Five new movies to get excited about as winter winds down

Great news: Our days are getting longer, brighter and happier. Even better news: There are a wealth of great new (and new-ish) movies to lift your winter blues and help power you through these cold-comfort days.

Cocaine Bear

If you’re looking for some go-go-go energy, well I’m not going to advise that you partake in any illicit activity. But you could legally see the new black comedy Cocaine Bear, which is one of those films that just sells itself. Based – very, very loosely – on a real-life incident in which a 500-pound black bear accidentally ingested a drug delivery that was lost by traffickers, Elizabeth Banks’s film seems to be a wild, high-spirited romp. Bonus: It boasts a killer cast that includes the stars of FX’s dearly departed drama The Americans (Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Margo Martindale are all here), plus the very last on-screen performance of Ray Liotta, who gets to circle back to his coke-crazy glory days of Goodfellas here. Line up now, folks. (Feb. 24, in theatres)

The most anticipated movies of 2023 that have nothing to do with superheroes or franchises

We Have a Ghost

Director Christopher Landon has been busy the past few years reviving the horror-comedy genre with such instant classics as the Happy Death Day franchise and the serial-killer body-swap extravaganza Freaky. Now Landon is lending his talents to Netflix with this supernatural comedy, which follows one family’s encounter with the gentle ghost (David Harbour) who is occupying their new home’s attic. Think Beetlejuice with shades of The Frighteners, with supporting performances from Jennifer Coolidge and Tig Notaro. (Feb. 24, on Netflix)

I Like Movies

Currently enchanting audiences at film festivals across the world, Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack’s hilarious and heartbreaking feature debut is the perfect medicine to cure your big-screen apathy. Anyone who retains a fond memory of browsing a Blockbuster Video – or who gets frustrated trying to navigate a streamer’s catalogue – will fall in love with the travails of narcissistic teenage video clerk Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen), who works in a Burlington, Ont., video store circa 2022. A microbudget love letter to the films that define and pigeonhole us, Levack’s film is destined to be one of the funniest, sharpest and most perfectly cast films of the year. Bonus: It contains great running gags about both Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love and the teenage horn-fest Wild Things, which might lead you down a truly great rabbit hole of binge-watching. (March 10, in theatres)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

There are those lucky enough to be so young as to not remember the first time Dungeons & Dragons was adapted into a feature film starring Jeremy Irons. (The year 2000 was a strange time indeed.) But no knowledge of either that film or the intense game is required to enjoy this reboot, which seems to be a more comedic kind of fantasy adventure, given the presence of Hollywood’s secret comedic weapon Chris Pine and the writing-directing team of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (masterminds of the forever-underrated 2018 comedy Game Night). Roll the dice on this one. (March 31, in theatres)

Air

Further evidence that everything is coming up Affleck, everyone’s favourite J. Lo husband, is partnering up with old friend Matt Damon for the first time in decades for this biographical comedy-drama about Nike’s battle to sign Michael Jordan. Perhaps that doesn’t sound like the juiciest of source material, but I put full faith in the Good Will Hunting team, with Damon starring, Affleck directing and co-starring, and other cast members including Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker and Viola Davis. How do you like them apples? (April 5, in theatres)