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 March 6, 2009


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Watchmen (R for nudity, sexuality, profanity and graphic violence) Sci-fi thriller, based on the graphic comic book series of the same name, about a group of vigilantes determined to avenge the murder of a crime-fighting superhero. Ensemble cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman and Patrick Wilson.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

12 (PG-13 for violence, mature themes, disturbing images, brief sexuality, drug references and smoking) Russian remake of the Sidney Lumet classic 12 Angry Men revolves around the deliberations of a jury deciding the fate of a teenager (Apti Magamayev) on trial for the murder of his stepfather. (In Russian and Chechen with subtitles)

Everlasting Moments (Unrated) Costume drama, set in Sweden in the early 20th C., about a working-class woman (Maria Heiskanen) whose life is changed forever when she wins a camera in the lottery. (In Swedish and Finnish with subtitles)

Fados (Unrated) Concert flick featuring an historical tribute to Fado, a melancholy musical genre traced back to Lisbon in the 1820s blending elements of African, Arab, Portuguese and Brazilian traditions. (In Portuguese with subtitles)

The Horsemen (R for profanity, sexuality, grisly images and disturbing content) Crime thriller about a recently-widowed police detective (Dennis Quaid) who uncovers a terrifying link between himself and the quartet of serial killers suspected in a string of Biblically-themed slayings.

New York City Serenade (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Buddy comedy about a down-and-out drummer (Chris Klein) who accompanies his just-jilted best friend (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) to a film festival where the aspiring director has been invited to show his low-budget flick. Cast includes Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Ben Schwartz and Christopher DeBlasio.

Phoebe in Wonderland (PG-13 for mature themes and brief profanity) Elle Fanning stars in this modern fairy tale about a young girl with Tourette’s Syndrome who finds a constructive way to channel her destructive, obsessive-compulsive urges with the help of a drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) who casts her in a school production as Alice in Wonderland.

Reunion (Unrated) Ivy League drama about members of a Yale University secret society who get back together for an eventful weekend a decade after the death of the wife of a member (Jake Cullen). Cast includes Christopher McDonald, Sam Coppola and Zoe McLellan.

Sherman’s Way (Unrated) Wine country misadventure about a just-dumped, Yale law student (Michael Shulman) who befriends an eccentric, 50 year-old (James LeGros) before embarking on an eventful road trip together across Napa Valley in a red roaster. With M. Emmet Walsh, Brooke Nevin and Donna Murphy.

Tokyo! (Unrated) Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-Ho direct the three separate strands of this curious homage to Tokyo, a triskelion offering distinctly different perspectives of life inside the teeming city that could. (In Japanese and French with subtitles)