Monthly Movie Preview – April 2011 April is an unusual month. It's one of those rare occasions where they (that's right, the proverbial "they" that made the current calendar) manage to cram 5 Fridays into one month. Now, what does that mean? Well, for me it means that much more work, but for audiences everywhere, that means 5 weekends of brand new stuff.

Now, what does Hollywood do with this golden opportunity? It's actually a rather chaotic month for movie studios. You've got the Holiday rush of Easter, or as I like to call it "a flimsy excuse to make a movie starring Russell Brand as a cartoon bunny", but if you're not into family-friendly fare, or you don't celebrate Easter, don't despair because April is chock full of other options. Check 'em out below!

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April 1

Movie of the Week

Insidious

The Stars: Rose Byrne, patrick Wilson, Barbara Hershey The Plot: A couple goes to desperate measures when they find out their house is haunted, perhaps by their own comatose son. The Buzz: Okay, it's difficult to do the plot justice. Truth be told, re-reading it now, the plot sounds ludicrous, but that's a problem you can find with most horror movies. But, as with most horror movies, it's all about execution. I've been thrilled about this since day one, when I found out Rose Byrne was involved, but after seeing the trailer, it's good to know that I'm not going on blind faith. It looks like it's got plenty of standard fare, but with solid editing and the right creepy score, this PG-13 horror could join the ranks of other memorable PG-13 horror, such as The Others. Then again, if you're a frequent visitor of TSR, is anyone really surprised that I'm most excited about the horror entries of April? Plus, if you didn't get enough of Barbara Hershey bein' a creep in Black Swan, she's sure to be up to her old tricks in Insidious.

The Others:

Hop - Russell Brand, James Marsden, Kaley Cuoco Source Code - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga The King's Speech - (PG-13 version) Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush

April 8

Movie of the Week

Hanna

The Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana The Plot: A young girl is trained by her father to be a ruthless assassin, but she may meet her match when she finds herself being trailed by an obsessed intelligence agent. The Buzz: Rumor has it that young Saoirse Ronan committed to the film after the studio agreed to have Atonement director Joe Wright attached to the project... at her request. I feel like that's just a taste of the awesomeness that Hanna has in store for us. Sure, they could have easily replaced her if they wanted a different director, but evidently she's callin' all the shots. It's a good thing too, because I'm anxious to see a reunion between the young actress and the director. Plus, Cate Blanchett is always a pleasure to watch, especially when she plays evil. Okay, my only other frame of reference is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but she's what made me tolerate that movie! Finally, we've all seen Eric Bana play hardcore in Munich so I'm anxious to see him pass the torch. All in all, it's hard to think of any downside to this one.

The Others:

Arthur (2011) - Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner Soul Surfer - AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid Your Highness - James Franco, Danny McBride, Natalie Portman

April 15

Movie of the Week

Scream 4

The Stars: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette The Plot: Sidney prescott and the Ghostface Killer return to Woodsboro to pass the torch in Wes Craven's latest installment of the Scream franchise for a new generation. The Buzz: There's nothing particularly horrific about April, but Hollywood would sure you have you think there was with this high profile release. I was never a big Scream fan and I'm not even that excited for this one, but this is pure nostalgic fun. Hopefully this time around Craven makes up his mind about whether this is parody or pure slasher fun. With a list of big name stars and a brand new audience to impress (and make money off of) Craven better be at the top of his game. Who are we kidding? Even if he's not, I'll still go see it just for old time's sake. Between you and me, I've already started re-watching the first three (on blu ray no less) to prepare for this one.

The Others:

Rio - Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez

April 22

Movie of the Week

Water for Elephants

The Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz The Plot: After tragedy strikes, a young man joins a travelling circus and falls for a beautiful performer. The Buzz: This movie is based off of a bestselling book, with the same name. Personally, it's hard for me to get excited about this one, but with all of the other stuff this week, it was the lesser of four evils. Still, if there was one thing that would get me into this movie, it'd hafta be Christoph Waltz. Sure, he's not one of the leads, but anything he touches, I'm game. So there's gotta be something redeeming about this one... right? Hell, even if it's not a great movie, it looks visually stunning so I can at least shut my mind off and watch the pretty people if its story doesn't grab me.

The Others:

African Cats - Lions... and maybe some cheetahs? Apollo 18 - No clue Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family - Tyler Perry, Loretta Devine, Bow Wow

April 29

Movie of the Week

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

The Stars: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Taye Diggs The Plot: Supernatural private investigator, Dylan Dog, is pitted against some of the darkest things that go bump in the night, deep in the bayous of New Orleans. The Buzz: I'm not expecting much agreement on this one, but as a fan of the Dylan Dog Case Files, the only Dylan Dog comics translated from their original Italian, I'm excited to see him make his way to the big screen. In the American tradition, there have already been a lotta changes made to the movie to make it more "Americanized" but I have faith in the cast that's been assembled. Routh is the perfect choice for an American Dog. He's dark, brooding, handsome, but he knows how to crack a joke which, to any fans of the comics, is a crucial character trait. Sure, it looks schlock-y, but it looks like harmless fun that, even at its worst, should be worth a laugh or two.

The Others:

Fast Five - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, The Rock Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil - Hayden Panettierre, Glenn Close, Joan Cusack Prom - Aimee Teegarden, Nicholas Braun, Christine Elise