Welcome to our new monthly run down of everything coming to UK cinemas over the next four weeks. We already do this for Netflix, so it made sense to fill you in on what's happening on the big screen, too (because sometimes you do need to get out of the house.)
This month's releases promise some tears, with Robin Williams and Alan Rickman's last acting roles finally hitting screens. There's tension, too, from thrillers Eye in The Sky and Criminal, while comedy Edie the Eagle and Tina Fey's new movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot look set to provide a few much-needed laughs.
So, if you're planning a date with someone you don't want to have to talk to much, or you're looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon in rainy April, scroll on for a run down on what's worth seeing and what's not – depending, of course, on your mood, and your aptitude for slow-burning foreign language films. Enjoy!
Eddie The Eagle – 1st of April
You know you are in for a feel-good comedy when a trailer has Hall & Oates as its backing music. In fact, there must be some sort of limit on how many films are allowed to use Hall & Oates for their trailer music, or every feel-good comedy would, one can only presume. Anyway, this sports film tells the story of the professional skier Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, who in 1988 was the first British entrant in Olympic ski jumping. He didn't win a medal or anything, but he was hugely popular among the British public. British actor Taron Egerton portrays a handsome version of Eddie here, with Hugh Jackman as his grouchy coach.
Photo: ParamountBoulevard – 8th of April
Although many of our favourite films immortalise beloved actors who have now passed away, it's not something we usually consider too consciously unless, that is, the wound is still fresh. Robin Williams died in August 2014, but it arguably feels much more recent. This month sees the release of his final film, Boulevar d: the tale of a man coming to terms with homosexuality relatively late in life. Unfortunately, it hasn't had great reviews, but if you're a Williams fan, it's probably still worth a watch.
Photo: ParamountCouple in a Hole – 8th of April
Couple in a Hole does what it says on the tin. It isn't, for example, a New York-set comedy about a married couple stuck in a rut who comedically seek relationship counselling. No, it is literally about a man and woman stuck in a hole in the ground. Entering a canon I like to call 'claustrophobic thrillers' then (alongside Phonebooth, Buried, The Hole, Room and Panic Room, to name just a few – see, it's a thing) Couple in a Hole is an intense character drama. Is it good though? Well, The Evening Standard described it as, "Really close to being an instant classic." Ouch.
Photo: ParamountNasty Baby – 8th of April
Kristen Wiig stars alongside Sebastián Silva and Tunde Adebimpe in this drama about three people who decide to have a baby together. The situation turns nasty, though, leading them to take someone's life. Since premiering at Sundance last year, the film has been described as a warm and honest portrayal of multiracial and non-heteronormative relationships, but consensus seems to be that the sinister turn it takes half-way through is pretty jarring.
Photo: ParamountThe Huntsman: Winter's War – 8th of April
As little sense as it makes to release a film about winter just as Spring is springing, this 3D family movie actually looks quite promising. From the director of Maleficent, it has an all-star cast, including Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron (sporting a look not dissimilar to her Dior adverts), Jessica Chastain and "Hollywood hunk" Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman himself. The plot seems confusing, but from the trailer, it looks like it falls somewhere between Lord of the Rings and most Disney films. What's not to like.
Photo: ParamountDheepan - 8th April
Dheepan is the latest film from French director Jacques Audiard – the man behind arthouse dramas A Prophet and Rust and Bone. If those masterpieces are anything to go by, along with the fact that Audiard swept up the Palme D'Or award at Cannes for this one, Dheepan is set to be an incredible watch. Plus, as with all of Audiard's films, the likelihood is that you'll be so sucked into the plot, you won't even notice you're reading subtitles.
Photo: ParamountMidnight Special – 8th of April
A film that's been described as "genre defying", Midnight Special 's storyline follows the U.S. government and a group of religious extremists as they pursue a man on the run with his son – a boy who possesses special powers. Starring Michael Shannon – one of those people who is in everything but you can't remember their name – and Kirsten Dunst, the film hasn't had particularly generous reviews, but, hey, the trailer looks kind of intriguing...
Photo: ParamountCriminal – 15th of April
From what we can ascertain, this film's plot pivots around a CIA agent played by Ryan Reynolds having his brain put inside Kevin Costner's head. Meh, more far-fetched things have happened in the movies. Criminal has had pretty good reviews, and it's got an all star cast too – Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman star alongside Reynolds and Costner, as well as Israeli former model Gal Gadot. Bound to be action packed and well acted, which – let's be honest – is kind of rare.
Photo: ParamountThe Jungle Book – 15th of April
A Disney favourite, The Jungle Book is long overdue a makeover. Here, Disney update the old-school animation with breathtaking CGI and effects. And only a true classic like the Rudyard Kipling adaptation could draw in stars including Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o and Idris Elba. If you're having a family argument about what to see at the cinema this April, it's The Jungle Book.
Photo: ParamountEye In The Sky – 15th of April
If you'd like to see Helen Mirren clad in full military garbs (something we have all no doubt considered) then look no further than Eye In The Sky, a tense military drama that touches on sensitive subject matter in telling the story of a British and American intervention in an Al Shabaab suicide bombing in Nairobi. This is ostensibly a film about drones, international politics, and doing the right thing under pressure. It also features Alan Rickman's last on-screen role.
Photo: ParamountMapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures – 22nd of April
A documentary charting the life and work of American artist Robert Mapplethorpe – life-long friend to Patti Smith, prominent figure in downtown New York during the 1970s and '80s and enemy to the Christian group the American Family Organisation for his erotic photographic depictions of homosexuality and BDSM. A controversial figure who was as much loved as he was maligned, Mapplethorpe eventually died from AIDS-related-illness in 1989. This is his story immortalised on film.
Photo: ParamountWhiskey Tango Foxtrot – 22nd of April
This looks a lot like "Liz Lemon goes to Afghanistan" and we're into it. Okay, so it's hard to accept that this somewhat screwball comedy is based on "A True Story" because it's doubtful that any female journalist as ditzy as this character would be sent to a war zone with no prior reporting experience beyond a desk job. And besides, we're bored of seeing ditzy women struggling in typically masculine situations. Having said that, we can probably give this the benefit of the doubt because it's Tina Fey... and everything Tina Fey does is right and good.
Photo: ParamountCaptain America: Civil War – 29th of April
Brace yourselves, Marvel fans, the new Captain America film is here. Expect explosions, the supernatural and Scarlett Johansson in a heady dose of action. With Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans (Hollywood, not ginger) this is the third film in the series following 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Third time lucky, will this be the best film in the trilogy yet?
Photo: ParamountDemolition – 29th of April
Watch Jake Gyllenhaal smash stuff up in this new melodrama from the director of Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallée. After losing his wife, an investment banker's life starts to unravel, and he sparks up a strangely compelling relationship with a woman played by Naomi Watts, who always seems to be in films like this (remember 21 Grams?) It's all about realising what you had when it's too late, and learning to appreciate what you have while you've still got it.
Photo: ParamountLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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