April Movie Preview: Snap into Spring
It’s that age-old battle between comic book juggernauts. Once again Marvel and DC slug it out. This time it’s with their latest big screen titles. But it’s definitely not a fair fight. DC launches Shazam!, the quirky action comedy that is basically the superhero equivalent to Tom Hanks’ Big. While Marvel unleashes the behemoth, Avengers: Endgame that brings ten years of cinematic blockbusters into one epic battle. It’s like David vs. Goliath if David was an ant that Goliath didn’t even realize he stepped on. Sandwiched in between super stories, there are a number of other genre movies to pick from. Here’s our April movie preview.
April 5th– The Best of Enemies, Pet Sematary, Shazam!
Taraii P. Henson plays civil rights activist Ann Atwater in The Best of Enemies. Taking place in 1971, a school for black children in Durham, North Carolina burns down. In response, Atwater leads the charge to finally racially integrate schools. In her way is CP Ellis, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan (Sam Rockwell).
The Stephen King horror novel Pet Semetary is receiving its second big screen adaptation. This time it stars Jason Clarke and John Lithgow. The story follows a family moving to a small town, where the father hears the story about a creepy “pet semetary.” When their pet cat is killed, he buries it in the cemetery. But that’s not the end. (Cue maniacal laughter.)
I poked fun at DC movies in the intro, but their movie universe appears to be alive and kicking after Wonder Woman and Aquaman were big hits. Now we’ll see what happens when they try to bring down the brooding and introduce an action comedy to their filmography. Shazam! has a sarcastic teenager gain the ability to turn into a full-sized superhero by shouting out his name. We’ve seen teenage superheroes before, but not quite like this. Nerd hero Zachary Levi stars.
April 12th– After, Hellboy, Little, Missing Link
Some angsty teen drama is on display in After. When a young woman goes off to college she is drawn to a mysterious guy. But naturally he has a dark past, secrets, or both. Lots of gazing into each other’s eyes follows. Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin star. (He played young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter. So yeah, he’s still creepy.)
Hellboy is back on the big screen. This time without Ron Perlman in the title role and no Guillermo del Torro behind the scenes. David Harbour plays the horned anti-hero as he dukes it out with a sorceress, played by Milla Jovovich. Ian McShane also stars as Professor Bruttenholm.
In Little, Regina Hall plays a high-powered businesswoman who is magically transformed back into a child. Used to getting her way and not always being the nicest, she has to adapt to her new-found adolescence. There are some funny moments in the trailers. We’ll see what that means for the movie as a whole.
The animated feature, Missing Link, has a big foot like creature searching for family. Travelling to Shanri-La, he’s hoping to find the mythical Yeti. Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldana and Hugh Jackman are among the voice cast.
April 17th-19th– Disney Nature: Penguins, The Curse of La Llorona
Narrated by Ed Helms, Disney Nature: Penguins is a (kind of) documentary about a penguin’s “journey.” The Disney nature films use real nature footage edited in a way that appears to fit a narrative. The animal being followed in this film has been named Steve. Sounds like a penguin name to me.
The Conjuring universe of horror films is back at it with The Curse of La Llorona. The ghost of a woman who killed her children, La Llorona, targets a woman’s children and proceeds to haunt them. La Llorona is a real life Mexican folk tale. So thank you for passing that creepiness on to the rest of the world.
April 26th– Avengers: Endgame
At this point, Avengers: Endgame doesn’t need to be sold to us. But what can we say of the actual plot? Not too much. The remaining Avengers, which includes the original six of Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, The Hulk, Iron Man and Thor, team up with the other random group of heroes left alive to somehow undo Thanos’ snap. How, we don’t know. But the internet is full of speculation. Maybe it was all a Thor fever dream during his time on Sakaar. That would explain why he was the coolest character in Infinity War.
The April movie list has three very different comic book films to choose from. Like many of you, they are my picks for the month. Now the real question is who will be unsnapped at the end of Endgame? For the record, if you happen to see me at the theater, I’m not crying because Avengers is so emotional. It’s those pesky spring allergies.