Hollywood warms up with movies for spring. Here’s what’s coming up.
Ready for spring? Hollywood sure is, with a slate that offers a little something for everyone. Here’s a look (release dates and titles are subject to change):
MARCH 28
“Death of a Unicorn” – This looks wonderfully bonkers, as a father-daughter duo (Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. I knew unicorns were real!
“The Woman in the Yard” – This horror thriller follows a mysterious woman who repeatedly appears in a family’s front yard, delivering chilling warnings and unsettling messages, leaving them to question her identity, motives and the potential danger she might pose. How about putting up a “no trespassing” sign?
“A Working Man” – Sylvester Stallone is one of the writers of this actioner that follows a seemingly simple construction worker (Jason Statham, ya, right) who’s called upon to re-employ the skills that made him a legendary figure in the shadowy world of black ops when his boss’s daughter disappears (that’s more like it).
APRIL 4
“The Luckiest Man in America” – Based on a true story and set in 1984, this follows an unemployed ice cream truck driver who goes on a TV game show and pulls off a heist in front of a live audience.
“A Minecraft Movie” – Based on the video game, a mysterious portal pulls four misfits (including Jason Momoa and Jack Black) into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master the terrain while embarking on a magical quest.
“Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse” – In a dystopian future ravaged by a viral apocalypse, three young brothers find themselves isolated in a remote cabin deep within the woods where they hide a dark, disturbing secret in the basement.
APRIL 11
“Drop” – A widowed mother’s first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she’s bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone during their upscale dinner, leaving her wondering if her charming date is behind the harassment. Swipe left, swipe left!
“The King of Kings” – Family-friendly animation about the story of Jesus Christ as told by a father and seen through the innocent eyes of his child.
“Warfare” – A platoon of Navy SEALs embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event. Starring “Reservation Dogs” breakout D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.
APRIL 18
“Sinners” – Ryan Coogler (“Creed,” “Black Panther”) writes and directs this tale of twin brothers (both played by longtime Coogler collaborator Michael B. Jordan) trying to leave their troubled lives behind and return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. Also starring Jack O’Connell and Hailee Steinfeld.
“Sneaks” – This family-friendly animation follows a designer sneaker who unwittingly finds himself lost in New York City, where he must rescue his sister and return her to the rightful sole owner. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
APRIL 25
“The Accountant 2” – Ben Affleck returns as Christian Wolff, who has a talent for solving complex problems. He applies his brilliant mind and illegal methods to reconstruct the unsolved puzzle of a Treasury chief’s murder. I wonder if my accountant does that.
“The Legend of Ochi” – This fantasy adventure takes place in a small village on a remote island, where a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as Ochi. When Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to return it to its home.
“Until Dawn” – This supernatural horror tale follows a group of friends trapped in a time loop, where mysterious foes are chasing and killing them in gruesome ways, and they must survive until dawn to escape it. Think “Groundhog Day” set at night with monsters. Cool.
MAY 2
“The Surfer” – Nicolas Cage stars in this thriller as a man who returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son, only to be humiliated by a group of locals. The man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising and pushes him to his breaking point (No one does breaking point better than Cage).
“Thunderbolts*” – Marvel Studios’ latest follows an unconventional team of antiheroes who must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I really don’t know what the asterisk means.
MAY 9
“Clown in a Cornfield” – This horror/comedy follows a father and daughter who move to a fading Midwestern town in which Frendo the clown, a symbol of bygone success, reemerges as a terrifying scourge. Clowns are the worst.
“Juliet & Romeo” – Based on the real story that inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this is reimagined as an original pop musical. Because their double suicide story just screams music!
MAY 16
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” – The sixth film in the horror franchise follows a college student plagued by a recurring violent nightmare who returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them. If you keep going to these, they’re just going to keep making more. Just sayin.’
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” – Famed pop musician The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) makes his feature film debut in this psychological thriller, which is also the name of his new album, and stars alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. It follows an insomniac musician who encounters a mysterious stranger, leading to a journey that challenges everything he knows about himself. The visuals look amazing in the trailer.
MAY 23
“Lilo & Stitch” – A “live-action” remake of Disney’s animated classic, about a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly “dog,” which turns out to be the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial.
“The Last Rodeo” – Neal McDonough (one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors with 144 film credits on IMDb) co-writes and stars as a 50-year-old man who returns to the sport of bull riding after a crisis strikes his family.
“Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning” – Tom Cruise is back yet again as special agent Ethan Hunt. Plot details are mum, but I bet there’s lots of stuff blowing up and lots of shots of Cruise running from something. Bring on the popcorn!
MAY 30
“Karate Kid: Legends” – After a young prodigy relocates to New York City, he attracts unwanted attention from a local karate champion and embarks on a journey to enter an ultimate karate competition with the help of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio).