Dual
Dual is RLJE Films’ satirical sci-fi thriller film written, directed, and produced by Riley Stearns. It stars Karen Gillan, Beulah Koale, Theo James, Maija Paunio, and Aaron Paul. The plot follows a woman who tries to destroy a clone of herself. The premise of the film itself is interesting.
Synopsis: Set in the near future, upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, Sarah (Gillan) opts for a cloning procedure of herself and trains the clone to feel like her, to ease her loss on her friends and family. But then Sara makes a sudden and miraculous recovery, which drives her to a new problem: in the society of the future, humans cannot exist for longer than the time limit of their clones. So her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death. By law, she has one year to train her body and mind for the fight of her life.
Stearns is known for his movies that are a perfect mix of humor and seriousness, his previous film The Art of Self-Defense (2019) was a cleverly made film that is dark and comedic. So we can expect Dual to be in that zone. And Gillan will be perfect for this style as she is known for her comedy and action roles.
The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22 and received great reviews. Dual brings writer-director Riley Stearns’ signature deadpan style to bear on a smart sci-fi comedy that’s well-led by Karen Gillan in dual roles.
The R-rated thriller so far has an 80% RT score based on 76 reviews with praise for the writer-director, the story, and Gillan. It is scheduled to be released in limited theatres on April 15 and digitally on-demand on May 20. This is a must-watch film.
Dual release date: April 15, 2022
The Northman
The Northman is Focus Features’ historical epic action-adventure drama directed, produced by Robert Eggers, and co-written by Eggers and Sjón. The trailers for this film looked raw, epic, and visually stunning. Eggers is best known for his acclaimed horror films that are unique, trippy, and ambitious like The Witch (2017) and The Lighthouse (2019). This is his third feature film.
Based on the legend of Amleth, the film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, Willem Dafoe, Kate Dickie, Gustav Lindh, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Murray McArthur, Ian Whyte, Katie Pattinson, Olwen Fouéré, and Ralph Ineson.
Synopsis: Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy’s mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who’s on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
The Northman had its world premiere in Stockholm on March 28, 2022, and now it is scheduled for a theatrical release worldwide. It will be distributed by Focus Features in the US and by Universal Pictures internationally. This R-rated epic is one of the films that watching at the cinema shouldn’t be missed.
The Northman release date: April 22, 2022
The Bad Guys
The Bad Guys is Universal Pictures’ computer-animated crime adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is directed by Pierre Perifel (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Etan Cohen and is based on the New York Times best-selling children’s book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, who serves as an executive producer with Cohen and Patrick Hughes.
The film stars the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh, Alex Borstein, and Awkwafina as a group of criminal animals who, upon being caught, pretend to attempt to reform themselves as model citizens.
Synopsis: In this film, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet–becoming model citizens. Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys–dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Rockwell), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Maron), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Robinson), short-fused “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Ramos) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), aka “Webs.”
But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good. Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Ayoade), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they’ve been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr. Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr. Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become… The Good Guys?
The Bad Guys began its theatrical release in several international markets, starting on March 16, 2022, and now it is scheduled for a wide release on April 22. It received positive reviews from critics. So far it has a 96% RT score based on 28 reviews with praise for its fast-paced fun-filled story and visual appeal making it a must-watch film for all audiences.
Read our review for The Bad Guys below!
RELATED: THE BAD GUYS REVIEW: A STYLISH AND FUN HEIST FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
The Bad Guys release date: April 22, 2022
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is Lionsgate’s black comedy action film directed by Tom Gormican from a screenplay co-written with Kevin Etten. It stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, along with a supporting cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Sheen, Paco León, Demi Moore, David Gordon Green, and Tiffany Haddish.
Synopsis: Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2022, and it is scheduled for a theatrical release worldwide. The R-rated comedy so far holds a 100% RT score based on 26 reviews with praise for its comedy, story, director, and cast. Making this a must-watch film.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent release date: April 22, 2022
Along for the Ride
Along for the Ride is Netflix’s original romantic drama written and directed by Sofia Alvarez, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Dessen. The film stars Emma Pasarow, Belmont Cameli, Kate Bosworth, Laura Kariuki, Andie MacDowell, Genevieve Hannelius, Samia Finnerty, Paul Karmiyran, Marcus Scribner, Ricardo Hurtado, and Dermot Mulroney.
Synopsis: It’s Auden’s last summer before college and she’s spending it in picturesque Colby Beach. While other teens party in the sun, loner Auden spends her time roaming the streets after everyone else is asleep. Everything changes when she meets Eli (Cameli), a charming and mysterious fellow insomniac. On their nightly adventures, Eli challenges Auden to a quest to live out all her childhood dreams. Their connection pushes them to confront why they’ve been content living life in the shadows as they begin to show each other how to live life to the fullest.
