Opening This Weekend: Country Strong, Season of the Witch

January has a well-earned reputation for being a cinematic wasteland, and this weekend's releases aren't doing much to change that.




First up is Country Strong, a melodrama starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. It opened in a handful of theaters in December for Oscar consideration (don't hold your breath) and now it's expanding nationwide. This movie could've been written a decade ago for all I know, but it really seems like somebody watched Crazy Heart and said, "Hey, I can do that too!" The trailer doesn't instill me with much confidence.

Next is Season of the Witch, the latest entry in the freakshow that Nicolas Cage's career has become. It's a medieval action yarn about a young girl who may or may not be a witch, but the previews seem to give away the answer right up front. The only aspect of the flick that even remotely peaks my interest is co-star Ron Perlman, who's awesome in the Hellboy movies and a total bad@$$ on FX's Sons of Anarchy.

Still, if you're just dying to go to the theater this weekend, my recommendation (once again) is to seek out a great movie you haven't seen yet. True Grit and The Fighter are still playing everywhere, while Black Swan and The King's Speech are worth a little longer drive, depending on where you live.

As always, whatever you decide to see, come back to Flixchat and let everyone know what you thought!