RANGE Film Picks of the Month

From stylistically unhinged horror sequels to Charli xcx’s first major role, here is what to watch in January.

by Prabhjot Bains

Published on January 13, 2026

January is typically seen as cinema’s dumping ground, where movies projected to fail and fizzle out hit silver screens and streaming services in a bid to drum up some last-minute cash from a lost cause. While this month has its fair share of such seemingly drab experiences, a select few films are deserving of our attention. From another entry in one of the most stylistically exciting horror series in recent memory to a hyper-pop star’s first major cinematic foray, here are RANGE’s picks of the month.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Jan. 16 – Theatres)

The direct sequel to last year’s 28 Years Later sees director Nia Dacosta (Hedda) bring her graceful cinematic touch to Danny Boyle’s stylistically unhinged post-apocalyptic horror series. Picking up immediately after the end of the previous film, The Bone Temple follows Spike (Alfie Williams) as he gets inducted into a murderous, Satan-worshipping cult led by Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), while Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with an alpha-infected that not only has world-changing ramifications, but further muddles the line between man and beast. Penned by series veteran, Alex Garland, The Bone Temple seems primed to be a different kind of zombie movie.

The Rip (Jan. 16 – Netflix)

Sure, Joe Carnahan’s The Rip reads as disposable January fodder. Its tale of Miami cops finding millions in cash in a derelict stash house—where eroding trust leads to endless gunfire— is far from original. Though, if anything can keep us glued to the screen, it’s the tried-and-true chemistry between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Also starring Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, and Kyle Chandler, The Rip looks to be one of the more memorable (and loveably mindless) collaborations between the two stars.

Dead Man’s Wire (Jan. 16 – Theatres)

Gus Van Sant’s first film in seven years taps into a timeless working-class angst as it recounts a curious 1977 hostage crisis. Dead Man’s Wire centres on Tony Kritsis (Bill Skarsgård) who, feeling cheated by his Mortgage Company, takes its president hostage with a sawed-off shotgun tied to the titular wire. Featuring an ensemble that includes Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino, Van Sant’s return to the fold also feels like a return to form.

The Moment (Jan. 30 – Theatres)

Armed with a couple high-profile premieres at TIFF 50, incoming music for films Wuthering Heights and Mother Mary, and a Letterboxd account that keeps going viral, Charli xcx is ready to bring her signature BRAT flair to the silver screen. Directed by Aidan Zamiri—a frequent creative collaborator of the pop star—The Moment is a mockumentary that sees Charli play a fictionalized version of herself who navigates an alternate history where she made drastically different decisions in the aftermath of BRAT’s release.

Send Help (Jan. 30 – Theatres)

Any Sam Raimi (Evil Dead II, Spider-Man Trilogy) film is a cause for celebration. The genre maestro’s latest, Send Help, stars Rachel McAdams as an office worker mistreated by her much younger boss (Dylan O’Brien). Though as the only two survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island, the two must overcome past grievances to survive. However, egos quickly clash and old vendettas rear their heads, making it more a battle of will and wits rather than pure determination. While their fates remain a mystery, what’s sure is that Raimi’s trademark touch will be on full display.

Classic Pick of the Month: Touki Bouki (Jan. 30 – Mubi)

A classic of world cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s ‘70s Senegal-set opus follows disaffected lovers Anta and Mory who yearn to escape Dakar for the glamour and glitz of France. Defined by abstract, stylized editing, Touki Bouki swoons to its own beat, unfolding as a reclamation of Senegal’s cultural identity after being a long-held French colony. Blending the cinematic influence of its former colonizer with its own new bold style, Mambéty crafts an experience that imagines an African identity independent of a Western gaze.