A great selection of indie and international genre fare is opening in limited release this week in movie theaters, which pairs well with three wide releases that cover action thrills, iconic pop star dramatics, and disturbing horror creatures.
Let's start with an overview of the wide releases.
Normal
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Magnolia Pictures. Visit their official site for locations and showtimes.
Our own Kurt Halfyard saw the film at last year's Toronto International Film Festival. In his review, he wrote: "When a spectacularly random, and botched bank robbery that screams 'weaponized incompetence,' breaks the town's nothing-ever-happens-here streak, before you can say 'For the greater good,' the team behind John Wick (and Nobody) and Ben Wheatley, the director who made Kill List and Free Fire, have unleashed a holy hellfire of violence and mayhem on main street. "
Official synopsis: "For Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality's tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town is anything but its namesake."
Mother Mary
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via A24.
David Lowery wrote and directed. That's enough to raise my expections. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) on the eve of her comeback performance."
Lee Cronin's The Mummy
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Warner Bros.. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Spoiler! Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will not be in this movie. (Neither will Tom Cruise.) Describing the project when it was first announced in 2024, the director of The Hole in the Ground declared: "I've got something wickedly entertaining and terrifying hidden up my sleeve."
Official synopsis: "Hot off the record-setting resurrection of Evil Dead Rise, writer/director Lee Cronin turns to one of the most iconic horror stories of all time with an audacious and twisted retelling: Lee Cronin's The Mummy.
"The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace-- eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
"The film stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón. The film is written and directed by Cronin, and produced by James Wan, Jason Blum and John Keville. The executive producers are Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher and Lee Cronin.
"Cronin is supported behind the camera by a team of sterling film artisans, including director of photography Dave Garbett, production designer Nick Bassett, editor Bryan Shaw, costume designer Joanna Eatwell, music by Stephen McKeon and casting by Terri Taylor and Sarah Domeier Lindo."
Now, let's dive into the films with more limited theatrical releases, sometimes with a VOD component.
Erupcja
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via 1-2 Special. Visit the official site for more information.
Pete Ohs strikes again! Look for my Director in Focus feature, ahead of my review, this week.
Official synopsis: "A romantic vacation goes awry when a volcanic eruption strands Bethany (Charli xcx) and her soon-to-be fiancé, Rob (Will Madden) in Warsaw, Poland. Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to ditch her baggage, reunite with childhood friend Nel (Lena Góra) and traipse across lofts, clubs and back alleys, all the while becoming entangled in an emotional web that challenges her sense of self.
"From American maverick Pete Ohs, who wrote, directed, edited, photographed, and produced this dizzyingly charming European postcard, comes Erupcja, a delightful anti-romantic comedy about the pains and pleasures of being in love."
Ballistic
The film opens Friday, April 17, in movie theaters and On Demand, via Brainstorm Media. Pre-order the On Demand edition right here.
Lena Headey stars as a mother who goes ballistic. 'Nuff said. Look for our complete review later this week.
Official synopsis: "When a soldier's mother (Lena Headey) discovers the bullet that killed her son in Afghanistan was made at the factory where she works, she sets out on a path of revenge against those responsible."
Mile End Kicks
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Sumerian Pictures. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Our own Shelagh Rowan-Legg saw the film at last year's Toronto International Film Festival. A few words from her review are quoted in the trailer below: "A love letter to young women everywhere."
Official synopsis: "A 24-year-old music critic (Barbie Ferreira) gets romantically involved with two members of the same indie band she is covering, set against Montreal's vibrant indie music scene in 2011."
Amrun
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Kino Lorber. Visit the official site for more information.
Fatih Akin's latest film explores a familiar subject from a fresh perspective. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "It is the Spring of 1945 on the German island of Amrum, a remote outpost in the North Sea. The front is far away, and 12-year-old Nanning (newcomer Jasper Billerbeck) spends his days working the nearby farm and his nights fishing, helping his mother to feed their family. Despite the hardship, life on the beautiful, windswept isle seems idyllic.
"When their anti-fascist neighbor Tessa (Diane Kruger) mentions to Nanning that the war will soon be over, the boy - too young to understand the political implications - is pleased to imagine that his father, a Nazi officer, might soon be coming home. But his mother Hille (Laura Tonke) is a true believer, and word of Germany's imminent defeat sends her into decline. One day from her sick bed, she wishes for white bread, butter and honey, near impossible luxuries on Amrum, which Nanning innocently tries to find for her. But as he sets off on his quest, he learns from his neighbors that the enemy is far closer than he imagined.
"From Golden Globe Award-winning filmmaker Fatih Akin (In the Fade, Head-On), Amrum is a tender coming-of-age tale about the loss of innocence set against the waning days of the Second World War."
Mad Bills to Pay
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Oscilloscope. Visit the official site for more information.
This looks like a prototypical NYC picture, with a lotta wild, gritty energy. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "In a tight knit Dominican American community in The Bronx, Rico (Juan Collado) is hustling his way through the summer, selling bootleg "nutcracker" cocktails out of a beach cooler and chasing girls without a care in the world. But when his teenage girlfriend, Destiny (Destiny Checo), begins crashing at his place with his family, turning their small apartment into a stage for their messy, complicated young love, it's only a matter of time before they're hit with the sobering reality of growing up too fast in a city that waits for no one.
"Writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas turns his hometown into the heartbeat of his debut feature, teaming up with discovery talent Collado and Checo, to deliver a raw and deeply authentic look at life in The Bronx. With humor and grit, Vargas paints a tender portrait of the chaos and charm of urban life, and the ups and downs of youthful abandon when things take an unexpected turn."
Beyond the films we are planning to review, here are a few more genre films that caught our attention. The trailers are great!
The Whistler
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Vertical Entertainment.
Official synopsis: "Reeling from the loss of their daughter, a couple unexpectedly inherit a secluded farm. Hoping to start fresh, they instead encounter a cult claiming it can summon spirits from beyond, forcing them to deal with dark forces and their own inner demons."
Blue Heron
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Janus Films.
Official synopsis: "In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy. At wit's end, their parents are presented with a shattering choice. Award-winning director Sophy Romvari's feature debut is a lyrical and profound testament to the things we carry with us, masterfully chronicling the haze of a languid summer and the hyaline clarity of the moments that defined it."
Marama
The film opens Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters, via Dark Sky Films and Watermelon Pictures. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.
Official synopsis: "1859. When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and is compelled to confront and destroy the titled Englishman who devastated her family."
Opening This Week celebrates the cinematic experience, in movie theaters and at home.