Film Friday (3/27): This Week's New Movies & Trailers

Metacritic

Updated March 27, 2015 at 1:14 PM

Opening this weekend

Nationwide releases .
It Follows R HORROR
Trailers

Expands nationwide. One of the best-reviewed horror films to come along in years, this second film from The Myth of the American Sleepover director David Robert Mitchell is hoping to build on its early buzz with a nationwide rollout this weekend.

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Home PG ANIMATION/FAMILY
Trailers

This 3D computer-animated sci-fi comedy from DreamWorks Animation is based on Adam Rex’s novel The True Meaning of Smekday, which tells the story of Tip (Rihanna), a regular girl trying to avoid capture, and Oh (Jim Parsons), a banished member of the Boovs, an alien race taking over Earth. Also providing voices are Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin.

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Get Hard R COMEDY
Trailers

(PICTURED) Kevin Hart serves as an “incarceration expert” providing his expertise to Will Ferrell’s white collar criminal in an R-rated comedy that serves as the feature directorial debut for Etan Cohen (screenwriter for Tropic Thunder and Men in Black III). It certainly won't be up for any comedy-of-the-year honors.

Notable limited and/or VOD releases .
While We're Young R DRAMEDY
Trailers

Writer-director Noah Baumbach reunites with star Ben Stiller (Greenberg) for this comedic look at a middle aged-couple (Stiller and Naomi Watts) whose lives take some unexpected turns after they befriend a younger hipster couple (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried).

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White God NR FOREIGN/DRAMA
Trailers

Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó's (Delta) drama won the Un Certain Regard at last year’s Cannes Film Festival for its tale of a 13-year-old girl whose father abandons her beloved dog Hagen rather than pay a tax on the pet. Hagen goes through a series of trials as Lili searches for him, and their difficult journey to find each other becomes even more dangerous when all the unwanted, unloved, and so-called unfit dogs rise up under their new leader, Hagen, resulting in a action-packed assault on humanity.

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Welcome to New York R DRAMA — Also available on VOD
Trailers

Director Abel Ferrara's latest is inspired by the case of former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest for the sexual assault of a hotel maid. Gérard Depardieu and Jacqueline Bisset star, and while reviews have been very positive, Ferrara is pursuing legal action against IFC for its edit of the film (which both shortens the running time and brings it down to an R rating) for its American theatrical release.

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The Riot Club R DRAMA — Also available on VOD
Trailers

Lone Scherfig (An Education) directs, and Laura Wade adapts her own play (Posh), to somewhat mixed results. The story follows two first-year students (Max Irons and Sam Claflin) at Oxford University who join the infamous Riot Club. Natalie Dormer, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Douglas Booth also star.

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Marfa Girl NR DRAMA
Trailers

Larry Clark's (Kids) 2012 film, which follows a 16-year-old boy in small-town Texas over a period of a few days, finally heads to theaters several years after the director made it available on his website.

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Serena NR DRAMA
Trailers

Take an established, Oscar-nominated actor pairing (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence) and a director who has done some good work in the past (Susanne Bier, After the Wedding), and the result is, rather unpredictably, a disaster. This long-delayed, 1920s-set tale of love in the North Carolina mountains finally reaches a few theaters this weekend following a VOD release in February.

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3 Holes and a Smoking Gun NR THRILLER

Additional limited and/or VOD releases (in alphabetical order) .
52 Tuesdays NR DRAMA

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Apartment Troubles NR COMEDY

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The Barber R THRILLER

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Cupcakes NR FOREIGN/COMEDY

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The Forger R THRILLER — DirecTV today; in theaters 4/24

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A Girl Like Her PG-13 DRAMA

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The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq NR FOREIGN/DRAMEDY

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Kill Me Three Times NR ACTION/THRILLER — Pre-theatrical VOD release

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Man From Reno NR MYSTERY/THRILLER

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My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes NR DOCUMENTARY

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Nightlight R HORROR/THRILLER

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The Salt of the Earth PG-13 DOCUMENTARY

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A Wolf at the Door NR FOREIGN/THRILLER

All movies now in theaters... | Recent DVD/Blu-ray releases... | Recent streaming releases...

New trailers and updates for upcoming films

The first look at Mission: Impossible–Rogue Nation

The fifth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise must follow in the footsteps of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, the most critically acclaimed and financially successful film (worldwide) in the series. Those are pretty big shoes to fill, but, by the looks of it, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation will succeed or die trying. Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) becomes the fifth director in five films, working from a script by Drew Pearce and Will Staples that pits the IMF against the Syndicate—an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are. Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames return, and they are joined by Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon McBurney. See it in 2D and IMAX theaters beginning July 31st.

The sweet science of Southpaw

Written by Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy, The Shield) and directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer), Southpaw stars Jake Gyllenhaal as boxer Billy Hope, a champion fighter who loses everything important in his life and must climb back to the top with the help of a veteran trainer played by Forest Whitaker. Rachel McAdams, Oona Laurence, Naomie Harris, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also star. Eminem, who was once attached to lead the film, hosts the first trailer and contributed to the soundtrack. Southpaw hits theaters July 31st.

Meet Maggie: she's a zombie

What would you do if your child started turning into a zombie? That’s the intriguing question put forth in Maggie, the feature directorial debut of Henry Hobson. Written by John Scott, the film follows Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a small-town farmer and family man, who refuses to accept defeat even when his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) becomes infected. The film will premiere next month at the Tribeca Film Festival before its release on May 8th.

