New films coming to cinemas this April

AIR 

Weds 5 April

While there’s been a strong history of sports stars endorsing products, there is one particular training shoe which defines the entire industry. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck (who also directs) and Jason Bateman take us to the 80s, for the story of sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro and his pursuit to land a deal with basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Based on true events, Air looks at the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team who are willing to risk everything. Can they collaborate with the greatest player of all time, design a shoe which will define a generation and change the fortunes of an increasingly irrelevant sportswear manufacturer? 

POLITE SOCIETY

Fri 7 April

Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Renu Brindle and Rekha John-Cheriyan star in a feast of familial obligation, outrageous breviary and audacious action. This action-packed comedy follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan. She’s on a mission to save her older sister Lena from an impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.

The feature debut from British writer-director Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts), audiences are plunged into distinctive and inventive new examinations of familiar themes; the awkward coming-of-age high school comedy, Bollywood exuberance and martial arts which defy the laws of physics. 

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE 

Fri 7 April

Thankfully, the disastrous 1993 live action adaptation of this ubiquitous game franchise is nothing more than a surreal memory. Chris Pratt Anya Taylor-Joy Charlie Day and Jack Black take on the tale of everyone’s favourite plumbing family. Featuring Nintendo’s greatest ever characters, this computer-animated fantasy adventure brings the Mushroom Kingdom to life.

Prepare the family for mind-bending visuals, excessive fungal use, towering castles and the interdimensional applications of pipes. Will Princess Peach need saving? Is the evil dragon Bowser again up to no good? Are any of them Gas Safe registered and amiable to cash in hand work? There’s only one way to find out!

RENFIELD 

Mon 17 April

Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) sink their teeth into this comedy-horror. Arguably one of the most interesting characters from Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic horror story, Renfield is Count Dracula’s deranged, but devoted, servant – committing all manner of dastardly acts in return for a immortality and an uninterrupted supply of insects to eat.

Directed by Chris McKay (Robot Chicken, The Lego Batman Movie), with a screenplay by Ryan Ridley, this is a reboot of Universal Pictures’ Dracula series. Renfield now finds a new lease on life in modern-day New Orleans when he falls in love with traffic cop, Rebecca Quincy.

THE COVENANT 

Fri 21 April

Director Guy Ritchie returns with an uncompromising action-thriller. We follow US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ahmed (Dar Salim) – an interpreter wanting to wreak vengeance on the Taliban for the death of his son. 

After a deadly ambush, Ahmed saves the Sergent’s life, avoiding pursuing enemy forces and dragging him through the desert to safety. Returning to the US, Kinley discovers that Ahmed has been forced to stay behind and is now being hunted. When the American authorities refuse to intervene, Kinley is compelled to travel back to Afghanistan on a dangerous quest to rescue the man who risked his life for a total stranger.

EVIL DEAD RISE 

Fri 21 April

After a long time on the road, Beth visits her estranged older sister Ellie – who is struggling to raise three children single-handedly in a cramped Los Angeles apartment. At first, the reunion seems joyful. But the peace is shattered when they find a strange book hidden in the depths of Ellie’s building. It unleashes a horde of flesh-possessing demons.
Written and directed by Lee Cronin (The Masterplan), this is the fifth instalment of the Evil Dead film series. This fright-fest stars Lily Sullivan (Picnic At Hanging Rock, Camp), Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings, The Mist) and Morgan Davies (The Girlfriend Experience). The siblings battle to save the universe.

SOMEWHERE IN QUEENS

Fri 21 April

Leo Russo lives a simple life in New York, with his wife Angela and their shy but talented son, Sticks. There is a close-knit network of Italian-American relatives and neighbourhood friends. Happy enough working at the family construction business, he lives each week for Sticks’ high-school basketball games, never missing a chance to cheer on his son.

When this star athlete gets a surprising and life-changing opportunity to play basketball in college, Leo jumps at the chance to provide a plan for his future. This means diverting away from the family construction business. But when sudden heartbreak threatens to derail Sticks, Leo goes to unexpected lengths to keep his son on this new path.

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET

Fri 19 May (via Lionsgate UK)

The brilliant Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen) directs this long-awaited adaptation of Judy Blume’s genre-defining novel. Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates and Abby Ryder star in the story of sixth-grader Margaret Simon. Her family move from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. 

One of her parents is Christian while the other is Jewish, leaving Margaret uncomfortable with her lack of religious affiliation. So, she goes on a quest to discover her identity. This is all set against a backdrop of anxiety, peer-pressure, coming of age and a new circle of seemingly more-sophisticated friends. Growing up is confusing enough, without comparing yourself to other people. 

Discover more new films in our March Film Guide