Movies In Theaters April 11, 2008

Street Kings

Trailer

Genre: Crime/Gangster, Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Actors/Actresses: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Jay Mohr

Synopsis: Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective, sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington. Captain Wander’s, Ludlow’s supervisor, duties include keeping him within the confines of the law–and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs Captain Biggs. Ludlow teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective to track Washington’s killers through the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Their determination pays off when the two detectives track down Washington’s murderers and confront them in an attempt to bring them to justice.

Prom Night

Trailer

Genre: Horror, Suspense, Remake

Rating: PG-13

Actors/Actresses: Brittany Snow, Johnathon Schaech, Brianne Davis, Kelly Blatz, Jana Kramer

Synopsis: “A Party To Die For.” A dark secret amongst a group of children comes back to haunt them in the form of a vengeful killer on their prom night.

Donna’s senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, one of magic, beauty, and love. Surrounded by her best friends, she should be safe from the horrors of her past. But when the night turns from magic to murder there is only one man who could be responsible, the man she thought was gone forever. Now, Donna and her friends must find a way to escape the sadistic rampage of an obsessed killer, and survive their prom night.

Smart People (Limited)

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rating: R

Actors/Actresses: Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, Camille Mana

Synopsis: Professor Lawrence Wetherhold might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant–but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he’s as downright flummoxed as the next guy. His collegiate son won’t confide in him, his teenaged daughter is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad’s misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne’er-do-well brother has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can’t seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he’s an expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age. When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet, the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with consequences for himself and everyone around him.

Chaos Theory (Limited)

Trailer

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Actors/Actresses: Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, Sarah Chalke, Constance Zimmer

Synopsis: Frank Allen, celebrated author of the bestseller The Five Minute Efficiency Trainer, has perfected the art of living via a foolproof system of timetables and index cards. In fact, his daily “to do” lists are legendary. A man known for playing it safe, Frank doesn’t believe in spontaneity. Every choice he makes is deliberately designed to contribute to a well-ordered, predictable life. But life, as he soon learns, never adheres to a strict schedule. Frank’s wife, Susan, and seven-year-old daughter, Jesse, find his obsession charming in small doses, but as a steady diet it can be very frustrating. One morning, Susan attempts to loosen her husband’s scheduling stranglehold by adding ten minutes to his day. But, by setting the clock backward instead of forward, she inadvertently unleashes a series of mishaps that turn his meticulously ordered life upside down. A belligerent ferryman, a ruthless seductress, a reluctant mother-to-be and the secret amor of his best friend, Buddy, combine to send his life into complete chaos. As his life unravels in several directions simultaneously, however, a stunning family revelation forces Frank to look fate squarely in the eye. Shaken to his core, he starts living entirely “in the moment,” allowing him to defy the conventions that have heretofore defined him. Those carefully coordinated index cards that had once kept his life in perfect order now become a deck of chance as Frank scribbles spontaneous ideas on random cards, shuffles, chooses and follows the luck of the draw–with unexpected results. Frank is about to discover that not even an efficiency expert armed with timetables and index cards can change the serendipitous nature of family and friendship, love and forgiveness.

Dark Matter (Limited)

Trailer

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Actors/Actresses: Meryl Streep, Liu Ye, Aidan Quinn, Blair Brown, Sina Amedson

Synopsis: Based on actual events, a Chinese university student responds violently when his chances for a Nobel Prize are dashed by school politics.

Set in the world of astrophysics, this story of innocence, ambition and betrayal follows a young Chinese student of genius and vision, who comes to the U.S. pursuing his dream of scholarly achievement and prestige. Placed under the mentorship of a charismatic scientist, his life takes an unexpected turn to the dark side.

Inspired by a true story, the film follows the life of Liu Xing, a Chinese academic studying in America who gets caught up in campus politics. The release date was delayed by film bosses because its plot eerily resembled the events of the Virginia Tech massacre, despite being filmed a year before.

The Visitor (Limited)

Trailer

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Actors/Actresses: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass, Marian Seldes

Synopsis: In a world of six billion people, it only takes one to change your life. Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale is sleepwalking through his life. Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, he fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek, a Syrian man, and Zainab, his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Touched by his kindness, Tarek, a talented musician, insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. As the friendship between the two men deepens, the differences in culture, age and temperament fall away. After being stopped by police in the subway, Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation. As his situation turns desperate, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. When Tarek’s beautiful mother Mouna arrives unexpectedly in search of her son, the professor’s personal commitment develops into an unlikely romance. And it’s through these new found connections with these virtual strangers that Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.