Now that we're one month into 2021, some of the first big movies of the year are ready to be released, and we're also about to see some of the great indie movies that have been on the festival circuit for the last year or so.

We've been looking forward to a full year of great new movies, and things are off to a good start with titles like JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, THE FATHER, and LAND. Here are the reasons we're excited about going to the movies in February 2021!

The past year hasn't been the best for big new movies but that is slowly changing. February 2021 sees the debut of JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, which features powerhouse performances from Daniel Kaluuya (GET OUT) and LaKeith Stanfield ("Atlanta"), with Jesse Plemons (GAME NIGHT, "Fargo") in a key supporting role. And while we're talking about big, serious acting turns, Anthony Hopkins returns with one of his greatest appearances in THE FATHER.

And on a very different note, an Oscar-winning cinematic duo is finally back on the big screen. A perpetually-at-odds cat and mouse find themselves teaming up in TOM & JERRY. While many viewers may know Tom & Jerry cartoons best from TV reruns, they were originally theatrical shorts and we can't wait to see the pair 30 feet tall once again!

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH opens on February 12; THE FATHER and TOM & JERRY open on February 26.

We're always thrilled to see the Studio Ghibli logo at the beginning of a movie; the famed animation house has created classics such as MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and SPIRITED AWAY. Gorō Miyazaki, son of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, directs the adaptation of the novel of the same name by Diana Wynn Jones. (The elder Miyazaki previously turned another novel by the author into the movie HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.)

The movie is the studio's first fully CG-animated film and follows Earwig, who is taken in by a strange couple and finds herself pulled deep into a world of magic, spells, and potions.

EARWIG AND THE WITCH opens on February 3.

Thanks to our partners at Fathom, a range of great recent and well-established classics is coming back to the big screen this month. There's RAY, starring Jamie Foxx as celebrated singer Ray Charles, and the anniversary of the '80s teen classic, PRETTY IN PINK. And THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies are playing on IMAX screens thanks to recent 4K remasters that have them looking better than ever.

The 30th anniversary of BOYZ 'N THE HOOD, the 1991 feature debut of the late John Singleton, roars back into theatres at the end of the month. South Central Los Angeles — today called simply South Los Angeles — is now very different from the environment depicted in Singleton's movie, but BOYZ is just as powerful as ever. Finally, celebrate the life of the late, great Chadwick Boseman with a special presentation of GET ON UP. Revel in Boseman's inspired performance as James Brown both on stage and off.

RAY plays on February 9; PRETTY IN PINK is on February 11; GET ON UP plays on February 23; and BOYZ 'N THE HOOD is on February 28.

The brilliant horror/thriller SAINT MAUD, which marks the feature debut of director Rose Glass and showcases a fierce lead performance from Morfydd Clark, opened right at the end of January. We're mentioning it here because it's a standout that any fan of indie horror should see.

Robin Wright has given more captivating performances than we can quickly list, and now she turns to directing with LAND, in which she also stars as a woman who dives into a solitary life in the Rocky Mountains. In THE WORLD TO COME, Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston play characters who develop a bond that goes beyond friendship — and which gives the two actors a chance to shine. Finally, the documentary BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD'S A LITTLE BLURRY reveals the offstage life of one of the most powerful and creative young singers in the world.

SAINT MAUD is in theaters now; LAND and THE WORLD TO COME open on February 12; BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD'S A LITTLE BLURRY opens on February 26.

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All images courtesy of Bleecker Street Media, Open Road Films, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures.