11 of the best films to watch this April

From Drops to Minecraft movies, these are movies streaming at home this month and watching in the cinema.

David Cronenberg’s latest sci-fi fingering drama stars Vincent Cassel as Kirsch, an inventor who resembles Kronerg’s own. Suffering with grief by the death of his wife (Dianne Kruger), Karsh develops a camera system that can be buried with corpses, allowing relatives to view them on monitors as they disassemble. The invention appears, but one night, some graves, including these high-tech “shrouds,” are addicted, so Karsh and his stepbrother (Guy Pearce) have to think about who was responsible. While this may sound like a scenario that scanners and fly directors use to justify the horrors of many gory bodies, Shroud is a “silent, and even elegant” film inspired by Kronerg’s bereavement. Steve Pond says on the rap. “It personally sees the loss of finding enough time to be creepy, but I don’t lose sight of the fact that it is a film about grief.

Released in the US on April 18th

Three of Hollywood’s brightest young stars gather on Swift Horse, a handsome romance directed by Daniel Minhan and adopted from Shannon Pufar’s novel. Daisy Edgar Jones plays Muriel, the fiancé of Lee (Wil Poulter), a Korean war veteran. He looks forward to the traditional family life in California, which he won in the 1950s, but when his younger brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) comes to stay, Julius’ gay relationships and gambling providers help him understand why Muriel is attracted to women and betting on horse racing. Graham Guttman from Screen Rant calls the film “It’s quietly devastating [story of] Great pain and even greater love are all beautifully portrayed by the film’s all-star cast. “The Swift horse feels out of time with its drastic romance and epic nature, and it transcends the issue and has a deep impact,” he added. BBC’s Caring James considers that “Disappointment [that] It works much better as an idea than as a film.”

Released in the US and Canada on April 25th and in France on April 30th

On remote islands in Eastern Europe, there are fangs and furry monsters called horse skins in the forest. The farmer (Willem Dafour) becomes obsessed with hunting them, but when his shy teenage daughter (Helena Zengel) finds an injured baby ochi, it turns out to be a remarkably pointed listening with Gizmo from the Gremlins and Mandalor’s Grog. The girl then defies her father and returns the creature to her family. This is a journey that is visualized using practical effects rather than digital effects. “The legend of Ochi, a rare A24 family film, is a fascinating throwback to ’80s adventure films, like The Neverendending Story and The Dark Crystal.” says Brian Tallerico of Rogerebert.com“It features an original puppet show that is reportedly not included ounces of CGI operation. It feels like a family film made by people of flesh and blood in an era when computers do a lot of their work.”

Released on April 25th in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland

Ryan Coogler has already put his own personal stamp on sports drama (Creed) and superhero hits (Black Panther), and now, along with the sinner, the writer-director assumes the horror of Gothic style. His favorite major man, Michael B. Jordan, plays two gun-hitting twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, returning to his 1930s Louisiana country home. Vampires are quickly invading the town, but don’t consider the sinners to be honest vampire chillers. “Movies are very genre fluid.” Coogler said in the Hollywood Reporter.. “It switches between in and out of many different genres. Yes, vampires are elements, but it’s not the only supernatural element in the film… I’m blessed to have found this medium where I can ask deep philosophical existential questions that are struggling while contributing to an art form that is very meaningful to my family.”

It was released internationally on April 18th

The first date is awkward, but there’s not much more annoying than the high-concept one-location thriller Drop, author director of Happy Death Day and Freaky. Meghann Fahy stars as a single mother Violet. He agrees to have dinner with Henry (Brandon Screner), who is eligible at a restaurant in a Chicago skyscraper. Everything is on track until someone at the restaurant starts sending threatening messages to Violet’s phone. She is said to have an intruder in her house and that her 5-year-old son will be killed unless she poisons Henry. “[Fahy’s] The dialled-in-in performance, thankfully, is consistent with the comprehensive creativity of the minutes. Adrian Horton of Guardian says. “Just enough prosperity, a fun but unbearable amount of stress, wasted time, a perfect match of stars, scripts and style. For those who classify the lean and flexibility of the thriller, drops are a day worth making.”

It was released internationally on April 11th

When Alex Garland was making his last film, civil warthe military adviser for his combat sequence was Ray Mendoza, a veteran of the Iraq War. With this collaboration, Garland and Mendoza co-directed another film, the loyal recreation of the battle that Mendoza himself had in it, unfolding in real time for over 90 minutes. D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai plays Mendoza (along with Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton) in what some critics call Cinema’s most authentic and immersive portrayal of wartime shootouts. It’s a film that pushes the concept of “war is hell” into logical, visceral, and most hellish conclusions.” Kevin Maher says in the times. “This is just as difficult to watch as forgetting: it’s a sensory blitz, a percussive nightmare, a ruthless attack on the soul.”

