New movies and series in January 2024

The new year 2024 welcomes us with a lot of different movies and TV series, and judging by the announcements of the next premieres, the whole year will be filled with interesting projects. And we can start it with 7 films and 6 TV series that will be released in January.

1. Next Goal Wins

American Samoa’s infamous soccer team came to prominence after a horrific match in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, which they lost 31-0. As the 2014 World Cup qualifying round approaches, the team hires a failed coach, Thomas Rongen, hoping he can turn around the world’s worst soccer team.

The sports comedy from Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows) looks promising. Here, the story itself opens up endless possibilities for good jokes and satire, and the director has a slightly specific but unique humor that makes his films unforgettable. Fans of sports movies about underdogs are recommended!

The premiere took place on January 4.

2. The Beekeeper

Mr. Clay gave the impression of a peaceful man who was most interested in bees. There was no trace of his phantom weakness when a well-coordinated group of scammers defrauded his loved one, Mrs. Parker. Clay starts fighting the scammers, relying only on his own strength. He used to be a member of a secret organization. It becomes increasingly clear that Clay has the upper hand.

Jason Statham has been many things: A carrier, a mechanic, a plumber… Now the actor has decided to embody a new dramatic image in the role of the Beekeeper. If you like action movies with Jason Statham, who changes jobs all the time, this movie is for you!

The premiere of the honey action movie will take place on January 11.

3. La Palisiada

Ukraine, 1996. Five months before the moratorium on the death penalty, two old friends, a police detective and a forensic psychiatrist, are investigating the murder of their colleague. Once upon a time, they were both in love with the victim’s widow. Immersed in a tangled case and long-forgotten memories, they create a future for their children to live in, inheriting their parents’ unrealized aspirations.

This is a Ukrainian film in the post-Soviet noir genre that has won several awards at international festivals. “La Palisade was definitely not created for a mass audience, because not everyone who lived in that period wants to return to it, even by watching a movie. Moreover, many things from the 1980s and 1990s may seem incomprehensible to modern viewers. But I think that as a slice of the era, this project is worthy of attention.

The premiere will take place on January 11.

4. In the Land of Saints and Sinners

In 1974, Northern Ireland became the scene of public protests. Terrorists from the Irish Republican Army acted ruthlessly and quickly. While hiding after another terrorist attack in Belfast, four young republicans found themselves in a small village. They expected that no one would care about them here. However, Finbar Murphy is not indifferent. Despite his good-natured appearance and easygoing nature, Finbar had been killing people for a living for many years. He was planning to retire, but the appearance of aggressive armed men forces him to change his plans.

If you ask for an “action actor”, Liam Neeson will not be mentioned even in the top ten names, although in fact he has starred in many films of this genre and with his incredible charisma has always pulled even bad films to “mediocre”. This time, we will move to Ireland, and the action will partially resemble western films. Among the supporting actors, we can note the appearance of Jack Gleeson, known for his role as Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones.

We are waiting for a new action movie with Liam Neeson on January 18.

5. Poor Things

To escape her abusive husband, Bella Baxter committed suicide by drowning in a river. An eccentric scientist decides to save Bella and transplants the brain of her unborn child.

The film’s synopsis sounds strange and creepy, but in reality it’s quite different. The director Yorgos Lanthimos, known for his film The Favorite, has prepared a kind of response to the movie Barbie, which reveals the theme of female emancipation not from the point of view of Margot Robbie, who considers herself “ugly,” but from the point of view of a person who is relearning the world. The protagonist goes through all stages of development: from focusing on pleasure alone to full awareness of her personality and independence. This is one of the most unusual versions of the story of Frankenstein’s monster. “Poor Creatures is a very specific but interesting movie.

The premiere will take place on January 18. The film will be shown in theaters in the original language.

6. Anyone But You

The morning after a perfect first date, the lovers’ fatal passion turns to cold hatred, until fate brings them together at a friend’s wedding in Australia. So they have no choice but to pretend to be a couple again.

“Anyone But You” is a light rom-com with an attractive tandem of Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell.

The premiere in Ukraine is on January 25.

7. Golda

1973. The Yom Kippur War is in full swing. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan attack Israel, hoping to regain lost territories. Golda Meir, the first female prime minister of Israel, has to resolve this conflict. The burden of responsibility for the country’s fate is even heavier because Golda hides a dark secret behind her “iron lady” facade.

