"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Top 20 Movies to Look Out For In April (2021)
According to: Selina
20 – The Enormity
of Life (4/6) Production/Distribution:
1031 Films, Garage Creative Studios Director: Eric
Swinderman Writer: Eric
Swinderman, Carmen DeFranco Actors: Emily
Kinney, Breckin Meyer, Giselle Eisenberg, Rick Montgomery Jr., Debra Herzog,
Bryant Carroll, Davis Aguila, Andrew Gordon, David Vegh, Daniel Repas, Aubree
Stone, Carter Anderson, Allen O’Reilly Genre: Comedy Rated: Not Rated Length: Unknown IMDb Blurb: After a failed suicide attempt, a man receives a substantial
inheritance from a long lost relative and meets a struggling single mom with an
eccentric young daughter. Together they embark on a journey of self-discovery
and healing. This film is going to be a gut punch. The trailer is as clear
as possible about that. It’s going to touch on suicide, as well as other heavy
triggers. I think it’s all going to be worth it in the end, though. The Enormity of Life seems like it’s going to show
what it means to hit rock bottom and then climb out. I’m pretty sure it’s going
to wind up having a hopeful message – which I think people need right now. The only reason I couldn’t put this movie any higher, is
because there’s the possibility it may go too far, without any real resolution.
Sometimes, flicks like this are guilty of that kind of thing, and that makes
them a chore to watch. It’s labeled a comedy, which isn’t really shown well in the
trailer. That makes me a little suspicious as well. Here’s hoping this one gives us what we need. 19 – The Believer
(4/2) Production/Distribution:
Gypsy Lane Films, Relentless Escargot Productions, 611 Films, Black Powder Works,
Artist View Entertainment, Freestyle Releasing Director: Shan
Serafin Writer: Shan
Serafin Actors: Aidan
Bristow, Sophie Kargman, Susan Wilder, Lindsey Ginter, Billy Zane, Robbie
Goldstein Genre: Horro Rated: Not Rated Length: 91
minutes IMDb Blurb: None shown This trailer looks like a rom-com gone evil. The Believer seems to go into a relationship where
the female is the abuser – which is not something movies tend to explore. Sure,
you’ve got stuff like Gone Baby Gone (2007), but it’s rare. It’s
something I feel needs more examination. Abusers come in all shapes and sizes,
and so do their victims. In all honesty, the horror aspect feels reminiscent of Audition
(1999). There are scenes in the trailer that immediately pull that Japanese
flick to mind. Which is not a bad thing. I’m not familiar with anyone working on The Believer,
but I do think there are some good signs in the trailer. 18 – Vanquish (4/16) Production/Distribution:
March On Productions, Lionsgate, Signature Entertainment Director: George Gallosw Writer: George
Gallo, Samuel Bartlett Actors: Ruby
Rose, Morgan Freeman, Patrick Muldoon, Julie Lott, Nick Vallelonga, Ekaterina
Baker, Joel Michaely, Richard Salvatore, Miles Doleac, Juju Journey Brener, Ele
Bardha, Bill Luckett Genre: Action,
Crime, Thriller Rated: R Length: 96
minutes IMDb Blurb: A mother, Victoria, is trying to put her dark past
as a Russian drug courier behind her, but retired cop Damon forces Victoria to
do his bidding by holding her daughter hostage. With Vanquish, it’s less about the story and more
about the actors involved. Ruby Rose (The Doorman, Batwoman, John Wick: Chapter 2)
is a hell of an actor in her own right, but Morgan Freeman (The Comeback Trail,
Ben-Hur, Lucy) is legendary. I am very much looking forward to seeing how
they mesh in a film like this. It also looks like a solid action flick. I doubt it will be
too deep, but there will almost definitely be amazing fight scenes. 17 – Bloodthirsty
(4/23) Production/Distribution:
Voice Pictures, 775 Media Corp, Brainstorm Media, Première TV Distribution Director: Amelia
Moses Writer: Wendy Hill-Tout
Lowell Actors: Lauren
Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King So, Michael Ironside, Judith Buchan, Jayce
McKenzie, Jesse Gervais Genre: Horror Rated: Not Rated Length: 84
minutes IMDb Blurb: Grey is an indie singer who is having visions that
she is a wolf. When she gets an invitation to work with notorious music
producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods she begins to find
out who she really is. Bloodthirsty could go one of three ways. It could
either be an honest werewolf film, a metaphor, or all in the characters mind. I’m
fine with the former two, but if it turns out to be all hallucination… that
would be tricky. There are so many pitfalls this flick could fall into if it’s
the latter. The worst of which would be leaving the audience unfulfilled. Way
too often, when that’s the case, it feels like the whole thing just didn’t
matter. Why bother telling the story if nothing’s affected by the contents –
right? I really want to see a new, modern, actual werewolf film.
