New movies out Easter weekend: Watch 'Super Mario Bros. Movie,' hoop it up with Ben Affleck's 'Air'

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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Who's got better hops, the Easter Bunny or perhaps it's Michael Jordan or Mario?

This Easter weekend, Ben Affleck directs and stars alongside buddy Matt Damon in a sports drama with Air Jordan basketball shoes at its center while Nintendo video-game plumbers Mario and Luigi make a big-screen splash in an animated fantasy adventure featuring Chris Pratt, Seth Rogen and Jack Black. And before you paint your Easter eggs, check out Owen Wilson as an oddball Bob Ross type in an art comedy.

Here's a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:

If you're aces at 'Mario Kart': 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'

Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, far left), Mario (Chris Pratt), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) rev their engines on Rainbow Road in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, far left), Mario (Chris Pratt), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) rev their engines on Rainbow Road in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

Video-game adaptations are on the winning streak between "The Last of Us" and this animated adventure, which captures the addictive whimsy of Nintendo's "Super Mario" world. Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are plumbers transported to a fantasy landscape of magic mushrooms, a princess (Anya Taylor-Joy) needing help, and a monster turtle villain (Jack Black) with a big crush.

Where to watch: In theaters.

If you're into 1980s style and basketball movies: 'Air'

Affleck has one of his best directorial efforts yet with this 1984-set drama, based on Nike's real-life pursuit of an endorsement deal with Michael Jordan. A top-notch Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, the basketball scout who sees something special in the young NBA rookie-to-be, but to steal him from Adidas, Sonny has to pull out all the stops – and most importantly, impress Jordan's mom Deloris (an outstanding Viola Davis).

Where to watch: In theaters.

If you appreciate a good twist on the heist-film template: 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline'

Forrest Goodluck stars as a member of a group of young environmental activists who plan a destructive assault on the oil industry in "How to Blow Up a Pipeline."
Forrest Goodluck stars as a member of a group of young environmental activists who plan a destructive assault on the oil industry in "How to Blow Up a Pipeline."

An up-and-coming cast featuring Ariela Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage and Forrest Goodluck stars in this thriller about environmentalists who attempt to explode a West Texas pipeline in order to disrupt the oil industry. The destruction crew convenes from all over the country, each with their own key backstory woven into the ambitious and impressively nerve-wracking narrative.

Where to watch: In theaters.

If you dig Bob Ross' whole vibe: 'Paint'

Owen Wilson plays the host of a PBS painting TV show who's thrown for a loop when his popularity begins to wane in the comedy "Paint."
Owen Wilson plays the host of a PBS painting TV show who's thrown for a loop when his popularity begins to wane in the comedy "Paint."

Owen Wilson channels the famously well-coiffed TV art instructor as Carl Nargle, a quiet-voiced Vermont painter known for his natural landscapes who's dated the entire female staff at his PBS station and has quite an ego. His popular appeal has begun to run dry, which causes him problems when a younger, more dynamic and way better artist (Ciara Renée) shows up to take his spot in the quirky comedy.

Where to watch: In theaters.

If you want to see Michelle Williams co-star with a bird: 'Showing Up'

Michelle Williams stars as a sculptor dealing with family issues while preparing for an art show in "Showing Up."
Michelle Williams stars as a sculptor dealing with family issues while preparing for an art show in "Showing Up."

A couple of recent Oscar nominees, Williams and Hong Chau, share screen time with a feathered friend in Kelly Reichardt's unassuming slice-of-life dramedy. Lizzy (Williams) is a frazzled sculptor readying for an art show whose dealings with family and friends distracts from her creativity yet finds a new companion when she reluctantly takes in a pigeon with a broken wing.

Where to watch: In theaters.

Hong Chau: Oscar nominee is finally getting her moment

If you adore complicated romantic melodrama: 'One True Loves'

Wedding plans for Emma (Phillipa Soo) and Jesse (Simu Liu) get sidetracked when her presumed-dead husband shows up very much alive in the romantic dramedy "One True Loves."
Wedding plans for Emma (Phillipa Soo) and Jesse (Simu Liu) get sidetracked when her presumed-dead husband shows up very much alive in the romantic dramedy "One True Loves."

Have you ever watched a movie and thought, "No one looks comfortable here"? Get ready to join the misery: In the woeful and tonally messy romance, Phillipa Soo and Simu Liu star as an engaged couple readying for their wedding day when the bride's husband (Luke Bracey) – presumed dead after going missing after a helicopter crash for four years – suddenly shows up. Liu tries hard with the charm offensive, but it's all for naught.

Where to watch: In theaters (and via on-demand platforms April 14).

If you're all about teen thrillers: 'You're Killing Me'

McKaley Miller stars as a high school senior who goes to a party to try and better her chances of going to her dream school but the night turns into a horror show in "You're Killing Me."
McKaley Miller stars as a high school senior who goes to a party to try and better her chances of going to her dream school but the night turns into a horror show in "You're Killing Me."

Melissa (McKaley Miller) is a prep school teen waitlisted at her dream college, so she goes to a riotous party to get closer to a rich kid whose parents (Dermot Mulroney and Anne Heche) might be key to her getting in. Well, he's a total psycho, and Melissa scrambles to survive a violent night when she figures out his connection to a missing girl. Heche embraces her devilish side in one of her final roles in a solidly tense thriller.

Where to watch: In theaters and Apple TV, Vudu.

If you like tense drama in enclosed spaces: 'Stalker'

A horror actress (Sophie Skelton) gets trapped in an elevator with a camera operator (Stuart Brennan) who seems obsessed with her in the thriller "Stalker."
A horror actress (Sophie Skelton) gets trapped in an elevator with a camera operator (Stuart Brennan) who seems obsessed with her in the thriller "Stalker."

The psychological thriller stars Sophie Skelton as a horror actress staying in a freaky hotel during filming. She gets in an elevator but it breaks down leaving her stuck with a creepy camera operator (Stuart Brennan) who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with her. Awkward convos give way to revealing truths in a film that doesn't do enough with a good premise or a random cameo from wrestling legend Bret "Hitman" Hart.

Where to watch: In theaters and Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon.

Also on streaming

Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis Creed in "Creed III."
Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis Creed in "Creed III."

  • The boxing drama "Creed III," the latest entry in the long-running "Rocky" universe with Michael B. Jordan directing and reprising his role as Adonis Creed, is now available to buy on Apple TV and Vudu.

  • The basketball comedy "Champions," starring Woody Harrelson, is also available to buy on Apple TV and other on-demand platforms.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New movies Easter weekend: 'Super Mario Bros.,' Ben Affleck's 'Air'