These Promising Movies Are Coming Out in April of 2009

First things first, I realize I'm a bit late. I realize that this is the second time. And, I do apologize. I just lost track of time. In this article, I thought I'd include a review of the movies I saw.

I love movies. I look forward to seeing almost every movie that comes out. There's always a question of whether or not it's a good movie. As a serious moviegoer, you've got to keep your mind open. Perhaps the most unlikely film will be your favorite film of the year. You never know. So I have gone ahead, taken a look at some movies coming out in April of 2009 and I decided to give my readers a glimpse at some of those movies. Once you've read what I've got to say, it'll be up to you whether or not you want to see the films listed below. One thing I'll tell you before I move ahead with this list is that I wish I could be paid to see these movies at their premiere and give my readers detailed reviews of each. But as it is, I am stuck making guesses and conjectures, not certain how well the movie will turn out.

2009 looks like a year of either great change or great disappointment. We've already had some great changes in the political world if you hadn't noticed. And, I'm obviously not talking about the shaky economy. This year in film may bring 3D to the screen like we've never seen before.

April 3rd

Fast and Furious

Directed by Justin Lin

Written by Chris Morgan

I was never a big fan of the Fast and Furious movies in the first place. So, I really wasn't expecting much when I went to see this fourth installment in the series. As many of the fans will tell you, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift should never have happened. But, everyone has been waiting to see Vin Diesel return to his role as Dominic Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez return as his girlfriend, Letty, Paul Walker return as Brian O'Conner, and Jordana Brewster return as Mia Toretto. Those fans have finally gotten their wish and it's quite the reunion if you ask me. I dare say, Fast and Furious is even better than the original.

More of the principle cast

John Ortiz plays Campos

Laz Alanso plays Fenix Rise

Gal Gadot plays Gisele Harabo

Shea Whigham plays Agent Ben Stasiak

More movies that came out on April 3rd

Adventureland

Written and directed by Greg Mottola; starring Jesse Eisenberg as James Brennan, Kelsey Ford as Arlene, Michael Zegen as Eric, Ryan Reynolds as Mike Connell, Bill Hader as Bobby, Kristen Stewart as Em Lewin, Martin Starr as Joel

April 10th

Observe and Report

Directed by Jody Hill

Written by Jody Hill

He's bi-polar. He's a security guard. He's Ronnie Barnhardt as played by Seth Rogen. You might also say he's dangerous, crass, delusional and violent. The film tries to make this insane security guard into a hero. When your hero is shooting unarmed suspects, gets into massive fights with actual police officers and never listens to what anyone else tells him, it's hard for an audience to adhere to him at all. That's the beginning of the problems with Observe and Report. I went into this film expecting some great laughs from Anna Faris, playing Brandi and Seth Rogen. What I got was a bunch of flat, uninteresting jokes and very awkward situations. It's possible Observe and Report takes itself too seriously to be funny. You might say the filmmakers didn't know what kind of movie they were trying to make. There is an intelligence in the writing, but it's not meant to make people laugh. Or, maybe I was just in a bad mood.

More of the principle cast

Ray Liotta plays Detective Harrison

Michael Pena plays Dennis

John Yuan plays John Yuen

Matt Yuan plays Matt Yuen

More movies that came out on April 10th

Dragonball: Evolution

Directed by James Wong; written by Ben Ramsey and Akira Toriyama; starring Justin Chatwin as Goku, Yun-Fat Chow as Master Roshi, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi and James Marsters as Lord Piccolo

April 17th

State of Play

Directed by Kevin MacDonald

Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy

I guess while he was busy writing and directing Duplicity, Tony Gilroy was adding his genius to this story about investigative reporters who are trying to help a police detective solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. Russell Crowe stars as Cal McAffrey, Ben Affleck plays Stephen Collins and Rachel McAdams plays Della Frye. The previews make this conspiracy film look very complicated. I hope the story doesn't twist and turn too much, because an audience can't have a good time in a film that's giving them a headache. Plus, filmmakers end up making mistakes when the story is that complex. But, I'm always up to see Russell Crowe doing his thing in movies. Let's just say, I'm hoping this Russell Crowe film turns out to be as good as any other.

