What a crazy Matrix/Black Mirror/Idiocracy/Outbreak simulation we’re living in right now. The 2020 vision is foggier than ever. And in these uncertain times, the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. No one, including the film industry, has been able to dodge the effect of the novel COVID-19 virus. My original list of films included: The Lovebirds, The New Mutants, Peter Rabbit 2, Saint Maud, No Time To Die, Cut Throat City, The Secret Garden, Antlers, Antebellum, Bad Trip, and more. But with confirmed cases of infection growing rapidly, things have come to a halt, as you know. Some films have been moved to a later date in 2020, while some are not being released until next year. Most March releases were impacted as well. There’s honestly no guarantee that the films below will keep their dates unless releasing on a streaming service or VOD (Video On Demand) as things are changing daily. However, we’re going to stay as positive as possible and hope things get better as fast as they can. With that said, below is the list of movies releasing the month of April that are sticking to their slot or just haven’t moved the date yet. Stay safe and we love you all.
Coffee & Kareem – April 3rd (Netflix)
In the raunchy, buddy-cop comedy Coffee & Kareem, twelve-year-old Kareem Manning hires a criminal to scare his mom’s new boyfriend — police officer James Coffee — but it backfires, forcing Coffee and Kareem to team up in order to save themselves from Detroit’s most ruthless drug kingpin.
Lazy Susan – April 3rd (Digital & VOD)
Susan has always been the self-centered oddball in her family who lazily skated through life with their begrudging support until one day she wakes up to realize she’s middle-aged with no job, no relationship, and an increasingly estranged family. She finally decides to take charge and turn things around, but never having done anything herself before, the struggle is real (and hilarious) as Susan becomes the woman she always wanted to be, all on her own.
The Other Lamb – April 3rd (Limited Release & VOD)
For her entire life, the cult she was born into has been all that teenage Selah has known. Along with a band of similarly cloistered young women she lives seemingly unstuck in time, cut off from modern society in a remote forest commune presided over by a man called Shepherd, a controlling, messiah-like figure with a frightening dark side. But when her insular world is rocked by a series of nightmarish visions and disturbing revelations, Selah begins to question everything about her existence—including her allegiance to the increasingly dangerous Shepherd. Awash in images of primal, dreamlike dread, this provocative fable is a haunting vision of adolescent awakening and revolt.
Slay The Dragon – April 3rd (Limited Release & VOD)
A secretive, high-tech gerrymandering initiative launched 10 years ago threatens to undermine our democracy. SLAY THE DRAGON follows everyday people as they fight to make their votes matter.
Trolls World Tour – April 10th (Theaters and VOD) very doubtful on the theaters part.
In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy and Branch discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop, and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.
The Lost Husband – April 10th (release date has not been updated)
Based on the novel, by NYT bestselling author Katherine Center, THE LOST HUSBAND tells a heartwarming story of love, forgiveness, and creating the family you need. After the sudden death of her husband, city-girl Libby is out of options. A job on her estranged Aunt’s goat farm isn’t ideal, but as Libby gets to know the residents of the small town, including a gruff farm manager with a tragic past, she starts to love the country life.
Love Wedding Repeat – April 10th (Netflix)
Different versions of the same day unfold as Jack juggles difficult guests, unbridled chaos and potential romance at his sister’s wedding.
Tigertail – April 1oth (Netflix)
A man reflects on the lost love of his youth and his long-ago journey from Taiwan to America as he begins to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Sea Fever – April 10th (Limited & VOD)
The crew of a fishing ship fight for survival against an unknown species after becoming marooned at sea.
Promising Young Woman – April 17th (release date hasn’t updated)
Everyone said Cassie was a promising young woman… until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.
Charm City Kings – April 17th (release date not updated)
Fourteen-year-old Mouse desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets.
My Spy – April 17th (Theaters & VOD)
JJ a hardened CIA operative (Dave Bautista) who has been demoted and finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, named Sophie (Chloe Coleman) where he has been sent undercover begrudgingly to surveil her family. When Sophie discovers hidden cameras in her apartment she uses her tech-savviness to locate where the surveillance operation is set. In exchange for not blowing JJ’s cover, Sophie convinces him to spend time with her and teach her to be a spy. Despite his reluctance, JJ finds he is no match for Sophie’s disarming charm and wit.
Martin Eden – April 17th (Limited Release & VOD)
Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student. The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman
Selah and The Spades – April 17th (Prime Video)
In the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, Haldwell, the student body is run by five factions. Seventeen-year-old Selah Summers runs the most dominant group, the Spades, with unshakable poise, as they cater to the most classic of vices and supply students with coveted, illegal alcohol and pills. Tensions between the factions escalate, and when Selah’s best friend/right hand Maxxie becomes distracted by a new love, Selah takes on a protégée, enamored sophomore Paloma, to whom she imparts her wisdom on ruling the school. But with graduation looming and Paloma proving an impressively quick study, Selah’s fears turn sinister as she grapples with losing the control by which she defines herself.
Bad Therapy – April 17th (release date has not been updated)
Married couple Bob and Susan Howard decide to see a marriage counselor named Judy Small, who recently relocated close to their home in Los Angeles. When Bob and Susan first meet Judy, she appears competent, intelligent, and trustworthy, with a track record of other couples that she’s treated successfully without incident. But Bob and Susan’s particular emotional dynamic is a trigger for Judy’s dark and conflicted impulses. Suggesting that she see them separately, Judy subtly puts them at odds with one another and brings their marriage to the breaking point in a comically escalating series of manipulations.
Sergio – April 17th (Netflix)
Set in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq, the life of top UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career.
The Willoughbys – April 22nd (Netflix)
Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.
Beastie Boys Story – April 24th (AppleTV+)
Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz tell you an intimate, personal story of their band and 40 years of friendship in this live documentary experience directed by their longtime friend and collaborator and former hall monitor, Spike Jonze.
Radioactive – April 24th (Limited Release with no updated release date)
From the 1870s to the modern era, RADIOACTIVE is a journey through Marie Curie’s enduring legacies – her passionate relationships, scientific breakthroughs, and the consequences that followed for her and for the world. After meeting fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Sam Riley), the pair go on to marry and change the face of science forever by their discovery of radioactivity. The genius of the Curies’ world-changing discoveries and the ensuing Nobel Prize propels the devoted couple into the international limelight.
Extraction – April 24th (Netflix)
Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he’s enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.
True History of the Kelly Gang – April 24th (Limited & VOD)
Set amidst the grueling badlands of 19th-century Australia, legendary outlaw Ned Kelly grows up under the bloody and uncompromising rule of the English. Food is scarce, survival is filled with daily strife, and every opportunity the colonizers take to make their victims feel powerless is inflicted with searing brutality. In a desperate attempt to prime him for rebellion, Ned Kelly’s mother sells him off into the hands of the notorious bushranger Harry Power, where the young bandit discovers he comes from a line of warriors called the Sons of Sieve. Fueled by his roots and a voracious appetite for revenge, Ned Kelly leads an anarchist army to wreak havoc on their oppressors in one of the most audacious attacks the country has ever seen. Grimy, gritty, and full of action-packed thrills, True History of the Kelly Gang brings a revolutionary twist to an iconic piece of folklore. Based on the novel by Peter Carey.
Dangerous Lies – April 30th (Netflix)
A down-on-her-luck former waitress decides to take a job as a caretaker to a wealthy elderly man. When he unexpectedly passes away, she’s named as the sole heir to his vast fortune.
Enjoy, stay safe, and wash your hands.
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
