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 December 5, 2008





BIG BUDGET FILMS



Cadillac Records (R for sexuality and pervasive profanity) Historical drama chronicles the rise of the legendary record company founded in Chicago in the Fifties by Leonard (Adrien Brody) and Phil Chess (Shiloh Fernandez), siblings who roamed the South in search of promising talent, and discovered such future musical greats as Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Etta James (Beyonce’), Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and (Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer). With Emmanuelle Chriqui, Columbus Short, Gabrielle Union and Eric Bogosian.



Extreme Movie (R for pervasive profanity, nudity and sexuality involving teens) Ensemble comedy features a series of raunchy vignettes revolving around teens with kinky fetishes ranging from virtual reality to midgets to farm animals. Cast includes Michael Cera, Frankie Muniz, Jamie Kennedy, Christina DeRosa, Ryan Pinkston, Cherilyn Wilson, Kevin Hart and Melvin “Shorty” Rossi.



Frost/Nixon (R for profanity) Ron Howard directs this screen adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway play recounting the series of television interviews conducted by British talk show David Frost (Michael Sheen) with Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) in 1977, three years after the disgraced U.S. President resigned from office in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Supporting cast includes Toby Jones, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell.



Punisher: War Zone (R for pervasive violence, profanity and drug use) Ray Stevenson takes over the title role from Thomans Jane in this action-driven sequel as the vigilante superhero of comic book fame now waging a one-man war on an organized crime syndicate run by a vicious mobster known as Jigsaw (Dominic West).





INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS



The Black Balloon (Unrated) Coming-of age drama from Australia about a new kid in town (Rhys Wakefield) who’s fearful that his autistic older brother’s (Luke Ford) embarrassing antics might ruin his budding relationship with a cute classmate (Gemma Ward). Cast includes Toni Colette, Erik Thomson and Lisa Kowalski.



Ciao (R for profanity and sexuality) Homoerotic drama about the intercontinental romance which blossoms over the internet between two men (Adam Neal Smith and Alessandro Calza) who start corresponding with each other after the death of a mutual friend (Chuck Blaum). (In Italian, Mandarin and English with subtitles)



Dust (Unrated) Scientific documentary from Deutschland examines the ability of tiny particles to penetrate people and everything else in the universe, and thereby affect the cosmos in a variety of ways, including causing illnesses. (In German with subtitles)



The End of America (Unrated) Post-democracy documentary chronicles the chilling similarities between the loss of liberties in the U.S. since 9/11 under the Bush administration and the rise of fascism, historically, in formerly free societies.



Hunger (Unrated) Bittersweet bio-pic about the last six weeks in the life of Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), the Irish Republican Army leader who starved to death behind bars in 1981 while on a hunger strike demanding political prisoner status.



Let Them Chirp Awhile (Unrated) Low-budget romantic dramedy, shot in just 18 days, about a month in the life of a struggling NYC screenwriter (Justin Rice) who spends his time walking a love interest’s (Ilana Meredith) Jack Russell terrier when he’s not hanging out with a womanizing pal (Brendan Sexton III) or feeling victimized by a plagiarizer (Zach Galligan).



Local Color (R for profanity) Genius-protégé drama, set in 1974, about the mutually-beneficial relationship forged between a troubled 18 year-old art student (Trevor Morgan) and a retired Russian widower (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who lost his joy not only for painting but living, too, after the death of his wife. With Ray Liotta, Ron Perlman and Charles Durning.



Nobel Son (R for profanity, sexuality and violent gruesome images) Dysfunctional family dramedy about a kidnapped Ph.D. student (Bryan Greenberg) who is left in the hands of his abductors when his Nobel Prize-winning father (Alan Rickman) refuses to meet their $2,000,000 demand for ransom. Talented ensemble includes Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Shawn Hatosy, Ernie Hudson and Bill Pullman.



Timecrimes (R for nudity and profanity) Sci-fi thriller about a married moan (Karra Elejalde) forced to perform an unthinkable act to return to the present after accidentally traveling backwards in time. (In Spanish with subtitles)