Goodbye 2022 and hello 2023! It's already been a busy month, with lots of productions underway and everyone gearing up for awards season. Our #SessionsFamily is also seeing a prolific month of releases, so much so that we had to break up our coming soon post into two parts. So here's what's coming from our talented clients in the first half of January.
Release date: Jan. 6, 2023
How to watch: In theaters; trailer
Why to watch: Casting the most beloved actor alive to play the world's grumpiest man is a wise move. Only Tom Hanks can make anyone seem lovable. The two-time Academy Award winner plays the titular Otto, a down-in-the-dumps widower whose life finds new meaning when a young family moves in next door. If the title sounds vaguely familiar, it's because it's adapted from the Swedish book A Man Called Ove by Frederik Bachman, which itself was already adapted into a Swedish film. The American remake already hit limited theaters in NY and Los Angeles and Universal moved up its nationwide release one week early to January 6.
How to watch: Netflix; trailer
Why to watch: Christian Bale reunites with director/writer Scott Cooper for the third time (after Out of the Furnace and Hostiles) for this atmospheric horror mystery based on the 2003 novel by Louis Bayard. Bale stars as a detective investigating a series of murders at a U.S. military academy. He is aided by a mysterious young man named Edgar Allen Poe (played by the wonderful Harry Melling). The film features a top-notch supporting cast of Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Robert Duvall and Lucy Boynton. Netflix released the film in limited theaters on December 23 and will stream it January 6.
Release date: Jan. 13, 2023
How to watch: Prime Video; trailer
Why to watch: The stylish "Al Pacino hunting Nazis" show returns with a vengeance for its second, and final, season on Amazon Prime Video. The heavily hyped thriller was already stacked with a fascinatingly eclectic cast - in addition to the aforementioned legend Pacino, Hunters already featured Logan Lerman, Lena Olin, Carol Kane, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, and Dylan Baker, among others - season 2 adds to the eclecticism with Udo Kier joining as Hitler and the wonderful Jennifer Jason Leigh playing a Nazi hunter. Can we also mention how great that season 2 poster is?
Release date: Jan. 15, 2023
How to watch: Paramount+; trailer
Why to watch: Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ reign continues with the Jeremy Renner-led Mayor of Kingstown. Co-starring Oscar winner Dianne Wiest, the gritty crime drama debuted in 2021 to high ratings and positive reviews. Sheridan and co-creator Hugh Dillon's show has a daunting task: exploring America's thorny prison industrial complex and all that it entails (corruption, racism, injustice). Season 1 was a slow burn introduction to the characters, their town and the intricate issues at play, ending with a prison uprising that threatens everyone's livelihoods. Renner expertly anchors Mayor of Kingstown, delivering the type of brooding, tortured performance that brought him to fame. [Editor's note: Renner was involved in a New Year's accident and is currently in stable condition. We wish him a speedy recovery.]