But because of the aforementioned possibilities, I couldn’t put this any higher
on my list. 16 – Justice
Society: World War II (4/27) Production/Distribution:
DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Director: Jeff
Wamester Writer: Jeremy
Adams, Meghan Fitzmartin Actors: Matt
Bomer, Stana Katic, Chris Diamantopoulos, Matthew Mercer, Elysia Rotaru, Liam McIntyre,
Omid Abtahi, Geoffrey Arend, Ashleigh LaThrop, Darin De Paul, Keith Ferguson,
Armen Taylor Genre: Animation,
Fantasy Rated: PG-13 Length: 84
minutes IMDb Blurb: The Justice Society of America, a group of heroes
aiding the allies in World War 2, acquire an ally from the future who sends
them on an adventure that changes history. Any time DC intends to put out an animated film, chances are
high it’ll be on my Top 20 for that month. DC’s animated features are just as consistent as their live-action
films are inconsistent. It’s that simple. Sure, you’ll get the occasional Dark
Knight (2008) out of their blockbuster-type flicks, but it feels more
likely that you’ll get a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Their animation work is just a significantly higher quality. That’s what I expect here. I expect a movie that sticks to
the feel of the comics and fulfills audiences. It will be somewhere between
watchable and amazing. 15 – The Power (4/8) Production/Distribution:
Air Street Films, British Film Institute (BFI), Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ,
Metrol Technology, Stigma Films, Shudder, VR Films And Studios Director: Corinna
Faith Writer: Corinna
Faith Actors: Rose
Williams, Emma Rigby, Charlie Carrick, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Paul Antony-Barber,
Clara Read, Diveen Henry, Robert Goodman, Nuala McGowan, Shakira Rahman, Marley
Chesham, Joe Haddow, Maria Major Genre: Horror Rated: Not Rated Length: Unknown IMDb Blurb: 1973: a young nurse is forced to work the night
shift in a crumbling hospital as striking miners switch off the power across
Britain. But inside the walls lurks a terrifying presence that threatens to
consume her and everyone around her. The more I watch this trailer, the more I’m feeling it. I thought it seemed a little basic at first, but my opinion
slowly evolved. Now, I think the time period it takes place in, and the setting,
may wind up elevating what could have been a basic supernatural haunting story. The trailer seems terrifying. I’d love to move it higher on
the list… but I have to admit that the plot (on its own) seems rather tropey. We’ll find out soon enough. 14 – Concrete
Cowboy (4/2) Production/Distribution:
Green Door Pictures, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Neighborhood Film Co., Tucker
Tooley Entertainment, Waxylu Films, Netflix Director: Ricky
Staub Writer: Ricky
Staub, Dan Walser Actors: Idris
Elba, Lorraine Toussaint, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Method Man, Swen
Temmel, Byron Bowers, Terez Land, Jennifer Butler, Ivannah-Mercedes, Liz
Priestley Genre: Drama Rated: R Length: 111
minutes IMDb Blurb: A teenager discovers the world of urban horseback
riding when he moves in with his estranged father in North Philadelphia. You had me at Idris Elba (Luther, Thor: Ragnarok, Beasts
of No Nation). Elba is just one of those actors I will follow to any
project. I trust his professionalism, and I trust his process. No one is going
to have a 100% success rate in the movies they work on… but I know that the projects
he opts to join have a leg up on the rest. The trailer looks interesting, heartbreaking, and honest.
