By John Corrado

New releases for the week of April 5th, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

The First Omen (Wide Release): Director Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen is a surprisingly solid horror prequel that dovetails pretty seamlessly into Richard Donner’s 1976 original film, charting the events leading up to the birth of the spawn of Satan. Set in an Italian orphanage, the film overcomes its occasionally predictable plotting with an excellent leading performance from Nell Tiger Free as a young nun, and a strong sense of atmosphere. (Full Review)

Monkey Man (Wide Release): Actor Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with this action epic set in India, which Patel stars in as an underground fighter out for revenge. I haven’t seen it yet, but reviews are rock solid, and the trailer makes it look like a massive hit, so I’m excited to check it out. Produced by Jordan Peele, who reportedly rescued it from going straight to Netflix and pushed for a proper theatrical release.

The Old Oak (Limited Release): Ken Loach’s latest and possibly final film is another poignant social realist drama exploring themes of unrest in modern England, this time focused on the migrant crisis. TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) is the owner of a local pub in a forgotten mining town, who ruffles feathers with the locals when he extends a helping hand to the Syrian refugees who have just arrived. It’s a fitting and touching swan song for a filmmaker who has devoted the latter stages of his career to documenting the struggles of the working class. (Full Review)

La Chimera (Limited Release): Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher’s latest is a magical realist folk tale about a band of grave robbers in Tuscany, that unfolds with a unique tone that falls between playful and dreamlike. It’s centred around Josh O’Connor’s fascinating performance as Arthur, a British archeologist in search of his lost love. (Full Review)

Wicked Little Letters (Limited Release): Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley star as two women at the centre of a letter-writing scandal, in this amusing trifle set in a small English town in 1920. When the buttoned up Edith (Colman) begins to receive crude letters, the blame falls on her brash neighbour Rose (Buckley). The two leads elevate this simple but enjoyable English crowdpleaser, and it’s fun to watch them bouncing off each other. (Full Review)

More Releases: Hailey Rose (Limited), Someone Like You (Limited), Carol Doda Topless at the Condor (Limited), DogMan (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

Wish (Disney+), Girls State (Apple TV+), Musica (Prime Video), Ripley (Netflix), Scoop (Netflix), How to Have Sex (MUBI)