LIST: Movies and TV shows to watch this April 2024
How are you staying cool this summer?
While many are busy planning their best days at the beach, others are opting to stay home to watch different shows and films on their favorite TV channels and streaming platforms. There are also some who are going to the cinema to catch new offerings on the big screen and relax.
If you're one of those who would rather beat the heat by being indoors, you'd be happy to know that there's a good mix of content you can look forward to this April. From the teleserye comeback of one of the country’s biggest stars, to unexpected team-ups that could make your heart flutter, to a new installment in a movie franchise that could evoke nostalgia, here are PhilSTAR L!fe's top picks for the month.
My Guardian Alien
Status: Starts airing on GMA-7 on April 1
Starring: Marian Rivera and Gabby Concepcion with Max Collins, Raphael Landicho, Gabby Eigenmann, Kiray Celis, Josh Ford, Caitlyn Stave, Sean Lucas, Christian Antolin, and Marissa Delgado
Marian Rivera is back on primetime! While the actress has been appearing in other TV shows like Tadhana and Jose & Maria’s Bonggang Villa, it’s been five years since we last saw her in a teleserye. This month, she's marking her comeback on primetime with her stint in the family fantasy-drama series My Guardian Alien. Here, Katherine (Marian Rivera) is a doting wife and mother whose life gets cut short due to a shooting incident. Her husband Carlos (Gabby Concepcion) and only son Doy (Raphael Landicho) mourn her death. A mysterious pod appears during her funeral, and things start to get interesting from there.
Musica
Status: Starts streaming on Prime Video on April 4
Starring: Rudy Mancuso, Camila Mendes, Francesca Reale, J.B. Smoove, and Diego The Puppet
Based on writer, director, and actor Rudy Mancuso, Música is a coming-of-age love story that follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia, who must come to terms with an uncertain future—while navigating the pressures of love, family, and his Brazilian culture in Newark, New Jersey. If you’re a fan of Awkward Puppet’s Diego, you would absolutely love this, too.
Parasyte: The Grey
Status: Starts streaming on Netflix on April 5
Starring: Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun
Director Yeon Sang-ho (Train To Busan, The Bequeathed, Hellbound, Jung-E) teams up once again with Netflix to produce a reimagination of the classic Japanese manga titled Parasyte. Set in Korea where parasitic aliens fall from the sky to take over humans, Parasyte: The Grey follows the story of a cashier who is partially infected by parasites. She then teams up with a lowly ganster to escape from human-eating aliens and the government’s Team Grey, who was instructed to kill them. Will the brave souls survive?
Lovely Runner
Status: Starts streaming on Viu on April 8
Starring: Kim Hye-yoon, Byeon Woo-seok, Song Geon-hee, Lee Seung-hyub
In Lovely Runner, the dreams of an aspiring filmmaker named Im Sol get crushed when an accident leaves her paralyzed. As a way to cope with it, she listens to the music of her idol Ryu Sun-jae. Unfortunately, the idol passes away after a tragic incident. One day, she wakes up in a classroom and realizes she’s transported to 2008. She then decides to do something to change their destinies.
Blood Free
Status: Starts streaming on Disney+ on April 10
Starring: Jun Ji-hoon, Han Hyo-joo
This suspense-thriller drama is about a biotechnology company that's looking to produce BF (Blood Free), an artificially cultured type of meat that would quickly dominate the market—and eventually get involved in various deaths.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Status: Showing in cinemas starting April 10
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters' new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
SUNNY
Status: Showing in cinemas starting April 12
Starring: Angelu De Leon, Vina Morales, Sunshine Dizon, Candy Pangilinan, Tanya Garcia, Katya Santos, Ana Roces, Heaven Peralejo, Bea Binene, Aubrey Caraan, Ashley Diaz, Abby Bautista, Heart Ryan
How about a friendship-themed film you can watch with your girl friends? The 2011 South Korea hit film Sunny will finally have a Philippine adaptation starring some of Viva’s top actresses from the 90’s to the present. It revolves around a high school barkada named "Sunny," whose friend ends up in the hospital and asks to see each of them again after being apart for 25 years.
Under Parallel Skies
Status: Showing in cinemas starting April 17
Starring: Janella Salvador and Win Metawin
It’s been a while since we last saw a Thai heartthrob with a Filipina actress on the big screen. Win Metawin and Janella Salvador are here to bring kilig with their upcoming film dubbed Under Parallel Skies. It revolves around a man who tries to move on from his painful past, only to learn that the woman in his present life has a strange connection to it.
Chief Detective 1958
Status: Starts streaming on Disney+ on April 19
Starring: Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi
Missing Lee Je-hoon of the Taxi Driver fame? He plays the lead character of the upcoming period investigation series Chief Detective 1958. The original version, which was shown in the 70’s and 80’s in South Korea, could keep the fans of the franchise interested no matter what year they were born. It follows the story of a young detective named Park Young-han (Lee Je-hoon) who is busy catching petty criminals with three of his trusted colleagues. He earns the trust of people as he tries his best to break the norms of corruption.
Challengers
Status: Starts showing in cinemas on April 24
Starring: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist
In this movie offering about sports and romance, tennis star Tashi (Zendaya) decides to become a coach for tennis champion Art (Mike Faist) following a major knee injury. Things take a turn when she finds herself in a love triangle with the latter and her ex-boyfriend Patrick (Josh O'Connor).