Along for the Ride Netflix release date: April 22, 2022
9 Bullets
9 Bullets is Screen Media Films’ action mystery thriller written and directed by Gigi Gaston. It stars Lena Headey, Sam Worthington, Dean Scott Vasquez, Cam Gigandet, La La Anthony, Martin Sensmeier, Stephanie Arcila, and Barbara Hershey. 9 Bullets is scheduled to be released in limited theaters and on-demand simultaneously.
Synopsis: A former burlesque dancer turned author (Headey) discovers a second chance at life and redemption when she risks everything to rescue her young neighbor (Vasquez) after he witnesses his parents’ murder. Now on the run from the local crime boss (Worthington), who happens to be her longtime ex, she makes a desperate attempt to get the boy to safety.
9 Bullets (limited theaters & VOD) release date: April 22, 2022
The Survivor
The Survivor is HBO Max’s original biographical drama film, directed by Barry Levinson, from a screenplay by Justine Juel Gillmer. Ben Foster stars as Harry Haft, a real-life survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he boxed fellow inmates to survive. Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, John Leguizamo, Dar Zuzovsky, and Danny DeVito co-star.
Synopsis: After being sent to Auschwitz, Haft (Foster) is forced to participate in a gladiatorial boxing spectacle along with his fellow prisoners.
The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021. It so far has a 75% RT score based on 28 reviews with praise for Foster and the director. The R-rated biopic is set to be released on HBO Max.
The Survivor HBO Max release date: April 27, 2022
Memory
Memory is Open Road Films’ action thriller directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by Dario Scardapane. It is based on the novel De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts and is a remake of the novel’s previous adaptation, the Belgian film The Alzheimer Case.
The film stars Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, Ray Stevenson, Louis Mandylor, Stella Stocker, Natalie Anderson, and Ray Fearon.
Synopsis: The film follows Alex Lewis (Neeson), an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision. Caught in a moral quagmire, Alex refuses to complete a job that violates his code and must quickly hunt down and kill the people who hired him before they and FBI agent Vincent Serra (Pearce) find him first. Alex has the skills to stay ahead, except for one thing: he is struggling with severe memory loss. With a memory that is beginning to falter, he is forced to question his every action and whom he can ultimately trust, blurring the line between right and wrong.
Liam Neeson is well known for his action films, he makes at least more than one action movie every year. Director Martin Campbell is known for his action films as well. The R-rated action thriller is scheduled to have a wide theatrical release by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment.
Memory release date: April 29, 2022
The Aviary
The Aviary is Saban Films’ mystery thriller written and directed by Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite. Malin Akerman, Lorenza Izzo, Sandrine Holt, and Chris Messina star in this twisted thriller about two women’s desperate attempts to flee the clutches of Skylight, an insidious cult. The R-rated thriller is scheduled to be released in limited theaters and on-demand simultaneously.
Synopsis: Trapped at Skylight’s isolated desert campus, The Aviary, Jillian (Akerman), and Blair (Izzo) join forces to make a treacherous escape. Alone in the harsh wilderness, they are consumed by paranoia and unable to shake the feeling that they are being followed by the cult’s leader, Seth (Messina), a man as seductive as he is controlling. With supplies dwindling and their senses failing, Jillian and Blair are faced with a horrifying question: how do you run from an enemy who lives inside your head?
The Aviary (limited theaters & VOD) release date: April 29, 2022
Crush
Crush is Hulu’s original romantic comedy-drama directed by Sammi Cohen and written by LGBTQ+ writers Kirsten King and Casey Rackham. There’s a growing appetite for more teenage rom-coms that positively portray the experience of LGBTQ+ high schoolers. Crush promises a diverse rom-com that could live up to the audience’s adoration of such films, while also capitalizing off on the smart comedy and friendship
The film features Rowan Blanchard, Auli’i Cravalho, Isabella Ferreira, Tyler Alvarez, Teala Dunn, Rico Paris, and Addie Weyrich, Aasif Mandvi, Michelle Buteau, and Megan Mullally.
Synopsis: When an aspiring young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as an opportunity to pursue the girl she’s been harboring a long-time crush on. But she soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovers what real love feels like.
Crush Hulu release date: April 29, 2022
Which new movies in April 2022 are you most excited about? Which movies will you be seeing during April? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media and be sure to come back to The Illuminerdi for more movie news!
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