The big release this weekend is surely Shazam! starring Zachary Levi as the teenage boy who turns into a fully-grown superhero when he says the magic words. Also joining it is a documentary about singer Aretha Franklin, a new version of Stephen King’s book Pet Sematary, the story of civil rights activist Ann Atwater, the story of a sour note in British history in which a pro-democracy rally turned into a massacre, and much more.
Amazing Grace (G)
A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.
Directed by Alan Elliot, Sydney Pollack
Starring: Aretha Franklin, Reverend James Cleveland, C.L. Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Bernard Pretty Purdie
Release date: April 5
The Best of Enemies (PG-13)
Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
Directed by Robin Bissell
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche, John Gallagher Jr.
Release date: April 5
Billboard
Times are tough, listener-ship is down and Casey needs to come up with a plan to save his radio station, WTYT 960, and fast! Casey’s grand plan is to host a billboard sitting contest, where four lucky contestants have the opportunity to win “nine-sixty thousand dollars and a mobile home”. All they have to do is be the last person to survive, living on a billboard.
Directed by Zeke Zelker
Starring: Eric Roberts, Heather Matarazzo, Leo Fitzpatrick, Darlene Cates, John Robinson
Release date: April 5
High Life (R)
Takes place beyond the solar system in a future that seems like the present. About a group of criminals who accept a mission in space to become the subjects of a human reproduction experiment. They find themselves in the most unimaginable situation after a storm of cosmic rays hit the ship.
Directed by Claire Denis
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin, Mia Goth, Lars Eidinger
Release date: April 5 (Limited)
Peterloo (PG-13)
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protesters were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy which also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper.
Directed by Mike Leigh
Starring: Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Pearce Quigley, David Moorst, Rachel Finnegan
Release date: April 5
Pet Sematary (R)
Louis Creed, his wife Rachel, and their two children, Gage and Ellie, move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie ‘Pet Sematary’ located nearby. After the tragedy of their cat being killed by a truck, Louis resorts to burying it in the mysterious pet cemetery, which is definitely not as it seems, as it proves to the Creeds that sometimes, dead is better.
Directed by Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence, Hugo, Lavoie
Release date: April 5
The Public (PG-13)
In “the public” an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians who often build emotional connections and a sense of obligation to care for those regular patrons. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, the Patrons turn the building into a homeless shelter for the night by staging an “Occupy” sit in. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what’s really happening. This David versus Goliath story tackles some of our nation’s most challenging issues, homelessness and mental illness and sets the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library.
Directed by Emilio Estevez
Starring: Jena Malone, Gabrielle Union, Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater
Release date: April 5
Shazam! (PG-13)
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.
Directed by David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Michele Borth, Djimon Hounsou, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel
Release date: April 5
Storm Boy (PG)
A beautiful and contemporary retelling of Colin Thiele’s classic Australian tale. ‘Storm Boy’ has grown up to be Michael Kingley, a successful retired businessman and grandfather. When Kingley starts to see images from his past that he can’t explain, he is forced to remember his long-forgotten childhood, growing up on an isolated coastline with his father. He recounts to his grand-daughter the story of how, as a boy, he rescued and raised an extraordinary orphaned pelican, Mr Percival. Their remarkable adventures and very special bond has a profound effect on all their lives. Based on the beloved book, Storm Boy is a timeless story of an unusual and unconditional friendship.
Directed by Shawn Seet
Starring: Jai Courtney, Geoffrey Rush, David Gulpill, Erik Thomson, Finn Little
Release date: April 5
Suburban Birds
Some ground subsidence has occurred in a suburban area and a team of engineers, including Hao, is dispatched to investigate the cause. After days of wandering around in the empty suburb looking for answers and carrying his heavy gear, Hao walks into a primary school where he finds a diary chronicling the story of a boy and the separation of what seems to be an intimate group. As the investigation keeps going, Hao discovers that this diary might contain prophecies about his own life.
Directed by Sheng Qiu
Starring: Zihan Gong, Lu Huang, Mason Lee
Release date: March 31
Teen Spirit (PG-13)
Violet is a shy teenager who dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a local singing competition that will test her integrity, talent and ambition. Driven by a pop-fueled soundtrack, Teen Spirit is a visceral and stylish spin on the Cinderella story.
Directed by Max Minghella
Starring: Elle Fanning, Agnieszka Grochowska, Archie Madekwe, Zlato Buric, Millie Brady
Release date: April 5 (Limited)
Will you be seeing any new movies at the theater this week?
