Coming attractions: Our big guide to spring 2019 movies

Garrett Mitchell
The Republic | azcentral.com

Though the initial months of any year are notoriously regarded as a dumping ground for uninspired and troubled films, there's a mix of blockbusters, comedies and independent fare to keep you heading back to the theater.

There's hotly anticipated chillers ("Us" and "Pet Sematary"), ambitious animation ("Ruben Brandt, Collector"), and final chapters for some beloved characters ("A Madea Family Funeral" and "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World," which debuted last week) among ambitious stories.

Here's a guide for this year's upcoming movies spanning from March to late April, just before a summer of superheroes, space travelers and Disney nostalgia take over entirely. 

March 1

Tyler Perry puts on the wig and women's clothing as his irascible grandmother character Madea in the comedy "A Madea Family Funeral" (March 1).

"A Madea Family Funeral" (PG-13): After two decades and eight films, Tyler Perry is laying to rest his unmistakably profane and bawdy matriarch in this final Madea film. "Through new jobs and new unions. From haunted houses to the big house, we've seen our share of things," the director-star says in a TV spot. "Some stories show us how to get through the hard times with grace and dignity ... this ain't one of them movies!"

"Greta" (R): Everyone needs a friend — even a disturbed Isabelle Huppert. The celebrated French star, who was nominated for an Academy Award for 2016's "Elle," stars in this New York-set thriller as Greta, a seemingly harmless eccentric widow who befriends a down-on-her-luck waitress (Chloë Grace Moretz). Greta's erratic behavior soon spirals into some "Single White Female" and "Fatal Attraction" territory. Come for the twisted antics, stay for Huppert shouting "I deserve better!" 

March 8

"Captain Marvel" (PG-13): Marvel's buzz-worthy answer to DC's "Wonder Woman" is a one-time U.S. Air Force fighter pilot turned intergalactic "noble-warrior hero." Brie Larson stars in this 1990s-set action-adventure in which she joins the front lines of a battle between the honorable Kree aliens and shape-shifting foes, the Skrulls. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars as "Avengers" mainstay Nick Fury.

Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel."

"Apollo 11" (G): If you were sent to infinite and beyond by Damien Chazelle's dramatic retelling of the moon landing in "First Man," you're bound to relive the wonder of this real-life feat yet again. This new documentary, constructed from archival footage of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic 1969 journey, was dubbed by Variety as "a cool, meticulous, at times enthralling documentary that captures the Apollo 11 flight in its entirety through raw footage drawn from the NASA vaults.”

Indy is never boring. Don’t miss the biggest announcements and the best recommendations.

"I'm Not Here" (TBD): A shut-in in denial about his traumatic past (J.K. Simmons) attempts to reconcile with his memories in a flashback-heavy drama. Sebastian Stan, Maika Monroe, Mandy Moore, and Max Greenfield co-star; Simmons' wife, Michelle Schumacher, directs. 

"Ruben Brandt, Collector" (R): "Art is the key to the troubles of the mind," utters the titular art therapist in this animated heist tale. One part "Velvet Buzzsaw," one part "The Thomas Crown Affair," this Hungarian-produced flick draws inspiration from the world's most famous paintings with style.

"The Wedding Guest" (R): Dev Patel plays a hired kidnapper who spirits away a bride-to-be looking to get lost before her nuptials. But what may seem like a globetrotting getaway from matrimony has more mysterious implications. 

March 15

"Yardie," the first film directed by Idris Elba, stars Aml Ameen.

"Five Feet Apart" (PG-13): Imagine "The Fault in Our Stars" but cancer is replaced with cystic fibrosis, and you'll get this hospital romance starring Haley Lu Richardson and "Riverdale" breakout Cole Sprouse.

"Gloria Bell" (R): Love is in the air for oddball divorcee Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore), who hopes to go down dancing in her quest for new romance. This latest film by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio ("A Fantastic Woman") is an American remake of his 2013 romance "Gloria."

"Wonder Park" (PG): This amusement park-set animated flick follows an imaginative young girl whose creative visions come to life. 

"Yardie" (TBD): Based on a novel by Victor Headley, "Yardie" is the first film by actor-DJ-"Sexiest Man Alive" Idris Elba. Jamaican-born D witnesses his brother's murder and is later engulfed in a crime syndicate. Years later, while transporting drugs, he discovers the killer is in London and vows to avenge his sibling.

March 22

Winston Duke (top), Lupita Nyong'o and Evan Alex star as family members fighting off their malevolent doppelgangers in the horror film "Us."

"The Aftermath" (R): Another year, another scintillating period drama for Keira Knightley. Set in post-war Germany, Knightley plays a British colonel's wife who begins an affair with a German widower (Alexander Skarsgard) as the crumbling European theater begins to rebuild.

