Avengers: Infinity War

Perhaps the most anticipated movie of the year, Avengers: Infinity War takes place two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War. The film will see the  Avengers working together with the Guardians of the Galaxy in order to stop Thanos. Presale tickets for Infinity War have already broken records, so tickets are probably going to be difficult to obtain if you haven’t bought them already. Box office numbers for this film are expected to go through the roof. The most recent Marvel movie, Black Panther is already the third highest grossing film in United States history (Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avatar claim the top two spots respectively). It will be interesting to see how this movie will handle having so many characters.

 

A Quiet Place

This horror film, directed by actor-turned-director John Krasinski, focuses on a family set in post-apocalyptic future. The only way for the family to survive is in complete silence, in order to avoid dangerous creatures who hunt human beings by sound. The film stars real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.  The film still manages to get audiences attention despite limited dialogue. It also pertains a heavy use of sign language. The film has gained critical acclaim and is doing well in the box office.

 

Blockers

This raunchy comedy focuses on high school prom girls who form a pact to lose virginity. However, their parents find out after looking through their phone and try to come up with a plan to stop them. It sars John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz. The film is directed by Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect) and co-written by Brian Kehoe, Jim Kehoe, Eben Russell, and Harold and Kumar co- writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The film breaks away from the norm of coming-of-age high school comedies like Superbad and American Pie, which usually display the male perspective. This film is unique in that it highlights not only the female perspective, but the parents’ perspective as well.

 

You Were Never Really Here

Lynn Ramsey directs and writes this film about a contract killer portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix stars as a veteran and former FBI agent, Joe, who is affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. Joe is tasked with finding missing girls, but when a job gets out of control, Joe’s nightmares begin haunting him. Lynn Ramsey is known for directing films that deal with grief, death, and guilt and this is no different. Phoenix gives a fantastic performance and won Best actor in Cannes Film Festival last year for this movie. The film received a seven minute standing ovation after it was screened at Cannes.

 

The Rider

Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao directs this beautiful film about a cowboy who is injured when he falls off his horse. Based on a true story, The Rider stars Brady Jandreau as a rodeo star who is told that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Back home, Brady struggles with the idea that he must go on with his life despite not being able to ride and compete. While trying to recapture control of his destiny, Brady attempts to look for a new identity and tries to reclassify his concept of being a man in America. The film won the Art Cinema Award at Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for four different Independent Spirit Awards including Best Picture and Director.