April video releases

Releasing April 1

Sweeney Todd

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical thriller “Sweeney Todd.” Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.” Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney’s amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. Director: Tim Burton. Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Jamie Campbell Bowen, Jayne Wisener, Laura Michelle Kelly, Ed Sanders. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 116 min., Musical Thriller, Paramount.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

When struggling songwriter Dave Seville opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin, Simon and Theodore, they quickly become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer tries to exploit the musical ensemble, Dave must use a little human ingenuity y — and a lot of ‘munk’ mischief — to get his furry family back before it’s too late. CG/live-action hybrid film. Director: Tim Hill. Stars: Jason Lee, Cameron Richardson. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 91 min., Comedy, Fox.

Releasing April 8

There Will Be Blood

A sprawling epic about family, greed, corruption, and the pursuit of the American dream. “There Will Be Blood” follows the rise of rugged prospector Daniel Plainview who becomes an independent oilman after hitting it rich with the strike of a lifetime. Set on the incendiary frontier of California’s turn-of-the-century petroleum boom, the story chronicles the life and times of Plainview, who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there’s a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W., to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston, California. In this hardscrabble town, where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday, Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value — love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son — is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil. Director: Paul Thomas Anderson. Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds, Kevin J. O’Connor, Dillon Freasier. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 158 min., Drama, Paramount.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

One of the most iconic figures in rock history, Dewey Cox had it all: the women (over 411), the friends (Elvis, The Beatles) and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle (a close and personal relationship with every pill and powder known to man). But most of all, he had the music that transformed a dimwitted country boy into the greatest American rock star who never lived. A wild and wicked send-up of every musical biopic ever made. Director: Jake Kasdan. Stars: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 96 min., Drama, Sony.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

When a lonely young boy named Angus discovers a large, mysterious egg along the shores of Loch Ness, no one is prepared for what lies within. He soon discovers, that the strange, mischievous hatchling inside is none other than The Water Horse, the loch’s most mysterious and fabled creature. But with the Water Horse growing ten times its size every day, Angus finds it increasingly difficult to keep his new friend a secret. Director: Jay Russell. Stars: Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Brian Cox. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 112 min., Fantasy, Sony.

Lions for Lambs

Directed by Robert Redford, the story begins after two determined students at a West Coast University, Arian and Ernest, follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to join the battle in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. Now, as Arian and Ernest fight for survival in the field, they become the string that binds together two disparate stories on opposite sides of America. Director: Robert Redford. Stars: Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Michael Pena, Derek Luke, Andrew Garfield. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 88 min., Drama, UA/MGM.

Resurrecting the Champ

An up-and-coming sports reporter, living in the shadow of his famous journalist father, rescues a homeless man named “Champ” from a group of thugs, only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ’s story and escape his father’s success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter re-examines his own life and his relationship with his family. But is the Champ the man he says he is? Director: Rod Lurie. Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Teri Hatcher, Alan Alda. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 111 min., Drama, Company.

Releasing April 15

Juno

Ellen Page stars as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker. With the help of her hot best friend Leah, Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa, longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs. Director: Jason Reitman. Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Allison Janney, JK Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Rainn Wilson, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 92 min., Comedy, Fox.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Master filmmaker Sidney Lumet directs this absorbing suspense thriller about a family facing the worst enemy of all — itself. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Andy, an overextended broker who lures his younger brother, Hank, into a larcenous scheme: the pair will rob a suburban mom-and-pop jewelry store that appears to be the quintessential easy target. The problem is, the store owners are Andy and Hank’s actual mom and pop and, when the seemingly perfect crime goes awry, the damage lands right at their doorstep. Marisa Tomei plays Hoffman’s trophy wife, who is having a clandestine affair with Hawke, and the stellar cast also includes Albert Finney as the family patriarch who pursues justice at all costs, completely unaware that the culprits he is hunting are his own sons. Director: Sidney Lumet. Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 117 min., Drama, ThinkFilm.

Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem

Picking up after the events of the 2004 blockbuster “Alien vs. Predator,” the Predator gives birth to a crossbreed ‘PredAlien’ shortly before its ship crashes into a small Colorado town. Caught in between the invasion of the Aliens and a new ruthless and methodical Predator, a group of townspeople must join forces to stop the infestation before the military obliterates the town to contain the outbreak. Director: Colin Strause, Greg Strause. Stars: David Paetkau, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Reiko Aylesworth, Sam Trammell, Shareeka Epps, Steven Pasquale. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Science Fiction, Fox.

Releasing April 22

The Savages

Nominated for two Academy Awards including best actress for Laura Linney and best original screenplay for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, “The Savages” centers on two siblings who are reluctantly forced to look back at their difficult family history. Having wriggled their way beneath their father’s domineering thumb, they are firmly cocooned in their own complicated lives — Wendy a struggling playwright; Jon a neurotic college professor. When their father begins to be consumed by dementia, they are forced to live together under one roof for the first time since childhood. Faced with complete upheaval and battling over how to handle their father’s final days, they are confronted with what adulthood, family and most surprisingly, each other are really about. Director: Tamara Jenkins. Stars: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Cara Seymour. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., Comedy Drama, Fox.

The Golden Compass

The first movie based on the bestselling Philip Pullman novels. The “His Dark Materials” trilogy is comprised of “The Golden Compass,” “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass” and revolves around a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she encounters shape-shifting creatures, witches and a variety of otherworldly characters in parallel universes. Director: Chris Weitz. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 113 min., Fantasy, New Line.