New in Theaters This Week for 04/06/18



Welcome to a recurring feature here at The Nerd Mentality. As movie lovers, we often scramble to find all the films coming out in a given week. We thought we would take some of the guesswork out of it for our readers. We’ll be showcasing both wide and limited releases. So sit back watch some trailers and you might find something new to go watch this weekend. These films are what’s New in Theaters This Week for 04/06/18, shown in totally random order, because why not? Showtimes are linked on the titles so you can see if it is playing near you.

The Endless (Well Go USA)

Following their Lovecraftian modern cult classic SPRING, acclaimed filmmakers Moorhead and Benson return with this mind-bending thriller that follows two brothers who receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure that they couldn’t as young men, they’re forced to reconsider the cult’s beliefs when confronted with unexplainable phenomena surrounding the camp. As the members prepare for the coming of a mysterious event, the brothers race to unravel the seemingly impossible truth before their lives become permanently entangled with the cult.

TNM Notes: We quite like the directors previous film Spring. Our podcast of the episode is available here. Also, I’m not sure why the dates on Well Go’s website are out of order like that. It’s just in NY this weekend but expands each of the next six weeks, so be sure to keep scrolling to see if it’s coming near you.

Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) arrives in Portland, Oregon with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel), both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s gruff owner Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and his seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence—until he discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare his new friend’s life. Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn’t seen in years. They experience adventure and heartbreak in equal measure, but never lose their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they pursue their dream of finding a place they can call home.

A family live in complete silence to avoid being eaten by creatures that hunt through sound. The two parents and their son and deaf daughter all communicate through sign language, and must come up with ingenious ways to outsmart the blind monsters and stay alive.

Lowlife (IFC Films / IFC Midnight)

What happens when you throw together a fallen Mexican wrestler with serious rage issues, a just-out-of-prison ex-con with a regrettable face tattoo, and a recovering junkie motel owner in search of a kidney? That’s the premise of the berserk, blood-spattered, and wickedly entertaining feature debut from Ryan Prows. Set amidst the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, Lowlife zigzags back and forth in time as it charts how fate—and a ruthless crime boss—connects three down-and-out reprobates mixed up in an organ harvesting scheme that goes from bad to worse to off-the-rails insane. Careening from savagely funny to just plain savage to unexpectedly heartfelt, this audacious thriller serves up nonstop adrenaline alongside hard-hitting commentary about the state of contemporary America.

When three parents stumble upon their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Leslie Mann (The Other Woman, This Is 40), Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Suicide Squad) and John Cena (Trainwreck, Sisters) star in Blockers, the directorial debut of Kay Cannon (writer of the Pitch Perfect series).

The Possessed (China Lion Film)

When two documentary students venture into a small rural village, they witness a local “soul restoring” ceremony. Upon investigation, they’re introduced to an exorcist who educates them on the exorcisms performed throughout the village’s history.

TNM Notes: I normally don’t like to link to Fandango because they have such a location restriction and don’t link to theaters that people might go to in a reasonable range. However, other sites are no longer listing The Possessed. This may be due to the film bureau not allowing it to release in China a couple of days ago when it was supposed to. Surprisingly, it passed censorship so this seems to be a surprise. So whether that holds back the release in the US, I’m not sure. Figured I’d still include for posterity. If anyone sees it playing, comment or send an email and I’ll update.

As the only surgeon within 200 miles, Dr. Tom Catena and a small Sudanese staff treat as many as 400 patients a day at Mother of Mercy Hospital, located in the heart of the Nuba Mountains. The region is the latest target of aerial bombardment by the Sudanese government, ordered by President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Living under the constant shadow of bombers overhead, Dr. Tom and his staff defy Bashir’s ban on humanitarian aid, work tirelessly to save the lives of the Nuba people, and bring hope to one million people who would be otherwise forgotten.



In the future Global warming has wreaked havoc in parts of the American Midwest. In its attempt to take hold of the economic recession, a government agency called The Humanity Bureau exiles members of society deemed unproductive and banishes them to a colony known as New Eden. An ambitious and impartial caseworker Noah Kross (Cage) investigates a case appealed by a single mother (Lind) and her son (Davies). Knowing the unjust fate of the innocent boy, Kross sets off to save the lives of the mother and child and to expose the truth about The Humanity Bureau’s secrets once and for all.

Evan Birch (Guy Pearce) is a family man and esteemed professor at a distinguished college, where his charm and reputation have made his philosophy class very popular. When a female student named Joyce goes missing, Evan’s previous off-campus dalliances make his wife (Minnie Driver) question his alibi. Gruff police Detective Malloy (Pierce Brosnan) has even more reason to be suspicious when crucial evidence makes Evan the prime suspect in Joyce’s disappearance. Suddenly, the questions Evan faces aren’t merely academic – they’re a matter of life or death.

