Wednesday, January 14, 2009

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 January 23, 2009


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Inkheart (PG for fantasy action, scary moments and mild epithets) Screen adaptation of the Cornelia Funke children’s novel of the same name about a man (Brendan Fraser) who discovers he has an uncanny ability to bring fairy tale characters to life when reading aloud to his daughter (Eliza Bennett). Cast includes Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany and Sienna Guillory.

Possession (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, violence and disturbing images) Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in this out-of-body thriller about a woman whose husband (Michael Ryan) is left comatose by the same car accident from which his brother (Lee Pace) awakes believing he’s married to his sister-in-law.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (R for sexuality and graphic violence) Third installment in the horror franchise delves into the roots of the centuries-old feud between a race of aristocratic vampires ruled by an evil monarch (Bill Nighy) and their werewolf slaves led by a young rebel (Michael Sheen) with a lover (Rhona Mitra) hiding a big secret.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

California Dreamin’ (Unrated) Armand Assante stars in this Kosovo War saga, set in 1999, revolving around the stalemate which ensues after a crooked railway station manager (Razvan Vasilescu) detains a NATO train with military equipment in his remote Romanian village for five days. (In Spanish, Italian, Romanian and English)

Crips and Bloods: Made in America (Unrated) Gangsta’ documentary chronicles the bloody, L.A. turf war which has claimed 15,000 lives and counting over the past four decades.

Dealing and Wheeling in Small Arms (Unrated) Shocking expose’ examines the contribution of weapons brokers to the political stability of such developing nations as the Congo, Cambodia and Uganda.

Donkey Punch (R for eroticized violence, profanity, drug use, graphic nudity and a scene involving bizarre sexuality) Suspense thriller about the ruthless struggle which unfolds among the six surviving partygoers aboard a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean following the death of a female passenger (Sian Breckin) in a freak accident.

Killshot (R for violence, profanity and brief nudity) Thriller about a married couple (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane) in the Federal Witness Protection Program who find themselves the target of an over-the-hill hit man (Mickey Rourke) and his psychopathic, young protégé (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Supporting cast includes Rosario Dawson and Hal Holbrook.

The Lodger (R for violence, profanity and brief nudity) Remake of the 1927 Hitchcock horror flick about a couple (Donal Logue and Hope Davis) who unwittingly rent a room to a mysterious man (Simon Baker) suspected of committing a series of grisly murders in the neighborhood. Cast includes Alfred Molina and Shane West as the detectives trying to crack the case.

Of Time and the City (Unrated) Terence Davies directs this semi-autobiographical documentary taking a nostalgic look back at both his life and his beloved hometown of Liverpool, England.

Outlander (R for profanity) Sci-fi fantasy, set in ancient Norway, about a man from (Jim Caviezel) a faraway planet who crash lands on Earth where he teams with the Vikings to do battle with an alien creature called the Moorwen. (In English and Old Norse with subtitles).

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