By Sean van der Heijden
With the awards season just having come to an end, the spring isn’t exactly known for it’s good releases. However, things have been changing lately—last year, both Wes Anderson’s, The Grand Budapest Hotel and critical darling, Under the Skin premiered in March. This year too, there are a couple of promising releases that may have gone under your radar:
- Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter: dir. David Zellner, starring Rinko Kikuchi
This one’s a bit odd. Based on a true story, it’s about a lonely Japanese woman who discovers a copy of the film Fargo, and then heads to the U.S. to hunt down the large case of money that appears in the film. Kikuchi was mesmerizing in Babel all the way back in 2006, and looks just as haunting and atmospheric in this. It opens in limited release on March 18.
- Ex Machina: dir. Alex Garland, starring Domhnall Gleason, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac.
About a researcher who gets involved in an artificial intelligence experiment and must evaluate the human-like qualities of a female robot, this film looks like a cross between drama, sci-fi, and psychological thriller. It’s getting really positive feedback right now, and looks way smarter than it’s making itself out to be. Ex Machina goes wide on April 10.
- While We’re Young: dir. Noah Baumbach, starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, and Adam Driver.
Centered on a middle-aged couple (Stiller and Watts) whose lives get upended upon meeting a much younger couple (Driver and Seyfried), this movie looks like a witty, hilarious dramedy. Dealing with the generation gap between the two couples, Stiller and Watts—who’s won raves for her performance—slowly descend into childish hipsters as their relationship with the younger couple grows. This one comes out on March 27.
Other wide releases include the Kenneth Branagh adaptation of Disney’s Cinderella and the Liam Neeson thriller Run All Night, both of which come out on March 13. The Will Ferrell-Kevin Hart prison comedy Get Hard comes out on March 27, and Furious 7 premieres on April 3. Another promising sci-fi thriller, Self/less, opens on the April 17, and is definitely one to check out. Lastly, the Blake Lively romance The Age of Adaline comes out on April 24 and definitely looks like a decent date movie.