The weekend warriors of April 4, 2014 includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dom Hemingway, Under the Skin, and Nymphomaniac: Vol. II. Box Office Battlefield is a recurring rundown of all the movie releases for the weekend. Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others.

Last weekend, Noah was able to change the tides against Divergent, but will the divine power be enough to stop Kevin Feige and his roster of superheroes? How much will the little indie movies chip away at one of the most anticipated movies of the year? ‘MERRRRRRICAAAA! This is the Box Office Battlefield:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Rated PG-13) 136 min – (Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo) Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, and Robert Redford

Synopsis: Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 88% • Audience – 94%

This is by far one of the most anticipated movies of the year. And it delivers on all accounts. It is faster, smarter, wittier, and more mature than any of the previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In my opinion, it is better than The Avengers in terms of story and functionality. It’s a true game changer that shakes up the MCU for the better. Check out my Grade A Review. SEE THIS MOVIE, BUT NOT IN 3D; AND BE SURE TO WATCH THROUGH THE END CREDITS FOR AN AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON TEASER 

Dom Hemingway (Rated R) 93 min – (Directed by Richard Shepard) Starring Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demian Bichir, and Emilia Clarke

Synopsis: After spending 12 years in prison for keeping his mouth shut, notorious safe-cracker Dom Hemingway is back on the streets of London looking to collect what he’s owed.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 53% • Audience – 44%

Here’s a movie that has escaped me, but according to other critics, as well as the audience tomatometer, Dom Hemingway isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be:

“Almost every line is delivered with such overwrought bombast, just inches at times from the camera, you may feel a need to dodge the spittle.” – Betsy Sharkey of the LA Times

“Proof of Law’s specific appeal – by completely draining it from the picture.” – Eric Kohn of indieWIRE

“Dom Hemingway is an uneven movie, to be sure … but it’s still hard to resist.’ – Bilge Ebiri of Vulture

I would have to say Dom Hemingway is a solid streaming candidate. WAIT FOR IT ON NETFLIX!

Under the Skin [Limited] (Rated R) 108 min – (Directed by Jonathan Glazer) Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, and Dougie McConnell

Synopsis: An alien seductress preys upon hitchhikers in Scotland.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 85% • Audience – 62%

Scarlett Johansson’s performance definitely interests me as it is by far one of her most bizarre roles. Here’s what the critics have to say since this is a limited release to my area:

“Johansson has to be at once achingly specific and so general that you can hang all manner of symbols on her. Somehow she pulls it off.” – Matt Zoller Seitz from RogerEbert.com

“So unfathomable that it feels like a dully haunting nightmare whose details retreat and fade almost immediately upon waking.” – Claudia Puig of USA Today

“I was willing to watch more to discover what was underneath the surface. Once I found out, I was frozen in place, and then Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Glazer had their way with me.” – Dan Kois of Slate

I would say err on the side of caution on this one. It may seem great for a strange, art house indie, but don’t go in expecting a masterpiece. MATINEE IT! 

Nymphomaniac: Volume II [Limited] (Not Rated) 123 min – (Directed by Lars von Trier) Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Bell

Synopsis: The continuation of Joe’s sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman’s care.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 62% • Audience – 69%

If you were able to stomach Volume I I’m sure you have a taste for Volume II. I have yet to see it, but here’s what the other critics have to say:

 “I take it all back. Nymphomaniac sucks.” – William Bibbiani of Crave Online

“A notch more watchable than Volume I.” – Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly

“This is a frustrating, fundamentally flawed movie, but if one must consider it two separate animals, this latter one is demonstrably better.” – Jordan Hoffman of Film.com

“Even if the second half pales by comparison, it’s worth watching the whole thing to get a complete sense of von Trier’s ideas and of the magnetically underplayed performances by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgård.” – Alonso Duralde of The Wrap

My take is if you can find these at a bargain rent or stream it if you got ’em, but mostly WAIT UNTIL IT’S ON NETFLIX! 

Marvel Studios has this one in the bag. So as it stands, I believe the victor for this weekend shall be:

Winner: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Movie synopses courtesy of IMDb.com and Tomatometer Scores from Rotten Tomatoes

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