2021 Nominee Watch – January 8th

Welcome to the first Nominee Watch of 2021. If you're a regular to this site, you know I used to do these (just about) every Thursday with a rundown of the films releasing to theaters that weekend in the U.S. With everything that happened in 2020, there weren't a lot of films releasing to theaters so I've taken this opportunity to reset and start fresh.

New Year, New Nominee Watch

The first big change here is separating out limited releases as well as virtual releases. This is something we didn't really see until just the last few months where big films are being released straight to digital platforms. This necessitated a new category for these posts and I have included the first iteration at the end of today's post.

Wide Releases

Normally you would see a handful of bigger name movies, the ones you're more apt to have heard about. Unfortunately, there are no major releases this week, so I can use this space to expand on the plan here. In previous formats, I typically provided a written summary about the film and a YouTube link to the trailer. I think I'm going to keep the YouTube trailer link, but will likely shorten the synopsis to keep things moving along, and honestly make a little less work on my end (which means I'll be able to keep up with these better for you!)

Limited Releases

I'm going to make a slight adjustment here as well. I will continue to provide a quick synopsis and trailer links where available. If I think the film has some potential during the awards season, I will note that here as well.

January 8th

• Average Joe – A group of superheroes face irrelevance after vanquishing evil from their city.​
• One Night in Miami – The directorial debut of Regina King chronicles a fictionalized meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke following Ali's 1964 title win over Sonny Liston. Kingley Ben-Adir (World War Z), Eli Goree (Race), Aldis Hodge (Hidden Figures), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) star. (Oscar Contender) Available on Amazon Prime January 15th.
• Redemption Day – A military combat veteran takes matters into his own hands when his wife is abducted while on a science mission in Africa.
• Zombie Bro – A young girl deals with the difficulties of having a zombie for a brother.

January 12th

• The Bid – Two rappers are framed for murder and must make it through time in prison.​

January 14th

• Blizzard of Souls – Latvian film about a teen who enlists in the Russian army during WWI.​ Selected as the Latvian entry for Best International Film for the 93rd Academy Awards.
• Bloody Hell – Held captive in a mysterious basement, a man on the run must find a way to escape from a violent and demented family.

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Virtual Releases

The new addition to these posts will be the virtual releases. Some of these may also be releasing wide to theaters (like Wonder Woman 1984 recently) or in limited release, but I think it's important to separate these as some people may still be uncomfortable going to theaters and looking for films they can see online from the safety of their home.

January 8th

• Blizzard of Souls – See above in January 14th limited releases.
• The Reason I Jump – Director Jerry Rothwell examines the lives of five young people who live with autism spectrum disorders.