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 21, 2007


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Charlie Wilson’s War (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug use) Tom Hanks handles the title role in this bio-pic based on the George Crile best seller about a boozing, womanizing Congressman from Texas who, in the early Eighties, helped secretly fund the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan which led to the demise of the Soviet Union. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts and Ned Beatty.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG for mild violence) Nicolas Cage reprises his role as treasure hunter Ben Gates for another globe-trotting, action-oriented adventure. This go-round, his quest is to clear the name of an ancestor implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by finding the 18 pages missing from the diary of John Wilkes Booth’s diary. Talented cast includes Oscar-winners Cage, Helen Mirren and Jon Voight, and nominees Harvey Keitel and Ed Harris.

P.S. I Love You (PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity) Bittersweet drama adapted from Cecilia Ahern’s debut novel about a grieving widow (Hilary Swank) who deals with her loss with the help of ten monthly messages magically delivered to her posthumously by her late husband (Gerard Butler). Cast includes Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick, Jr.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R for graphic violence) Johnny Depp stars in this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, set in 19th C. London, about a London barber bent on revenge after being imprisoned for 15 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Directed by Tim Burton, and featuring Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug use) Musical parody of the bio-pic genre stars John C. Reilly stars in the titular role as a rock & roll icon who finally settles down with his longtime backup singer (Jenna Fischer) after several failed marriages, sleeping around with over 400 women, fathering 22 children and beating an assortment of drug addictions. With Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Morgan Fairchild, Jack Black and Jason Schwartzmann.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The District (Unrated) Animated social satire set in Budapest about a gang of teen who travel back in time to alter evolution so that their turf turns out to be oil-rich when they return to the present. (In Hungarian, Romany and English with subtitles)

Flakes (Unrated) quirky comedy, set in New Orleans, about the laid back proprietor (Aaron Stanford) of a restaurant that only serves cereal who finds his surprising success suddenly threatened when a corporate competitor opens a bistro with a similar menu right across the street. With Zooey Deschanel and Christopher Lloyd.

Steep (PG for sports action and brief profanity) Daredevil documentary chronicles the evolution of extreme skiing from its inception in France during the Seventies to its widespread acceptance today as a legitimate, if seemingly suicidal, sport.