Down-to-Earth, even. It’s going to touch on some serious subjects, but I
believe it will wind up being heartwarming in the end. 13 – Monday (4/16) Production/Distribution:
Faliro House Productions, Automatik Entertainment, Protagonist Pictures, Blonde
Audiovisual Productions, IFC Films Director: Argyris
Papadimitropoulos Writer: Argyris
Papadimitropoulos, Rob Hayes Actors: Sebastian
Stan, Denise Gough, Dominique Tipper, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Elli Tringou,
Andreas Konstantinou, Sofia Kokkali, Syllas Tzoumerkas, Chloe Sirene, Marisha
Triantafyllidou, Orlando Seale, Prometheus Aleifer, Efi Gousi Genre: Drama,
Romance Rated: R Length: 116 minutes IMDb Blurb: A spark on a Friday can lead to a sizzling weekend
fling, but what happens when you get to the inevitable Monday? Sebastian Stan (The Devil All the Time, We Have Always
Lived in the Castle, I’m Not Here) is going to be trending for a while
because of his work in the Marvel Universe’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier
(2021). For that reason, I was expecting to see other films starting to pop up
for him in the next few months. He’s a great actor, no one can deny that. I think it’s important
that he’s branching out into a variety of parts, so that he doesn’t get type-cast.
As such, I’m looking forward to seeing him as a romantic leading man. Romance films don’t always speak to me, but this one seems a
little more modern in its story telling. I feel like we’re going to see less in
the way of tropes, because it’s trying to weave the plot into our current
societal norms. Most flicks still try to stick to the past, and they utilize
all the problematic aspects that people have started rolling their eyes at. Monday seems like it’s going to be a unique take on
love. 12 – Four Good
Days (4/30) Production/Distribution:
Indigenous Media, Oakhurst Entertainment, Productivity Media, DeAPlaneta,
Vertical Entertainment Director: Rodrigo
Garcia Writer: Rodrigo
Garcia, Eli Saslow Actors: Mila
Kunis, Glenn Close, Stephen Root, Carla Gallo, Michael Hyatt, Chad Lindberg,
Violet Brinson, Joshua Leonard, Rebecca Field, Gloria Garayua Genre: Drama Rated: R Length: 100 minutes IMDb Blurb: A mother helps her daughter work through four
crucial days of recovery from substance abuse. Addiction is a very serious subject. One that Hollywood tends
to tackle in pretty much the same way all the time. It takes the obvious stance
of “drugs are bad,” and they teach us that lesson through showing people spiral
down until there’s nothing left of them. Granted, there are some extremely good films in the sub-genre.
Requiem for a Dream (2000) being the first one to come to mind. The problem is, we all know that. We know drugs are bad. Our
parents pushed it into our mind, the schools we went to, the after-school
specials of our favorite TV shows… etc. That makes it difficult to feel like there’s
anything new to say on the subject. What I like about Four Good Days is that it assumes
we know that drugs are bad, and it seeks to show us a different perspective. It
wants to show us what happens after someone has already decided to leave drugs
behind. I like that it’s going to go into what an addict goes through when they
want to quit, but they don’t feel capable of it. I’m also looking forward to seeing Mila Kunis (Family
Guy, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Bad Moms) step into a role that seems outside
her comfort zone. 11 – Thunder
Force (4/9) Production/Distribution:
Marc Platt Productions, Netflix Director: Ben
Falcone Writer: Ben
Falcone Actors: Jason
Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Pom Klementieff, Octavia Spencer, Bobby Cannavale,
Melissa Leo, Sarah Baker, Melissa Ponzio, Braxton Bjerken, Tyrel Jackson
Williams, Trevor Larcom, David Storrs Genre: Action,
Adventure, Comedy Rated: PG-13 Length: 105
minutes IMDb Blurb: In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two
estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that
gives them powers to protect their city. I wanted to put this movie higher on the list but, when I
think about it, I don’t believe I can. I said it while I was streaming the trailers – Melissa McCarthy
(Life of the Party, The Kitchen, The Boss) is like a female version of
Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems, The Week Of, Murder Mystery). She’s a good
actor – great even – but she’s known to make some rough project choices. Her
name feels like a draw, but her films often prove disappointing. For every Can
You Forgive Me? (2018), there are several The Happytime Murders
(2018). Now, I’m not saying this will definitely be a bad film. If I
thought that, it wouldn’t be on my list. In actuality, I believe Octavia
Spencer (The Witches, Onward, Ma) is a good choice to work with McCarthy.
I’m thinking she’ll be able to reign her in a little and offer a good sense of
balance. The trailer itself looks interesting. There are a bunch of
funny moments, but I don’t think they did that thing where they left nothing
for the movie. I look forward to seeing for myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment