The Force is with this spring’s movies

“The Amityville Horror”
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Bennett, Melissa George, Philip Baker Hall, Jesse James, Chloe Moretz, Rachel Nichols
Director: Andrew Douglas
Story: One year after an entire family is slain in their beds, George (Reynolds) and Kathy (George) move into the infamous Amityville house where the murders took place with their two children. Immediately, bizarre events begin to occur. The family survives for 28 days before fleeing the house. The story is supposedly based on real-life events.

MGM

Buzz: One thing’s certain, this movie will win the weekend of April 15 — of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be good. The best viewers can hope for is that this film will actually be frightening — the R rating bodes well for this. Reynolds (“Van Wilder”) seems to be abandoning his comic roots in favor of action roles. George is best known for her role on as Lauren on “Alias.” Douglas has only made one prior film and it was a television documentary.
Web site: http://www.amityvillehorrormovie.com/

“House of D”

Lions Gate Films

Starring: Robin Williams, Erykah Badu, David Duchovny, Gideon Jacobs, Orlando Jones, Frank Langella, Adam LeFevre, Téa Leoni, Mark Margolis, Stephen Spinella, Anton Yelchin
Director: David Duchovny
Story: Duchovny makes his directorial debut with this coming-of-age story about a boy (Yelchin) growing up in Greenwich Village in the 1970s. Mourning the death of his father and coping with his single mom (Leoni), the boy bonds with his best friend, a mentally challenged janitor (Williams). Badu co-stars as a woman locked up in the Greenwich Village correctional facility who gives the boy advice. Duchovny plays the adult version of the boy, who now lives in Paris.
Buzz: Well, the thought of Robin Williams playing a mentally challenged janitor is enough to keep me far, far, far away from any theater playing this film (wasn’t “Patch Adams” bad enough). Duchovey (“The X Files”) also penned the screenplay.
Web site: http://www.houseofdthemovie.com/

“Rock School”

Newmarket Films

Starring: Documentary
Director: Don Argott
Story: First-time documentary filmmaker Argott takes us behind the scenes at a real rock-and-roll high school. Students aged nine to 17 come to the Paul Green School of Rock to learn the ins and outs of rock. The film follows the larger-than-life Paul Green and his relationship with students including CJ, a rock guitarist who has to overcome a disability, the clinically depressed Will, and Quaker-turned-rocker Madi.
Buzz: The Hollywood Reporter calls this film “a kick-ass documentary.” The film received a standing ovation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Documentaries continue to be the most vital storytelling form around. This looks to be another audience pleaser.
Web site: http://www.rockschoolthemovie.com/flashIndex.htm

“The Interpreter”

Universal

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Maz Jobrani, Tsai Chin
Director: Sydney Pollack
Story: Kidman stars as an African-born interpreter who overhears a murder plot against an African head of state who’s scheduled to address the United Nations. Penn is the Secret Service agent assigned to protect Kidman, but he’s not sure if he believes her story.
Buzz: Though it may seem a bit strange to see Sydney Pollack (“Tootsie,” “Out of Africa”) helming a thriller, he is the man who directed one of the better nail-biters, “Three Days of the Condor.” This film seems a little mainstream for the always off-beat Penn, and he and Kidman seem like an unlikely combo. Pollack had to persuade Secretary-General Kofi Annan to let him shoot in the U.N.
Web site: http://www.theinterpretermovie.com/

“King’s Ransom”

New Line Cinema

Starring: Anthony Anderson, Leila Arcieri, Larry Day, Loretta Devine, Brooke D'Orsay, Ilona Elkin, Donald Faison, Regina Hall, Jay Mohr
Director: Jeff Byrd
Story: A wealthy man (Anderson) on the verge of divorce plans his own abduction to keep his gold-digging wife from taking all of his money. Mohr plays his dim-witted sidekick. Hall plays Anderson’s ditzy mistress.
Buzz: “Chappelle Show” fans take note: Charlie Murphy has a small role in this film. Anderson is probably best known for the TV sitcom “All About the Andersons.” This looks like your standard broad comedy — with Mohr doing his best Owen Wilson impersonation. Could the filmmakers not afford the real thing?
Web site: http://www.kingsransommovie.com/

“A Lot Like Love”

Touchstone Pictures

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet, Kal Penn, Ali Larter, Taryn Manning
Director: Nigel Cole
Story: This romantic comedy traces the relationship of Oliver (Kutcher) and Emily (Peet) over the course of seven years. They keep coming back together and splitting up again, but the timing never seems to be quite right. Will they end up finding true love together? People, this is a romantic comedy, which automatically makes that question rhetorical.
Buzz: This marks a change of pace for Kutcher who usually is known more for broad comedy (“Dude, Where’s My Car”) than the romantic sort. Peet (“Whole Nine Yards”) is one of those underrated comic actresses, who really has the timing to be great if she gets a well-written script. Grace is known for directing small British comedies like “Saving Grace” and “Calendar Girls,” so he should bring a bit of sweetness and subtlety to the party.
Web site: http://touchstone.movies.go.com/main.html?dlink=alotlikelove

“The Game of Their Lives”

Vince Bucci / Getty Images file

Starring: Wes Bentley, Gerard Butler, John Rhys-Davies, Patrick Stewart
Director: David Anspaugh
Story: This film tells the true story of the 1950s American soccer team, who against the odds beat the British in a preliminary World Cup match in the small town of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The U.S. team was a mishmash of ethnicities, featuring an Irishman, five Italians, two Portuguese players, one German, one Scot and one Haitian.
Buzz: Director Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo both know their way around a sports film; they were the team behind “Hoosiers” and “Rudy.”
Web site: http://www.ifcfilms.com/ifcfilms?CAT0=3127&CAT1=6286&SHID=19905&AID=10567&CLR=red&BCLR=

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