Film Friday (4/3): This Week's New Movies & Trailers

Metacritic
Updated

Opening this weekend



Nationwide releases .
Furious 7 PG-13 ACTION/THRILLER
Trailers

The 7th entry in the Fast & Furious franchise finds James Wan taking over directing duties. But the on-screen crew returns: Vin Diesel, Tyrese, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Elsa Pataky, Lucas Black, Dwayne Johnson, and the late Paul Walker, whose role was completed with help from his brother and footage from the earlier films. Newcomers include Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, and Djimon Hounsou.

Notable limited and/or VOD releases .
Lambert & Stamp R DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
Trailers

Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert set out to make an underground movie about the restless youth of the early 1960s; instead, they accidentally discovered a band called the High Numbers—later known worldwide as The Who—and decided to manage the group. With fairly strong reviews, first-time director James D. Cooper's documentary about the pair should appeal to Who fans and anyone interested in revisiting the 1960s.

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Ned Rifle NR DRAMA

Veteran indie director Hal Hartley completes his unlikely Henry Fool trilogy with this sequel to 2007's Fay Grim that returns stars Thomas Jay Ryan, Parker Posey, Liam Aiken, and James Urbaniak, and adds Aubrey Plaza.

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Woman in Gold PG-13 DRAMA
Trailers

My Week with Marilyn director Simon Curtis returns with a true-story tale of an elderly Holocaust survivor (Helen Mirren) who spends a decade fighting to recover a Gustav Klimt painting stolen from her aunt by the Nazis. Reviewers are lukewarm about the feature, which also stars Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, and Tatiana Maslany.

Additional limited and/or VOD releases (in alphabetical order) .
5 to 7 R ROM-COM/DRAMA

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Boychoir NR DRAMA


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Cut Bank R THRILLER


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Death of a Tree NR DRAMA


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Effie Gray PG-13 DRAMA


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Electric Slide R DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER


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The Girl Is in Trouble NR THRILLER


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The Hand That Feeds NR DOCUMENTARY


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Last Knights NR ACTION-ADVENTURE — Also available on VOD


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The Living R THRILLER


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Playing It Cool R ROM-COM — Pre-theatrical VOD release (in theaters 5/8)



All movies now in theaters... | Recent DVD/Blu-ray releases... | Recent streaming releases...

New trailers and updates for upcoming films


A first look at SPECTRE

If the first teaser trailer is to be trusted, the 24th Bond film, SPECTRE, picks up just after the events of Skyfall, and it seems to hinge on a secret from Bond’s past. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan, Neil Purvis and Rob Wade—all returning from Skyfall—the new film once again stars Daniel Craig as James Bond, Ralph Fiennes as the new M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Ben Whishaw as Q. Joining the cast are Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, and Stephanie Sigman. Waltz is rumored to be playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, but there are no signs of a furry white cat or a bald head in this first look. SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) hits theaters November 6th.


More from Mad Max: Fury Road

The latest trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road reveals a bit more story than all the previous looks combined, but that doesn’t mean it skimps on the cars and explosions. Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky is a prisoner trying to escape the lair of villain Immortan Joe played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in the original Mad Max. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa is on the run from him as well. Eventually, they all meet up in the post-apocalyptic desert, accompanied by giant drums and a guitar that doubles as a flamethrower. With Hardy now attached to star in three additional Mad Max films, let’s hope Mad Max: Fury Road is a hit when it arrives in 2D and 3D theaters on May 15th.

Jack Black takes The D Train

In The D Train, Jack Black plays Dan Landsman. Dan is the head of his high school reunion committee, and he becomes obsessed with convincing Oliver Lawless (James Marsden), the most popular guy from his class and who is now the face of a national ad campaign, to show up with him to their reunion. But after an evening of debauchery in Los Angeles, Dan’s relationships with his wife (Kathryn Hahn), son (Russell Posner), and boss (Jeffrey Tambor) suffer. With mixed reviews from its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The D Train comes to theaters May 8th.

