Rather than lament the fact that it’s already April (!!!), the thing to remember is that summer is around the corner and there is a bunch of really compelling entertainment coming to your television (and Netflix) this month to get your through the inevitable gloomy, rainy days ahead.
Here is the April 2015 Primer.
Furious 7 (April 3)
Be honest: when The Fast and The Furious first hit theatres, you never thought it would get to this point, did you, especially after Tokyo Drift crashed and burned? After adding Dwayne Johnson to the cast in Fast Five, the franchise has been infused with new life and this month’s seventh installment promises to be the biggest yet. It might also be the final film in the series, as long-time star Paul Walker died tragically in a car crash before filming was complete.
So That Happened: A Memoir by Jon Cryer (April 6)
From being Duckie in Pretty in Pink to more than a decade on Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer has been there and done that in Hollywood and now he’s opening up about it. So That Happened promises stories about Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Robert Altman and, of course, Charlie Sheen, his long-time co-star who abruptly departed their successful show when he started drinking tiger blood and shouting “Winning!” a couple years ago.
Another Nicholas Sparks Movie (April 10)
The Notebook was great. In the years since, it feels like there have ben 74 other Nicholas Sparks novels turned into feature films. This month, No. 75 hits arrives, as The Longest Ride hits threates. Officially, this is only the 11th adaptation, but it follows the standard Sparks formula of a love story intertwined with some sadness that will – spoiler alert – probably end in some heartwarming manner.
Welcome to Hell’s Kitchen (April 10)
Chances are there will be a lot of people doing an extended stretch on the couch over the second weekend in April, as the first series in the Marvel-Netflix collaboration, Daredevil, hits the streaming service. Gritty. Dark. Grim. We’ve been waiting for Matt Murdock and the rest of the cast of familiar characters to arrive since the series was first announced and now that it’s almost here, we’re assembling our binge-watching provisions and spending time with friends and family members in advance of consuming all 13 episodes in one extended sitting.
Finish Him! (April 14)
We’re just going to leave this here and let the trailer speak for itself. BTW: it’s a little gruesome.
NHL Playoffs (April 15)
There is nothing better than the NHL Playoffs – a continuous stretch of closely-contested games, endless overtime periods, big goals and even bigger saves. The Montreal Canadiens carry the hopes of this country on their collective shoulders, with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators joining them as the top seeds. If you’re looking for a dark horse to back, look to the defending champs, the Los Angeles Kings, provided they make it.
One Weekend, Two Scary Movies (April 17)
Unfriended is a creeper flick for the constantly connected generation – a found-footage, supernatural teen horror built around a group of friends being tormented on Skype by a classmate that committed suicide the year before. The other scary movie to hit theatres this particular week is Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, an unnecessary sequel to the 2009 Kevin James comedy about a bumbling security guard that likes to ride a Segway.
NBA Playoffs (April 18)
While the NHL Playoffs are the most exciting, the NBA Playoffs might be the most competitive. Every team that makes the second season in the Western Conference has an opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, while the Eastern Conference will likely come down to Atlanta and Cleveland. Our picks? Golden State – the Warriors are too damn good on both ends of the floor to come up short this season.
UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi (April 25)
After a two-year hiatus, the UFC finally brings the Octagon back to the Bell Centre in Montreal with a strong pay-per-view event headlined by flyweight champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defending his title against Kyoji Horiguchi. Featuring a number of Canadian fighters plus familiar names like Rampage Jackson and Michael Bisping, UFC 186 should be worth the $60 price tag on pay-per-view.
Zac Brown Band: Jekyll + Hyde (April 28)
The popular Atlanta, Georgia-based country group returns with their fourth studio album, Jekyll + Hyde, looking to build on the success of its 2012 release, Uncaged, which earned them the 2013 Grammy for Best Country Album.
