A number of new movies and limited television series will debut this week, including the following titles opening in theaters or premiering via video on demand on various streaming platforms:
‘Wuthering Heights’
Genre: Romantic drama
Cast: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell
Director: Emerald Fennell
Rated: R
A bold and original interpretation of one of the greatest love stories of all time, Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, whose forbidden passion for one another turns from romantic to intoxicating in an epic tale of lust, love and madness.
The film will be released in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on Feb. 13.
‘Goat’
Genre: Animated sports comedy
Cast: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis, Aaron Pierre, Patton Oswalt, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Eduardo Franco, Sherry Cola, Jelly Roll and Jennifer Hudson
Director: Tyree Dillihay
Rated: PG
From Sony Pictures Animation comes “Goat,” an original action-comedy set in an all-animal world. The story follows Will (Caleb McLaughlin), a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball — a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!”
The film is scheduled to be released on Feb. 13 by Sony Pictures Releasing.
‘Crime 101’
Genre: Crime thriller
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, and Halle Berry
Director: Bart Layton
Rated: R
Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, “Crime 101” weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.
The film is scheduled to be released by Amazon MGM Studios on Feb. 13.
‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die’
Genre: Science fiction, action, adventure and comedy
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, and Juno Temple
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rated: R
A man claiming to be from the future takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a quest to save the world.
The film is set to be released on Feb. 13 by Briarcliff Entertainment.
‘Joe's College Road Trip’
Genre: Road comedy
Cast: Tyler Perry, Jermaine Harris, Amber Reign Smith, Bethany Anne Lind, Millie Jackson and Jeremy Gimenez
Director: Tyler Perry
Rated: R
In an effort to teach him about the real world, Joe (Tyler Perry) takes B.J. (Jermaine Harris) on a cross-country college road trip where tensions get high but life-changing lessons are learned.
The film is scheduled to be released on Feb. 13 by Netflix.
‘Cold Storage’
Genre: Horror comedy
Cast: Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, and Liam Neeson
Director: Jonny Campbell
Rated: R
When a mutating, highly contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility, two young employees — joined by a grizzled bioterror operative — must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.
The film is scheduled to be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on Feb. 13.
‘Honey Bunch’
Genre: Thriller
Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Jason Isaacs, Kate Dickie and India Brown
Directors: Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli
Not rated
When Diana (Grace Glowicki) wakes from a coma with fragmented memories, she and her husband seek experimental treatments at a remote facility. As the procedures intensify, their marriage is put to the test and Diana begins to question her husband’s true motives.
The film is scheduled to be released on Feb. 13 through Shudder.
‘By Design’
Genre: Drama
Cast: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, and Udo Kier
Director: Amanda Kramer
Not rated
Upon seeing a gorgeous chair in a showroom, Camille (Juliette Lewis) realizes that she truly envies the life of this perfect piece of furniture. If only she could be someone’s favorite thing. When she and the chair swap forms, Camille learns that she is better liked as an inanimate object than she was as a person: her mother (Betty Buckley) finds her to be a better listener, and her best friends (Samantha Mathis and Robin Tunney) enjoy a newfound, friction-free rapport.
As the chair, Camille is unable to speak or move and winds up in the hands of Olivier (Mamoudou Athie), a minimalist bachelor who gradually becomes romantically fixated on his elegant new possession. Narrated by Melanie Griffith, this modern fable celebrates the messiness of female interiority with deadpan humor, surrealist flourishes, and interpretative dance numbers. An absurdist spin on the body-swap comedy, “By Design” is a bold new work from singular filmmaker Amanda Kramer.
The film is set to be released in theaters on Feb. 13 by Music Box Films.
‘The Mortuary Assistant’
Genre: Supernatural horror
Cast: Willa Holland and Paul Sparks
Director: Jeremiah Kipp
Not rated
“The Mortuary Assistant” follows newly certified mortician Rebecca Owens (Willa Holland), who takes a job at the River Field Mortuary and is tasked with embalming bodies alone on the night shift, but something sinister lurks beneath the surface. She must navigate demonic rituals, unravel the secrets of her enigmatic mentor (Paul Sparks), and confront her own buried traumas to survive the night — and prevent her body from becoming a vessel for possession.
The film is scheduled to be released on Shudder on Feb. 13.
‘Gale: Yellow Brick Road’
Genre: Horror and fantasy
Cast: Chloë Crump, Laura Kay Bailey and Karen Swan
Director: Daniel Alexander
Rated: PG-13
Long gone are the days of emerald cities and yellow brick roads. In this dark re-imagining of “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale is now an elderly woman, broken by years of paranormal entanglement with a mystical realm, which has now echoed down to her only living relative, Emily, who is being called to settle unfinished business in this terrifying world of Oz.
The film is scheduled to have one day theatrical release on Feb. 11, under Fathom Entertainment.
For more movie news, visit www.TBNweekly.com. Lee Clark Zumpe is TBN entertainment editor. He can be reached by email at lzumpe@TBNweekly.com.