Monthly Round-Up | April 2025

amisha
3 days ago
5 min read

There's been lots to watch this April between multiple TV shows, and the release of Ryan Coogler's Sinners which is going to be hard to beat as the best film of the year. Read on for what I've been watching, reading and playing this month...

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Movies 🎬

The main event this month (and perhaps this whole year) was Ryan Coogler's Sinners, a vampire/horror/blues/period movie that absolutely rules and is rightfully breaking all kinds of box office records. As with many others, the recent video of Coogler fully convinced me to watch Sinners at the BFI - one of only ten locations worldwide to show the film in 70mm IMAX. It was an absolutely amazing cinematic experience, and all the hype was well-earned. The phrase 'instantly iconic' comes to mind.

I'm sure multiple rewatches will continue to unfold the rich layers beneath this stylistic horror - on a first watch, the exploration of what freedom means for the Black community in the 1930s was very compelling, and continues to show how Coogler can package meaningful ideas in entertaining Movies (with a capital M). It hasn't been since Train to Busan that I've truly felt so white-knuckled tense during a survival action adventure, and that's purely down to the wonderful work that Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and the crew do to make you care about the characters, and also build a textured world where you do really feel like you've gone on a spiritual journey. Also, Ludwig Göransson's music is sensational, and I'm rooting for a consecutive Oscar win for him.

The rest of my April movie watching was quite light (due mainly to the packed TV schedule as below). I watched sequels to two of my favourite family movies, Moana 2 and Paddington in Peru. The former was extremely disappointing, and the latter was fairly fun but didn't reach the heights of its predecessor (but what could?!). I then conducted my bi-annual comfort watch of 2005's Pride and Prejudice, which remains to be as beautiful and romantic and witty as ever.

The main (non-theatrical) highlight of the month was A Real Pain, a film about two Jewish cousins who tour Poland to honour their late grandmother. I was surprised by just how much I loved this. Kieran Culkin was expectedly great, bringing real pathos to his off-the-cuff charming exterior, just as he did as Roman Roy in Succession. It was Jesse Eisenberg that really surprised me: his writing is compelling, direction full of warmth, and his performance really spoke to me for combining his signature neuroses with true vulnerability.

Shows 📺

One of my most anticipated shows of the year, Andor, returned for its second and final season in April. I rewatched the first season to prepare, and loved it even more than I first did. The prison arc in particular is one of my favourite television storylines ever, and Nicholas Britell's music throughout is fantastic. Tony Gilroy's scripts are incredibly sharp, full of indelible monologues and a genuinely fascinating exploration of the machinations of a fascist regime. It's a show that utilises the existing Star Wars playground to tell a unique, grounded, character-focused story, paired with stunning craftsmanship that allows us to explore the vast reaches of the galaxy and, most importantly, learn about how its regular inhabitants live. The second season has been great so far, and I'm only sad that we're nearing the end of this brilliant show!

I'm not sure if 'excitement' was the right word for how I felt about Season 2 of The Last of Us, HBO's adaptation of the award-winning apocalyptic video game. Dread perhaps? The game is beautifully made, but also brutal and devastating. The first few episodes of S2 have followed this fairly closely, including one pivotal moment that was genuinely heart-wrenching to sit through again. However, there's still plenty to be 'enjoyed' (read: be horrified by) including some fantastic action, and the continuation of a great performance by Bella Ramsey as Ellie.

April also saw the return of Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who, this time joined by Andor's Varada Sethu as the latest companion to join him in his adventures across time and space. So far, I've found this to be a slightly more consistent season than the last, with the highlight being 'The Well' a brilliantly tense, well-written episode featuring a delightful surprise for fans that I was able to experience without being spoiled.

As I wrote in my last round-up, I've also been absolutely loving Apple TV+'s comedy The Studio, co-directed by and starring Seth Rogen, who is hilarious as a bumbling movie executive trying to 'save movies' with masterpieces like 'Kool-Aid'. A must watch for any film fans.

And, as ever, I require a healthy dose of comfort and coziness alongside my usual entertainment intake. This month, that came in the form of Hart of Dixie, which has replaced Gilmore Girls as my small-town romantic comedy. It's just so watchable, with a charming cast, romantic triangles that I'd need diagrams to fully explain, and hijinks... lots of hijinks.

The second of my cozy watches was Anne with an E, which I completely finished within a month. Though this one definitely veers into the saccharine, I really enjoyed the core premise of the show and was sad that there weren't more seasons. I'm planning on reading the book (Anne of Green Gables) very soon!

Books 📚

It was a slightly slower month for reading. I started Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself, the first book in a dark fantasy trilogy, and Stephen Fry's Troy, the third in his brilliant Greek mythology series.

Gaming 🎮

After ages of being too scared to even dream of trying the behemoth fantasy RPG Elden Ring (because of its notorious difficulty), I caved in and bought a copy on sale. And yes, I have died... a lot. But, I've also quite enjoyed the challenge, and exploring the beautifully designed, but deadly, fantasy world. We'll see how far I get before folding (I have yet to defeat Margit, the first boss of the game), but for now, I'm having a good time!

Other! 🎭🎧

In April, I had a brilliant time attending live events, the first being a Joe Hisaishi Candlelight Concert, which featured a string quartet performing themes from Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and a few others. Hisaishi's music is a constant on my movie music playlists so this was a perfect evening for me.

The next day, I attended the Playstation Concert, featuring performances of the iconic music from games like The Last of Us, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn. I wrote about it here.