{"id":6206,"date":"2019-04-11T21:04:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T21:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/?p=6206"},"modified":"2019-08-05T11:18:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T18:18:21","slug":"in-theaters-this-weekend-hellboy-missing-link-little-after","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/in-theaters-this-weekend-april-12-app\/","title":{"rendered":"In Theaters This Weekend: \u2018Hellboy,\u2019 \u2018Missing Link,\u2019 \u2018Little,\u2019 &#038; \u2018After\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each week on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Atom Insider<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we\u2019re giving you the heads up on the biggest and most talked about films arriving in theaters.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This week, audiences have plenty of new and seriously diverse releases to choose from as we reach the middle of the spring movie season.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Hellboy\u2019 Oh Boy<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A1oK-yjqqbQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s been over a decade since the last <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hellboy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> movie, at least for me, and that\u2019s probably because while those initial two movies from Guillermo del Toro weren\u2019t exactly cultural phenomenons (in terms of box office or ratings), they did come out at an exciting time for comic book cinema, when the possibilities felt a little more expansive and unrestricted compared to the mid-MCU era. In 2019, we\u2019re in the full steam of a new era of comic book franchises that push the envelope on how far directors can go with their vision for these projects. A new <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hellboy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be darker, gorier, and truer to the Dark Horse comics without being slavish to the fanbase. And judging from the trailers, that might be what we\u2019re about to get with this R-rated reboot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Directed by Neil Marshall (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Descent<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and written by Andrew Cosby and Christopher Golden, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hellboy <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recasts our titular anti-hero as David Harbour of \u201cStranger Things\u201d fame. Unlike the films made by Universal, Lionsgate and Summit have greenlit a reimagined Hellboy who leans far darker into the \u201cgive evil hell\u201d aesthetic, along with a heavy-hitting cast that includes Sasha Lane, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Thomas Haden Church, Daniel Dae Kim, Brian Gleeson, and plenty more.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Not-So-Weakest Missing Link<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SJ2Q6-4cFiU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the studio that brought us some of the best stop-motion films of all time, here comes <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Missing Link<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an animated film with a premise about as unique as its main protagonist, especially compared to some of the other films by LAIKA. The \u201cmissing link\u201d in question is in fact Mr. Link, a tall and heavy-set \u201csomething\u201d covered in fur and voiced by Zach Galifianakis. He one day comes across an adventurer named Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), and the two embark on a journey to find Link\u2019s long-lost relatives, eventually with the help of Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written and directed by Chris Butler (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ParaNorman<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), who is also the head of story at LAIKA, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Missing Link <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doesn\u2019t exactly capture the same scope and wonder of films like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coraline<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kubo and the Two Strings<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, at least judging by the trailers. Despite this, Annapurna Pictures is betting big on the film going over well with mainstream audiences, as it\u2019s pushing a wide release clearly aimed for families and younger viewers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too \u2018Little\u2019 Or Too Late?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/66joPGqFue4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the name implies, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Little <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is about a woman who is mysteriously transformed into a little girl, much to her own inconvenience as a high-power businesswoman with no interest in \u201cgrowing down.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Little <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is, of course, an age and gender swap of the concept from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a comedy about recognizing the similarities and hilarious differences between our kid and adult selves. It should also be noted this is coming off the heels of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shazam!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a superhero movie with a similar body swap gimmick at play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Little <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was directed and co-written by Tina Gordon Chism (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peeples<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), co-written by Tracy Oliver, and is based on an idea by Marsai Martin. The Universal film stars Regina Hall and Marsai Martin in the lead body-swapping roles, along with Issa Rae, JD McCrary, Justin Hartley, Tone Bell, and Caleb Emery.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life \u2018After\u2019 Wattpad<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BNLta4nDM10?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike most other low-budget teen romances based on YA novels, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comes to us from a self-published Wattpad series by Anna Todd, which was initially based on the bandmates from One Direction. Strange as that may sound (to some), <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is really about a young woman who goes off to college and is tempted to cheat on her high school sweetheart with a Harry Styles-esque \u201cbad boy.\u201d Sold yet?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has a very particular audience in mind, and based on the trailers, Aviron Pictures has basically nailed what made Todd\u2019s novel so organically successful. This is the first narrative feature film directed by Jenny Gage (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All This Panic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), and the screenplay is by Susan McMartin. The cast includes Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jennifer Beals, and Peter Gallagher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay tuned next week for our recap of how these films fared at the box office. T<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Meanwhile, if you missed the last few weeks, allow us to catch you up&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Previous Releases<\/h2>\n<h4><strong>FOR THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 5<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say My Name, Say My Name<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shazam! <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is that of true wish fulfillment. Anyone, of any age, just has to say the name \u201cShazam\u201d and become the best, superheroic version of themselves. In the case of Billy Batson (Asher Angel), that \u201cfully realized\u201d adult self is played by Zachary Levi in a career highlight for the actor, best known for his TV roles and untimely demise as a side character in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thor <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">movies. But in the year 2019, Levi is getting his due in this action-and-laugh-packed superhero adventure from Warner Bros. about family, responsibility, maybe a dose of Greek mythology, and other comic book tropes that are bound to make audiences smile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shazam! <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was directed by David F. Sandberg (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lights Out<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Annabelle: Creation<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) with a screenplay by Henry Gayden (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earth to Echo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). The additional cast includes Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, and Marta Milans.