Naomi, an Israeli Mossad agent is sent to Germany to protect Mona, a Lebanese informant recovering from plastic surgery to assume her new identity. Together for two weeks in a quiet apartment in Hamburg, the relationship that develops between the two women is soon exposed to the threat of terror that is engulfing the world today. In this game of deception, beliefs are questioned, choices are made, and their fate takes a surprising turn in this suspense-laden, elegant neo-noir from acclaimed director Eran Riklis.

Chappaquiddick (Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures)

In the riveting suspense drama, CHAPPAQUIDDICK, the scandal and mysterious events surrounding the tragic drowning of a young woman, as Ted Kennedy drove his car off the infamous bridge, are revealed in the new movie starring Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne. Not only did this event take the life of an aspiring political strategist and Kennedy insider, but it ultimately changed the course of presidential history forever. Through true accounts, documented in the inquest from the investigation in 1969, director John Curran and writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen, intimately expose the broad reach of political power, the influence of America’s most celebrated family; and the vulnerability of Ted Kennedy, the youngest son, in the shadow of his family legacy.

Pandas are beloved around the world, and now they are coming to the big screen in the IMAX® original film Pandas, a breathtaking documentary adventure and amazing experience for the whole family narrated by Kristen Bell (Frozen, TV’s The Good Place).

The Miracle Season ( LD Entertainment)

Based on the inspiring true story of West High School girls’ volleyball team. After the loss of the school’s star player Caroline “Line” Found in an accident, the remaining team players must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hope of winning the state championship.

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

A 16-year-old girl embarks on a fantastical and dangerous adventure after transforming into a dolphin. When a boy sacrifices himself to save her, she uses magic to bring him back to life — only to learn that this power comes at a serious price.

A man dumps a girl’s body in a lake after accidentally killing her with his car on a dark and foggy night. Her enraged father soon hatches an elaborate plan to find the perpetrator and take revenge.

Where Is Kyra? (Paladin / Great Point Media)

In a welcome return to the screen, Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a stunning performance as a woman spiraling into a state of destitution—and desperation—following the sudden death of her mother. Shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young (Arrival), this atmospheric and finely calibrated third feature from Andrew Dosunmu (the acclaimed Mother of George) renders life on the margins—cheap diners, dingy offices, and public transit—as visually hypnotic as it is psychologically unrelenting. With Kiefer Sutherland as Kyra’s sympathetic but troubled neighbor.

Sweet Country (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Sam, a middle-aged Aboriginal man, works for a preacher in the outback of Australia’s Northern Territory. When Harry, a bitter war veteran, moves into a neighboring outpost, the preacher sends Sam and his family to help Harry renovate his cattle yards. But Sam’s relationship with the cruel and ill-tempered Harry quickly deteriorates, culminating in a violent shootout in which Sam kills Harry in self-defense. As a result, Sam becomes a wanted criminal for the murder of a white man, and is forced to flee with his wife across the deadly outback, through glorious but harsh desert country. A hunting party led by the local lawman Sergeant Fletcher is formed to track Sam down. But as the true details of the killing start to surface, the community begins to question whether justice is really being served.

Trek follows a young Mormon teenager named Tom and his friends on their handcart journey. Along the way they try to smuggle in unsanctioned food, battle sibling rivalry, encounter a “special ops” Young Men’s leader, match wits with a twinkie-loving skunk, and ponder doctrinal brain teasers like, “Do general Authorities go to PG-13 movies?” But, when they encounter unexpected trouble, their faith is tested much like their pioneer ancestors.

Filmmaker Rüdiger Suchsland suggests that the Third Reich was essentially an immersive movie starring the German nation, produced and directed by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD collages key films from the more than 1000 features the Nazis produced from 1933-1945: musicals, melodramas, romances, costume dramas, war films – and when the real war got tough, insanely lavish, over-the-top fantasies. The German volk were portrayed as happy and sporty with lives of exaggerated cheerfulness or, conversely, full of morbid yearning for a death that would serve the Fatherland. Hannah Arendt gives perspective and context: “One of the chief characteristics of modern masses… (is) they do not trust their eyes and ears, but only their imaginations. What convinces masses are not facts, not even invented facts, but only the consistency of the illusion.” It’s a frightening insight that could just as easily apply to the American political landscape today.

In 1980s Beirut, Mason Skiles is a former U.S. diplomat who is called back into service to save a colleague from the group that is possibly responsible for his own family’s death. Meanwhile, a CIA field agent who is working under cover at the American embassy is tasked with keeping Mason alive and ensuring that the mission is a success.

Hopefully, you found some interesting trailers and maybe plan to see a film you normally wouldn’t have. New in Theaters This Week for 04/06/18 brought to you by The Nerd Mentality! Check back each week by bookmarking our Now Playing tag.