Spring 2010 Movie Preview, Part II

As Hollywood seems to have an insatiable desire to revisit its past, remakes of past films seem to be a growing trend. Take April’s movie release schedule as an example. With no fewer than three remakes (including one whose original was a mere three years ago), filling up the month, originality isn’t exactly flowing freely. But that doesn’t mean the films will be bad. They just won’t be fresh. The following is a few of the notable releases for the month.

APRIL
“Clash of the Titans”
Starring Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson
Directed by Louis Leterrier
The seemingly action- and CGI-packed remake of the 1981 movie with Harry Hamlin and Laurence Olivier gets a big-budget (not to mention 3D) treatment. It follows a classic good vs. evil saga involving the son of Zeus and a bunch of gods arguing over the fate of mortals. Despite its cheesiness factor, the original was fairly entertaining. But can the new version make bigger better? (April 2)
Official Web site

“Why Did I Get Married Too”
Starring Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Richard T. Jones and Tyler Perry
Directed by Tyler Perry
A group of longtime college friends gather in the Bahamas for a reunion, examining their relationships and marriages over the course of a week. This is a sequel to the 2007 film, which featured much of the same cast. (April 2)
Official Web site

“Date Night”
Starring Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Taraji P. Henson, Common and Mark Wahlberg
Directed by Shawn Levy
The stars of TV’s “The Office” (Carell) and “30 Rock” (Fey) team up for the first time as an average couple that get caught up in a case of mistaken identity, leading them to a night of danger and excitement. The film’s concept is certainly not what could be deemed inspired, but the stars should make the action enjoyable. (April 9)
Official Web site

“Death at a Funeral”
Starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Regina Hall, Tracy Morgan, Peter Dinklage, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Luke Wilson
Directed by Neil LaBute
A huge cast filled with familiar faces heads up a movie about about a family gathering at a funeral and all the shocking secrets that get revealed at it. The original film, a British production, was just filmed in 2007 and garnered largely positive reviews. Plus, one of the cast members (Dinklage) is playing the exact same role he played in the original. (April 16)
Official Web site

“Kick-Ass”
Starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
A new entry in the burgeoning superhero genre takes a different approach, by following the exploits of a comic book-loving teenager (Johnson), who decides to follow in the footsteps of some his heroes in print and become a superhero himself. His initial success inspires a few others to want to do the same, while also making criminals stand up and take notice. The film, a comic book adaptation, is already starting to pick up positive buzz at film festivals. This has sleeper hit written all over it, with a built-in fanbase that could spawn sequels. (April 16)
Official Web site

“The Back-Up Plan”
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’Laughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson and Linda Lavin
Directed by Alan Poul
Having kept a low-profile in recent years after getting married and having twins, Lopez is back headlining a film, starring as a woman who meets someone who just might be Mr. Right. Thing is, she meets him on the very day she’s artificially inseminated, which is typically an awkward thing to bring up on a first date. If nothing else, this story is a new twist in the overworked romantic comedy genre. It will also place the box-office appeal, or lack thereof, of Lopez, front and center. (April 23)
Official Web site

“A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Starring Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rodney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz
Directed by Samuel Bayer
Horror fans (and even non-fans, for that matter) should have memories of Wes Craven’s original 1984 creepfest that introduced audiences to Freddy Krueger. With the “Friday the 13th” and “Halloween” franchises having been restarted in recent years, it seemed inevitable that “Nightmare” was going to go down the same path eventually. The casting of Haley (“Watchmen,” “Little Children”) as the crafty killer with an endless supply of one-liners was an inspired decision. But whether it can improve on Craven’s original vision remains to be seen. (April 30)
Official Web site