This April is notable for two things that are great for cinema admissions: the bulk of the Easter school holidays and later in the month, the start of the summer blockbuster season. It may not feel like summer in late April but the first of the year’s big superhero films, Iron Man 3 3D is released on April 26 and after that the tent-pole releases come thick and fast.
Arty thrills and Ryan Gosling - Upmarket Dramas There are an unusually high number of upmarket dramas this April and one stands out above all others, Ryan Gosling stunner The Place Beyond The Pines. Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider (admit it, you’re hooked already) who turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his new-born child. He’s supported by a stellar cast including Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne and Eva Mendes and it’s sure to stir up the emotions from April 12.
Also out is A Late Quartet. Featuring a terrific cast, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener, it follows the fate of a world renowned string quartet as they struggle to stay together in the face of illness and personal dramas.
Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant are teaming up again this April after Good Will Hunting in issue-led drama, Promised Land. Damon plays a salesman for a natural gas company who has to persuade a small rural town to allow drilling on their land. It promises to be a compelling drama with a powerful message.
Finally, the Brits get involved in the action towards the end of the month as Steve Coogan and director Michael Winterbottom team up once again, following 24 Hour Party People and The Trip. The Look of Love tells the story of Paul Raymond, the controversial entrepreneur who was once known as the King of Soho and became one of the UK’s richest men. Expect style, sex and sleaze with a healthy dose of humour.
Absolut terror and more Ryan Gosling - Alcohol Friendly Films This April is a great month for alcohol brands with only three films throughout the month unable to carry alcohol advertising. The first key title to look out for on 12 April is Tom Cruise returning to intelligent big budget sci-fi in Oblivion. From the director of Tron: Legacy, we’re expecting this to be a visual feast but the trailer suggests the drama quotient is also high. Fans of French electro-pop wizards M83 are in for a treat too as they provide the soundtrack.
A week later sees the release of a horror remake that people are actually looking forward to. The original Evil Dead is a chilling classic and with original director, Sam Raimi, on producing duties for the new version, fans of the original are hopeful. The trailer looks beautifully constructed and spectacularly grisly. Definitely not one for the faint-hearted.
A slightly less traumatic horror experience can be found at Dark Skies. Blending sci-fi and horror it’s from the producer of the extraordinarily popular Paranormal Activity franchise. Finally, as mentioned above it’s difficult to mention any selection of films in April without bringing up The Place Beyond the Pines again. It looks incredible and can’t possibly disappoint.
Robert Downey Jr. brings back the Alpha Male - Male Films As you’d expect in April, male youths are well catered for and the month is kicked off by one of the very best of all males, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Snitch is a more serious vehicle for The Rock as he plays a DEA agent who is forced undercover to free his son who’s been set up in a drug deal.
As mentioned above, a week later Oblivion will play very male too and aside from Iron Man 3 is a good bet for the biggest film of the month.
On 17 April, Gerard Butler has to rescue the president from terrorists in the White House in Olympus Has Fallen. It looks like Air Force One if they never made it on to the plane.
Finally, last year Avengers Assemble became the eighteenth biggest film in UK history and the third biggest worldwide. On 26 April, the first post-Avengers Assemble Marvel film, Iron Man 3 3D is released. It’s fair to say that anticipation is high for this one as Robert Downey Jr returns as the hugely popular hero. The supporting cast is formidable too with Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley joining Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle. It’s going to be big and if it’s not in the Top 10 biggest films of the year come December, we’ll do some er… ironing, man.