In cinema: April's top 10 new movies
What better way to pass an ordinary Autumn day than by heading into the cinema? This April, there are a great mix of movie genres to choose from to add some flavour to your weekend plans and spice up movie night.
Mario (Chris Pratt) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) go on an animated adventure
The Super Mario Bros Movie (April 5)
Just in time for school holidays, take yourself (and your kids) on an animated adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom. You’re bound to recognise some familiar voices: Chris Pratt is-a Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy is Princess Peach, Charlie Day is Luigi, Jack Black is Bowser, Seth Rogen is Donkey Kong and Keegan-Michael Key is Toad.
Listen to Popcorn Podcast’s The Super Mario Bros Movie review
Ben Affleck rocks the ‘80s aesthetic in true story Air
Air (April 5)
Directed by Ben Affleck, Air shares the career-defining story of the partnership between Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) and then-rookie basketball player Michael Jordan. Little did they know the greatest athlete in the history of the sport would help Nike revolutionise the sporting world and contemporary culture with their Air Jordan brand.
This is Affleck’s and Damon’s ninth collaboration, but the first time Affleck has directed his long-time friend and fellow Oscar-winner.
Dame Judi Dench shines in Allelujah
Allelujah (April 6)
When a geriatric ward in a Small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital invites a news crew to film the preparations for a concert which will celebrate its most distinguished nurse.
Based on Alan Bennett’s (The Lady in the Van) play of the same name, the moving British drama stars English treasures Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders and David Bradley.
The power of Russell Crowe compels us
The Pope’s Exorcist (April 6)
Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe takes us to church in this terrifying retelling of a priest who performed more than 100,000 exorcisms. Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe), the chief exorcist for the Vatican, is tasked with investigating the possession of a young boy. In a battle with Satan and demons, Amorth uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy that the Vatican has desperately tried to bury.
Make us an offer we can’t refuse, Toni Collette
Mafia Mamma (April 13)
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke steps away from the world of vampires and into a mafia empire. When an American mother inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy, she defies everyone’s expectations as the head of the family business.
Who is this “Mafia Mamma”? None other than Australian icon Toni Collette. With comedy classics Muriel’s Wedding and Cosi on her resumé, remove any and all doubt on whether Collette can master the hilarious role as a fish-out-of-water mafia boss.
Listen to Popcorn Podcast’s Mafia Mamma review
Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman play good people
A Good Person (April 20)
After surviving an unimaginable tragedy, Allison (Florence Pugh) forms an unlikely friendship with her would-be father-in-law (Morgan Freeman) that helps her move forward in life.
Written, directed and produced by Zach Braff, who is Pugh’s former boyfriend, the drama centres on themes of self-forgiveness and grief. Having lost his father, sister and a dear friend, all between 2018 and 2020, the Scrubs actor allowed his personal experiences to inspire the film’s emotional core when writing during the pandemic.
Joaquin Phoenix isn’t afraid to show us his skill
Beau Is Afraid (April 20)
Ari Aster, the award-winning filmmaker behind A24’s most beloved horrors Midsommar and Hereditary, returns with his 10-years-in-the-making Beau is Afraid. The horror-comedy follows paranoid and anxiety-ridden Beau (Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix) as he embarks on a Kafkaesque odyssey in order to find his way back home.
Visit The Giants on the big screen
The Giants (April 20)
For 50 years, Bob Brown has devoted his life to environmental activism, including his fight for the protection of the Tarkine rainforest and his participation in the Franklin River campaign. This biographical documentary paints a poetic portrait of Brown’s life by intertwining his story with the life cycle of Australia's giant trees.
Breathtaking cinematography (from Sherwin Akbarzadeh) and stunning animation from first-time visual artist Alex Le Guillot provide an immersive experience in the forest landscape.
Don’t get on the bad side of this mother (Alyssa Sutherland)
Evil Dead Rise (April 20)
The fifth Evil Dead film sees Beth (Lily Sullivan) in a fight for her life when an ancient book gives birth to bloodthirsty demons that run amok in her sister Ellie’s (Alyssa Sutherland) Los Angeles apartment. Prepare yourself for a nightmarish experience of motherhood in this thrilling horror.
Following its SXSW debut earlier this month, the film earned a 100 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score. Today, the score sits at a comfortable 96 per cent and Popcorn Podcast can attest to the fact Evil Dead Rise will scratch your horror itch.
Ria (Priya Kansara) is ready to fight for her sister’s (Ritu Arya) happiness — quite literally
Polite Society (April 27)
Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a martial artist-in-training, believes she must save her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from her impending marriage. She enlists her friends' help as she attempts to pull off the most ambitious wedding heist, all in the name of independence and sisterhood.
Polite Society won the Directors to Watch award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and was nominated for the Audience Award at SXSW, proving it’s one of the more popular action comedies 2023 has to offer.
