18 new films to know for January, including a JLo rom-com, a promising cringe-comedy, and multiple horror offerings

Theaters everywhere January 6Ripoffs are often more fun than remakes, and producer James Wan’s latest creepy puppet looks to have borrowed a lot of DNA from the Mark Hamill robo-Chucky Child’s Play remake. Unlike that stubby-limbed evil redhead, though, M3GAN’s ballerina-like flexibility and acrobatics make her look much more deadly. And ludicrous, but in a good way (fans of Wan’s Malignant, also written by scribe Akela Cooper, know that tone well). A sort-of acronym for Model 3 Generative Android, M3GAN is a robotic doll programmed to be a child’s best friend and playmate—but like Bart Simpson’s Treehouse Of Horror Krusty doll, may have had her switch flipped to “evil.” She’ll protect with lethal force and, like little kids the world over, overreact to adult correction. Allison Williams stars as the unfortunate aunt who gifts her niece an unvetted prototype robot, and probably deserves what she gets as a result. Director Gerard Johnstone previously made the New Zealand horror-comedy film . [Luke Y. Thompson]

Theaters everywhere January 13 Gerard Butler continues his streak of Die Hard sequels that never existed but maybe should have; in this case, Die Hard On Militia Island. As a commercial pilot named Brodie Torrance in , he’s forced to transport convicted killer Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter) along with his usual passengers, but a lightning storm takes the plane down. The lucky survivors must deal with the fact that they’ve landed on an ungoverned island occupied by violent militias who just love taking and killing hostages. Naturally, Brodie and Louis team up, while Tony Goldwyn acts concerned a continent away. Director Jean-Francois Richet directed the 2005 Assault On Precinct 13 remake and Mel Gibson’s Blood Father, an action movie that actually reckoned with Gibson’s extremely tarnished reputation and personality. So while it’s safe to say nobody’s expecting Spielberg here, Richet seems like the type who understands an assignment, and Butler’s usually game for anything. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Theaters everywhere January 13A surprise hit in 1990 that spawned two theatrical sequels and another two direct-to-video outings, the original House Party briefly made rappers Kid ’n Play into movie stars, playing versions of themselves putting on an out-of-control shindig without their parents’ knowledge. The “remix,” produced by LeBron James, ups the stakes. Two cleaners (Doctor Who’s Tosin Cole and The Maze Runner’s Jacob Latimore) realize that their latest job is at LeBron’s house, and he’ll be out of town for a while, so they plan a massive, celebrity-laden party there in hopes of paying off their debts with the proceeds. The movie’s loaded with cameos, including Snoop Dogg, Bill Bellamy, Lil Wayne, and Lena Waithe. Kid n’ Play will also appear, though it’s unclear if it will be as their real selves or their movie characters with the same names. This is directed by Calmatic, best known for making Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” video. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Select theaters January 13Four-year-old Kevin and six-year-old Kaylee wake up in the middle of the night to find that all the doors and windows in their house have vanished … along with their father. The trailer for , which is pointedly shot in a 1973 grindhouse style, indicates writer-director Kyle Edward Ball has mastered the ability to creep us out with simple, dark images, and the right amount of distortion on the soundtrack. Having filmed user-submitted nightmares on his YouTube channel, he derived Skinamarink from some of the common themes he observed. With a budget of only $15,000, this could be the next Paranormal Activity … or, like the 2006 When A Stranger Calls remake, a tedious hour and a half of actors walking around an empty house. If the whole movie proves as unsettling as the trailer, it’s going to be the former. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Hulu January 13Hulu is building a name for itself with whip-smart, often hilarious original films featuring under-appreciated actors. In that vein is starring Anna Konkle and Jermaine Fowler, who deserve exactly this kind of off-kilter comedic material. Director and co-writer Sarah Adina Smith casts them as a couple whose marriage is put to the test during a tropical island vacation with their friends. What the title refers to, and the above trailer makes no bones about revealing, is the catalyst for their crisis: Lex (Konkle) drops one of their friends’ newborns onto the ground. As we eagerly await this perfect date-night film, we can rest assured with the reasonable assumption that no babies were harmed in the making of it. [Jack Smart]

