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by Sandra Olmsted

While not every film that pops up in the movie theaters this Spring will smell lovely, at least the list below provides some guidance to avoid some of the weeds by focusing on the most beautiful blooms anticipated. April 1 brings two bio-pics based on the lives of famous musicians. It seems a cruel April Fools joke that these are not getting better buzz. I Saw the Light (Sony Pictures Classics), with Hank Williams played by Tom Hiddleston, and Born to be Blue (IFC Films), with Chet Baker played by Ethan Hawke, are, however, getting good buzz for the performances by the lead actors, including Elizabeth Olsen as one of Williams’ wives.

April 8 offers two promising comedies. In Everybody Wants Some!! (Paramount), director Richard Linklater returns with a semi-sequel to his 1993 teen anxiety classic Dazed and Confused. Now the guys are 1980s college baseball players, and they’re out to chase girls, score big, break training, and dress to the nines. The movie stars Blake Jenner and Zoey Deutch and is a must for those who loved the original, testosterone fueled comedies, and/or Reagan-era hits. (Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, drug use and some nudity.) In The Boss (Universal), Melissa McCathy channels a high-powered, ruthless business woman who’s a hybrid of Martha Stewart, Imelda Marcos, and Donald Trump. Having fallen on hard times for her crimes, McCathy’s Michelle Darnell remakes her image and her fortune. The film has an all-star cast led by Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage and Kathy Bates. (Rated R for sexual content, language and brief drug use.)

The weekend before the April 18 Tax Day, some can send the kiddies to the movies while finishing their taxes. April 15 sees the opening of The Jungle Book (Disney). Judging by the sneak peek of the special effects in the trailer and the impressive list of stars, who will be singing original songs from the 1967 animated version, the new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic looks to be an extravaganza. A pack of wolves and happy-go-lucky Baloo the bear (voice of Bill Murray) raise the boy they name Mowgli (Neel Sethi) and protect him from Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), the tiger who hated the “stink of man,” and the hypnotic snake Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson). Star voices include Lupita Nyong’o, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Esposito, and Ben Kingsley. (Rated PG for some sequences of scary action and peril.)

April 22 promises only two openings, yet both are getting good buzz. The Huntsman: Winter’s War (Universal) is a prequel of sorts to the beautiful, stylish Snow White and the Huntsman. Charlize Theron’s evil queen has an even more evil sister, the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt), who is so bitter that she’s determined to destroy the love of The Huntsmen (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain). The production promises the same level of excitement, romance, special effects, and costume design. (Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence and some sensuality.)

Also this weekend, Miles Ahead (Sony Pictures Classics) opens. Don Cheadle directs and stars in this bio-pic about the great St. Louis jazzman Miles Davis, and the buzz is that Cheadle, as both director and star, delivers an intelligent and original riff on Davis’ difficult years of drugs, chronic pain, and celebrity in the 1970s. Cheadle seems to heed Davis’ advice to his biographer, “Don’t be all corny.” The film also stars Emayatzy Corinealdi as Davis’ wife and Ewan McGregor as a Rolling Stone reporter. (Rated R for strong language throughout, drug use, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence.)

The big release for May 6 is Captain America: Civil War (Disney/Marvel). The Avengers’ battling and bickering goes ballistic in this installment, and the rift between straight-arrow Captain America (Chris Evans) and the irreverent Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) sucks in all the other Avengers. This special effect spectacular includes Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier. The film’s theme is found in the battle over proposed government intervention and oversight of the Avengers. (Not yet rated.)

Although it’s Friday the 13th, luckily, director Jodie Foster has a political thriller opening. In Money Monster (Sony) Foster taps into disgust and anger over the state of politics in America. When cavalier TV host Lee Gates (George Clooney) dispenses bad financial advice, Kyle (Jack O’Connell) loses his life savings and, for revenge or justice, abducts and plans to kill Gates. In order to keep Gates alive, TV producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) must track down the billionaire (Dominic West) behind the real financial mess. It all unfolds live on TV! (Not yet rated.)

   The openings May 27 for the Memorial Day weekend are Alice Through the Looking Glass (Disney) and X-Men: Apocalypse (Fox). Based on Lewis Carroll’s novel, director James Bobin’s sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has Mia Wasikowska’s Alice on a quest to go back in time and save the Mad Hatter. Traveling down the rabbit hole, she encounters Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as White Queen, and, in his final performance, Alan Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar. (Rated PG for fantasy action/peril and some language.)

In this round of battle between good and evil, the X-Men heroes must stop the immortal and invincible Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), the world’s first mutant, and his plan to reign over a new world cleansed of mankind. He’s recruiting disgruntled mutants to help him. Professor X (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), and others must pick sides. The film promises to be a blockbuster treat of special effects and excitement. (Not yet rated.)

The St. Louis release dates listed with the films are approximate and subject to change. Enjoy the bounty of beautiful Spring movies!

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