April Movies: Forbidden Kingdom, 88 Minutes, & Leatherheads

[Mark Vader]

Before Dr.Jones grabs his hat & whip and sets out for another adventure, before 2 FBI Agents reunite for another bizarre mission, before a young man is given the chance to become a trained assassin, before the Pevensie children return to their other world to aid a young prince, before a deadly virus is unleashed on the world, before the massive green superhero returns to the big screen, before a hot-shot car racer hits the wildest race circuits in the world, before a panda bear learns the greatest martial art, before an ancient Asian mummy is unleashed, before Hellboy is called upon to save the world, before 4 NYC women bring their sexual escapades to the big screen, before a trash compacting robot sets out to learn about life, before a disliked superhero is given a chance to repair his image, before 2 grown men who despise each other become step-brothers, before Tony Stark creates the most amazing body armor ever, before Maxwell Smart takes on the forces of KAOS, and before the Caped Crusader faces his deadliest nemesis, the month of April closes out the Spring Season with more lighter and certainly much less expensive fare, before the Summer tentpole films are released.

 

While the plot of "The Forbidden Kingdom" sounds mildly interesting: A discovery made by a kung-fu obsessed American teen transports him back to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial-arts warriors in order to free an imprisoned king, the real draw of this film is the first time onscreen meeting of Jackie Chan & Jet Li. The famous martial arts-actors will draw big to the fans of this genre. The drawback for the hardcore fans are: the family feel of this adventure/fantasy/comedy & the somewhat tame PG-13 rating. Still the fact that Chan & Li are together in this film will still be a good enough curiosity for most fans.

 

Al Pacino does his best Jack Bauer impersonation in "88 Minutes". Pacino plays a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI receives a death threat telling him that he has only 88 minutes to live. It's been awhile since we've seen Pacino in an action film, and fans who were cheated out of getting to see "24" this year, may be inclined to check out this film. Alicia Witt, Neal McDonough, Leelee Sobieski, & Amy Brenneman co-star.

 

George Clooney stars and directs the comedy "Leatherheads". The story of an aging football legend and the hot college star he's drafted for his pro team, fight for the heart of an intrepid up-and-coming journalist, circa 1925. This odd-screwball comedy was moved from last December to this month. We'll see if that was a wise move. Renee Zellwegger & John Krasinski co-stars.

 

Hugh Jackman & Ewen McGregor star in "Deception". An accountant (McGregor) is introduced to a mysterious sex club by his charismatic new lawyer friend (Jackman). But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist. Michelle Williams & Maggie Q co-star.

 

In "Street Kings", Tom Ludlow is a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career. Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, & Hugh Laurie star.

 

There are thrillers aplenty this month:

In "The Ruins", A Mexican vacation takes a turn for the worse for a group of Americans when they head into the jungle to look for the missing brother of a fellow traveler.

 

A vengeful killer stalks high school students on "The greatest night of their lives", in the re-make "Prom Night".

 

And, A group of medical students devise a deadly game, to see which one of them can commit the perfect murder, in "Pathology".

 

Martin Scorsese directs "Shine A Light", A look at the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones through the ages, as they blast through their 2006 "Big Bang Tour".

 

In "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", Peter jets off to Hawaii for a vacation that is supposed to help him deal with his recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex. Kristen Bell & Peter Segal star.

 

In "Nim's Island", A popular author teams up the adventure-loving Alex Rover in order to help her number-one fan, a young girl who lives on a secret island where her father has gone missing. Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler & Abigail Breslin star.

 

Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, & Thomas Haden Church star in "Smart People". Into the life of a widowed professor(Quaid) comes a new love(Parker) and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother(Church).

 

In "Baby Mama", A career-driven single woman hires a surrogate mother to carry her child to term. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler star.

 

Finally in "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay", Aboard their flight to Amsterdam, Harold and Kumar are caught trying to sneak a bong onboard, the first step in a misadventure that finds them mistaken for terrorists and sent to Guantanamo Bay. Kal Penn, John Cho, & Neil Patrick Harris star.

 

Calendar with Trailers

 

4/4

"Leatherheads": http://www.leatherheadsmovie.com/

 

"Shine A Light": http://www.shinealightmovie.com/

 

"Nim's Island": http://www.nimsisland.com/

 

"The Ruins": http://www.ruinsmovie.com/

 

4/11

"Street Kings": http://www.foxsearchlight.com/streetkings/

 

"Smart People": http://www.smartpeople-themovie.com/

 

"Prom Night": http://www.anighttodiefor.com/

 

4/18

"88 Minutes": http://www.88minutestolive.com/

 

"The Forbidden Kingdon": http://www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com/

 

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall": http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com/

 

"Pathology": http://www.enterpathologylab.com/

 

4/25

"Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantamo Bay": http://www.haroldandkumar.com/?source=ssp

 

"Deception": http://www.deception-movie.com/site/index.html

 

"Baby Mama": http://www.babymamamovie.net/

 

That's it for now. Independent films will be posted later. Enjoy!

