Having a Cool Time at the Cinema – Hot

After the high of March, with movies like John Wick: Chapter 4 and Scream VI, you might think it’s a bit downhill from here. However, it would seem that April movie season seems on par with March. While there isn’t a particular blockbuster tentpole, at the same time, the movies come across as well-made and entertaining. Even streaming platforms have some intriguing movies releasing in April, like Hunger on Netflix and Ghosted on Apple TV Plus, so here are the biggest new movies of April 2023.

 

New Movies of April 2023

1. Air | April 5th, 2023

Ben Affleck has done pretty well for himself in the director’s chair. Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo, all 3 movies highly rated, and even won the Best Picture Oscar for Argo. With that batting record, it seems we should expect wonderful things from his latest film Air, especially considering how favourable the early reviews have been. Air reunites Affleck with Matt Damon, who last starred together in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel. The film also stars Viola Davies, Chris Messina and Jason Bateman.

Labelled a mix between Jerry Macguire and Moneyball, the movie is about the game-changing partnership between Michael Jordan and Nike’s basketball division, which resulted in the Air Jordan brand becoming what it is now. Be warned though, the film is basically a walking advertisement for Nike, and you may find yourself buying some new shoes before you even realise what’s happening.

 

2. Renfield | April 14th, 2023

When I heard that Nicolas Cage had been cast in Chris McKay’s Renfield, I didn’t know what to think. Cage is able to do campy, but there’s a fine line. However, any skepticism I possessed flew away the moment I saw the trailer. Cage looks great as Dracula, the movie looks hilarious, and I think we’re finally going to get a monster movie that does something different.

Nicholas Hoult plays Renfield – not his first undead role – the tortured aide to Dracula. Renfield is forced to his master’s bidding, as well as procure his prey, even when he would prefer not to. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if a life without Dracula is possible. Can he leave Dracula with his life still intact?

 

3. Evil Dead Rise | April 21st, 2023

This is the fifth film in the Evil Dead franchise, and the second film to helmed by a director that’s not Sam Raimi. Lee Cronin previously directed The Hole in the Ground, which fared well with the critics. While it does seem that Cronin and Raimi have very different directorial styles and preferences, their mutual love of horror and the diabolical explains why Cronin is helming an Evil Dead film.

In Evil Dead Rise, Beth pays a visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own. One of the kids finds a mysterious book in the building, and the happy reunion takes a turn when a demon possesses Ellie.

The early reviews have been favourable, though it does seem that die-hard fans of the Raimi Evil Dead movies might not be on board with this one. But franchises have to evolve and take risks, don’t they?

 

4. Beau Is Afraid | April 21st, 2023

Is there a better partnership than A24 and Ari Aster? You expect good things the moment you see the two names together. Aster returns with his third feature film, and it’s not a traditional horror flick. Seems genre-defying by the looks of the trailer, especially since I have no idea what’s going on, but am still fairly intrigued.

Beau Is Afraid, which used to be called Disappointment Boulevard, is about a man (played by Joaquin Phoenix) trying to come to terms with the death of his mom. That’s pretty much all the synopsis we get, and the trailer doesn’t offer much hints, though it looks absolutely entertaining. The film also stars Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Parker Posey.

 

5. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret | April 28th, 2023

We’re ending the month on a more wholesome note, with the adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal novel. This book taught me everything I needed to know about puberty, well, with the exception of how much periods suck.

The film follows 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson), who has to leave behind her life in New York City when she moves to the surburbs of New Jersey. is uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey. She relies on her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who are both struggling individually with the move as well.

There’s so much fondness and nostalgia surrounding the book, and I’m pretty sure that a ton of mothers and daughters would make a movie date to catch it together on the big screen.

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