April 2013 Preview: Boyle, Bay and a Raimi Remake

The good news about April is that we are slowly moving away from the dumping pile of crap movies known as January, February and March. But, the bad news is that we still aren't getting that many great options either. Still, April offers some interesting films worth keeping and eye out for, and a few that'll probably make decent rentals or matinees. So, without further ado, here is your preview for what's in store this month and what you can expect me to review.

Worth making the trip:

The film I'm most interested in seeing this April is Danny Boyle's Trance (April 5th in limited release), which is my fifth most anticipated film of the year (sixth if you count David O. Russell's Abscam film, which wasn't included as it was not dated for 2013 at the time). Early reviews suggest the film is an exercise in style over substance, which is a bit disappointing given that it's coming from a great filmmaker, but still could make for an interesting movie. Boyle is a very stylish filmmaker who's movies are always gorgeous, so I'm sure this film will still deliver on some level. The big issue with seeing this is whether or not it will play in a theater near me. As of right now, it's opening in four theaters on it's opening night and will expand throughout the nation depending on how it does financially. I plan on seeing it as quickly as possible (though that won't be during its opening weekend, unfortunately) and

am currently organizing a trip to New York so that I can definitely check it out. Hopefully it will all work out!

But one film I definitely plan on seeing is the highly anticipated remake of Evil Dead (April 5). I'm not very critical when it comes to the idea of making horror remakes, but there's no denying that many of them have failed to live up to the standard set by their original. In fact, most of them weren't very good at all. So, with this one getting largely positive reviews from a variety of critics, I'm planning on checking it out and hopeful that it will live up to the hype. Not to mention, this definitely looks like the sort of film to check out in theaters with a large, excited crowd. The amount of violence and gore evident in the trailer (which is apparently tame compared to the film itself) is bound to get some enthusiastic reactions.

Finally, a film that I was at first dreading but has won me over just this week is Michael Bay's Pain and Gain (April 26). With its new red band trailer, Pain and Gain looks like it could be an incredibly entertaining comedy, sort of like a Spring Breakers for gym dwelling jerks. Or, it could be annoying as hell. But I'm willing to take the risk and check it out. The red band trailer made me laugh quite a bit (mostly thanks to Rebel Wilson, who looks like a real scene stealer here) and looks crazy enough to work. On top of that, I'm curious to see Michael Bay direct a film that isn't driven by CGI or massive explosions. Good or bad, this will certainly be an interesting experience at the movies.

On top of all those, I plan on seeing Jurassic Park in 3D (and writing a very cool article during the week of its release), and would like to see Spring Breakers and The Place Beyond the Pines if they ever expand to a theater near me.

Rentals and Matinees:
There are also a few films coming out next year that I think look great, but I don't think they look like Oblivion (April 19), which looks like a lot of fun ad the special effects are incredible. I'm also in the growing minority of people that think Tom Cruise is actually a great actor. That being said, I don't think Oblivion looks all that interesting, and I don't have much faith in director Joseph Kosinski. If reviews are better than I expect, I'll reconsider. But as of right now, I don't think I'll be seeing it. The same can be said for 42 (April 11)- it looks decent, and the story is quite interesting. But, I'm not a big baseball fan and the fact that a film that sounds like Oscar bait is being released in April doesn't instill much confidence. So, I'll wait for reviews, but will most likely see it on DVD.

it's worth a trip to theater for. The biggest of these films is

On the independent side of the spectrum, both At Any Price (April 19) and Upstream Color (April 5) look good, but I'm not sold on it being good enough to warrant a trip to the theater. At Any Price looks like a solid drama, but it doesn't look like anything I'd regret missing in theaters. As for Upstream Color, I haven't seen Primer so I'm not necessarily anticipating Shane Carruth's next film. But, I'll probably check it out eventually.

I'm not interested:

And, as with most months, April has a few releases that just look awful to me. One which I've heard good things about but can't get excited for is Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem (April 19). Zombie's directing style is certainly hit-or-miss, but it just isn't for me. But, on the mainstream side of things, The Big Wedding and Scary Movie 5 both look almost completely unwatchable. For a film with so many terrific actors, The Big Wedding has a premise that looks completely unbelievable and jokes that, judging from the trailer, fall flat. Meanwhile, Scary Movie 5 is the latest installment in a franchise I just don't enjoy and probably never will. Scary Movie 5 looks particularly uninspired and boring, with way too much crude humor. There is no way I'll see any of them.

Along with the reviews, you can expect an interesting article about 3D conversions, a Shame List entry, a new essay, as well as daily news updates and weekly box office results. So get ready for an entertaining month!