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 July 4, 2008


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Hancock (PG-13 for profanity and sci-fi violence) Will Smith stars in this action
Comedy about a misunderstood superhero out of favor with the public who tries to resurrect his image with the help of the PR executive (Jason Bateman) whose life he saves. Featuring Charlize Theron and cameos by scriptwriter Akiva Goldsman and director Michael Mann.



INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Diminished Capacity (Unrated) Ensemble comedy about a newspaper editor (Matthew Broderick) who quits his job after developing amnesia and returns to his hometown where he hatches a plan with an old flame (Virginia Madsen) and his senile uncle (Alan Alda) to sell a rare baseball card at a sports memorabilia show.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (R for nudity, sexuality, profanity and drug use) Oscar-winner Alex Gibney (for Taxi to the Dark Side) directs tenth documentary about Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005), this bio-pic revisiting highlights in the career of the substance-abusing, anarchistic journalist celebrated for thumbing his nose at the Establishment.

Holding Trevor (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Homoerotic romance drama, set in L.A., about a jaded telemarketer (Brent Gorski) who dumps his heroin-addicted boyfriend (Christopher Wyllie) aft4er an overdose for a handsome intern (Eli Karnski) he meets at the hospital.

Kabluey (PG-13 for sexuality, a crude reference and brief profanity) Screwball comedy starring Lisa Kudrow as the cash-strapped wife of a National Guardsman stationed in Iraq whose brother-in-law (Scott Prendergast) takes a job as a corporate mascot to help support her and the kids during his stop-lossed sibling’s absence. With Terri Garr and Christine Taylor (wife of Ben Stiller).

Tell No One (Unrated) Crime thriller about a still-grieving pediatrician (Francois Cluzet) who suddenly finds himself a suspect in his wife’s (Marie-Josee Croze) murder when the police decide to reopen the case at the same time that he receives an anonymous email warning him to “tell no one” that she’s still alive. (In French with subtitles)

Very Young Girls (Unrated) Sex trade documentary examines the state of prostitution in the United States where the average hooker now enters the oldest profession at the tender age of 13. Film focuses on the efforts of victim-turned-advocate Rachel Lloyd to help exploited young women escape from their pimps.

The Wackness (R for profanity, sexuality and pervasive drug use) Hip-hop era romantic comedy, set in 1994, about a college-bound teen (Josh Peck) who spends the summer dealing weed on the streets of New York while falling in love with his shrink’s (Ben Kingsley) step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby) Cast includes Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man and Famke Janssen.

We Are Together (PG for mature themes) South African documentary chronicling the indomitability of the human spirit as exemplified by 12 year-old Slindile Moya and other kids living at an AIDS orphanage where they find a measure of comfort by singing in a choir. (In Zulu and English with subtitles)