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 May 23, 2008


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13 for violence and scary images) Harrison Ford returns for a fourth feature-length adventure as the famed archeologist, this set in 1957 in the jungles of Peru where he lands in a desperate race against Russian spies to find an ancient artifact said to hold the key to a host of magical powers. Spielberg-directed cast includes Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, John Hurt and Karen Allen.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The Children of Huang Shi (R for violence and disturbing images) Historical drama, set in China in 1937, chronicles the real-life exploits of George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a British journalist who, with the help of an Australian nurse (Radha Mitchell) and a leader (Chow Yun Fat) of the resistance movement, saves sixty orphans from the clutches of the Japanese invaders by leading them on a perilous trek through the mountains to the Mongolian border. Suspiciously similar to the 1958 screen classic “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.” (In English, Mandarin, Japanese and Russian with subtitles)

The Edge of Heaven (Unrated) Cross-cultural melodrama about a Turkish-German professor (Baki Davrak) who travels from Bremen to Istanbul to track down the half-sister (Nurgul Yesilcay) his elderly father (Tuncel Kurtiz) had years ago with a recently-deceased prostitute (Nursel Kose). (In German, Turkish and English with subtitles)

Insidious (Unrated) Coming-of-age saga of trust and betrayal about an aspiring young filmmaker (James Schram) who finds himself mixed up with Russian mobsters after trying to collect some money owed him.

A Jihad for Love (Unrated) Out of the closet documentary examines the plight of devout gay, lesbian and transgendered Muslims around the world as they attempt to practice their religion in societies where their sexual preferences are not tolerated. (In English, Arabic, Urdu, French, Persian and Hindi with subtitles)

Postal (R for crude humor, drug use, explicit sexuality, graphic nudity, violence and pervasive profanity) Raunchy social satire about a couple of days in the life of an unemployed slacker (Zack Ward) who teams up with his cult-leading uncle (Dave Foley) to burglarize an amusement park unaware that Osama bin Laden (Larry Thomas) and the Taliban are also in town and about to unleash some major mayhem. Ensemble cast includes J.K. Simmons, Chris Coppola, Seymour Cassel and Uwe Boll, the film’s director.

War, Inc. (R for violence, profanity and brief sexuality) Political satire about the efforts of a former, American Vice-President (Dan Aykroyd) to monopolize the economy of the mythical, war-torn nation on behalf of a corporation by hiring a hit man (John Cusack) to kill a Middle Eastern oil minister. With Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff and Ben Kingsley.