As assuredly as Punxsutawney Phil will crawl out of his hole every February 2nd and declare it spring (or six more weeks of winter), the second month of the year also brings upon all of us some of the worst box office weekends on the calendar. Known as a dumping ground for the major studios, the opening quarter of the year is noticeably slower at the box office, making the ceaseless Oscar discussions that much more tiresome.
The greatest cinematic sin, however, would be to let your snowiest months go wasted after the downpour of Oscar contenders at the end of last year. There are plenty of ways to fight the February blues…
1. Expand Your Criterion “Watched” List
Most cinephiles have pretty similar Christmas lists, all of which start with one particular boutique home video label. This year, my Criterion Collection grew with a few of the classics, including 8 ½, Solaris and Notorious, all essential titles which I haven’t had the opportunity to see until now. Why trudge through the snow when there are plenty of DVDs and Blu-Rays to catch up on? Most of us have those blind spots (some larger than others), whether it be the work of an important director or a critical movement in film history, and February can be a great time to fill in those gaps.
2. On Demand
Anyone paying attention to the changing landscape of film distribution knows that there are plenty more films available through countless avenues, available for purchase or to stream. There are hundreds of films from years past available without leaving the house. Some of the best movies from 2014 are available for rental or purchase on one streaming site or another, such as international gems Force Majeure and Ida, indie flicks The Double and Locke, and blockbuster releases like Godzilla and Edge of Tomorrow. Certainly there’s something out there you missed!
3. Film Festivals
Unfortunately, a ticket to Berlin or Rotterdam this month may be a little out of reach for most cinephiles. Some festivals stateside such as the Boulder International Film Festival in Colorado and the Magnolia Film Festival in Mississippi may float your boat, but still require a plane ticket and hotel. Alternatively, in the lead up to the next biggest stop in Cannes, you can spend countless hours reading reactions and summaries to the biggest indie hits having premiered last month in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival. Some of 2015’s biggest potential hits, including Me and Earl and the Dying Girl to The Witch, are getting plenty of well-deserved hype, and getting to know breakout stars and directors like Robert Eggers through essays and interviews can help any cinephile be ready for the eventual wide release later this year.
4. Read a Book!
Several of last year’s most intriguing films were actually based off of books (imagine that), and February is a terrific month to finally getting around to catching up on the print version of your favorite movie from last year. Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl garnered enormous popular success when it was released in 2012 and there’s Paul Thomas Anderson with his take on Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice. Want to go a bit more off the beaten path? Check out Michel Faber’s Under the Skin, the inspiration to Jonathan Glazer’s arthouse masterpiece of the same name. Finally, Richard Ayoade’s doppelganger tale The Double is an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella which, although published over 150 years ago, still resonates.
5. Brave the Box Office
February has a bad name in cinema circles, and reasonably so: the month is a dumping ground for titles that have been stuck in production or are perceived as having limited commercial or artistic potential. However, just because the second week of the month brings a terrifying slew of bubbly Valentine’s Day grub doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Over the past six years, international titles such as Tabu and A Separation made their US premiere in February, as did animated hits Coraline and last year’s darling The LEGO Movie. In 2010, Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island opened mid-month to generally positive reviews and one of the director’s best box office takes to date. Not bad for a barren wasteland of a month eh?
