April 2015 watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
Okay, so March was a bit of an annoying month. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter didn't come out, instead I saw free screenings to both Insurgent and The Gunman, both of which I regretted seeing immidiatley. However, enough about that, it's time to move on to April, and get through the one month we've got left to wait for Avengers 2, because let's be honest here, that's what everyone wants. Apparently movie studios want the same thing, because almost nothing is coming out this month.

April 3rd

Furious 7

Until recently, I haven't really been a fan of the Fast & Furious movies. The first one was kinda meh, the following three films were terrible, and then Fast Five kind of changed the game for the series. Suddenly, it wasn't a racing series, it was an action series. Then Fast & Furious 6 took things to a totally new level by making it an over the top and insane action series. Now, based mainly on the trailers, this series is just completely bonkers, with nothing left of whatever realism was in any of the other films.

April 13th - 19th: Calgary Underground Film Festival
So, as some of you may or may not know, every year in Calgary there's an awesome film festival where they have really cool independent films that nobody in the world has heard of, but they all should have. Last year, I got to see the awesome film Frank, and the oddly motivating and depressing at the same time documentary, Jodorowsky's Dune. Much like last year, I've narrowed down two films I'm really hyped up for, and here they are.

Ex Machina - April 13th

I had heard of this movie in late 2014, and was already interested. This seems like a really interesting movie, and a neat spin on an already intriguing concept. The plot follows a young programmer who's hired by this tech genius to test an humanoid AI system to see if it's legitimately AI. Not much is really known outside of that, which is what I like about the trailers, they gave away almost nothing.

Bloodsucking Bastards - April 16th & 19th

From what I've heard about this movie, it's like a dream come true. Apparently is some kind of awesome combination between Office Space and Shaun of the Dead, only instead of zombies, it's vampires, and instead of Simon Pegg, they've got the stoner from Cabin in the Woods. If you ask me, everything about that description sounds like a step up from Shaun of the Dead and Office Space, which is why I'm really excited to see this movie.

Guidance - April 15th

There are a few movies coming out this year with concepts behind them that show a lot of originality. Guidance is one of those exceptions, with what I can already tell is a really interesting plot. Essentially, the story of Guidance is about a struggling actor, who decides to use his acting talents to fake his way into becoming the guidance counsellor at a high school. However, things get complicated when he starts drinking and doing drugs with his students, which could make him either the worst or the best guidance counsellor depending on who you asked.

Best of March 2015: '71

'71 is a great example of a fast paced, and gritty thriller. This movie hits all it's marks, and it hits them well, with a great cast, an interesting story, and a lot of action to go along with it. Jack O'Connell, as usual, hits all the right notes with this movie, you feel for his character, he makes everything feel real, and like with Unbroken, does a really good job of making us think he's in a lot of pain. This movie has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, so that's why it's easily the best movie of the month.