April movies include fools, fears

"The Three Stooges" opens April 13.

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

April's a bit of a quiet month in movies, a brief rest before May romps in with "The Avengers," "Dark Shadows," "The Dictator," "Battleship," "Men in Black 3" and more. But before we get there, here's a look at what we're looking forward to this month, plus a few films we're dreading, and those that could go either way.

The good
'Cabin in the Woods'
Any movie with Joss Whedon's name attached comes with high hopes, as the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator doesn't often let us down. And thanks to an early screening, we can tell you that?"Cabin in the Woods" lives up to the Whedon mystique. It's not really a horror movie, it's more a whip-smart riff on horror movies, and trust us, you don't want to go in knowing too much more than that. You want to be spoiler-free for this one. (Opens April 13.)

?'Marley'
Bob Marley's infectious music runs through the new documentary "Marley" like a heartbeat. Whether you're a Marley scholar or only know him from his tunes and the occasional college pothead poster, you'll want to check this film out to get the real story on the reggae legend's life and times. The film was made with the cooperation of Marley's family. Director Kevin MacDonald is known for "Last King of Scotland," among other movies. (Opens April 20.)

'Damsels in Distress'
Where have you been, Whit Stillman? Polo match run long? The director, who's known for his WASPy characters and plots -- none better than "Metropolitan" -- is back after 13 years with "Damsels in Distress," about a group of young women who try to tame the boorishness of men at their East Coast college. The Hollywood Reporter calls it "flawed but frequently hilarious." (Opens April 6.)

The bad
'The Three Stooges'
It's not that "The Three Stooges" aren't deserving of a new generation of fans. It's just that we're not sure this is the way to do it. Wouldn't it have been more interesting to look at the lives of the real men behind the slapstick and their public and personal battles? But no, the new Farrelly Brothers movie instead has this plot summary: "While trying to save their childhood orphanage, Moe, Larry, and Curly inadvertently stumble into a murder plot and wind up starring in a reality TV show." Nyuk nyuk... (Opens April 13.)

'ATM'
"ATM" is further proof that absolutely any place?can be the setting for a horror movie. Three co-workers get trapped in one of those little glass-booth banking machine?shelters by a creepy guy in a parka who stalks the parking lot, kills anyone who tries to come to their aid, and at one point, apparently tries to drown the trio by filling the ATM booth with water.?So many questions. Why,?in an apparently?empty parking lot, did they park 80 miles from the machine? Why?in 2012 does no one have a working cell phone? You may as well ask why your bank charges you $3 to use?a competing?ATM. (Opens April 6.)

Who knows?
'The Raven'
John Cusack usually makes things interesting, and "The Raven" has him playing Edgar Allen Poe. That's good. But Cusack's Poe has to turn detective when a serial killer starts basing murders on Poe's writings. That sounds like it could be awfully cheesy. Early reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are pretty negative, but we're going to hold out hope like it's a boombox above our head playing "In Your Eyes." (Opens April 27.)

'American Reunion'
Sure, the "American Pie" series has its fans and its foes, but can any show snap back to life with a reunion movie? Stifler and his mom are back, yes, but is there any humor to be cranked out of horny kids turned into adults with mortgages and kids of their own? We'll soon see if there's another slice of pie left. (Opens April 6.)

?What movie do you most want to see in April? Tell us on Facebook.

20th Century Fox

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