February film preview: Fifty Shades Darker, Hidden Figures and Moonlight

February is right on the doorstep and with the Oscars taking place in the same month, there's sure to be plenty of great movies coming out in its opening weeks. But when so many of the outings are worth watching, which do you pick to see? If you can't watch them all that is...

To help you out, IBTimes UK offers up a scaled-down guide to next month's heavy hitters...

Firstly, we have Moonlight, Barry Jenkins' coming-of-age drama starring Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali. Divided into three parts, the film chronicles Chiron as he grows from a boy to a man while also coming to terms with his sexuality in a rough Miami neighbourhood.

The Oscar-nominated movie also explores themes such as bullying, difficult home lives brought on by drug addiction as well as the spirit of community and modern African-American culture.

While we need not tell you to look out for our second choice given how eagerly-anticipated it is, next up in our recommendations is Fifty Shades Darker. The sequel to popular romance thriller Fifty Shades Of Grey sees Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan reprise their roles as Anastasia and Christian as the latter tries to get their relationship back on track after the events of the previous film.

Judging from the trailers, the promise of an ongoing franchise – and of course, the books – it's evident that Christian manages to win the object of his affection over, but when his past flames start popping up and putting doubts in Ana's head, their future together becomes more fragile than ever. Basically... expect this one to be a bit grittier than the first instalment...

Compared to the previous two, the last film in our list is much more uplifting affair, making it the perfect antidote for those beginning of the year blues. Starring Empire's Taraji P Henson, singer-turned-actor Janelle Monae and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures centres on three female African-American Nasa employees who were behind the mathematical data needed to launch the program's first human spaceflight mission, back in 1962.

Based on a real-life story, the comedy drama is already leading the box-office over films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and La La Land in the US. Can it do the same over here? Only time will tell...

For more entertainment news follow A-List on Twitter @Alistinsider