By Chip Chandler — Producer
In Amarillo theaters this week: A silent but deadly horror film, a raunchy girl power comedy, a historic tragedy and more. Plus, Grease is the word.
New in theaters
Blockers
The teen sex comedy gets a modern upgrade in this raunchy new film from director Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect), "proving that a 2018 sex comedy can still be shocking and hilarious while checking off all the woke boxes," according to Village Voice's Kristen Yoonsoo Kim. Three high school friends (Geraldine Viswanathan, Kathryn Newton and Gideon Adlon) make a pact to lose their virginity, and their parents (John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz) are willing to do anything to stop them. "Cannon’s film always lets the girls call their own shots on their own terms. ... (I)t’s subversive in these little details, and the resolution is genuinely touching," Kim writes. (R for crude and sexual content, and language throughout, drug content, teen partying, and some graphic nudity; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd., and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)
Chappaquiddick
The 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne (played by Kate Mara), who drowned in a car driven by Teddy Kennedy (Jason Clarke) that flipped off a bridge on Martha's Vineyard, is re-examined in this historical drama from director John Curran (Tracks) and first-time screenwriters Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan. The "script sticks mostly to the well-documented facts and aftermath, and Clarke lets his Teddy live in the tricky place between sympathy and straight villain-hood," writes Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt. (PG-13 for thematic material, disturbing images, some strong language, and historical smoking; click here for showtimes at Hollywood 16)
The Miracle Season
After the death of its star player, a girls high-school volleyball team must rally in this inspirational film based on a true story. "Is the film sappy? Oh yeah. That’s a big part of the point. But the volleyball’s authentic ... and exciting, and it’s kind of nice to have an uncomplicated, straightforward narrative," writes Arizona Republic's Bill Goodykoontz. (PG for some thematic elements; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
A Quiet Place
A family (headed by real-life married couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who also directed) tries to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where mysterious monsters attack at the slightest noise. Fortunately for them, their oldest daughter (Millicent Simmonds, Wonderstruck) is deaf, and they already know how to communicate in sign language. Reviews are stellar. "A Quiet Place is brief, taut and often quite terrifying," writes the Seattle Times' Moira Macdonald. (PG-13 for terror and some bloody images; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
Special engagements
Eating You Alive
This advocacy film pitches a whole food / vegan lifestyle. It'll screen at 7 p.m. April 5 at Amarillo Star 14.
Grease
TCM's Big Screen Classics series will continue with a 40th anniversary screening of the belovedly raunchy (or raunchily beloved) musical. It'll screen at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday and 2 p.m. April 14 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Upcoming
April 12: Advance tickets are on sale now for adult animated feature Isle of Dogs, horror film Truth or Dare and video-game adaptation Rampage at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. Plus, inspirational drama The Amendment, which tells the story of Oklahoma legislator Brooks Douglass' championing of victims' rights laws, will screen at 7 p.m. at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 13: Sports biographical drama Borg vs. McEnroe and children's animated film Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero and are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale. Release dates are subject to change.
April 14: The Met: Live in HD continues with Verdi's rarely performed Luisa Miller, starring Placido Domingo and Sonya Yoncheva. It'll screen at 11:30 a.m. at the Hollywood 16.
April 15: Zombie attack! The Walking Dead season finale and Fear the Walking Dead season premiere will screen back-to-back and commercial-free at 7:30 p.m. at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 16: Family drama Phoenix Wilder & The Great Elephant Adventure, about a 13-year-old orphan who moves to Africa and bonds with a bull elephant, will screen at 6 p.m. at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 17: Faith-based romance advice film The Dating Project will screen at 7 p.m. at the Amarillo Star 14.
April 19: Advance tickers are on sale now for cult comedy sequel Super Troopers 2 at Hollywood 16;
April 20: Advance tickets are on sale now for Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty at Hollywood 16; Amarillo Star 14 is expected to follow. Family animated comedy Duck Duck Goose and thriller Traffik are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale. Release dates are subject to change.
April 22 to 25: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with the fantasy adventure The Cat Returns at both the Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. April 22 and 7 p.m. April 25, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. April 23.
April 24: Faith-based special Fragments of Truth, featuring Craig Evans' attempts to prove historical foundations behind the New Testament, will screen at 7 p.m. at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 25: The Cobra Kai premiere event will feature a screening of the 1984 Karate Kid alongside the first two episodes of the new YouTube Red series, which picks up on the story of Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) 34 years later. The event begins at 7 p.m. at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 26: Advance tickets are on sale for superhero smorgasbord Avengers: Infinity War at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
April 28: The Met: Live in HD continues with the company's first production of Massenet's Cendrillon, a Cinderella story starring Joyce DiDonato, Alice Coote and Kathleen Kim. It'll screen at 11:55 a.m. at the Hollywood 16.
April 29 to May 2: The fantasy classic Labyrinth, starring the late David Bowie as the Goblin King, will screen in a three-day celebration at 2 and 7 p.m. April 29 and 7 p.m. May 1 and 2 at Amarillo Star 14.
Listings at a glance
Click on titles for my reviews and on theaters for showtimes.
Black Panther (H-16); Blockers (AS-14, H-16); Bomb City (WM-6); Chappaquiddick (H-16); Coco (WM-6); Death Wish (WM-6); Game Night (H-16 and Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Drive); Ferdinand (WM-6); God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (AS-14, H-16); I Can Only Imagine (AS-14, H-16); Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (WM-6); Maze Runner: The Death Cure (WM-6); Midnight Sun (AS-14, H-16 and WM-6); The Miracle Season (AS-14, H-16); Pacific Rim Uprising (AS-14, H-16); Paul, Apostle of Christ (AS-14, H-16); Peter Rabbit (AS-14); Pitch Perfect 3 (WM-6); A Quiet Place (AS-14, H-16); Ready Player One (AS-14, H-16); Sherlock Gnomes (AS-14, H-16); Tomb Raider (AS-14, H-16 and TDI); Tyler Perry's Acrimony (AS-14, H-16); and A Wrinkle in Time (H-16).
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
