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 January 11, 2008

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Bucket List (PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference) Oscar-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman co-star in this bittersweet end-of-life saga as terminally-ill cancer patients who make a break from the hospital after compiling a checklist of everything they want to do before kicking the bucket. With Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd and Rowena King.

First Sunday (PG-13 for profanity, sexual humor and drug references) Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan co-star in this crime comedy about a couple of ghetto gangstas who end up with more than they bargained for when their attempt to rob a church goes awry. Ensemble cast includes Katt Williams, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine, Keith David, Chi McBride, Clifton Powell and Nicholas Turturro.

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (PG-13 for intense battle sequences) Epic fantasy adventure, based on the video game Dungeon Siege,
stars Jason Statham as a revenge-minded family man-turned-warrior intent on rescuing his kidnapped wife (Claire Forlani) from the evil race of rampaging beasts responsible for the death of their son. Supporting cast includes Burt Reynolds, Leelee Sobieski, Ray Liotta, Ron Perlman, John Rhys-Davies and Brian J. White.

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie (G) Family-oriented, animated adventure about three misfit busboys who dream of ditching their dishrags to appear onstage in their restaurant’s pirate-themed dinner theater only to end up miraculously travel back in time to the 17th C. where they end up embroiled in a real-life seafaring saga.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The Business of Being Born (Unrated) In-hospital versus at-home childbirth is debated in this documentary featuring gynecologists and expectant moms (including Ricki Lake) weighing the pros and cons of both options plus intimate footage of the arrival of newborn babies.

Liberty Kid (Unrated) Buddy drama about a pair of pals whose friendship is strained after they lose their dead-end jobs at the Statue of Liberty when the island is closed in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attack. One (Kareem Savinon) decides to deal drugs, while the other (Al Thompson) enlists in the Army only to end up on the front lines in Iraq.

Taxi to the Dark Side (R for torture, disturbing images and graphic nudity) War on Terror documentary explores of the evolution of the American position on torture and the Geneva Conventions by telescoping in on the case of an innocent cabbie beaten to death while being interrogated at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan.

Woman on the Beach (Unrated) Romance drama about a movie director (Kim Seung-woo) who invites a friend (Kim Tae-woo) to the beach on the pretext of collaborating on a script, while his real intention is to make a pass at the guy’s girlfriend (Go Hyun-jung). (In Korean with subtitles)