April ‘09: In Theaters

A scene from James Toback's "Tyson." Photo by James Toback, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The following is a list of upcoming theatrical releases for the month of April. It is subject to change, and will be updated regularly as information becomes available. If you have news on an upcoming release that should be featured here, or in future editions, don’t hesitate to contact us at editors@indiewire.com

Also check out May and June theatrical releases.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

“Tulpan” (Zeitgeist), Kazakhstan
Dir: Sergey Dvortsevoy
Writers: Sergei Dvortsevoy and Gennadi Ostrovsky
With: Tolepbergen Baisakalov, Ondas Besikbasov, Samal Esljamova
Synposis: In the director’s own words, “Tulpan” was shot “in the middle of nowhere,” in southern Kazakhstan, in an area known as the Hunger Steppe, home to nomadic shepherds and their flocks. A young man returns from military service, to join his sister and her husband, and to court Tulpan, the area’s only marriageable young woman. Winner of the Cannes Festival Prix Un Certain Regard, “Tulpan”  is part ethnographic drama, part astonishing wildlife movie. This arid, wind-swept terrain is home to lambs and camels, people who live in yurts, and a young woman who rejects her suitor with the excuse that his ears are too large. “Tulpan”  is gloriously shot and compellingly acted; it will be a startling revelation to anyone who has not previously had the pleasure of seeing Dvortsevoy’s earlier films, “Highway” and “Paradise” [Synposis courtesy of Film Forum]
iW Coverage: CANNES ‘08 | “Tulpan” Wins Un Certain Regard Prize; TORONTO ‘08 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Discovery Section Films Aim To Break Through; “Tulpan” Leads Zurich Fest Winners

“Enlighten Up!” (Balcony Releasing), USA
Dir: Kate Churchill
Synposis: Filmmaker Kate Churchill is determined to prove that yoga can transform anyone. Nick Rosen is skeptical but agrees to be her guinea pig. Kate immerses Nick in yoga, and follows him around the world as he examines the good, the bad and the ugly of yoga. The two encounter celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks and world-renowned gurus. Tensions run high as Nick’s transformational progress lags and Kate’s plan crumbles. What unfolds and what they discover is not what they expected. [Synopsis courtesy of Balcony Releasing]

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Escapist (IFC), U.K.
Dir: Rupert Wyatt
Writer: Rupert Wyatt, Daniel Hardy
With: Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Joseph Fiennes
Synopsis: Frank Perry (Brian Cox) is a lifer: in prison for the rest of his natural-born days. And he’s been perfectly willing to accept that…until now. A letter informs him his daughter is critically ill following an overdose. He must see her before it is too late and concocts a plan, but he needs help. He assembles a motley crew of unlikely companions to help with his intricate scheme. A fatal encounter puts the escape in jeopardy, and Frank must lead the group on a truly hair-raising escape. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival]
iW Coverage: IFC Films Takes U.S. Rights to “Escapist”; PARK CITY ‘08 INTERVIEW | “The Escapist” Director Rupert Wyatt

Gigantic (First Independent), U.S.
Dir: Matt Aselton
Writer: Matt Aselton, Adam Nagata
With: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel
Synopsis: Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) is a 28 year-old salesman at a high-end Swedish mattress company. The afterthought child to elderly parents (Ed Asner, Jane Alexander), and the youngest son in a trio of successful brothers, a shady oil man (Ian Roberts), a surgeon (Robert Stanton), Brian is searching for his place in the world. Unfulfilled by his work he spends a good portion of his day pursuing his goal of someday adopting a baby from China. He gets swept up in a romance with the lovely but misguided Harriet Lolly (Zooey Deschanel) when she comes in to his store one day and falls asleep on one of the beds. To win her over, he must compete with her bear of a father, Al Lolly, (John Goodman) an art-collecting loudmouth with a bad back and deep pockets. [Synopsis courtesy of official website]
iW Coverage: First Independent Goes “Gigantic” in the U.S.; TORONTO ‘08 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | “Gigantic” Breaks Out

Paris 36 (Sony Classics), France
Dir: Christophe Barratier
Writer: Christophe Barratier, Pierre Philippe, Julien Rappeneau
With: Gerard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac, Kad Merad, Nora Arnezeder
Synopsis: Spring 1936 - in a working-class district in the north of Paris, a neighborhood that probably had a name once but that everyone now simply calls the Faubourg. In this blue-collar neighborhood, the triumphant election of the Popular Front government is greeted with enthusiasm and hopes for a brighter tomorrow, yet stirs up all kinds of extremism. Among the new government’s promises, the famous law on paid holidays that will allow numerous workers to see the sea for the first time. In early May, three inhabitants of the Faubourg, show-business workers and close friends, do not share other people’s wild hopes, the Chansonia, the music hall that employed them, closed down four months earlier, leaving them all unemployed. Supported by the locals who live to the rhythm of Monsieur TSF’s (Pierre Richard) radio, the three friends decide to take hold of their destiny: they try to force the hand of fate by occupying the Chansonia and producing the “hit” musical that will allow them to buy the place. [Synopsis courtesy of Sony Pictures]
iW Coverage: Bringing On the Rendez Vous with “Paris 36”; SPC Buys “Paris”

