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 December 14, 2007


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Alvin and the Chipmunks (PG for mild crude humor) Combination live-action and CGI version of the animated TV series from the Sixties about a trio of mischievous chipmunks who try to drive their human guardian (Jason Lee) crazy while he tries to turn them into the latest singing sensation.

I Am Legend (PG-13 for intense action and violence) Will Smith stars in this apocalyptic sci-fi adventure, based on Richard Matheson?s 1954 novel of the same name, about a brilliant scientist?s struggle to survive in NYC as he searches for an antidote to the man-made virus which has turned the rest of the human race into a horde of omnivorous flesh-eating mutants.

The Kite Runner (PG-13 for violence, brief profanity, child rape and mature themes) Adaptation of Khaled Hosseini?s best seller about the quest for redemption of a well-to-do Afghani-American immigrant (Khalid Abdalla) who returns to his native Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban to find the less fortunate childhood friend (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) he had betrayed and left behind 20 years prior.

The Perfect Holiday (PG for mild epithets and suggestive humor) Christmas comedy about an overburdened single-mom (Gabrielle Union) whose young daughter (Khail Bryant) asks an obliging mall Santa (Morris Chestnut) to find a man for her recently-divorced mother. With Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah, Katt Williams, Charlie Murphy and Faizon Love.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Arranged (Unrated) Cross-cultural comedy, set in NYC, about the unlikely friendship which blossoms between a couple of commiserating public school teachers, one an Orthodox Jew (Zoe Lister-Jones), the other a devout Muslim (Francis Benhamou), both of whom are about to enter an arranged marriage. With Marcia Jean Kurtz as the feminist offering a counterbalancing voice of reason.

Nanking (R for disturbing images and for descriptions of rape and other atrocities) World War II documentary revisits the events surrounding the rape and ethnic cleansing of over a quarter million Chinese by the invading Japanese Army, including the efforts of a small group of Western expatriates to protect the rest by creating a safety zone. (In Japanese, Mandarin and English with subtitles)

A Walk into the Sea (Unrated) Belated bio-pic by Esther Robinson about her late uncle, Danny Williams, a former lover of Andy Warhol and filmmaker who left behind a score of never-released films when he disappeared in 1966 at the age of 27.

Youth without Youth (R for nudity, sexuality and a disturbing image) Francis Ford Coppola adapted and directed this romance thriller based on Mircea Eliade?s novella about an aging professor (Tim Roth) who finds himself suddenly rejuvenated and on the run across Europe from Nazis after being hit by lightning.