Released in the US and Canada on April 11, in Spain on April 16, in Australia, Brazil, Germany on April 17, in Britain on April 18

If you’re interested in learning that Peter Jackson’s series, The Beatles: Get Buck, and John Lennon rose to the ground after the Fab Four broke up, then John and Yoko could be a movie for you. With director Kevin McDonald (1st September, Marley) and Sam Rice Edward, the documentary chronicles the 18 months of the early 1970s when Lennon and Yoko lived in Greenwich Village, New York. It covers the only full-length concert Lennon played after spending time with the Beatles, but it was just one of many efforts by the couple during their stay at the Big Apple. “I draw aired interviews, tape-based phone calls with agents and managers, and personal film footage.” David Hughes says in the timeout“McDonald has expressed the couple’s determination to fight for a valuable cause across their eyelids, from the Vietnam War to fundraising for remanded prisoners who are unable to buy bail.

Released on April 11th in the US, UK and Ireland

What if Die Hard is set up at a meeting of the world’s most powerful political leaders? And what happens if the US president of the Air Force is a woman? The answer to both of these questions can be found in the G20, a delightful over-the-top action thriller directed by Patricia Riggen. Viola Davis will star as US President Daniel Sutton at the G20 Summit in South Africa when a terrorist group takes guests hostage. Bad Guys (led by Antony Starr of Boys) is a military veteran and even when she is wearing a cocktail dress, she can fight the best. “It was something you imagined as a child. You just play the most heroic character you could probably play.” Davis told Variety. The only question the movie doesn’t answer is whether the sequel will be called G21.

Released on Prime on April 10th

The Minecraft film is a children’s adventure starring Jack Black, adapted from a video game about a colorful fantasy world threatened by hell’s invaders. Does that sound familiar? If so, that’s because the exact same summary applies to Super Mario Bros. movies. Still, it was the second-highest gross movie of 2023, so Minecraft movies would have an equal advantage. The difference is that a new film starring Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge also has a live-action actor in the CGI world. It is also directed by Jared Hess, a maker of quirky comedies such as Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. “With some degree of power in alchemy, his cocky view of things – the delivery of deadpans, the flamboyant colours, and the mix of exaggerated interactions – is oddly perfect for this adaptation.” Jordan Hoffman of Entertainment Weekly says. “There’s an attitude here like “anything”… [and] This loose goosey attitude is a breath of fresh air after so many family films that appear to depend on lore. ”

It was released internationally on April 4th

With dynamics that are not millions of miles away from the core relationship of true pain, Sacramento is an indie comedy about two disagreeable male friends. One person is nervous, the other comes out annoying – they are embarrassing together. Glenn, played by Michael Cera, is even more worried than usual as he is about to become his father, but the extroverted Ricky, played by Michael Angarano, is hurt by the death of his own father. Can a weekend in Sacramento, California help them overcome all their problems? Angalano is also the co-writer, co-producer and director of the film, featuring both his former partner, Kristen Stewart and his current partner, Maya Erskine. David Ehrlich of Indiewire says it’s Angarano “Alumni from Direttante on Overacre to an unusually wise comic director,” Sacramento. “I believe that its casual nature and lack of outward orientation in ambition conveys how well the fear that change brings to our lives, the enthusiasts who try to deny it, and the recognition that someone else in your world is changing with you.”

Released in the US on April 11th

Ang Lee’s second film, The Wedding Banquet, is a romantic comedy about a gay Taiwanese New Yorker, who married a Chinese woman and managed to get a green card just to mark the opportunity at a gorgeous party. The film was made the name Lee as director when it was released in 1993 and was nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes. Now it’s been remade by Andrew Anne (Fire Island), with a cast of stars including Bowen Yang (Evil), Lily GladstoneFlower Moon Murder) and Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi). Ahn moves the story to Seattle, adds subplots on fertility treatments, rejigs nationality and generations so that the visiting relatives will be Korean grandmother (young Yujun, Minari). “I still have my intentional convenience marriage in my heart.” Amber Wilkinson says on screen every day“But “relationships” are given modern transformations as AHN probes commitment questions and celebrates the families we choose to make ourselves.”

Released in the US and Canada on April 18th