New movies to watch in February

It’s unclear to me if Argylle (Feb. 2) is being memed to oblivion all over Film Twitter and Letterboxd because it’s so good or because it’s so bad. The film is about an introverted spy novelist who is drawn into the activities of a sinister underground syndicate and features an all-star cast including, but not limited to, Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena and Richard E. Grant. 

If you’ve been on Twitter… erm, I mean X, this past month and checked out any viral tweet, you’ve likely encountered the hard-working Bob Marley: One Love (Feb. 14) social team trying to will the film into relevancy. The biopic starring Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami) and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) portrays how Bob Marley became the biggest reggae artist in history.

As Madame Web (Feb. 16) star Dakota Johnson calls shooting a film on blue screen “absolutely psychotic” and insists she’s not sure if it will be good or not, it’s hard to believe that the film (and its underwhelming trailer) will be able to inject new life into the slowly dying superhero subgenre. Then again, the all-star cast of incredibly meme-able stars (including Johnson), rounded out by Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott and Zosia Mamet, might surprise us yet!

The Oscars go live on March 10, giving you plenty of time to catch up in February. Italy’s Best International Featire Film selection, Io Capitano (Feb. 16), hits the big screen mid-month. From director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah), it’s a Homeric fairy tale that charts the adventurous journey of two young boys, Seydou and Moussa, who leave Dakar to reach Europe. Japan’s official Oscar submission, Perfect Days (Feb. 16) directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, is also coming out this month. The crowd-pleasing film is about a janitor in Japan who drives between jobs listening to rock music. At the end of the month, you can go to Cinéma du Parc to watch all the Oscar-nominated shorts, including Quebec’s own Invincible (Feb. 23). 

While it didn’t make the final cut for an Oscar nod, Tótem (Feb. 2) was Mexico’s nomination and one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films. It follows a seven-year-old girl named Sol who’s spending the day at her grandfather’s home for a surprise party for Sol’s father, Tonatiuh. As daylight fades, Sol understands that her world is about to change dramatically.

If you hate the Oscars and only really love movies that are too good for American award shows, a handful of fantastic festival fare is finally coming to Montreal theatres this month. How to Have Sex (Feb. 9) was a feature debut and a big Cannes favourite. The visceral coming-of-age film (shot by Montrealer Nicolas Canniccioni) is about three British teenage girls who go on a rites-of-passage holiday — drinking, clubbing and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. Mads Mikkelsen stars in the Danish film The Promised Land (Feb. 9), a historical drama about Captain Ludvig von Kahlen, who pursued his lifelong dream: to make the heath bring him wealth and honour. You can also see the magnificent About Dry Grasses (Feb. 23), the mesmerizing but darkly funny Turkish film about a young teacher who hopes to be transferred to Istanbul after four years of mandatory service in a remote village but is accused of inappropriate contact by students. 

For some great #CanCon (endorsed by Cult MTL‘s screen team), you have your pick of Má Sài Gòn (Feb. 2) and Fitting In (Feb. 2). Khoa Lê directed the dreamy Má Sài Gòn, an intimate documentary about members of Saigon’s LGBTQ community as they struggle to find their place and reconnect with their families in a city where social norms still reject them. Fitting In, directed by Montrealer Molly McGlynn, is one of the most fiercely original coming-of-age films in recent years. The hilariously dark but touching film is about a teenage girl (played by Maddie Ziegler) who gets diagnosed with a reproductive condition that upends her plans to have sex and propels her into exploring unusual methods to have a sex life.

There are slim pickings for audiences looking for something to watch this Valentine’s Day. Your only “conventional” choice is Float (Feb. 9). After nearly drowning, a young woman unexpectedly falls for the small-town lifeguard who rescued her. Based on the novel by Kate Marchant.

This month’s other releases include another Cannes film, Le règne animal (Feb. 9), starring Romain Duris, Paul Kircher and Adèle Exarchopoulos, a sci-fi adventure about a futuristic world where humans are mutating into animals. Ethan Coen (sans his brother Joel) directed Drive-Away Dolls (Feb. 23) (initially titled Drive Away Dykes), a comedy caper starring Margaret Qualley as Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her timid friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals. ■

This article originally was originally published in the Feb. 2024 issue of Cult MTL. Check Montreal cinema showtimes here.

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