Until recently, a sense of cautious optimism defined the anticipation for Ryan Coogler’s first non-Black Panther film since Creed, as it was difficult to discern exactly what the film was about from the enticing, but obtuse, trailers. The skepticism left the room when Sinners arrived in cinemas, with a rapturous response meeting what we now know to be a vampire movie. “A triumph of a film that I can’t believe exists,” says Paul. GiGi calls it “sexy, gory, tense, atmospheric, culturally rich,” and shouts out the “music that you will feel deep in your bones and soul. Truly phenomenal.” Lyvie appreciates how “Coogler presents the blues—Black music—as a tool of total possession, of healing, of sex; piercing the veil, communion and fellowship, conversing with spirits above and below.” “It’s Lovers Rock meets From Dusk Till Dawn with a rockin’ social commentary that got some bite,” hails Rendy. “Viva la Black businesses and Black music!” Now in theaters the world over.

Ang Lee’s 1993 queer rom-com The Wedding Banquet was an early breakout success for the Oscar-winning Taiwanese director, and now Andrew Ahn (Fire Island) has staged a reimagining starring Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan and Lily Gladstone. It takes place in Seattle and once again concerns queer characters attempting to appease older family (Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung) by maintaining a heterosexual marriage fiction. Brandon its skepticism regarding the prospect of updating Lee’s film, but reports that “the result is not only good but somehow so much better than the best-case scenario.” Ema calls it a “delightful celebration of love, queerness and chosen family”, while Cody is glad that “Kelly Marie Tran gets a leading role worthy of her abilities”. AG reckons it’s “a really great example of how to properly update a film while remaining true to the original version.” Now in US and Canadian theaters.

Projecting a delightful enthusiasm for both pre-CGI practical special effects and family-friendly creature fantasies like Gremlins and E.T.—with a little Studio Ghibli mysticism for good measure—The Legend of Ochi centers around an adventure undertaken by a young girl (Helena Zengel) and a large-eared creature she has always been warned to fear. “The Ochi puppetry is so good and the little baby Ochi is adorable,” says Luca. Harry calls it an “effortlessly lovable film”, and declares that “if the Ochi doesn’t become the next Stitch/Grogu, then I will lose all hope in humanity”. Kaylyn deems it “an absolutely delightful, emotionally mature fantasy-adventure that is Miyazaki-esque in its adoration and respect for nature.” Now in select US theaters, expands April 25.

Ever the artist, legendary Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg continues to delight and confound in equal measure with his latest work, The Shrouds. Inspired by the ing of his wife and sometimes collaborator Carolyn, the body-horror king’s latest stars Vincent Cassel as a businessman who, in the throes of grief following the death of his partner, invents cemetery technology that allows mourners to “monitor” their loved ones after burial. Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce co-star. Nick says that, with this film, Cronenberg “examines the future within our present reality, crafting a deeply personal tale against the backdrop of global political secrecy.” Avalyn’s five-star review deems it “a tonal marvel, at once effortlessly hilarious, moving and arousing.” Neil argues that while grief is a starting point, “the neverending dovetailing gives as precise and comprehensive a view of the modern world as is even possible in narrative form.” Now in select US theaters, expands April 25.

After co-starring in a series of (initially) highly profitable stoner movies, comedians Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin come back together for Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie, a documentary charting their ascension as counter-culture heroes in the late ’70s, and their wildly divergent fortunes since then. Letterboxd are praising how the film goes beyond a basic reunion to explore some of the infamous tension between the pair. Rick likes that “instead of obscuring it, they [magnify] it”, and deems the doc “beautiful, touching, hilarious, and probing”. Jacob says it “feels good to watch a documentary that actually plays with format and is genuinely creative in how it decides to present itself”, and assures that “if you’re a stoner-comedy fan I can’t imagine that you’d have a bad time here.” Billy finds it so enter­taining, he declares: “This will hopefully be retitled Cheech & Chong’s Next to Last Movie.” In select US theaters for early access April 20 (ha!), expands April 25.

Something of a surprise success, Gavin O’Connor’s 2016 action-thriller The ant starred Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an autistic underworld book-cooker who reconnects with his long-lost brother (Jon Bernthal) while squaring off against various shadowy criminals. Both are back for the long-promised sequel, The ant 2, along with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and J.K. Simmons, and it sees the brothers teaming up to solve a murder of someone close to Wolff. Our are celebrating the increased screen time for Bernthal here, with Amanda observing that the actor “so consistently makes everything around him better.” Many of the reviews are saying that it’s better than its predecessor. Jonathan likes how it “ditches some of the first film’s tightly wound structure in favor of a looser, more character-driven sequel.” Courtney reckons it’s a “sensational sequel that’s action-packed and wears its heart on its sleeve.” “Insane how much this smokes the original,” says Eric. In theaters the world over April 25.

Movies based on video games have long felt cursed. But the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and A Minecraft Movie (and, if we allow TV shows into the discourse, Fallout and The Last of Us—we recently covered the latter’s season-two premiere carpet!) perhaps represent a turning point for such adaptations. And that turning point bodes well for Until Dawn. The game it’s based on follows a bunch of young people in a secluded lodge dealing with various horror tropes, and features a unique branching narrative that allows for multiple outcomes. The adaptation brings this element onto the big screen by having the events take place within a Groundhog Day-esque time loop, so the protagonists get the chance to play out the events over and over. It’s frankly surprising we haven’t seen a game adaptation do this before—kinda seems like an obvious way to go when adapting a story that ‘resets’ by its very nature. In theaters the world over April 25.

With the blistering, crunching, weighty, grunty The Raid and The Raid 2, Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans set a new standard for martial-arts-focused action films, and indeed action movies in general. He’s done some interesting things since then, most of them in TV, and is now releasing what is arguably his first “pure” action movie since his breakout: Havoc, which stars Tom Hardy as a detective fighting his way through various levels of bad guys to try to rescue a kidnap victim. An enticing combination of star and director, it’ll be interesting to see how Hardy’s trademark physicality is framed within Evans’ agile camerawork and singular fight choreography. On Netflix April 25.