"The Hummingbird Project" (R): Two cousins (Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard) embark on a daring feat to construct a fiber-optic cable line between the Midwest and east coast for a massive payday in high-frequency trading. One snafu? Salma Hayak as their ruthless, silver-maned former boss who'll do whatever it takes to beat them.

"The Mustang" (R): An exercise in empathy and self-control through wild horse rehabilitation forces an inmate (Matthias Schoenaerts) to grapple with his past and salvation.

"Us" (R): Jordan Peele follows his transcendent breakout smash "Get Out" with a story about a family whose worst fears manifest themselves in a fight for survival. Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke star.

March 29

Walt Disney Studios released the first trailer for the upcoming live-action film “Dumbo.”

"Captive State" (PG-13): A decade after an extra-terrestrial force overcomes the earth and bends humanity to its will, its collaborators and dissidents clash. John Goodman, Vera Farmiga, Ashton Sanders, and Jonathan Majors star. 

"Dumbo" (PG): The latest in Disney's cavalcade of live-action adaptations of its glossiest animated classics, "Dumbo" retells the story of the flying elephant with added drama provided by Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Eva Green.

"The Heiresses" (TBD): Two down-on-their-luck descendants of wealthy Paraguayans, Chela and Chiquita, battle debt and their class limitations in this quiet drama.

"Hotel Mumbai" (R): In the vein of "United 93" and "Voyage of the Damned," this reenactment of a three-day terrorist siege across Mumbai, India, seeks to contextualize its horror with Dev Patel, Armie Hammer and Jason Isaacs in tow. 

April 5

Undead critters haunt the living in a remake of Stephen King's "Pet Sematary."

"The Best of Enemies" (PG-13): An unlikely pairing of civil rights activist Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) and KKK leader C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell) fuels this "best of enemies" period drama.

"Pet Sematary" (TBD): A new adaptation of Stephen King's haunting 1983 chiller follows a similar plot — a bewitched burial ground brings pets and humans back to life — but there are a couple twists in store that may not please purists. Jason Clarke stars. 

"Shazam!" (PG-13): A buff Zachary Levi becomes the superhero avatar of a teen upon the utterance of his signature catchphrase. Guess what it is?

April 12

David Harbour takes over for Ron Perlman in the 2019 reboot of "Hellboy"

"After" (TBD): What do you get when you only take the dumbstruck so-called "romantic" aspects of "50 Shades of Grey" and eliminate the bland forays in S&M? "First" — which keeps the deep sighs, whispers and poppy soundtrack from its reviled predecessors.

"The Chaperone" (TBD): Though the cinematic "Downton Abbey" continuation doesn't hit the big screen until fall, writer-director Julian Fellowes has plenty of jazz-age glamour in this tale of an unlikely pair. Elizabeth McGovern plays a conventional society matron tasked with escorting an impetuous starry-eyed teen into the bustle of 1920's New York.

"Hellboy" (TBD): David Harbour takes over for Ron Perlman as a demon with good intentions in this humorous reboot of the Dark Horse Comics series. In this latest entry, Hellboy must prevent a powerful witch (Milla Jovovich) from eliminating mankind.

"Little" (TBD): Regina Hall is a demanding boss hilariously transformed into a 13-year-old girl ("Black-ish" star Marsai Martin). Her under-appreciated assistant ("Insecure" creator Issa Rae) is recruited to help the bossy mogul get back to normal.

"Missing Link" (PG): A legendary link between man and beast partners with a pair of explorers in the hopes of learning he's not alone. Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Timothy Olyphant, and Emma Thompson voice the central characters in this stop-motion movie.

"Teen Spirit" (PG-13): A bashful teenager (Elle Fanning) sings her way through pop hits by Ellie Goulding and Robyn in the hopes of becoming a commoditized pop sensation discovered on TV. 

April 19

Andrew Garfield in "Under the Silver Lake."

"The Curse of La Llorona" (R): A ghostly "weeping woman" preys on children in this supernatural thriller starring Linda Cardellini as a social worker haunted by a vengeful and deadly spirit.

"High Life" (R): Robert Pattinson plays a criminal turned human guinea pig barreling toward a black hole in deep space with his young daughter. 

"Under the Silver Lake" (R): A picture-perfect hipster love story between chummy Sam (Andrew Garfield) and his enigmatic neighbor (Riley Keough) cuts short when she suddenly disappears. He attempts to unravel a conspiracy that takes him through the seedy underbelly and glossy heights of Los Angeles.

April 26

VPC THUMB ENDGAME

"Avengers: Endgame " (TBD): Marvel's all-encompassing tent-pole franchise returns in chaos following Thanos's cataclysmic snap that eliminated half of the universe. It's up to the remaining Avengers — Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Hulk, and, yes, even Hawkeye — to partner with others to restore the fabric of space and time.