Thursday, September 20, 2007

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

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams

For movies opening September 28, 2007

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Feast of Love (R for nudity, sexuality and profanity) Ostensibly inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this multi-layered meditation on relationships revolves around assorted romantic liaisons among members of a tight-knit Oregon community. Ensemble cast includes Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Selma Blair, Jane Alexander, Radha Mitchell and Fred Ward.

The Game Plan (PG for mature themes) The Rock stars in this Disney kiddie comedy about a famous and fun-loving NFL quarterback who finds his playboy lifestyle suddenly sacked by his having to raise the seven year-old daughter (Madison Pettis) he never knew he had. With Kyra Sedgwick, Morris Chestnut and Gordon Clapp.

The Kingdom (R for profanity and graphic violence) Jamie Foxx stars in this international potboiler as an FBI Special Agent who assembles an elite team of commandos (Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) with only five days to find the madman behind the terrorist bombing of a Western compound in Saudi Arabia.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Banished (Unrated) Marco Williams directs this damning documentary visiting still lily-white enclaves around the U.S. from which entire black communities were run out of town during the post-Reconstruction Era.

The Darjeeling Limited (R for profanity) Road comedy about three estranged brothers (Own Wilson, Jason Schwartzmann and Adrien Brody) whose plans to bury their differences during a spiritual quest across India go awry when they’re ejected from a train and left stranded in the middle of the desert where their sibling rivalries only intensify.

Freshman Orientation (R for nudity, profanity, sexuality and drug use) Gender-bending teensploit about a college freshman (Sam Huntington) who pretends to be gay in order to befriend the gorgeous sorority girl (Kaitlin Doubleday) who won’t give him the time of day.

I’ll Believe You (Unrated) Sci-fi comedy about the host (Dalvid Alan Basche) of an overnight radio talk show catering to a kooky combination of conspiracy theories and the paranormal who becomes obsessed with determining the identity of a mysterious first-time caller speaking in an unknown tongue. Cast includes Patrick Warburton, Fred Willard, Chris Elliot, Ed Helms, Mo Rocca and Siobhan Fallon.

Lust, Caution (NC-17 for explicit sexuality) Ang Lee directs this WWII saga, set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, about a beautiful young actress (Tang Wei) who joins the resistance movement and agrees to impersonate a rich heiress in order to seduce and assassinate a leading collaborator (Tony Leung) with the enemy.

The Man of My Life (Unrated) Out-of-the-closet drama about a happily-married man (Bernard Campan) who comes to rethink not only monogamy but his sexual orientation after befriending his openly-gay, new next-door neighbor (Charles Berling). (In French with subtitles)

My Kid Could Paint That (PG-13 for profanity) Expose’ revisits the curious case of four year-old Marla Olmstead, a precocious, pint-sized phenom whose abstract paintings sold In New York art galleries for thousands of dollars till suspicions were raised about the authenticity of her work.

Outsourced (PG-13 for sexuality) Globalization comedy about a telemarketer (Josh Hamilton) for a cheap novelty products manufacturer who agrees to relocate from Seattle to India to train his replacement when his entire department is outsourced to the sub-continent.

The Price of Sugar (Unrated) Paul Newman narrates this documentary about the efforts of Father Christopher Hartley to alleviate the plight of over 100,000 Haitian immigrants to the Dominican Republic being subjected to modern-day slavery there as they toil in the fields harvesting sugarcane for the benefit of exploitative, international corporate interests. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

Raising Flagg (PG-13 for brief drug use) Alan Arkin and Austin Pendleton co-star in this “Keeping up with the Joneses” comedy as a couple of next-door neighbors who have been competing with each other forever. Cast includes Lauren Holly, Glenne Headly, Matthew Arkin and Richard Kind.

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