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 October 3, 2008


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG for mature themes) Animated family comedy from Walt Disney about a pampered pet (Drew Barrymore) on vacation in Mexico City who finds herself separated from her owner and having to rely on the help of a street-smart German Shepherd (Andy Garcia) and an amorous pup in heat (George Lopez) to find her way back to California.

Blindness (R for sexuality, nudity, violence, profanity and rape) Harrowing thriller 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)

Flash of Genius (PG-13 for brief profanity) Docudrama based on the real-life dilemma of engineering professor Robert Kearns (Gerg Kinnear) who had to sue the auto industry back in the Sixties for recognition of his invention of the intermittent windshield wiper. Cast includes Alan Alda and Lauren Graham.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (R for profanity, graphic nudity and brief drug use) Intercontinental comedy, based on Toby Young’s memoir of the same name, about an intellectual British journalist (Simon Pegg) who takes a job at a NYC tabloid magazine catering to the same sort of superficial celebrities he absolutely despises. With Megan Fox, Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges.

Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist (PG-13 for mature themes, sexuality, teen drinking, profanity and crude behavior) Romantic comedy about a high school senior (Michael Cera) who asks a college-bound coed (Kat Jennings) to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to make his ex (Alexis Dziena) jealous. Cast includes Jay Baruchel, Frankie Faison, Kevin Corrigan, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron and John “Harold” Cho.



INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Allah Made Me Funny (Unrated) Concert comedy flick follows a trio of touring standup comedians (Mohammed Amer, Preacher Ross and Azhar Usman) as they explore the humorous side of being Muslim in America post 9/11.

An American Carol (PG-13 for profanity, drug use, irreverent humor and crude content) Michael Moore is lampooned in this variation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol revolving around an unpatriotic filmmaker (Kevin P. Farley) determined to abolish the Fourth of July until he’s visited by three ghosts who teach him the true meaning of America.

Ballast (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama, set in the Mississippi Delta, about the emotional fallout visited upon an impoverished black widow (Tarra Riggs) and her troubled 12 year-old son (JimMyron Ross) in the wake of the boy’s twin brother’s death by drug overdose. With Michael J. Smith, Sr., Ventress Bonner and Johnny McPhail.

Nobel Son (R for profanity, sexuality, violence and gruesome images) Dysfunctional family comedy about a Ph.D. student (Bryan Greenberg) who finds himself kidnapped for ransom after his philandering father (Alan Rickman) wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Ensemble includes Mary Steenburgen, Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, Shawn Hatosy and Bill Pullman.

The Pleasure of Being Robbed (Unrated) Micro-budget crime comedy about a young pickpocket (Eleonore Hendricks) who plies her trade on the streets of New York City. Offbeat casting includes Batman, The Fly and Lowell the Dog.

Rachel Getting Married (R for profanity and brief sexuality) Anne Hathaway stars in this dysfunctional family drama about a substance abuser who checks out of rehab for the weekend to attend her sister’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) very eventful wedding. With Debra Winger, Bill Irwin and Anna Deavere Smith.

Religulous (R for profanity and sexuality) Anti-dogma documentary starring agnostic Bill Maher who indicts faith in organized religions as beliefs in fairy tales which are to blame for many of the world’s woes. With commentary by Steve Burg, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda and Andrew Newberg.