10 movies to check out this spring

The Raid
Already a hit on the festival circuit, Gareth Evans’s thriller about Indonesian cops fighting their way out of a drug lord’s locked-down lair may be the most relentless, visceral action movie we’ve seen in a decade. Trust us: The hype is well deserved. (Mar 23)

Bullet to the Head
Last year’s Drive sported a retro-slick vibe that was totally indebted to the 1980s. Miami Vice quickly came to mind, but the real reference point was Walter Hill (The Driver, 48 Hrs.), a revered tough-guy director who’s back with his first film in a decade. (Apr 13)

The Cabin in the Woods
A bunch of dumb teens head out to a remote hideaway to do naughty things to each other, but find the place less than deserted when a—hold on a second. If this all sounds as tired as yesterday’s VHS slasher flick, know that it is—on purpose. Cowriter Joss Whedon definitely has a surprise in store. (Apr 13)

The Three Stooges
This Hollywood version’s been in development for eons and once boasted attached stars like Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro. Ultimately, the Farrelly brothers went with relative unknowns—a smart move. It’s not like this thing needed A-listers anyhow, just the head bonk, the eye poke and the nyuk nyuk nyuk. (Apr 13)

Goodbye First Love
The exceedingly talented French director Mia Hansen-Løve delights with her third feature, about a tumultuous teenage romance. As the starry-eyed female half of the couple, Lola Créton (Catherine Breillat’s Bluebeard) is exceptional; her character’s transition from fragile juvenile to functioning adult is pointed and poignant. (Apr 20)

Lockout
Just when the gimmicky Memento was being forgotten (backwards), its star, Guy Pearce, blew us away in HBO’s Mildred Pierce. Now the intense actor is looking to horn in on Kurt Russell’s old territory, playing a dangerous dude roped into saving the President’s daughter in an outer-space prison. (Apr 20)

Marley
Father, husband, musician, activist, Rastaman: Kevin Macdonald’s doc on the late, great Bob Marley intersperses rare concert footage with home movies and interviews for a 360-degree look at Jamaica’s foremost cultural ambassador. Bring on the irie. (Apr 20)

Bernie
Richard Linklater reunites with School of Rock star Jack Black for this true-crime farce about a charming mortician who marries a rich, cantankerous Texas octogenarian and—surprise!—is later tried for her murder. Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey costar. (Apr 27)

Headhunters
Christopher Walken’s Scandinavian doppelgänger, Aksel Hennie, plays an amateur art thief who gets in over his head when he steals the wrong guy’s painting. This slick but entertaining Norwegian thriller is a blast, filled with action set pieces that get crazier as the tale winds its way to an explosive climax. (Apr 27)

The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe invented the detective story, so he must be good at chasing down serial killers, right? John Cusack plays the scribe in James McTeigue’s highly dramatized thriller, set in mid-19th-century Baltimore. We couldn’t think of a finer actor to embody Poe than the brooding motormouth who once tried to set up shop in John Malkovich’s head. (Apr 27)

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