Crazy birds of prey, ready-to-fight firecrackers and a supersonic hedgehog: In February, the comic ladies of "Birds Of Prey: The Emancipation Of Harley Quinn" set off like the fire brigade before "Sonic The Hedgehog", the most famous Sega video game hero, made its cinema debut celebrates. "Bombshell" is another three tough blondes who fight Fox News. German nightmare is also provided thanks to Elyas M'Bareks (37) "Nightlife", but it becomes tragic towards the end of the month: In "Just Mercy", which is based on true events, a young lawyer tries (Michael B. Jordan, 32) to save people wrongly sentenced to death.
"Birds Of Prey: The Emancipation Of Harley Quinn", February 6
When Gotham's most vicious, narcissistic criminal Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor, 48) and his busy right hand Zsasz target a young girl named Cass, the city is looking for her head. The paths of Harley (Margot Robbie, 29), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 35), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell, 33) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez, 55) cross, and the unusual quartet has no choice than to band together to overthrow Roman.
Assessment:
There were many reasons why "Suicide Squad" was a disaster. Even then, one had nothing to reproach: Robbie alias Harley Quinn. It is therefore not surprising that she received her own film. If "Birds Of Prey" manages to circumvent the massive script problems of the predecessor, DC could convince again with a comic book adaptation. Especially since McGregor was found as a black mask, a far more worthy opponent than was the case in the predecessor.
"Sonic: The Hedgehog", February 13th
Sonic (spoken by Julien Bam, 31) is a pubescent power pack at the age of 15, but he is not really aware of it yet. For his own safety, he should hide on planet Earth. However, there is a condition for this: the world should never find out about its existence. But that turns out to be almost impossible for the extrovert hedgehog. So it is only a matter of time before someone becomes aware of him. Luckily, Sonic finds Tom (James Marsden, 46), a cynical policeman who has his heart in the right place. Together they take it with Sonic's crazy arch enemy Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey, 58), who will soon chase her across the globe.
Assessment:
When the first trailer for "Sonic: The Hedgehog" was released, the fan turmoil could not have been louder. The look of the popular Sega mascot had nothing to do with the video game template. And lo and behold: Paramount took the criticism to heart and not a little money to give the racing hedgehog a new coat of render. Plus "Westworld" star James Marsden and grimace legend Jim Carrey as villain Dr. Robotnik, February film could be ready for the whole family.
"Nightlife", February 13th
The Berlin bartender Milo (Elyas M'Barek) and his dream woman Sunny (Palina Rojinski, 34) meet fatefully in the nightlife and meet on a date. Everything seems to be going perfectly, but when Milo's chaotic friend Renzo (Frederick Lau, 30) appears, the romantic evening escalates to a completely crazy hunt through Berlin's nightlife. If Milo and Sunny survive this date, their love can no longer shake.
Assessment:
There it is, the first German feel-good love comedy. Even without seeing the trailer, most cinema-goers should be clear about what they can expect from "nightlife": wacky situations, gossip, love and laughter. With the exception of the haunting and memorable drama "The Collini case", this is exactly the safe bench in which M'Barek has made himself (perhaps a little too) comfortable in recent years. The success still proves him and other German stars right, see also "The Perfect Secret" from 2019, in which M'Barek and Lau were last seen together on the big screen.
"Bombshell – The End of Silence", February 13th
Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron, 44) is the flagship of Fox News: blonde, attractive, sexy. Beautiful legs are more in demand at the conservative news station than investigative journalism and uncomfortable questions. When the star moderator takes on the camera with presidential candidate Donald Trump (73) in front of the camera, she has no expectation of backing from above: Channel chief Roger Ailes (John Lithgow, 74) is friends with Trump, and the riot candidate Fox News also gives top ratings – so too his sexist Twitter campaign against Megyn. And her seasoned colleague Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman, 52) refuses to give the "TV Barbie" any longer. As a result, her contract will not be extended "due to disappointing ratings".
Assessment:
After "Birds of Prey", "Bombshell" is the second film in February in which Margot Robbie plays a leading role in a strong, female ensemble cast. The topic of the drama is of course very different and also very tailored to the US audience. But in Europe, too, Fox News, President Donald Trump's favorite conservative polemic, has made a name for itself. The centerpiece, as is already clear from the Oscar nominations, is the women who, after years, have the courage to rebel against the machinations behind the facade. Charlize Theron is nominated as Gretchen Carlson as "Best Actress", Robbie as the fictional character Kayla Pospisil as "Best Supporting Actress".
"Just Mercy", February 27th
"Just Mercy" is based on the real story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his historic struggle for justice. After completing his studies at Harvard, Bryan could have chosen lucrative jobs. Instead, he goes to Alabama to defend people who have been wrongfully sentenced together with local lawyer Eva Ansley (Brie Larson, 30). One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, 52), who was sentenced to death in 1987 for murdering an 18-year-old, although most of the evidence proved his innocence and the only testimony against him came from a criminal who was a motive had to lie.
Assessment:
Michael B. Jordan recently showed in the "Creed" series that he knows how to convince as a well-trained muscle package in the boxing ring. In "Just Mercy" he now wants to demonstrate that he is verbally at least as quick-witted. Court dramas are fundamentally similar in their dramaturgy, that is in the nature of the material. The fact that "Just Mercy" moves very close to the real facts and also relies on a true representation of the real people when casting, makes the film interesting not only for amateur lawyers. Not to mention the question of the meaning and madness of the death penalty.