New in Theaters for January

A lot of movies are premiering in January, but only a few of them interest me. This is why they might be worth watching... or avoiding.

WATCHING

The Founder (January 20, 2017) 
Michael Keaton alone is a draw, and this is the story of how McDonald's started? I'm in.
Keaton plays Ray Kroc who gets credit for franchising McDonald's despite pushing the original founders of the restaurant out and not paying them the promised amount. Sounds a bit like The Social Network (2010).

Split (January 20, 2017) 
While it is a M. Night Shyamalan movie, last year's The Visit was his best movie in a decade. Three girls are kidnapped by a man with twenty-four distinct personalities, trying to find which personalities will aid them in escape while avoiding the malevolent ones. With James McAvoy we know we'll get a good acting performance, so I'm hoping for the best.

The Comedian (January 13, 2017) 
Robert de Niro is an aging insult comic. Could this be a return to form for the actor? It's a risky gamble whether you should watch or not. I doubt it will be Scorceses's King of Comedy (1983), but I'd like to see de Niro in a good movie.

Sleepless (January 13, 2017) 
Jamie Foxx is a cop tracking a kidnapper. This could be good, I love the cop genre, though Foxx's cop movie history is spotty.

 

AVOIDING

XXX: The Return of Xander Cage (January 20, 2017) 
Who wanted this to return?  Even with Vin Diesel back, this is a series best left in the aughts.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (January 27, 2017) 
Will it really be the final chapter? The first movie wasn't bad, but it gets worse with each sequel.