For being known as “the cruelest month,” April sure hasn’t been cruel to movie lovers! April might be drawing to a close, but it’s going out with a bang with a ton of new releases, ready for your viewing pleasure. From superheroes to survival stories, here’s the big news in new movies this weekend:
Avengers: Infinity War
What is there to say about Avengers: Infinity War that hasn’t already been said? It’s the second-most expensive movie ever made, it stars everybody (including our faves Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch), it heralds the much-welcome return of blockbuster superhero Black Panther, and it’s, of course, the latest offering from the hugely bankable Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether or not you’ve decided to see it, nothing we’re going to say at this point is going to change your mind. May you get to it before the spoilers get to you.
Disobedience
There’s only one place to get some supremely well-acted and undeniably steamy Rachel (McAdams) on Rachel (Weisz) romance this weekend, and it’s in the audience of this intense drama set in an isolated and devout Hasidic community. There will be religious mores, forbidden love, disapproving stares, and plenty of sexual tension, courtesy of director Sebastián Lelio, whose last project, A Fantastic Woman, won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. We’ve been excited to see this film since the trailer was first released, and now it is finally here!
Let the Sunshine In
The newest offering from the daring French director Claire Denis stars the luminous Juliette Binoche as a painter who has a perversely, deliciously awful taste in men but refuses to let it get her down. This movie’s going to be funny, pointed, painful, and sexy, so make sure you see it with someone you’re not afraid to “get real” with. To prepare, check out our videos: Listening Closely to Claire Denis, The Strangers of Claire Denis, and All Hail Juliette Binoche!
Animal Crackers
Yes, there are now two movies starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who are now officially an onscreen power couple, currently in theaters. Whether you’re a parent with kids, a kid at heart, or just dying to see Blunt and Krasinski in something that’s not the terrifying A Quiet Place, this new animated feature may be just the ticket for your weekend watching. Of course, according to the trailer, Krasinski turns into a hamster…and a horse…and a fish. When you think about it, that’s actually pretty scary! Do you know what’s not scary? Danny DeVito as clown-ex-Machina! It’s basically what he was born to do. Will this be a fun, heart-warming alternative to both the historically inaccurate and milquetoast The Greatest Showman and the utterly depressing and disturbing Dumbo, or will it be just one more addition to the litany of ways Hollywood is failing the children? Only one way to find out.
Traffik
Just when we thought it was safe to plan a romantic getaway! This tried-and-true horror offering looks to play things pretty straight, though it is refreshing to see four black actors in leading roles— a rarity for the genre. Star Paula Patton also produced, and we think she has what it takes to lift this familiar premise from good to great, to say nothing of her co-star, House’s Omar Epps (swoon). Seemingly calibrated for racial tensions and (like You Were Never Really Here, also in theaters) sex-trafficking obsessions that seem very of the moment, it will be interesting to see what Traffik adds to the “strangers in a strange place get scared, stalked, and slain” vein of slasher flicks.