Susan Cooper is a Spy

After excellent reviews from its premiere at SXSW, Paul Feig’s latest comedy gets an extended trailer that reveals more of the laughs and some of the action that made it a hit with audiences at the festival. Originally titled Susan Cooper after star Melissa McCarthy’s character, Spy finds the actress turning from office drone to field agent in order to help out her partner (Jude Law) and another top agent played by Jason Statham. Rose Byrne, Morena Baccarin, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, and 50 Cent also star. You can spy it in theaters beginning June 5th.

Masterminds

Originally titled Loomis Fargo, Masterminds tells the bizarre true story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Zach Galifianakis plays David Ghantt, who enlisted his work crush Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), who then brought in Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) on an absurd plan to steal $17 million from his employer. And it actually works ... for a while. A series of double–crosses leads to a hitman (Jason Sudeikis) entering the picture, and that’s not the end of the story. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) from a screenplay credited to Jody Hill, Danny McBride, and three others, Masterminds will be released August 7th.

Milla Jovovich is a Survivor

Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta, The Raven), Survivor stars Milla Jovovich as a foreign service officer who is framed for a terrorist bombing by an assassin played by Pierce Brosnan. A supporting cast of Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, and Robert Forster adds to the intrigue. Survivor comes to theaters and VOD May 29th.

Joel Edgerton makes his directorial debut

In The Gift, the peaceful life of Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) is upset by a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon’s past. Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton) at first, but after a seemingly coincidental series of encounters proves troubling, a horrifying secret from their past is uncovered, and Robyn begins to wonder who her husband is. This writing and directing feature debut from Joel Edgerton debuts in theaters July 31st.

The Connection

Based on the same drug smuggling ring that inspired The French Connection, The Connection stars Jean Dujardin as real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel who went on a crusade to dismantle the crime syndicate led by Gatean "Tany" Zampa (Gilles Lellouche). Look for the Cédric Jimenez-directed film in select theaters beginning May 15th.

Straight Outta Compton

Directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen) and starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., and Aldis Hodge as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren, Straight Outta Compton charts the rise and fall of N.W.A. Paul Giamatti plays their controversial manager, Jerry Heller, and Keith Stanfield is Snoop Dogg. Find it in theaters August 14th.

Poltergeist redux

Produced by Sam Raimi and directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House), this remake of the classic 1982 horror film by Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg stars Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt as the unsuspecting parents of a family whose new house is haunted. When their youngest daughter is taken, they seek the help of a ghost hunter played by Jared Harris. Nicholas Braun, Jane Adams, Saxon Sharbino, Kennedi Clements, and Kyle Catlett also star. Poltergeist haunts theaters beginning May 22nd.

Short takes

The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion film to his highly acclaimed 2013 documentary The Act of Killing, earned great reviews when it premiered in Venice last year. Here’s the first teaser before it comes to select theaters July 17th.

Senna director Asif Kapadia’s latest documentary looks at the life of singer Amy Winehouse. The film will debut in the UK July 3rd. Expect an American release sometime this summer.

Donnie Yen stars in Kung Fu Killer, an April 24 release.

Rubber and Wrong director Quentin Dupieux’s latest is Reality (a concept with which the film shares no common ground). See it in select theaters and on VOD beginning May 8th.

News and notes

  • Are you ready for more Transformer movies? You better be. - Deadline

  • Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play Killer Croc alongside Will Smith, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, and Jay Hernandez, in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. - TheWrap

  • Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio will play Vern’s (Will Arnett) love interest in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. - Heat Vision

  • Bill Hader has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of The BFG. - Deadline

  • Mulan will be the next Disney animated feature to get the live-action treatment, and the studio also has plans for a re-imagined Winnie the Pooh film focusing on an older Christopher Robin, with a script by Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Philip). - THR & Deadline

  • Rachel Weisz will star opposite Colin Firth in James Marsh’s biopic about amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst’s attempt to win the single-handed, around-the world Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. - Deadline

  • Kristen Stewart is in talks to join Joe Alwyn, Steve Martin, and Garrett Hedlund in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. - TheWrap

  • Hugh Jackman is attached to star in Apostle Paul for Warner Bros. - Deadline

  • Anna Kendrick has joined Zac Efron and Adam DeVine in the comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. - THR

  • The LEGO Movie was very successful, so why not a Play-Doh movie? - Deadline