Best international movies on Showmax in April, from Beast to Ambulance to Minions: The Rise of Gru

14th Apr 2023 | Source: Showmax

<div><strong>MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU</strong><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> | Stream now</span></div>

<div><em>Minions assemble!</em></div>

<div><em>Minions: The Rise of Gru </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">is the untold story of one kid's dream to become the world's greatest supervillain. Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carell) is just a 12-year-old boy in 1970s suburbia, plotting to take over the world from his basement. It's a lonely pursuit, until Gru crosses paths with Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto, aka the Minions (voiced, as always, by Pierre Coffin, the Oscar-nominated director of the </span><em>Despicable Me</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> trilogy and </span><em>Minions</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">).</span></div>

<div><em>Minions: The Rise of Gru</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> was named Favourite Animated Movie at the 2023 Kids' Choice Awards, where Carell and Taraji P. Henson were both up for voice awards. The film was also nominated for three Annie Awards for its animation, among other accolades this year, and was the fifth biggest blockbuster globally in 2022.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">From Illumination (</span><em>The Secret Life of Pets</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Sing</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), </span><em>Minions: The Rise of Gru </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">also features the voices of Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh (</span><em>Everything Everywhere All At Once</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), Alan Arkin (</span><em>Little Miss Sunshine</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and Julie Andrews (</span><em>Mary Poppins</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), among others.</span></div>

<div><strong>BEAST </strong><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream now</span></div>

<div><em>Sometimes the rustle in the bushes actually is a monster... </em></div>

<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Filmed in Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and Cape Town, the pulse-pounding survival thriller </span><em>Beast</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> stars Emmy nominee Idris Elba (</span><em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Luther</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and South African star Sharlto Copley (</span><em>District 9</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">'s Wikus and Murdock in </span><em>The A-Team</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">). </span></div>

<div><em>Beast</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> centres on a father and his two teenage daughters whose journey of healing in the African bush becomes a fearsome fight for survival when a lion begins stalking them. The lion, a survivor of bloodthirsty poachers, now sees all humans as the enemy. </span></div>

<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The 58th biggest film of 2022 globally, </span><em>Beast </em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">has already been nominated at the Annie and Visual Effects Society Awards this year. It's currently the most popular film on Showmax. </span></div>

<div><strong>THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT </strong><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream now</span></div>

<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Oscar winner Nicolas Cage stars as "Nick Cage" in the action-comedy </span><em>The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictional Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a superfan (Critics Choice Super Award nominee Pedro Pascal from </span><em>The Last of Us</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> and </span><em>The Mandalorian</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">). But things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Emmy winner Tiffany Haddish from </span><em>The Card Counter </em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">and </span><em>Girls Trip</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and forced to live up to his own legend, channelling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.</span></div>

<div><em>The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent </em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">was nominated for the 2023 Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Movie, as well as two 2023 Critics Choice Super Awards – for Best Action Movie and Best Actor in an Action Movie (Cage).</span></div>

<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The film has an 87% critics' rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, where the critics' consensus says, "Smart, funny, and wildly creative, </span><em>The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> presents Nicolas Cage in peak gonzo form – and he's matched by Pedro Pascal's scene-stealing performance."</span></div>

<div><strong>DOG </strong><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream now</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The 45th biggest box office hit of 2022, </span><em>Dog </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">sees two former army rangers paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army ranger Briggs (People's Choice winner Channing Tatum from </span><em>Magic Mike</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier's funeral on time. Along the way, they'll drive each other completely crazy, break a handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.</span></div>

<div><em>Dog</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> is Tatum's co-directorial debut, alongside Reid Carolin (the writer behind the </span><em>Magic Mike</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> films). The film has a 77% critics' rating and an 89% audience rating on </span><em>Rotten Tomatoes</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, who write, "</span><em>Dog</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> is as heartwarming as you'd hope, but it also tells a sensitive story about the long road to healing after experiencing the horrors of war."</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Look out for Emmy nominee Jane Adams (</span><em>Hacks</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Ethan Suplee (</span><em>The Wolf of Wall Street</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), Critics Choice Award nominee Q'orianka Kilcher (</span><em>Yellowstone</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), Emmy Raver-Lampman (</span><em>The Umbrella Academy</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash (</span><em>Magic Mike</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">). </span></div>