Proof the Entourage movie is a thing

Vinnie Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his boys Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) in this movie sequel to the bizarrely popular HBO series. What Vinnie wants, Vinnie gets, and Vinnie wants to direct, so bring on the stars. Series regulars Emmanuelle Chriqui, Rex Lee, and Perrey Reeves are back, as are Bob Saget, Mark Wahlberg, Andrew Dice Clay, and Gary Busey, once again playing versions of themselves. New to the party are Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as a financier and his son, with other cameos coming from the likes of Ronda Rousey, Liam Neeson, George Takei, Pharrell, David Spade, and Tom Brady. Entourage opens June 5th.

A fast draw in Slow West

When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, writer-director John Maclean’s Slow West won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Set at the end of the 19th century, the film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jay Cavendish, a 16-year-old on a journey across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves (Caren Pistorius). He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and pursued by an outlaw played by Ben Mendelsohn. Slow West premieres on DirecTV April 16th and in theaters and other VOD channels May 15th.

Dope, in a good way?

Writer-director Rick Famuyiwa’s fourth feature Dope (The Wood, Brown Sugar, Our Family Wedding) looks at the lives of Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) as they try to survive as geeks in the dangerous Inglewood, CA neighborhood known as The Bottoms. But this isn’t Boyz n the Hood; it’s a comedy that premiered at Sundance to mostly good reviews (though Grantland’s Wesley Morris was not a fan). This first teaser introduces the world of the film and is light on spoilers. Dope hits theaters June 19th.

A view to a Good Kill

In Good Kill, director Andrew Niccol reunites with his Gattaca star, Ethan Hawke, for a look at the life of a drone pilot. Hawke plays Air Force pilot Tom Egan, who after six tours of duty now fights the enemy from a bunker in the Nevada desert. As he begins to question his new job, his relationships with is wife (January Jones) and commanding officer (Bruce Greenwood) become increasingly strained. With good reviews from its premiere in Venice last year, Good Kill comes to select theaters May 15th.

Boychoir

Directed by François Girard (The Red Violin), Boychoir stars Dustin Hoffman as a strict choirmaster who helps a troubled Texas transplant (Garrett Wareing) realize his unique vocal talent. The strong supporting cast includes Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger, Josh Lucas, and Kevin McHale. When it premiered in Toronto last year, this feel-good film earned mixed reviews. Look for it in theaters next Friday.

News and notes

The Russo Brothers, directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming sequel Captain America: Civil War, will direct Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and 2. - Badass Digest
After he wraps the Tom Hanks-starring Bridge of Spies and the Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG, Steven Spielberg will direct the big-screen adaptation of Ernie Cline’s popular sci-fi/videogame book Ready Player One. - Deadline
The Founder, the story of McDonald’s mastermind Ray Kroc starring Michael Keaton and directed by John Lee Hancock, will be released on November 25, 2016.
Idris Elba is in talks to play the villain in the next Star Trek movie. - Variety
Ben Mendelsohn, who stars in the new Netflix series Bloodline, is rumored to be joining Felicity Jones in Star Wars: Rogue One. - Deadline
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is in talks to star in an English-language remake of Ruben Östlund's’s Force Majeure. - THR
Liam Neeson is in talks to star in Narco Sub for director Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones). - TheWrap
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vivica A. Fox have joined the cast of Independence Day 2. - Heat Vision
Jonathan Liebesman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is attached to direct Man At Arms, the story of an older Lancelot’s quest for redemption with the King Arthur legend. - Deadline
Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me) is in talks to direct the the shark attack survival drama In The Deep. - Deadline
The cast for Harmony Korine’s Miami music scene-set drama The Trap includes Idris Elba, Benicio Del Toro, Al Pacino, Robert Pattinson, and James Franco. - THR
Key & Peele’s Substitute Teacher skit will become a feature film. - Deadline
Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) is in talks to direct Morningstar, a sci-fi action movie written by David Birke (13 Sins). - TheWrap
Bradley Cooper wants to direct and star in a remake of A Star is Born with Beyoncé. - Deadline
Lea Michele and Kate Upton will star in Layover for actor-director William H. Macy (Rudderless). The sex comedy follows two best friends who find themselves in a battle for the same guy during an extended layover in St. Louis.
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal will star in fashion designer Tom Ford’s second feature film, Nocturnal Animals. Joaquin Phoenix and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are also being considered for roles. Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori, and June Squibb will also star. - THR
Anna Kendrick will reunite with her Rocket Science director, Jeffrey Blitz, for the comedy Table 19, the story of “a group of strangers who are marooned at the misfits table at a destination wedding.” - Deadline
Jason Segel and Drew Perce will write and co-direct The LEGO Movie spin-off The Billion Brick Race. - Heat Vision
Matthew McConaughey is attached to star in The Billionaire’s Vinegar, an adaptation of Benjamin Wallace’s book about the most expensive bottle of wine ever bought at auction. - Deadline
Here is what Jessie Eisenberg will look like as Lex Luthor in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yes, he’s bald.

fifth director in five films, working from a script by Drew Pearce and Will Staples that pits the IMF against the Syndicate—an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are. Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames return, and they are joined by Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon McBurney. See it in 2D and IMAX theaters beginning July 31st.