New movies to watch in February

February, the shortest month of the year, is many things: cold, dark and deeply romantic. In other words, it’s the perfect time to go to the movies.

The month starts off with two films that strike the right Valentine’s Day balance, blending love and violence — as Saint Valentine intended. Love Hurts (Feb. 7) is an action-comedy starring Ke Huy Quan as a realtor who is pulled back into the life of crime after a former partner resurfaces with an ominous message. (Read our complete Love Hurts review.) For something more horrific but still carrying some comedic flair, Heart Eyes (Feb. 7) follows a pair of co-workers working overtime on Valentine’s Day who are mistaken for a couple by the “Heart Eyes Killer.”

Among this month’s blockbuster-scale movies, Marvel is back with Captain America: Brave New World (Feb. 14). Anthony Mackie steps into the star-spangled uniform in this action sci-fi. After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Danny Ramirez, Harrison Ford, Liv Tyler and Giancarlo Esposito co-star. (Read our complete Captain America: Brave New World review.)

After last year’s surprise hit Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins is already back with his follow-up. The Monkey (Feb. 21) is an adaptation of a short story by Stephen King about twin brothers Hal and Bill discovering their father’s old monkey toy in the attic — a series of gruesome deaths ensuing all around them. The film stars Theo James and Elijah Wood.

For something more family-friendly, there’s the third entry in the Paddington franchise, Paddington in Peru (Feb. 14). This film sees Paddington travel to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure unfolds when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

There’s also The Unbreakable Boy (Feb. 21), a film about Austin, a boy with both a rare brittle-bone disease and autism. But what makes Austin truly unique is his joyous, funny, life-affirming worldview that transforms and unites everyone around him.

Fans of 1970s rock will enjoy Becoming Led Zeppelin (Feb. 7), a documentary concert experience following the individual journey of the four band members as they move through the 1960s playing small clubs until their meeting in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal that changes their lives forever.

From the director of The Young Pope and The Great Beauty comes Parthenope (Feb. 14), the latest from Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino. Parthenope, born in the sea near Naples in 1950, is beautiful, enigmatic and intelligent. She is shamelessly courted by many. However, beauty comes at a cost. The film stars newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta and co-stars Gary Oldman, Stefania Sandrelli and Young Pope favourite Silvio Orlando, who played Voiello in the HBO series. 

One of the more interesting films coming out this month is Omen (Feb. 27), which first premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2023. Between Brussels, Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, Omen borrows from magic realism to paint a portrait of “undesirables” and “sorcerers” through the intertwined stories of protagonists of different genders and generations, confronted with the prejudice and suspicion of those around them.

If you love Quebec cinema, February is a big month, because Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma runs from Feb. 19 to 27. The festival highlights the best Quebec films from the past year while also featuring master classes, events and a handful of world premieres. ■

This article originally was originally published in the Feb. 2025 issue of Cult MTL. Check Montreal cinema showtimes here.

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