Even with Oscars over, acclaimed films set to be released

With the Oscars occurring a few weeks back, some may think it’s the end of “movie season” but plenty more cinematic masterpieces are set to be released this spring.

Below are five movies worth checking out in the next few months that feature plenty of big-name actors and directors.

Tetris (release March 31 on Apple TV+)

This biographical drama film stars Taron Egerton as Dutch video game designer Henk Rogers who is known for producing Japan’s first major turn-based role-playing video game called The Black Onyx, which secured the rights to distribute Tetris on video game consoles. The movie follows Rogers as he discovers Tetris in 1988 and then risks it all by traveling to the Soviet Union, joining forces with inventor Alexey Pajitnov to bring the game to the masses. Egerton has risen through the ranks the last couple years as an actor, starring as Elton John in Rocketman in 2019 and most recently playing convict Jimmy Keene in the miniseries Blackbird.

Air (release April 5 in theaters)

Directed by Ben Affleck, this biographical sports drama centers around the origin of the Air Jordan shoe line when a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie basketball player Michael Jordan, creating a partnership that interlinked sports and culture. Affleck stars as Nike co-founder Phil Knight while Matt Damon plays the role of Nike shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro. Also starring are Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker and Viola Davis playing Jordan’s mother Deloris.

Beau is Afraid (release April 21 in theaters)

This comedy-horror film is extremely intriguing and you can bet it will be good since Joquin Phoenix is playing the lead role of Beau, an extremely anxious but pleasant-looking man who has a fraught relationship with his overbearing mother and never knew his father, the film’s premise states. When his mother dies, he makes a journey home that involves some wild supernatural threats. The movie is directed by up-and-coming 36-year-old director Ari Aster whose previous two films received critical acclaim (Hereditary, Midsommar). The movie also stars Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Michael Gandolfini.

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (release April 21 in theaters)

Any time British filmmaker Guy Ritchie makes a film, it is certain to create some buzz. Typically his films are gangster-oriented, but this one focuses on the war in Afghanistan where a local interpreter risks his life to carry an injured U.S. sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) across miles of grueling terrain. Gyllenhaal being the lead actor for a Ritchie film is certainly fascinating as the two have never worked together before.

Killers of the Flower Moon (release expected to be in May on Apple TV+)

Critics expect this film to be one of the best of the year given its plot along with its legendary cast and crew. Directed by 80-year-old Martin Scorsese, the film is based on the best-selling 2017 non-fiction book of the same name. The story focuses on a series of Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation during the 1920s, which were committed after oil was discovered on tribal land. The murders sparked a major FBI investigation led by 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White. Leonardo DiCaprio leads the star-studded cast, along with Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow. Although it is scheduled to be released in May, don’t be surprised if it’s delayed a bit. It will be worth the wait as many expect the film to be nominated for numerous Academy Awards next year.