Going forward, I’ll be previewing notable movies to be released within the next 30 days at the beginning of each month. I’ve always found it to be a bit of a hassle to keep track of movies that I’d like to see and when they actually get released, so hopefully this will be a helpful tool for everyone. My “intrigue” rating is on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a hard pass and 10 being a must-see.
The Best of Enemies – April 5th
Intrigue: 6
Taraji P. Henson has been especially busy lately, this time starring as a civil rights activist in the 1970s who strikes up a bizarre and unlikely relationship with the local leader of the Ku Klux Klan (Sam Rockwell – Vice, Moon, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). The central story is obviously enticing and I have no doubt TPH will dominate her screen time, but I personally cannot stand Rockwell. He always seems to play a slightly different variation of the same obnoxious character, and he’s already even portrayed another racist seeking redemption in Three Billboards. Definitely potential with this one but I’m a little concerned about the supporting cast and the annoying cliches that usually accompany these kinds of movies.
Pet Sematary – April 5th
Intrigue: 7.5
Sometimes dead is better. Hard to believe it’s already been three decades since the first screen adaption of Stephen King’s classic novel gave nightmares to children everywhere. This modern edition stars Jason Clarke (First Man, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant) as the Creeds. Honestly, this trailer looks fantastically chilling but it almost gives away too much for me. Still, I’m pretty excited to see where they take this one especially with the trailer hinting at expanding the material a little more beyond jsut the book.
Shazam! – April 5th
Intrigue: 6.5
Appears DC realized they needed to go in a different direction with their superheroes, this time opting for a much more lighthearted and fun approach with Shazam (Zachary Levi – Thor: Ragnarok, Tangled), the kid-turned-adult-superhero. At first glance, I didn’t find this very appealing at all but very early critic returns have mostly praised it for bringing a refreshing perspective to the genre. That’s great to hear, and here’s to hoping it lives up to that hype.
Hellboy – April 12th
Intrigue: 6
I love the two original Hellboys BUT…I’m not sure how necessary this reboot is. David Harbour (Stranger Things) takes the reins as the new son of satan, with Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), Ian McShane (Deadwood, John Wick), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O), Sasha Lane (American Honey), and Thomas Haden Church (Spiderman 3, Sideways) as the rest of the top-billed cast. Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) is in the director’s chair. Soundtrack in the trailer is terrific but the CGI looks reeeeeeally spotty to me. Hopefully the “fun” aspect can help mask that.
Little – April 12th
Intrigue: 6.5
Looks essentially like 13 Going on 30 but in reverse. Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise, Think Like a Man) stars as Jordan Sanders, a powerful but preoccupied woman who gets the chance to relive her childhood. The hilarious Issa Rae (The Hate U Give) co-stars. I don’t know much more about this one but if the trailer is any indication, it’s primed to be a ton of fun.
Missing Link – April 12th
Intrigue: 8
Missing Link is the latest stop-motion creation from Laika animation studio, which seems poised to become the modern day Pixar (their filmography also includes titles like Kubo and the Two Strings, Coraline, and ParaNorman). Zach Galifianakis and Hugh Jackman lead the way, With Galifianakis portraying the Mr. Susan Link and Jackman as the man who is out to prove Link’s existence and winds up as his companion. The trailer above is hilarious and looks outstanding, plus with names like Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson, and Timothy Olyphant (Live or Die Hard, Justified) in the fold, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this on multiple award lists next winter.
Breakthrough – April 17th
Intrigue: 4
This has been marketed specifically with Easter in mind, as it’s being released just a few days beforehand. It’s based on the true story of Joyce Smith and her son John, who was believed to have been dead for over an hour after falling through an icy lake but came back to life seemingly for no other reason than his mother’s prayers. Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) plays Joyce, with Topher Grace, Josh Lucas (Stealth, Glory Road), and Dennis Haysbert co-starring. From a purely film perspective, this looks like a well-intentioned but terribly executed feel-good story by the trailer, thus the low intrigue figure. But I also understand the underlying themes here, so maybe that’s worth a fair amount more to some.
The Curse of La Llorona – April 19th
Intrigue: 6.5
The Curse of La Llorona is actually a part of The Conjuring universe (and is executively produced by James Wan). Linda Cardellini (Green Book, Avengers: Age of Ultron) plays a social worker who begins to fear for her and her family’s life after stumbling across a bizarre case. I’d like to be more excited for this seeing as I loved the first Conjuring, but these movies are starting to wear a little thin on me with less and less plot and more and more jump scares. Maybe I’ll be wrong here.
Avengers: Endgame – April 26th
Intrigue: 9
The best is always saved for last. Arguably the most anticipated movie of all time, this pretty much speaks for itself. Marvel movies in general are beginning to reach an oversaturation point for me, but I’m curious where this one in particular heads while new faces are introduced and others leave the franchise for good. Plus, Thanos is kind of a dick so it’d be nice if they’d go ahead and take care of him.