<div><strong>FATHER STU </strong><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream now</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The heartwarming biographical drama </span><em>Father Stu</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> stars Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (</span><em>Uncharted</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) as Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Oscar winner Mel Gibson (</span><em>Braveheart</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver (</span><em>Yellowstone</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Silver Linings Playbook</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) co-star, with the likes of Hollywood Walk of Famer Malcolm McDowell (</span><em>Mozart in the Jungle</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) among the support cast.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">At the 2023 Satellite Awards, </span><em>Father Stu</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> earned Wahlberg a nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama. As </span><em>AV Club </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">says, it's "told with sensitivity, earnestness and no small amount of sly, rascally charm... a sure-handed match of material and a movie star's strengths."</span></div>

<div><strong>GOLD</strong><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> </span><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream now</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Emmy and Critics Choice Award winner Zac Efron (</span><em>Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) stars in the Australian survival thriller </span><em>Gold</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">. Set in the not-too-distant future, </span><em>Gold </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">follows two desert drifters who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to excavate their bounty, with one man leaving to secure the necessary tools while the other remains. The drifter left behind must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs, and mysterious intruders, while battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his fate.  </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Directed by and co-starring multi-award winner Anthony Hayes (</span><em>War Machine</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">),</span><em> Gold</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Independent Film by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It also competed in both the Directors' Debuts Competition and the Cinematographers' Debuts Competition at Camerimage.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The critics have praised the film's cinematography, as well as Efron's performance, with</span><em> Observer</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> saying </span><em>Gold </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">"stretches [Efron's] range and physical endurance far beyond anything his fans ever dreamed of."</span></div>

<div><strong>MARRY ME</strong><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> | Stream from 20 April </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">A #1 box office hit when it was released on Valentine's Day last year, </span><em>Marry Me </em><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">stars Jennifer Lopez as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a maths teacher - total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">JLo was nominated as The Female Movie Star of 2022 at the People's Choice Awards and won the 2022 MTV Movie Award for Best Song for </span><em>On My Way (Marry Me)</em><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">. </span></div>

<div><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The film also features original songs from global Latin music star Maluma, who also makes his feature film acting debut. Double Emmy winner Sarah Silverman, Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Chloe Coleman (</span><em>Big Little Lies</em><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and John Bradley (Samwell Tarley in </span><em>Game of Thrones</em><span style="color:#434343; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) co-star. </span></div>

<div><strong>AMBULANCE </strong><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">| Stream from 27 April</span></div>

<div><em>Ambulance </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">follows decorated veteran Will Sharp (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from </span><em>Candyman, Watchmen</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> and </span><em>The Matrix Resurrections</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), who is dragged into an audacious bank heist by his adoptive brother Danny (Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal from </span><em>Zodiac</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> and </span><em>Spider-Man: Far From Home</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">), a charismatic career criminal with his eye on a $32 million prize.</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">When their exit plan goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers are forced to hijack an ambulance carrying emergency medical technician Cam Thompson (Eiza González from </span><em>Baby Driver</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> and </span><em>Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">) and her patient, a critically wounded cop. Can they pull off the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen?</span></div>

<div><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Thriller by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, </span><em>Ambulance </em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">is directed by the master of bayhem, Michael Bay (</span><em>The Rock</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Bad Boys</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Armageddon</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, </span><em>Tranformers</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">). As </span><em>Globe and Mail</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> says, "</span><em>Ambulance</em><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> is here to remind you of the head-spinning delights of watching a genuine cinematic madman at work."</span></div>

<div><strong>EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN APRIL 2023</strong></div>

<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">To see everything on Showmax in April 2023, including second seasons of </span><em>Yellowjackets</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> and </span><em>Gangs of London</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, the fourth and final season of </span><em>Barry</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, and </span><em>Irma Vep</em><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">, w</span><span style="color:#000000; font-family:verdana,sans-serif">inner of Rotten Tomatoes' Golden Tomato Award for the best limited series of 2022, </span><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">click </span><a href="https://t.nylas.com/t1/312/7d69oexzhrw4hn2gaqacwuraw/3/d6cf80b7e6b9450a4412025788f78f9df4f9bda9b5f216a7c0215e0bc831264d" rel="noreferrer" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #1155cc" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">.</span></div>