Theaters everywhere January 20Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut is finally hitting theaters exactly a year to the day after it premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. Eisenberg also adapted the screenplay based on an audio drama he wrote for Audible back in 2020. is a darkly comedic look at the clash between Ziggy, a young rock-star wannabe with an online following (Finn Wolfhard), and his do-gooder mom Evelyn (Julianne Moore), who’s somehow altruistic and narcissistic at the same time. Though they constantly fail to connect, the two are more alike in their self-absorption than either of them would care to admit. Sharply funny and keenly observant, this portrait of the generational divide features nuanced performances that make you feel for the characters, even if you don’t always like them. [Cindy White]

Paramount+ January 26Just to get it straight: is a movie that’s a sequel to a series based on an older movie. And it’s directed by Highlander’s Russell Mulcahy, who was in his prime when the original 1985 Michael J. Fox comedy (co-written by Jeph Loeb!) came out. The show, which ended in 2017 after six seasons, is a more serious and mythology-heavy take on the notion of werewolves in a high school. (For an actual, albeit unauthorized remake of the original, try Pixar’s Turning Red.) This 2023 movie will introduce a new supernatural threat, and reunite most of the cast, except Dylan O’Brien, Arden Cho, and Cody Christian. Direct to Paramount+, it’s also designed to kick off a new spin-off series, Wolf Pack, starring Buffy The Vampire Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Prime Video January 27We’re officially in the midst of a Jennifer Lopez rom-com renaissance, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Her latest outing is a sort of action-rom-com mashup with a simple premise that’s also kind of genius: in , she teams up with Josh Duhamel to play Darcy and Tom, a couple whose gorgeous destination wedding is plagued by prenuptial jitters, meddling parents (Jennifer Coolidge plays the mother of the groom), and the arrival of a hot ex-boyfriend (Lenny Kravitz). Oh, and their big day is also hijacked by pirates who take all their guests hostage. Together, they spring into action together to save the day, rekindling their romance through an adrenaline-fueled adventure. Sounds fun! The film is coming exclusively to Prime Video, so it’s a perfect opportunity to curl up with a loved one or invite some friends over for a cozy night in. [Cindy White]

Theaters everywhere January 27Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon take to outer space in their next collaboration, , starring Anthony Ramos and Naomi Scott as astronauts who encounter great peril. He crash lands on an alien planet, and must contend with the excessively articulate AI (Zachary Quinto) in his spacesuit. Meanwhile, she is somewhere else trapped inside her escape pod. Can he find her before his own air supply runs out? And even if he does, what then? In theory, this sounds a lot more serious and suspenseful than the comedies (Office Christmas Party, Switch, Blades Of Glory) the directors are known for. A lot depends on how they play the material here. And, perhaps, whether or not Quinto sings. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Netflix January 27What’s wild about the teaser trailer for Kenya Barris’ , which includes a nervous white man (Jonah Hill) telling his girlfriend’s Black parents (Eddie Murphy and Nia Long) his proposal plans, is that it’s only the tip of this movie’s iceberg. Playing the parents of Hill’s character are none other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny, while the great Lauren London rounds out the cast as the proposee. It sounds like a mash-up of Meet The Parents and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, and we can’t wait to squirm at what is surely two hours of cringe comedy. [Jack Smart]

Select theaters January 27Belgian director Lukas Dhont follows up his acclaimed yet divisive trans ballerina drama Girl with , a tale of two 13-year-old boys. Initially the best of friends, they begin to drift apart after classmates accuse them of being gay. As Léo (Eden Dambrine) pulls away from Rémi (Gustav de Waele) and begins acting more pointedly macho, a tragic event shakes everyone’s lives up even further. The co-winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes (along with Claire Denis’ Stars At Noon), Close is this year’s Oscar submission by Belgium for Best Foreign Language Film. For anyone who has ever been bullied or felt the pain of leaving childhood behind, Close is apparently quite the tearjerker. If that’s your thing. [Luke Y. Thompson]