[Ned Flanders]

Leatherheads should be released in September or October...releasing a football movie in April only makes sense in Hollywood.

 

My wife, however, would pay money to watch George Clooney read a book for two hours, so it will make some waves at the box office. Renee Z always looks like she just bit into a lemon.

[Mark Vader]

Leatherheads should be released in September or October...releasing a football movie in April only makes sense in Hollywood.

 

My wife, however, would pay money to watch George Clooney read a book for two hours, so it will make some waves at the box office. Renee Z always looks like she just bit into a lemon.

Like I said, this movie was going to be released in December. They must have thought it could not compete during the holidays, but liked what they had enough to release it just before the Summer Season starts. As far as Renee Z goes, she always looks like she's squinting.

[KD in CA]

Finally in "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay", Aboard their flight to Amsterdam, Harold and Kumar are caught trying to sneak a bong onboard, the first step in a misadventure that finds them mistaken for terrorists and sent to Guantanamo Bay. Kal Penn, John Cho, & Neil Patrick Harris star.

 

[K-Gun10]

Im seeing Leatherheads this weekend so ill let you guys know how its is. The ruins is getting suprisingly good reviews, That tina fey movies looks funny as hell, and my G/F loves the Pacino so you guys will be updated.

[Mark Vader]

Here are this month's Independent Films.

 

Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz & Natalie Portman star in "My Blueberry Nights". A young woman takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of offbeat characters along the way.

 

In "Meet Bill", a listless, unhappily married human resources executive, is roped into mentoring a rebellious teen. Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, & Logan Lerman star.

 

"Young@Heart" is, a documentary on the Young at Heart Chorus, a group of senior citizens who perform contemporary and classic rock and pop songs.

 

Helen Hunt directs and stars in "Then She Found Me". A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her real one, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students. Bette Midler, Colin Firth, & Matthew Broderick co-star.

 

In "Life Before Her Eyes", A woman's survivor's guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart. Uma Thurman, & Evan Rachel Wood star.

 

As an ex-gambler teaches a hot-shot college kid some things about playing cards, he finds himself pulled into the world series of poker, where his protégé is his toughest competition. Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison, & Shannon Elizabeth star in "Deal".

 

Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, & Stuart Townsend star in "Chaos Theory". The story of an obsessively organized efficiency expert whose life unravels in unexpected ways when fate forces him to explore the serendipitous nature of love and forgiveness.

 

In "The Visitor", College professor Walter Vale travels to New York to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in the apartment he keeps there. The surprise leads to unexpected friendships, and a much-needed new lease on life for Vale.

 

A popular novelist researches unlikely sources to find characters for her next bestseller, in "Roman de Gare".

 

In "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden", Morgan Spurlock tours the Middle East to discuss the war on terror with Arabic people.

 

Calendar with trailers. Reminder: these dates are for limited or exclusive release engagements. These films could be released at a later date in your area.

 

4/4

"My Blueberry Nights": http://www.blueberrynightsmovie.com/

 

"Meet Bill": http://www.firstlookstudios.com/films/meetbill/

 

4/11

"The Visitor": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809773648/trailer

 

"Young@Heart": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809901098/trailer

 

"Chaos Theory": http://chaostheorymovie.warnerbros.com/

 

4/18

"Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809826866/trailer

 

"The Life Before Her Eyes": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809985275/trailer

 

4/25

"Roman de Gare": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809871860/trailer

 

"Deal": http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809426649/trailer

 

"Then She Found Me": http://helenhunt.org/thenshefoundme/

 

Thats everything. See you all in May.

[GoodBye]

Cool, thanks Mark! I'm going to see Leatherheads tomorrow. Looks pretty funny.

[Mark Vader]

Im seeing Leatherheads this weekend so ill let you guys know how its is. The ruins is getting suprisingly good reviews, That tina fey movies looks funny as hell, and my G/F loves the Pacino so you guys will be updated.

Does'nt look like that strong a month. Although I will probably see 88 Minutes. Deception looks good, and I like Jackman & McGregor.

[K-Gun10]

I saw Leatherheads, REALLY FUNNY, Funnier than i thought it would be, Clooney did a really good job, not really as much football as you would think, so perfect date movie.

[Dante]

I saw Ruins yesterday. Not bad at all. The two girls did a very good job imho. They weren't portrayed as Rambettes or super kick a$$ tough chicks. Very realistic reaction to the situation they were in.

[GoodBye]

I saw Leatherheads, REALLY FUNNY, Funnier than i thought it would be, Clooney did a really good job, not really as much football as you would think, so perfect date movie.

Yes, I enjoyed it too. Very funny movie.