Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

OPENING THIS WEEK
by Kam Williams

For movies opening August 17, 2007

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Invasion (PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images) Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig co-star in another remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) as the DC MDs depended upon to save the day when a space shuttle crash leads to an epidemic among humans triggered by an extraterrestrial force. Cast includes Jeffrey Wright, Jeremy Northam and Jackson Bond.

Superbad (R for profanity, sexuality, alcohol and drug use, a violent image, and pervasive crude content) Raunchy, coming-of-age comedy about a couple of inseparable, nerdy high school seniors (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) who plan the perfect party in order to end their interminable losing streak and finally get the girls of their dreams before they set off in the Fall to different colleges.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The 11th Hour (Unrated) Leonardo DiCaprio narrates this dour documentary delineating unnerving inconvenient truths about the dire state of the environment.

Antonia (PG-13 for profanity, violence and mature themes) Brazilian hip-hopera about four poor girls (Leilah Moreno, Cindy Mendes, Negra Li and Jacqueline Simao) from the barrio who form a rap group to try to make it of the slums. (In Portuguese with subtitles)

Death at a Funeral (R for profanity and drug use) Offbeat British comedy about the relatives of a recently-deceased family patriarch who hope not only to bury the body but also a dark secret about the dysfunctional dearly departed.

Delirious (Unrated) The American obsession with fame is satirized in this comedy thru the prism of the unlikely friendship of a homeless aspiring actor (Michael Pitt), a pop icon (Alison Lohman) and a member of the paparazzi (Steve Buscemi). Cast includes Elvis Costello, Minnie Driver, Billy Griffith and Kevin Corrigan.

The King off Kong (PG-13 for a sexual reference) Get a life documentary about dorky video game diehards competing to be dubbed the best dweeb at Donkey Kong by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Love for Sale (Unrated) Brazilian survival saga about a desperate, 18 year-old single-mom (Hermila Guedes), abandoned by her baby-daddy, who comes up with the bright idea of raffling off her body in a lottery in order to be able to relocate from the sticks to the big city. (In Portuguese with subtitles)

Manda Bala (Unrated) Corruption and crime in Brazil is the theme of this class-conscious documentary chronicling the lengths to which the wealthy will go to embezzle billions and to insulate themselves from kidnapping. (In Portuguese and English with subtitles)

Marigold (PG-13 for brief profanity) Cross-cultural comedy about a struggling American actress (Ali Larter) who reluctantly accepts a role in a Bollywood production in order to earn enough money to return home from India. Co-stars Salman Khan, Nandana Sen and Ian Bohen.

Penelope (PG for mature themes, sexual innuendo and mild epithets) Christina Ricci takes the titular role in this modern-day fairy tale about a woman determined to put an end to a family curse and a lifelong streak of bad luck. With Reese Witherspoon, James McAvoy and Catherine O’Hara.

Primo Levi’s Journey (Unrated) Holocaust documentary, narrated by Chris Cooper, retraces Primo Levi’s harrowing tale of survival from Auschwitz across the former Soviet Union and finally back to his hometown of Turin. (In Italian with subtitles)

Zebraman (Unrated) Superhero spoof about a failure of a father and teacher (Sho Aikawa) who gets a chance to prove his worth when he somehow morphs into his favorite TV character and takes on a horde of alien invaders intent on slaughtering schoolgirls. (In Japanese with subtitles)

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