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Old Horror, Brought Back To Life<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be honest, most of Stephen King\u2019s stories have failed to click with me, especially some of the more famous horror adaptations like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Shining <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and original <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pet Sematary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from 2017, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pet Sematary <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is getting another chance to re-enter the pop culture zeitgeist, and even I\u2019m pretty excited about what we\u2019ve seen so far. It just looks flat out <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creepy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, centering around a family moving to a rural home where a nearby cemetery for neighborhood pets is home to some absolutely horrifying secrets and terrors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Paramount film was co-directed by Kevin K\u00f6lsch and Dennis Widmyer (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Absence<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starry Eyes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) with a screenplay by David Kajganich and Jeff Buhler. It\u2019s of course adapted from King\u2019s novel of the same name, which was first released in 1983. The cast includes Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, and Jet\u00e9 Laurence.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The Best Of Enemies\u2019 With The Best Of Casts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first glance, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Best of Enemies <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">looks like a standard civil rights era drama centered around a story not so new to cinema. But it\u2019s really the ensemble behind this film that promises a worthwhile and authentic narrative for these real-life figures from history. The film stars Taraji P. Henson as Ann Atwater, a renowned civil rights activist pitted in a contentious rivalry with KKK leader C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell) over school desegregation in Durham, North Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The obvious appeal of the STX film is to showcase the inspiring life of Atwater, but also to highlight the room for redemption when it comes to system racism and how it can be stamped out through legislative action. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Best of Enemies <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was written and directed by Robin Bissell in his feature directorial debut, and it\u2019s based on the book of the same name by Osha Gray Davidson. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Un)Limited Releases<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazing Grace <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Neon) opens in select theaters this weekend, documenting the famous and powerful \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d concert by Aretha Franklin in 1972. Mike Leigh\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peterloo <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Amazon Studios) also hits limited release, telling the true story of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819. And <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Wind <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(IFC Midnight) opens in just 35 theaters and is a western horror film from director Emma Tammi.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>FOR THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 29<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A \u2018Dumbo\u2019-Sized Event<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, Disney\u2019s brand of live-action remakes fit into a wide, but diverse handful of categories. There are the princess reimaginings (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beauty and the Beast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cinderella<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the upcoming <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Little Mermaid<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), the subversive spins (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pete\u2019s Dragon<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maleficent<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), and the stylish repeats (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jungle Book<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alice in Wonderland<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the upcoming <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lion King<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aladdin<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). There\u2019s overlap, of course, especially when trying to factor in the role of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dumbo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of the more classic Disney films with an opportunity to impress with otherworldly visuals (this is Tim Burton, after all), while also evolving aged material. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the original, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dumbo <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doesn\u2019t quite fit into the exact same categories as a lot of its contemporaries, which if anything, is an exciting sign for this movie to do something different with a familiar story. Fortunately, the live-action family film has a strong pedigree of talent, with Tim Burton as ringleader (director) and a star-studded cast that includes Colin Farrell, Eva Green, Michael Keaton, Alan Arkin, and yes, Danny DeVito. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dumbo <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also includes Danny Elfman as composer and Ben Davis as cinematographer, giving us more than a few reasons to see just how high this flying elephant can soar.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The Beach Bum\u2019 Gets A Happy Hour &#8211; And A Half<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clocking in at 95 minutes, Neon\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Beach Bum <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">features Matthew McConaughey at his most mellow, which is seriously saying something. The film follows the stoner antics of Moondog (McConaughey), our titular beach bum who soaks in the sun, shrugs off responsibilities, and&#8230;well, that\u2019s actually about all we know so far based on the trailer and synopsis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written and directed by Harmony Korine (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mister Lonely<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spring Breakers<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Beach Bum <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recently premiered at SXSW and co-stars Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Jimmy Buffett, Zac Efron, Martin Lawrence, and Jonah Hill. It\u2019ll be opening in about 750 theaters this weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Un)Limited Releases<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diane <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(IFC Films) opens<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in just three theaters this weekend and stars Mary Kay Place (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Big Chill<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being John Malkovich<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sweet Home Alabama<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). This is the feature film debut of Kent Jones, and after premiering at Tribeca Film Festival, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diane <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has already gained universal acclaim from critics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each week on Atom Insider, we\u2019re giving you the heads up on the biggest and most talked about films arriving in theaters.\u00a0This week, audiences have plenty of new and seriously diverse releases to choose from as we reach the middle of the spring movie season. \u2018Hellboy\u2019 Oh Boy &nbsp; It doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-app","category-box-office"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6426,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206\/revisions\/6426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}