I’m a Polar Bear, Get Me Outta Here

In honor of Earth Day week, mutants, "The Informers" and Mike Tyson are let loose on our planet.

“Jazz in the Diamond District”
The debut film of writer/director Lindsey Christian follows the adventures of newly orphaned Jasmine “Jazz” Morgan (Monique Cameron) as she pursues her dream of a successful singing career in the drug-fueled D.C. music scene.
Opens in Washington, D.C.; opens in New York on May 1st.

“Mutant Chronicles”
Thomas Jane! Ron Perlman! John Malkovich? This dystopic sci-fi epic with a weird, weird cast is set in 2707, when four corporations rule the earth and are in the process of tearing it apart with their constant warring. Something called “The Machine” is transforming the remaining population into mutants, and a squad of 20 soldiers is sent down from Mars on a suicide mission to destroy it and save what’s left of humanity.
Opens in New York and L.A.

“Nursery University”
Competitive schools are nothing new, but competitive nursery schools may be unique to New York City, where parents go to absurd length to start their offspring on the right academic path as early as possible. In this documentary, co-directors Marc H. Simon and Matthew Makar journey deep inside the admissions scramble, finding the absurdity, humor and inequities of the phenomenon.
Opens in New York.

“Obsessed”
A “Fatal Attraction” set-up gets race-baitingly redone in this feature debut from a successful TV director with the unfortunate name of Steve Shill, who casts Beyoncé and “The Wire”‘s Idris Elba as the two halves of a happy, successful couple whose lives are torn apart by a hotcha office temp (Ali Larter) with a fixation on her boss that goes from flirty to scary. “Lakeview Terrace” writer David Loughery is responsible for the screenplay, and Earvin “Magic” Johnson is, somewhat randomly, listed as one of the executive producers.
Opens in wide release.

“The Soloist”
We’ll soon get to see if it was a bad sign that “The Soloist”‘s release date was pushed from Oscar consideration territory in November of last year to the spring of this one. Certainly the film’s credentials aren’t a problem — the third feature from “Atonement” director Joe Wright is based on the story and writings of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (played in the film by Robert Downey Jr.), who befriended homeless, mentally ill, Juilliard-educated musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). Catherine Keener and Tom Hollander also star.
Opens in wide release.

“Thrown Down Your Heart”
Acclaimed banjo player Béla Fleck claims he first fell in love with his instrument of choice because of the theme song for “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Years and multiple Grammy wins later, Fleck heads to Africa to look into the banjo’s roots and to record a new album, with his half-brother, director Sascha Paladino, documenting the four-nation trip.
Opens in New York.

“A Touch of Spice”
Tassos Boulmetis’ debut feature was a box-office smash in Greece back in 2003, but is only now getting a release here. The autobiographical film mixes cooking, family drama and the historical troubles between Greece and Turkey.
Opens in New York.

“Tyson”
As he mentioned in an interview here at IFC.com, freewheeling filmmaker James Toback doesn’t care if people criticize his documentary about his longtime friend, former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, for being one-sided: “It’s not supposed to be a he-said, she-said investigation.” Instead, the “Fingers” director blends to-the-camera confessions with fight footage to create an unusual portrait of a legendary boxer and a troubled man.
Opens in limited release.

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