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 September 26, 2008


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Blindness (R for sexuality, nudity, violence, profanity and rape) ensemble drama about the effort of a still-sighted woman (Julianne Moore) to help her husband (Mark Ruffalo) and six others to survive in the wake of an epidemic of blindness which has suddenly plagued their city. With Danny Glover, Alice Braga, Don McKellar, Sandra Oh and Gael Garcia Bernal. (In English and Japanese with subtitles)

Eagle Eye (PG-13 for profanity and intense violence and action sequences) Action thriller about a couple of strangers (Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monahan) who find themselves both fugitives on the FBI’s Most Wanted List after being manipulated into becoming members of a terrorist cell planning a political assassination. Cast includes Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie and Rosario Dawson.

Miracle at St. Anna (R for profanity, graphic war violence and some nudity and sexual content) Spike Lee directs this WWII flashback flick, adapted by James McBride from his novel of the same name, revolving around the heroic exploits of four black GIs (Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy and Omar Benson Miller) separated from their unit while fighting behind enemy lines in Italy in 1944. With John Turturro, Kerry Washington, James Gandolfini and John Leguizamo.

Nights in Rodanthe (PG-13 for sensuality) Richard Gere and Diane Lane co-star in this romance drama about an unhappily-married woman and a physician dealing with an emotional crisis who make the most of a weekend when they meet at a seaside retreat located in a tiny coastal town on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela (R for nudity, sexuality and profanity) Raquela Rios handles the title role in this Cinderella tale about a Filipino transsexual prostitute who switches to a career as an internet porn star en route to a Paris rendezvous with a guy (Stefan C. Shaefer) she hopes will prove to be her Prince Charming.

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (Unrated) Warts-and-all bio-pic about the late Chairman of the Republican Party, a ruthless political assassin who transformed the nature of American elections with his willingness to employ the dirtiest of tactics to make sure his candidates prevailed. Includes interviews with Michael Dukakis, Sam Donaldson, Ishmael Reed, Mary Matalin, and Atwater protégé Karl Rove.

Choke (R for nudity, profanity and graphic sexuality) Offbeat comedy about a sex-addicted con artist who raises money to pay for his senile mother’s (Anjelica Huston) medical bills by pretending to choke on food at trendy restaurants.

Fireproof (PG for mature themes and scenes of peril) Faith-based drama featuring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea about a young couple on the brink of divorce whose marriage might be saved with the help of a 40-day experiment challenging them to renew their love with God’s help.

Humboldt Country Bittersweet dramedy about a discontented med student (Jeremy Strong) who spends the summer in Northern California on a Marijuana farm after getting a new lease on life with the help of a struggling Hollywood actress (Fairuza Balk) he shares a one-night stand with. Cast includes Peter Bogdanovich, Frances Conroy and Brad Dourif.

The Lucky Ones (R for profanity and sexuality) Road trip about three Iraq War veterans on a 30-day leave (Tim Robbins, Michael Pena and Rachel McAdams) who bond while driving cross-country in a rented automobile after landing back in the U.S. at JFK Airport.

The Man from London (Unrated) Psychological thriller, set in a small town on the coast of France where a railroad station night watchman’s life is changed forever when he witnesses a murder and finds a suitcase filled with cash in the possession of the victim. (In Hungarian and French with subtitles)

Obscene (Unrated) Freedom of speech documentary chronicles the career of Barney Rosset, publisher of Grove Press and Evergreen Review and defender of the 1st Amendment who fought censorship all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. With commentary by Gore Vidal, Amiri Baraka, Al Goldstein, John Waters and Erica Jong.

Shoot on Sight (R for violence and profanity) Islamophobia is the theme of this suspense thriller, set in London, about a Pakistan-born bobby (Naseeruddin Shah) with a British wife Greta Scacchi) who finds himself caught between the blue wall of silence and his feelings of loyalty towards his fellow Muslims.

Smother (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, sexuality and drug use) Dysfunctional family comedy about a therapist (Dax Shepard) feeling pressure from his wife (Liv Tyler) to start a family on the same day that he’s fired and his helicopter mom (Diane Keaton) shows up unannounced with her five dogs and needing a place to stay.