
This week's new movies and TV shows: 'Mad Men' premiere and must-see spring flicks
By Clare Douglas
From new series to memorable guest stars and the film releases that will have you racing to the theatre, Hello! Canada’s weekly report on buzz worthy movies and TV shows is your all-access guide to the big and small screen. This week, we highlight the top five movies you can't miss this spring, plus, Ryan Reynolds teams up with Helen Mirren in Woman in Gold and Furious 7 makes its debut. On the small-screen, Mad Men presents its final act, Justin Bieber is in the hot seat and YouTube star Grace Helbig brings her comedy show to primetime.
Check back on Mondays to stay up to date on must-see TV and noteworthy silver-screen news!
MOVIES
FIVE MUST-SEE SPRING FLICKS:
The arrival of sunshine and warmer weather brings with it a
host of new films battling it out at the box office to be crowned the season’s
best. Here are five films in the running for the prize.
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)
Marvel’s most heroic crusaders reunite in this follow up to 2012
flick that fought its way into the number three spot on the list of the highest
grossing films to date. Iron Man (
Robert Downey Jr.) and company have to band
together to defeat Ultron, a psychotic robot determined to destroy the earth.
Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson join the cast as siblings Scarlet
Witch and Quicksilver.
2. Hot Pursuit (May 8)
Stars (and producers) Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara are
Hollywood’s newest, and most beautiful, buddy comedy duo. When a prime witness
in a federal case (Sofia) needs protection from a drug cartel, a by-the-book
police officer (Reese) is assigned to escort her across the country.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15)
A decade after she was a kick-ass hero in
Aeon Flux, Charlize Theron is taking
names as Imperator Furiosa in this post-apocalyptic action thriller created by Australian
director George Miller. It’s the fourth film in the
Mad Max series, which made
its debut in 1979 with Mel Gibson in the titular role. This time around, Tom
Hardy plays Max, who teams up with Charlize’s character to escape a savage
warlord. Along for the ride are Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Rosie
Huntington-Whiteley.
4. Aloha (May 29)
It’s hard to rival the beauty of Hawaii, but director
Cameron Crowe sure comes close with his cast of beauties including
Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams. A military contractor (Bradley) returns
home to help launch a special program and finds himself torn between a past
lover (Rachel) and the chance for a fresh start with a charming new
acquaintance (Emma).
5. Inside Out (June 19)
In this newest creation from Disney Pixar studios, a young
girl’s move to a new city is complicated by an ongoing battle between her own
emotions. Amy Poehler,
Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, Bill Hader and Phyllis Smith
lend their voices to this animated masterpiece that like all good Disney
movies, is guaranteed to end with a touching and memorable lesson about love,
friendship and family.
For an extended look at the most anticipated spring movies, pick up issue 431/432 of Hello! Canada available on newsstands and tablets now!
IN THEATRES (APRIL 3)
Woman in Gold: Dame Helen Mirren plays as a Second World War survivor fighting to secure the rights to artwork stolen by the Nazis, that she believes belongs to her family. Canadians Ryan Reynolds and Tatiana Maslany also star.
Effie Gray: A closer look at the troubled love affair between art historian John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and his young bride Effie (Dakota Fanning) that rocked the gossip circles of Victorian England.
Furious 7: The latest instalment of the action series is bittersweet for both the cast and fans alike. Leading man Paul Walker was finishing up production on the film when he lost his life in a tragic auto accident in 2013. In his last film role, Paul and his crew use their resources, and cars, to protect themselves against a vengeful enemy.
TV
MAD MEN'S FINAL ACT
Grab a whiskey and get ready to toast farewell to
Mad Men. After seven seasons, the 1960s
drama kicks off its final seven episodes on April 5 (AMC). The show, which
propelled
Jon Hamm, January Jones and Christina Hendricks into stardom, won
four Golden Globes and 15 Emmys and was one of the most critically acclaimed
series of the past decade. Jon Hamm, who plays the oh-so-very-flawed protagonist
Don Draper, has admitted that, although tough, he is ready to bid adieu to the
role that changed his life. “I didn’t go into a quiet room and light a candle,”
he tells
Entertainment Weekly, reflecting
on how he dealt with show coming to an end, “But I’ve certainly thought about
it for quite some time. It’s hard not to. It’s a long run and a long ride, and
a lot of people worked really hard on it. We should be proud of it.” Here,
Hello! catches up with one of the show’s
youngest stars, 12-year-old Mason Vale Cotton (Bobby Draper)
, who dishes on his
TV mom January Jones and shares his favourite scene from the series.
DON'T MISS
Roast of Justin Bieber (March 30, Comedy):
Host Kevin Hart and friends take aim at Stratford’s son,
delivering a tirade of humorous observations and insults at the pop singer - who
is nothing but a good sport.
The Grace Helbig Show (series premiere April 3, E!):
The star of the hit YouTube channel
it’s Grace brings her outrageous comedy to the small screen in the
form of a hybrid comedy/talk show.
Wolf Hall (series premiere April 5, PBS):
The six-part series shines a light on the rise of Thomas Cromwell,
Henry VIII’s (played by
Homeland’s
Damian Lewis) most trusted confident.