David Farnor | On 01, Apr 2016

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone… April is upon us and frankly, that means one thing for Amazon Prime Video subscribers: Outlander.

Ronald D. Moore’s adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling novels returns for a second season, with new episodes arriving exclusively on Amazon in the UK within 24 hours of their US broadcast. For non-Outlander fans, a smattering of Disney and some old Warner Bros. favourites should keep them entertained – before they finally give in and catch up with the first season and discover that it really is worth watching.

Here’s what’s new and coming soon to Amazon Prime Video in April 2016:

Frozen – 1st April

Let it go. Let it gooooooo! Disney’s tale of two sisters, who happen to be princess, shelves the old-fashioned romance for an enchanting, empowering tale of magic, music and talking snowmen. Marvellous.

Sucker Punch – 6th April

For those who wanted less Superman and Batman and more Wonder Woman in Batman vs Superman, Zack Snyder’s female-led actioner offers the director’s signature blend of slow-motion visuals and swords.

City Hall – 7th April

Al Pacino, John Cusack and Bridget Fonda star in Harold Becker’s 1996 drama about the investigation an accidental shooting of a boy in New York.

The Informant! – 7th April

Matt Damon is hilarious is Steven Soderbergh’s strange-but-true thriller about espionage in the US corn industry.

Outlander: Season 2 – 10th April

Based upon the second of eight books in Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling series of novels – Dragonfly in Amber – the new season catches up with Claire and Jamie, as they arrive in France determined to infiltrate the Jacobite rebellion and stop the Battle of Culloden. Instead of swords and guns, they’re armed with political savvy and the finest 1700s Parisian fashion, as they embark on a new mission.

Magnolia – 14th April

Paul Thomas Anderson’s fascinating tapestry of humans in varying states of existential and emotional crisis is essential viewing, not least because of its career-best performance from Tom Cruise.

Veronica Mars – 24th April

Years after the show’s cancellation, the Veronica Mars gang got back together for this crowd-funded feature film, which is good enough to prove entertaining for fans and non-fans alike.

Contagion – 27th April

Steven Soberbergh’s film about a plague spreading across the planet is not only scarily believable but grippingly tense, with a cast of dead A-Listers walking, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Matt Damon and Jude Law. Another reminder of why Soderbergh will be missed from the big screen.

Deathgasm – 29th April

Jason Lei Howden’s debut comedy horror, which follows two boys who accidentally summon an evil entity, has been building increasingly positive buzz among horror fans since its screening at FrightFest 2015.

Empire: Season 1 – 29th April

After airing on E4 in the UK, the US hip-hop musical drama is finally available for full-on binge-viewing. Terence Howard stars as Lucious Lyon, CEO of Empire Entertainment. He’s calculating, clever and ruthless to boot. Most importantly, though, he knows how to produce good music.

That’s why he’s so concerned about who will succeed him as the head of Empire, following his diagnosis with a terminal illness. Will it be his favourite son, the talented Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray)? His smarter – and eldest – Andre (Trai Bryers)? Or his middle son, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), a prodigy who is snubbed by his dad because of his sexuality and apparent lack of ambition?

Faster than you can say “King Lear”, though, in walks his ex-wife Cookie (a scene-stealing Taraji P. Henson), fresh out of prison, who wants a piece of what’s hers.

The result is a dysfunctional family that EastEnders would be proud of, but Empire manages to feel much bigger than Albert Square, thanks to Lee Daniels’ glossy direction, a magnetic cast and a superb soundtrack. If Empire didn’t have you at “hip hop musical drama”, the chances are it soon will.

Photo: FOX

 

Other new releases coming soon in April 2016:

1st April
Dans la Cour
Brother Bear 2

7th April
Dial M for Murder
Get Carter (2000)
Science Of Sleep
The Postman
Wag The Dog
Through The Air
Cleanskin

12th April
Driven

14th April
Premature
Presumed Innocent

20th April
Red Riding Hood
The Change-Up

21st April
Cheri
City Of Angels
Space Cowboys
Sweet November

28th April
Cats And Dogs
Exit Wounds
Life As We Know It
Murder At 1600
Pleasantville
You’Ve Got Mail

29th April
Dream House

Add to Watchlist