screens with a spinoff that’s even funnier than the first film. ‘The Lego Batman Movie‘ returns Will Arnett to his Batman/Bruce Wayne role. After hurting the feelings of his greatest enemy, The Joker, the self-obsessed superhero must not only overcome the villain’s latest wild scheme, but he must overcome his own ego. The laughs never stop in this witty and big-hearted family flick. Because Lego possesses the rights to many big brand names, expect the movie to feature cameos that extend far beyond the DC universe. The massive cast includes Rosario Dawson, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, Ralph Fiennes, Jenny Slate, Conan O’Brien, Billy Dee Williams, Zoe Kravitz, Kate Micucci, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Jemaine Clement, Ellie Kemper, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Adam Devine, Mariah Carey and Chris Hardwick.
For all you romantic-types, if you’re not already tied up this weekend, ‘Fifty Shades Darker‘ is here to rev your engines. Picking up shortly after the S&M events of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey‘, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele are once again back at it. Just when the fickle Ana thinks she might want to get back with her freaky ex, a scandalous part of Christian’s past comes back to stir things up. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan reprise their roles. In this kinky sequel, they’re said to still have no chemistry with one another and the screenplay is reportedly even worse than the first. Having said that, those who go ‘Darker’ this weekend know exactly what they’re getting into and likely won’t be let down.
Three years ago, Summit Entertainment put out the gem ‘John Wick‘, an action hit that no one saw coming. If you were worried that ‘John Wick: Chapter Two‘ might be a simple cash-grab, rest assured. The sequel picks up right where the first left off. The brutal assassin closed that revenge-fueled chapter of his life without knowing what lies in the next. Having caught the attention of the underground assassin world and shown that he’s not entirely committed to retirement, an old friend shows up and calls in a favor that John cannot refuse. Not only does ‘Chapter 2’ up the ante of action and gunplay, the screenplay expands upon the creative assassin world established in the first movie and brings it to a grand new level. With stylized hyper-violence, it’s fair to compare the ‘John Wick’ series to ‘The Raid’. If that at all tickles your fancy, then ‘Chapter 2’ will definitely leave you satisfied.
