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The final week of January brought us a few new releases, but are any of them worth checking out? Below I review the new movies I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Companion (Theaters)
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lucas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, and Rupert Friend
Synopsis: This new film from writer/director Drew Hancock follows a couple (Quaid and Thatcher) who arrive at friends’ secluded lakeside home for a quiet weekend getaway. Said friend, Kat (Suri), is in a relationship with Russian billionaire Sergey (Friend), who owns the home. Another couple—Eli (Guillen) and Patrick (Gage)—are also on hand for the weekend. Everything is going fine until Sergey makes a move on Iris (Thatcher). She responds by protecting herself and killing Sergey in the process. Covered in blood, she arrives back at the cabin to find the other four shocked. How could this happen? Turns out everything is not what it seems for Iris and Josh (Quaid), nor is the situation as straightforward as imagined. This is an interesting set up for a story. Some trailers have given away the twist here, but I won’t mention it as I think it’s best discovered in the course of the narrative. I enjoyed the performances here. Thatcher is quite good in the lead role. I also enjoyed Quaid, Gage, and Guillen in their arcs here. There’s a good blend of story, action, and some fun twists. The narrative moves at a good pace and Hancock does a nice job of setting this story in motion. This is a good horror thriller that is the best of the new theatrical releases in the first month of 2025. It’s worth checking out.
Rating: Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Green and Gold (Theaters)
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Madison Lawler, and Brandon Sklenar
Synopsis: This new film follows a farmer (Nelson) and his granddaughter (Lawler) struggling to carve out a living in 1990s Wisconsin. They are trying to catch up with the bank while the Packers, under quarterback Brett Farve, are making a run. In order to buy more time, they make a bet on the Packers with the bank, hoping to clear their debt. Meanwhile young Jenny (Lawler) weighs pursuing her dream of music. This is an interesting little film and a simple set up. I saw an early screening and have waited for it to release, which happened on Friday. The film has some good performances and a heart-warming story. I liked Nelson and Lawler, and I really liked the original song near the end of the film. This is worth checking out and is one of the better new releases so far this year.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Valiant One (Theaters)
Starring: Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, and Desmin Borges
Synopsis: We never seem to tire of seeing stories of courage and determination on the battlefront. It doesn’t matter which conflict or setting, these stories inspire us to rise above in difficult situations. That’s certainly the case with Valiant One, a new film that opens January 31. In the film, Brockman (Stokes) is a young sergeant who is used to working behind a desk. But he gets assigned to a simple field mission to repair some radar. It’s supposed to be a quick in and out for Brockman and his troops, but it comes near the North Korean border. They are joined by a Civilian Contractor, Josh Weaver (Borges), as they try to make the repair. Along the way, a storm pops up quickly. The unit tries to make an escape, but the weather brings them down—on the wrong side of the border. Banged up and in hostile territory, Brockman finds himself suddenly in charge as their unit leader and pilot are killed. He has to take his theoretical training and put it into practice quickly to get his squad back to the safety of South Korea. He has a team of three other troops—including a feisty, by-the-book corporal (Condor), while Josh Weaver is anything but confident and helpful. This is a quick film, clocking in at just over 80 minutes. It doesn’t waste much time in the set up and spends most of the run dropping right into the action. Their journey home has a few twists and turns that allow us to get to know some of these soldiers as they try to make it back to safety. Borges is mostly known for comedic roles, while Stokes and Condor are best known for more teen-centric entertainment on Netflix. All of them stretch into something a bit different and more dramatic here. And all three have some interesting moments, especially as they learn to trust each other, share their stories, and lean on one another as they fight to get home. The action sequences here are OK, but nothing special. Nor is the opening crash that incites much of the story. The film also isn’t really long enough or interested enough in building up these characters for you to really feel emotionally invested in their journey. There are a few nice character beats, but the story and production feel quite thin. January is the time of year when we get some different kinds of films. Sometimes you find gems, and sometimes you find films that fall short of greatness. This falls into the latter category. It’s a decent enough watch that moves at a quick pace, but it would have been nice to get a little more. The ending, in particular, feels quite rushed.
Rating: Rated R for violence, and language throughout.
Verdict: Two and a half stars

You’re Cordially Invited (Prime Video)
Starring: Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, and Jimmy Tatro
Synopsis: This new comedy comes from Nicholas Stoller. It involves a wedding weekend gone wrong. Jim (Ferrell) is trying to plan the perfect wedding for his daughter, Jenni (Viswanathan). He books June 1 at the same spot he married his late wife, but before the reservation is set, the woman taking it passes away. Meanwhile, Margot (Witherspoon) is trying to plan the perfect wedding for her sister Neve (Hagner), at the same vacation resort they traveled with their grandmother. She books it for June 1. When both parties arrive, each thinking they have the facilities booked, it creates an awkward situation. They resolve to share, but can they make it work? And how will it impact Jim and Margot, who’ve poured so much of themselves into this wedding weekend? This is a different kind of romantic comedy. It takes a while to get where it ultimately wants to end up, but once we get there it feels a bit awkward. In fact, the whole last act feels a bit mis constructed. There are some fun moments in the run up to the finish, but the film doesn’t have consistent laughs despite a decent supporting cast. It’s a fine watch, but hardly a compelling one.
Rating: Rated R for language throughout and some sexual references.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five