Sugar (Sony Classics), U.S.
Dir: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Writer: b>Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
With: Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino
Synopsis: Sugar follows the story of Miguel Santos, a.k.a. Sugar, a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro De Macorís, struggling to make it to the big leagues and pull himself and his family out of poverty. Playing professionally at a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, Miguel finally gets his break at age 19 when he advances to the United States’ minor league system; but when his play on the mound falters, he begins to question the single-mindedness of his life’s ambition. [Synopsis courtesy of Sony Pictures]
iW Coverage: PARK CITY ‘08 REVIEW | Bittersweet Dreams: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Sugar”; Sony Classics Planning ‘09 Release for Boden & Fleck’s “Sugar”;

Features » SXSW iPOP Features » Girl Talk Doc Features » Baumbach

A scene from Greg Mottola’s “Adventureland”. Image courtesy of Sundance Film Festival “Adventureland” (Miramax), U.S. Dir/Writer: Greg Mottola With: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1987, and James Brennan, an uptight, recent college grad, can’t wait to embark on his dream tour of Europe. But when his parents announce they can no longer subsidize his trip, James has little choice but to take a lowly job at a local amusement park. Forget about German beer, world-famous museums, and cute French girls—James’s summer will now be populated by belligerent dads, stuffed pandas, and screaming kids high on cotton candy. Lucky for James, what should be his worst summer ever turns into quite an adventure when he discovers love in the most unlikely place. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival] iW Coverage: “Adventureland” Director Greg Mottola on First Jobs and Generation Gaps; 24 Sundance ‘09 Snapshot Reviews “Forbidden Lie$”, Australia Dir/Writer: Anna Broinowski Synopsis: Norma Khouri is a thief, a saint, a seductress and a sociopath – depending on who is talking. Men want to marry her, Islamic extremists want to kill her, and the global publishing industry wishes she would just disappear. Khouri won fame and fortune with her “true story” Forbidden Love, about a shocking honour killing in Jordan. The book was a runaway bestseller, translated into multiple languages, and Khouri became the toast of the literary world. That was until July 2004, when esteemed Sydney Morning Herald journalist Malcolm Knox exposed her book as a work of fiction. [Synposis courtesy of the film’s website.] “The Song of Sparrows” (Regent Releasing), Iran Dir: Majid Majidi Writer: Mehran Kashani, Majid Majidi With: Mohammad Amir Naji Synopsis: Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran, Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house, until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city in order to repair his elder daughter’s hearing aid but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily start to transform Karim’s generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished. [Synopsis courtesy of Regent Releasing] iW Coverage: Exclusive Trailer For Majid Majidi’s “The Song of Sparrows” Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Lymelife (Screen Media), U.S. Dir: Derick Martini Writer: Derick Martini, Steven Martini With: Alexander Rae “Alec” Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy Synopsis: Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) is a typical 15-year-old boy growing up in late-1970s Long Island. His suburban existence is primarily marked by a nerdy interest in Star Wars, fending off bullies at high school, his longtime crush on neighbor/best friend Adrianna Bragg (Emma Roberts), and navigating the dysfunctional terrain of his parents’ rocky marriage—all against the paranoid backdrop of a Lyme disease outbreak, which has freaked out Scott’s high-strung mother, Brenda (Jill Hennessy), and has already claimed Adrianna’s father, Charlie (Timothy Hutton), as a victim. With Charlie out of work due to his illness, Adrianna’s mother, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon), takes a job working for Scott’s father, Mickey (Alec Baldwin), a successful real-estate developer, and soon embarks on a messy affair. When eldest son Jimmy (Kieran Culkin) returns from army training and confronts his father about Mickey’s less-than-discreet adultery, both families are forever changed by the devastating consequences. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival] iW Coverage: Derick Martini, “Lymelife”: Artistic Honesty, Perfection, and Success; Gen Art Kicks Off With “Lymelife”; TORONTO ‘08 DISPATCH | “Paris,” “Valentino,” “Gigantic” and “Lymelife” Among Toronto Offerings Friday, April 10, 2009 Observe and Report (Warner Brothers), U.S. Dir/Writer: Jody Hill With: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Ray Liotta Synposis: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist, combating skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun. His delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi, the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do. [Synopsis courtesy of Warner Brothers] iW Coverage: SXSW Snapshot: Jody Hill’s “Observe and Report” Anvil! The Story of Anvil! (Abramorama), U.S. Dir: Sacha Gervasi Synopsis: At 14, Toronto school friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, went on to become the “demigods of Canadian metal,” releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil’s career took a different path - straight to obscurity. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival] iW Coverage: DISPATCH FROM TORONTO | Hometown “Demi-Gods of Metal” Kick Off Toronto’s Hot Docs Fest; PARK CITY ‘08 INTERVIEW | “Anvil! The True Story of Anvil” Director Sacha Gervasi (continued on the next page) Loading ... Which film are you most likely to run out and see this weekend? "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" "The Hanna Montana Movie" "In a Dream" "Lymelife" "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh "Observe and Report" Other? Read & React: April ‘09: In Theaters   (1 of 2)  Next Page › posted on April 6, 2009 |Share