Because of such heavy competition, April has become a sort of calm before the storm. A lot of smaller films, aimed at very specific audiences, are to be released in the following month and, while their appeal may be limited, a few of them look promising. So, before "Spider-Man 3" arrives and makes all our brains explode, here are a few other films that should be coming soon to a theater near you:

Grindhouse (April 6)

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are back and, as the nonstop barrage of trailers and TV spots remind us, this time they’re back TO back with a double feature that pays tribute to the schlocky exploitation films of decades past. First up is Rodriguez's "Planet Terror," a zombie film that prominently features a go-go dancer (Rose McGowan) with a machine gun for a leg. After that we get Kurt Russell as a stuntman/homicidal killer in Tarantino's "Death Proof," which lovingly pays tribute to old films like "Vanishing Point," and promises to feature lots of car smash-em-ups. It all sounds incredibly ridiculous to me, but fans of "Sin City" will probably get a kick out of it, and it is nice to have a new Tarantino film that doesn't take six years to make.

The Reaping (April 6)

I can remember sitting in a movie theater almost a year ago and seeing a trailer for "The Reaping." The film was originally to be released in the fall of 2006, but was suddenly booted to 2007 for retooling. Not a good sign… Hilary Swank stars as the most attractive myth-buster on the planet, who travels to a small, Southern town seemingly overrun with the Ten Biblical Plagues. Again, not a good sign. This seems to be typical disaster movie fare, but I really don't know how you can make locusts, hail, and boils all that exciting. Then again, the Bible seemed to do a pretty decent job of it, so maybe this film will surprise us.

Disturbia (April 13)

In "Disturbia," Shia LaBeouf plays a scrappy teen named Kale who is under house arrest. In an effort to stave off boredom, Kale turns to the age-old practice of becoming a pervert, i.e. spying on his neighbors with a set of binoculars. It's all fun and games until Kale spies his creepy neighbor (David Morse) doing the things that creepy neighbors do, i.e. killing people, and Kale must find a way to stop him. This is basically "Rear Window" for high school kids, but the film has been getting a decent amount of positive buzz, and its director, D.J. Caruso ("The Salton Sea"), is fairly talented. Here's hoping it's a smartly crafted thriller and not just generic kiddie slop.

Year of the Dog (April 13)

Writer/director Mike White is probably best known for providing Jack Black with endless excuses to be loud ("School of Rock," "Nacho Libre," "Orange County"). It's his smaller films, however, like "Chuck & Buck" or "The Good Girl" that wind up as truly great. "Year of the Dog,” which seems to have more in common with the latter, is about an introspective woman who starts to re-examine her love life after her dog, Pencil, dies. Like all of White’s films it looks to be populated with eccentric characters played by a top-notch cast—Molly Shannon, finally climbing out of SNL purgatory, plays the lead, and she is supported by the likes of John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard, and Laura Dern. The film got pretty mixed buzz when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, but I think Mike White has been consistently good enough to earn the benefit of the doubt.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (April 13)

Well, the title pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Cartoon fanatics and stoners alike are anxiously awaiting this full-length feature based off of the popular [Adult Swim] show. And why not? The show, which details the adventures of three talking fast food items and their hairy, brutish neighbor, has always had an infectiously absurd sense of humor. Whether that humor can be sustained over an hour-and-a-half running time, however, remains to be seen, and early reports don’t seem to be too favorable. I highly doubt “ATHF” is going to take cinemas by storm, but chances are fans of the show will probably get a huge kick out of it.

Hot Fuzz (April 20)

If you asked me what film I was most looking forward to this April, I’d answer without hesitation: “Hot Fuzz.” The Brits behind “Shaun of the Dead” are back with their second feature, this time doing for big-budget action movies what they did for zombie films. A take-off on cop flicks like “Bad Boys II” and “Point Break,” the film takes all the guns and explosions from those movies and transports them to the British police force. The very funny Simon Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, a super-cop so good that he’s transferred to the small town of Sandford to keep the rest of the force from looking bad in comparison. He’s partnered with a dim-witted constable (Nick Frost), and gradually the two discover that life in idyllic Sandford is, perhaps, not so idyllic. “Hot Fuzz” premiered February in the UK to much success, both critically and financially. Chances are high that it will match that when it premieres here in the States.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With other movies like “The Hoax,” “The TV Set,” “Diggers,” and “In the Land of Women” all getting limited releases, April will certainly give us film junkies plenty to keep ourselves busy. They may be small films, but who knows? Maybe they’ll give “Spider-Man” a run for his huge pile of money.

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