More of the principle cast

Helen Mirren plays Cameron Lynne

Robin Wright Penn plays Anne Collins

Jason Bateman plays Dominic Foy

Jeff Daniels plays Rep. George Fergus

17 Again

Directed by Burr Steers

Written by Jason Filardi

You know that guy from Friends, Matthew Perry? Well, he's back on the big screen. This time, he's playing a man by the name of Mike O'Donnell. This guy thinks that his life didn't turn out the way he wanted. He wishes he could go back to high school, and change some things about his life. Suddenly, he gets his wish. Now, I guess we've got that kid from High School Musical 1, 2 and 3, Zac Efron playing Mike as a teenager. The question is what kind of fun can a man in Mike's position have, knowing what he knows? We've seen this kind of thing in movies before. Freaky Friday and Vice Versa immediately come to mind. 13 Going on 30 is somewhat like this. In any case, I think 17 Again looks like it could be fun to watch.

More of the principle cast

Leslie Mann plays the adult, Scarlett O'Donnell

Thomas Lennon plays the adult, Ned Gold

Tyler Steelman plays the teen, Ned Gold

Allison Miller plays the teen, Scarlett O'Donnell

Crank: High Voltage

Written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Chev Chelios as played by Jason Statham is back for this sequel to the original, Crank. This time he's facing a Chinese mobster who stole his nearly indestructible heart. I wasn't all that interested in seeing the first film. I'm even less interested in seeing the sequel. The previews make the entire idea behind the film look like a joke. Why wouldn't the movie itself be any different? If you want to see Jason Statham kick some butt in a good movie, rent Death Race. I seriously would not recommend paying upwards of $10 to see Jason Statham run around without a heart, rubbing up against old ladies for the static electricity.

More of the principle cast

Amy Smart plays Eve

Clifton Collins Jr. plays El Huron

David Carradine plays Poon Dang

Corey Haim (that's right, Corey Haim) plays Randy

More films coming out on April 17th

The Butterfly Tattoo

Directed by Phil Hawkins; written by Stephen Potts and Philip Pullman; starring Duncan Stuart as Chris Marshall, Jessica Blake as Jenny, Aidan Magrath as Barry Miller, Christopher Dane as Inspector Fletcher and Dan Morgan as Piers Hawthorne

April 24th

The Soloist

Directed by Joe Wright

Written by Susannah Grant

Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Journalist befriends a homeless Julliard trained musician, Nathaniel Ayers as played by Jamie Foxx. Steve discovers how great Nathaniel is and he just can't get enough of his music. He takes it upon himself to bring Nathaniel out of the gutter and into the light, so to speak. He quickly discovers Nathaniel has a few mental problems that has kept him from succeeding in the music business. Steve also discovers that Nathaniel loves music more than he's ever loved anything. Perhaps, this collaboration will prove to be great for both Steve and Nathaniel. All in all, I think The Soloist may be the best film that comes out in April.

More of the principle cast

Catherine Keener

Stephen Root plays Curt

Tom Hollander plays Graham Claydon

Rachael Harris plays Leslie

Fighting

Directed by Dito Montiel

Written by Robert Munic and Dito Montiel

Channing Tatum plays Shawn MacArthur, a young counterfeiter in New York City. He's suddenly introduced to the world of underground street fighting. Terrence Howard plays Harvey Boarden, a seasoned scam artist who takes Shawn under his wing as a manager. Things will probably get heated between them. This film will probably be as forgettable as any Rocky-esque fight film since The Karate Kid. I'm not overly excited to see this, that's for sure. I mean, there's very few recognizable names in this movie.

More of the principle cast

Zulay Henao plays Zulay Valez

Michael Rivera plays Ajax

Flaco Navaja plays Ray Ray

Luis Guzman plays Martinez

More films coming out on April 24th

Obsessed

Directed by Steve Shill; written by David Loughery; starring Idris Elba as Derek Charles, Beyonce Knowles as Sharon Charles, Ali Larter as Lisa Sheridan, Jerry O'Connell as Ben and Bonnie Perlman as Marge