By this time last year, the movie that would win Best Picture at the 95th Oscars — Everything Everywhere All at Once — was already in theaters. Which is to say, it's never too early to start thinking about next year's Oscars. This month's releases include new offerings from three-time Oscar winner James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment) and two-time Oscar winner Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting and Argo), alongside directorial debuts from exciting new voices like Nida Manzoor and Benjamin Millepied. Plus, the Super Mario Bros. "wa-hoo" back onto the big screen after 30 years.
Below, A.frame's guide to all of the movies arriving in theaters and streaming at home this April.
Air
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (who won an Oscar together for writing Good Will Hunting) reteam to tell the true story of how Nike courted a rookie Michael Jordan, created the Air Jordan, and revolutionized sports, pop culture, and business all in one shot. Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, the marketing mind behind the shoe, with Affleck (who also directs) plays Nike CEO Phil Knight. The cast also includes Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Oscar winner Viola Davis.
Watch it: In theaters April 5
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The iconic video game returns to the big screen for the first time since 1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. as an animated adventure from Oscar-nominated producer Christopher Meledandri (Despicable Me 2) and Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. Chris Pratt voices Mario, with Charlie Day as his Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Jack Black as Bowser.
Watch it: In theaters April 5
Showing Up
Writer and director Kelly Reichardt's fourth collaboration with Oscar winner Michelle Williams — following 2008's Wendy and Lucy, 2010's Meek's Cutoff and 2016's Certain Women — casts the actress as a struggling Portland sculptor readying a new art show while the slights and indignations of day-to-day life. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Hong Chau, with André Benjamin, Maryann Plunkett, and Reichardt's First Cow star, John Magaro.
Watch it: In theaters April 7
Suzume
Suzume is an anime fantasy romance from Makoto Shinkai, the visionary director behind 2016's Your Name. The movie follows the titular teen, a small-town high school student voiced by Nanoka Hara, as she travels throughout Japan with a mysterious companion, tasked with closing magical portals to save the world from disaster. Suzame is available with an English-language dub or as the original Japanese version.
Watch it: In theaters April 14
Beau Is Afraid
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix stars in the latest tale from the mind of Ari Aster, the writer and director behind Hereditary and Midsommar. Phoenix plays the titular Beau, an anxiety-riddled man on a surreal journey that Aster likens to a "Jewish Lord of the Rings, but he's just going to his mom's house." Beau Is Afraid also stars Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Michael Gandolfini and Patti LuPone.
Watch it: In theaters April 21
Carmen
Scream star Melissa Barrera and Oscar nominee Paul Mescal star in this modern re-telling of Georges Bizet's opera. In this iteration, Carmen (Barrera) is an undocumented immigrant who flees her home in Mexico and falls for a border patrol agent (Mescal). Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed Black Swan, directs the musical drama, with an original score by three-time Oscar nominee Nicholas Britell.
Watch it: In theaters April 21
Chevalier
After playing B.B. King in Elvis, Kelvin Harrison Jr. steps into the shoes of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the prodigious composer, virtuoso violinist, expert swordsman and revolutionary. Directed by Emmy winner Stephen Williams (Watchmen), the period drama shares the untold story of Bologne's rise through the ranks of 18th century French society and what leads him to challenge Marie Antoinette's (Lucy Boynton) reign.
Watch it: In theaters April 21
Ghosted
Ghosted is the classic story of boy meets girl, boy thinks girl is ghosting him, boy discovers she's actually a super spy and must help her save the world. Chris Evans stars as everyman Cole and Ana de Armas as secret agent Sadie, in an espionage rom-com directed by Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (Spider-Man) and Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool).
Watch it: On Apple TV+ April 21
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Little Richard is a founding father of rock and roll, but he's never gotten his flowers for his enduring impact on the genre. Now, the "Real King of Rock and Roll" gets his due in Little Richard: I Am Everything, from Emmy-winning documentarian Lisa Cortes, which explores his influences on musicians like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger and his lasting legacy as an artist, with commentary from the likes of Billy Porter and John Waters.
Watch it: In theaters April 21
Judy Blume Forever / Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
April offers up a Judy Blume double feature with a documentary about the beloved author and a big screen adaptation of her most beloved novel. Judy Blume Forever, from directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, features Blume reflecting on her life and life's work, with appearances by famous fans like Lena Dunham, Samantha Bee, Molly Ringwald, and more.
One week later, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. brings the novel to the big screen, directed by James L. Brooks — a choice approved by Blume herself, after rejecting many offers to adapt the book over the years. Abby Ryder Forston stars as Margaret, with Rachel McAdams as her mom and Oscar winner Kathy Bates as her grandma, Sylvia.
Watch it: Judy Blume Forever is on Amazon Prime April 21; Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is in theaters April 28
Polite Society
Britcom writer-director Nida Manzoor, creator of the hit series We Are Lady Parts, makes her feature debut with Polite Society, an action-comedy about a British-Indian teenager, Ria (Priya Kansara), who dreams obsessed of becoming a stunt performer. But when she discovers her big sister is marrying into a family of villains, Ria must use her skills to stop her sister from saying "I do."
Watch It: In theaters April 28
Also out in April: Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (on Hulu April 3), How to Blow Up a Pipeline (in theaters April 7), Joyland (in select theaters April 7), One True Loves (in select theaters April 7), Paint (in theaters April 7), The Pope's Exorcist (in theaters April 14), Mafia Mamma (in theaters April 14), Renfield (in theaters April 14), Sweetwater (in theaters April 14), Quasi (on Hulu April 20), The Covenant (in theaters April 21), Evil Dead Rise (in theaters April 21), Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World (in theaters April 28), Clock (on Hulu April 28), and A Tourist's Guide to Love (on Netflix April 21), The Eight Mountains (in theaters in New York April 28).