This year, we had the opportunity to watch cool biopics about Oppenheimer and Napoleon, and now it’s time for the story of a strong woman, Golda Meir from Kyiv, who was the prime minister of Israel in a very difficult time for the country. The role of Golda Meir is played by the wonderful Helen Mirren, and Henry Kissinger is played by Liev Schreiber.

The premiere in Ukraine is on January 25.

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Now let’s see what interesting things the beginning of the year has in store for us in the TV series segment.

1. Echo

After the events of Hawkeye (2021), Maya Lopez is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s organization in New York City, forcing her to return to her hometown in Oklahoma, where she must come to terms with her past and reconnect with her Native American roots.

Our “reminder of the next superhero project” section has moved to the series segment. This is a spinoff of Hawkeye about the character Maya Lopez (Echo). If you’ve never heard of this character at all, she made her debut outside of comics in the series Hawkeye. The series consists of 5 episodes, the main villain will be Kingpin, played by the incredible Vincent D’Onofrio, and Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox, will also come to the party. Very loyal fans will watch it anyway, but I’m personally looking forward to the Daredevil reboot.

The premiere will take place on January 10 on Disney+.

2. Criminal Record

Two detectives, one a seasoned veteran and the other a rookie, clash on an old murder case after being drawn to it by an anonymous phone call.

A crime thriller with veteran detective Peter Capaldi and newcomer Kush Jumbo from Apple TV+. The basis of such series has always been an interesting duo of detectives. The main success of the first season of True Detective was the great interaction between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, which made the series a cult favorite. Peter Capaldi is undoubtedly a very good and charismatic actor, and if they form an interesting duo with Kush Jumbo, the series will definitely be a success.

We’ll find out how good the series is in the first two episodes out of eight, which will be released on January 10 on Apple TV+.

3. Ted

Based on the popular film of the same name, The Third Man tells the story of a live, soft teddy bear who, thanks to his rude and indecent behavior, becomes close to teenager John Bennett and helps him cope with various difficulties in everyday life.

This is a prequel to two feature films about Ted, a teddy bear who swears and smokes pot. The original 2012 and 2015 dilogy with Mark Wahlberg was quite successful, so let’s hope the creators won’t let us down this time. Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, and the Third Man dilogy) returns as producer, writer, and voice actor for Ted. It’s a shame that due to the structure of the prequel, Mark Waldberg, Mila Kunis and Amanda Seyfried won’t be returning to their roles. Otherwise, we are looking forward to the new series from Seth MacFarlane, which is always interesting.

The premiere will take place on January 11 on the Peacock streaming service.

4. True Detective: Night Country

When a long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the six people who run the Tsalal Arctic Research Station disappear without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reyes) will have to confront the darkness they carry and dig into the terrible truth that lies buried beneath the eternal ice.

Yes, it’s not a new series, but the anthology format actually makes each season a separate project that is connected to the previous ones by only a few references. Moreover, the stories of True Detective have their own main characters, different locations, different atmospheres, and even narrative styles. The 4th season is called “The Country of Night”.

This time, we will be transported to snowy Alaska and the series is atmospherically reminiscent of the 1982 horror movie The Thing. Jodie Foster and Kali Reyes will play the main roles. Christopher Eccleston will be among the supporting actors. The new season looks really interesting, 5 years of waiting were not in vain!

The premiere will take place on January 14 on HBO Max.

5. Griselda

Griselda is a dramatic story inspired by the life of the savvy and ambitious Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most powerful cartels in history. Set in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s, the story follows Blanco’s deadly mix of savagery and charm as she skillfully balanced business and family, leading her to become widely known as the “Godmother of Cocaine.”

The biographical series about the drug lord Griselda Blanco from the creators of Narcos continues to explore the topic of South American drug trafficking. After the story of Pablo Escobar and the Mexican drug wars, we are waiting for the story about the “godmother of cocaine” played by Sofia Vergara. If you liked the previous series Narcos and Narcos: Mexico”, this one should bring positive impressions.

Premieres on January 25 on Netflix.

6. Masters of the Air

Five miles above the ground and behind enemy lines, eleven men in a bomber known as the Flying Fortress fight relentless swarms of German fighters.

A $250 million series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks about the events of World War II. This is the third war-themed series from this duo after Brothers in Arms and Pacific Rim, which are rightfully considered one of the best historical projects. The cast traditionally includes not-so-famous actors, you may know Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, and Shuti Gatwa from this list. But this does not mean that the actors were recruited only to save money on famous names, as Michael Fassbender and Rami Malek once started their careers this way. In general, there are very high expectations for The Lords of the Air as one of the biggest series of 2024.

The premiere will take place on January 26 on Apple TV+.