As we edge closer to the 97th Academy Awards in March, the last remaining nominees are finally starting to get released throughout the month of February, the most notable being surprise Best Picture nominee “I’m Still Here”. The Brazilian drama shut out the likes of “September 5”, which also releases next month, in the race for the top Oscar prize, having received significant backing from both critics and audiences worldwide, particularly in South America.
Other Oscar hopefuls that ultimately fell short on nomination morning last week, including “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, “The Last Showgirl” and “The Fire Inside”, all make their UK premieres in February, as does animated feature nominee “Memoir of a Snail”.
As for new 2025 releases, expect several films to be released just in time for Valentine’s Day, with the forth instalment in the “Bridget Jones” franchise, action-comedy “Love Hurts” and a new holiday slasher “Heart Eyes”. The biggest release of the month by far is Marvel’s latest project, “Captain America: Brave New World”, which sees Anthony Mackie wield the famous shield for the first time on the big screen.
Other major releases include an animated theatrical adaptation of the children’s graphic novel “Dog Man”, Osgood Perkin‘s adaptation of Stephen King‘s horror short-story “The Monkey”, and real-life survival drama “Last Breath”, starring Woody Harrelson and Simi Liu.
Which February release are you most excited for?
September 5 (15)
Dir: Tim Fehlbaum
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leoni Benesch
Synopsis: During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.
Dog Man (U)
Dir: Peter Hastings
Cast: Pete Davidson, Lil Rey Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, Ricky Gervais
Synopsis: When a police officer and his faithful police dog get injured in the line of duty, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together — and Dog Man is born. As Dog Man learns to embrace his new identity, he must stop feline supervillain Petey the Cat from cloning himself and going on a crime spree.
The Fire Inside (12A)
Dir: Rachel Morrison
Cast: Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry, Adam Clark
Synopsis: The story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, a boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in her country’s history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (15)
Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof
Cast: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Amineh Arani
Synopsis: Judge Iman, paranoid amid Tehran’s unrest, loses his gun. Suspecting family, he imposes harsh rules, straining relationships as society destabilizes.
Love Hurts (15)
Dir: Jonathan Eusebio
Cast: Key Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch, Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, Rhys Darby, Andre Eriksen, Sean Astin
Synopsis: Marvin is a Milwaukee realtor who receives a crimson envelope from Rose, a former partner-in-crime whom he left for dead. He now finds himself thrust back into a world of ruthless hit men and double-crosses that turn his open houses into deadly war zones. Hunted by his brother, a volatile crime lord, Marvin must confront the choices that haunt him and the history he never truly buried.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (15)
Dir: Michael Morris
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
Synopsis: Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn’t the only thing that is causing problems.
Captain America: Brave New World (12A)
Dir: Julius Onah
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford
Synopsis: Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Heart Eyes (18)
Dir: Josh Ruben
Cast: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster
Synopsis: A masked maniac with glowing, red eyes returns every Valentine’s Day to terrorize unsuspecting couples.
Memoir of a Snail (15)
Dir: Adam Elliot
Cast: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana, Magba Szubanski, Dominique Pinon, Tony Armstrong, Paul Capsis, Nick Cave, Jackie Weaver
Synopsis: After a series of misfortunes, a snail-collecting, melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of everyday life.
The Gorge (15)
Dir: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver
Synopsis: Two highly-trained operatives are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from a mysterious evil that lurks within. They work together to keep the secret in the gorge.
The Monkey (TBC)
Dir: Osgood Perkins
Cast: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah levy
Synopsis: When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.
I’m Still Here (TBC)
Dir: Walter Salles
Cast: Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro
Synopsis: Eunice Paiva begins a lonely battle to learn the truth behind the disappearance of her husband, former PTB deputy Rubens Paiva, while trying to keep her family together.
The Last Showgirl (15)
Dir: Gia Coppola
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka
Synopsis: A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
Last Breath (TBC)
Dir: Alex Parkinson
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Simi Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Djimon Hounsou
Synopsis: The true story of seasoned deep-sea divers who battle the raging elements to rescue a crewmate who’s trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface.
Dan Loves Film 
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