Movie Night

EVEN IF VIEWERS have to enjoy the big screen on their home screens this spring, there is a slew of new films worth catching. Dame Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, her 25th novel set aboard a glamorous Egyptian river cruise that turns deadly, hits theatres Feb. 11, but like the book itself, the film’s release faced unforeseen twists and turns, including the cancellation of its leading man, Armie Hammer, after sexual abuse allegations from several women. No doubt Disney producers hope an all-star cast, featuring Gal Gadot, Annette Bening and Kenneth Branagh – who directs as well as plays detective

Hercule Poirot – and the public’s eternal love of Christie will level the film’s turbulent trajectory. Batman is also back with Twilight’s Robert Patterson, after Ben Affleck hung up the cape, in Matt Reeves’ reboot The Batman (March 4). This version looks at the superhero as a rookie, protecting Gotham from a gaggle of eccentric villains: Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler and an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin – whose own HBO spinoff series is currently in development.

Viewers after lighter rom-com fare are in for a sweet Valentine’s Day treat with Marry Me (Feb. 11). Jennifer Lopez plays a superstar singer who swaps her cheating fiancé for a stranger (a bumbling Owen Wilson) she plucks from the audience and marries on the spot. (Don’t question the premise too much and enjoy the soundtrack with six new

J-Lo songs featuring Colombian singer Maluma.) And while you might not usually catch a kids’ movie, Pixar’s Turning Red has a surprise Toronto setting, complete with streetcars and skyline, where a tiger mom (voiced by Sandra Oh) has a tween daughter (Mei Lee) who turns into a red (trash) panda every time she gets angsty. Turning Red hits theatres on March 11 – just in time for a March Break matinee with the kiddos.