Winter/Spring movie preview: 'Captain America: Brave New World,' 'Snow White,' 'Wolf Man,' 18 more

Had enough of Oscar-bait? Tired of A-list dramas, brainy art-house fare and critically acclaimed foreign films? Get ready, movie-lovers: Winter is here, spring is coming and the season of good old-fashioned junk is upon us.

Perhaps we should use a more polite term — say, "genre cinema" — but you know what we’re talking about: action flicks, action-comedies, kiddie movies and plenty of horror.

For starters, there’s "Flight Risk," a new Mark Wahlberg thriller directed by Mel Gibson. There’s also "Love Hurts," an action-comedy starring Key Huy Quan — who won a Supporting Actor Oscar for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" — as an ordinary-seeming guy with an extraordinary past. On the family-film front, Disney releases its latest live-action remake, "Snow White," starring Gal Gadot in the rare villain role (she’s the Evil Queen), while Sony brings back London’s favorite bear for "Paddington in Peru."

As for horror movies, take your pick. Steven Soderbergh’s "Presence" and Ryan Coogler’s "Sinners" will compete against movies from horror veterans Leigh Whannell (his new one is "Wolf Man") and Jaume Collet-Serra (delivering a chiller titled "The Woman in the Yard"). In February, Sony will release "Heart Eyes," about — what else? — a Valentine’s Day killer.

The season’s big question mark is Disney-Marvel’s "Captain America: Brave New World," which finds Anthony Mackie’s Falcon taking over for Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Marvel, which has had a tough go of late with turkeys like "Madame Web" and "Kraven the Hunter," has slated the new Cap movie for Feb. 14 — not exactly a prestige release date. Whether it’ll bring the shine back to the Marvel brand remains to be seen.

Here are 21 movies — including last year’s well reviewed drama "September 5," finally seeing its wide release — coming to theaters this winter and spring:

JAN. 17

ONE OF THEM DAYS

In her film debut, pop singer SZA joins Keke Palmer in a buddy comedy about two broke friends trying to scrounge up rent money. Written by Issa Rae protégé Syreeta Singleton; directed by Lawrence Lamont.

SEPTEMBER 5

At the 1972 Munich Olympics, ABC’s sportscast becomes a breaking newscast when Palestinian terrorists take Israeli athletes hostage. Tim Fehlbaum’s journalistic thriller debuted in December in limited theaters; now it’s expanding nationwide. Starring Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro.

WOLF MAN

Christopher Abbott ("Kraven the Hunter") plays a family man who is bitten by a strange predator. Leigh Whannell ("Upgrade," "Insidious") directs and cowrites this new version of a Universal Monster classic. With Julia Garner.

JAN. 24

FLIGHT RISK

Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot ferrying an air marshal (Michele Dockery) and a mob informant (Topher Grace) over the Alaskan wilderness. It's going to be a bumpy flight. Directed by Mel Gibson.

PRESENCE

Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and Julia Fox star in Steven Soderbergh’s horror-thriller about a family pursued by evil. Also starring Eddy Maday, a recent graduate of George W. Hewlett High School, in his film debut. Written by David Koepp.

JAN. 31

DOG MAN

Dav Pilkey’s bonkers children’s book — about a cop who becomes fused with his canine partner — is now a big-screen animated comedy. Director Peter Hastings is the "voice" of the nonspeaking title role, while Pete Davidson plays Petey, aka "the world’s most evilest cat."

FEB. 7

BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN

A hybrid concert film and documentary that revisits some of the iconic rock band’s earliest tours and includes never-before-seen footage. A weeklong IMAX-only run will be followed by a nationwide release Feb. 14.

HEART EYES

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes this horror film about the Heart Eyes Killer, who stalks and kills young couples. With Olivia Holt, Michaela Watkins and Jordana Brewster. Directed by Josh Ruben.

LOVE HURTS

Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan returns for another action-comedy. This time, he’s a mild-mannered Milwaukee realtor with a secret criminal past. Also starring Ariana DeBose and Rhys Darby. Directed by former stunt coordinator JoJo Eusebio.

FEB. 14

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

Anthony Mackie’s Falcon gets his big-screen stand-alone moment in the fourth "Captain America" entry. Harrison Ford plays U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, who becomes — wait for it — Red Hulk. Directed and cowritten by Julius Onah.

PADDINGTON IN PERU

The third film in the series finds Britain’s politest bear returning to his homeland. Ben Wishaw returns as the voice of the CGI title role; the A-list cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas. Directed by Dougal Wilson.

FEB. 21

THE UNBREAKABLE BOY

Zachary Levi ("Shazam!") plays the father of a 12-year-old boy (Jacob Laval) who is diagnosed with both autism and brittle bone disease. Based on a true story. Produced by Kingdom Story Company, a Christian-focused studio. Directed by Jon Gunn.

FEB. 28

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE

Daffy Duck joins Porky and Petunia Pig on a quest to save the world from an alien invader. Pete Browngardt directs from a screenplay by 11 writers; produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

MARCH 7

MICKEY 17

Robert Pattinson ("Twilight") joins writer-director Bon Joon Ho ("Parasite") for a sci-fi black comedy about a menial laborer who agrees to be re-created each time he dies. The film itself has been revived several times, with at least four release date changes so far.

MARCH 14

NOVOCAINE

When his girlfriend is kidnapped during a bank robbery, Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) decides to track the criminals down himself. His advantage: a rare disorder known as congenital analgesia, or the inability to feel pain. With Amber Midthunder and Matt Walsh.

MARCH 21

ALTO KNIGHTS

Barry Levinson, the writer-director of "Diner," treads on Scorsese territory with a crime drama starring Robert De Niro in two roles: mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. The screenwriter is Nicholas Pileggi ("Goodfellas," "The Irishman").

SNOW WHITE

Disney’s live-action remake of its 1937 animated classic casts Rachel Zegler in the title role, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen and — in a move meant to staunch controversy — several CGI creations in place of the Seven Dwarves. Greta Gerwig co-wrote the screenplay; Marc Webb directs.

MARCH 28

THE WOMAN IN THE YARD

A family finds itself haunted by a mysterious apparition. Danielle Deadwyler ("Till,”"The Piano Lesson") leads the cast. Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan," Netflix’s "Carry-On") directs.

APRIL 4

MINECRAFT

The hugely popular video game gets the "Jumanji" treatment in this story about four misfits (Jason Momoa, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks) who are transported to a pixelated place called the Overworld. Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") directs.

APRIL 11

THE AMATEUR

Rami Malek, the Oscar-winning star of "Bohemian Rhapsody," plays a CIA desk jockey who goes into the field to find his wife’s killers. James Hawes directs this thriller based on Robert Littell’s 1981 spy novel. With Rachel Brosnahan and Laurence Fishburne.

APRIL 18

SINNERS

Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers Elijah and Elias, who return to their hometown where evil awaits. Written and directed by Jordan’s longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler ("Black Panther," "Creed").

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com@raferguzman