Wednesday, July 22, 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 July 31, 2009

                    

 

BIG BUDGET FILMS

 

The Collector (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity and pervasive, sadistic bloody violence) Crime thriller about an ex-con (Josh Stewart) whose attempted burglary of his boss’ country home goes awry when he discovers that another criminal (Juan Fernandez) has rigged the place with a maze of deadly booby traps.

 

Funny People (R for profanity, sexuality and pervasive crude humor) Judd Apatow wrote and directed this raunchy teensploit about a terminally-ill comedian (Adam Sandler) with less than a year to live who decides to hire a deli counterman (Seth Rogen) as his opening act only to have his disease go into remission. Cast includes Leslie Mann, Dr. Ken Jeong, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Norm MacDonald and RZA. 

 

 

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

 

Adam (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality and mature themes) Bittersweet romantic comedy, set in NYC, about an unemployed electrical engineer (Hugh Dancy) with Asperger’s Syndrome who finds the girl of his dreams in his patient next-door neighbor (Rose Byrne) willing to put up with his eccentricities.

 

Aliens in the Attic (PG for violence, suggestive humor and mild epithets) Horror flick about three siblings (Ashley Tisdale, Ashley Boettcher and Carter Jenkins) who save the day when their clueless parents (Kevin Nealon and Gillian Vigman) are placed under a spell by the pint-sized aliens that have invaded the family’s summer home in Michigan. Cast includes Doris Roberts, Andy Richter and Robert Hoffman.

 

The Cove (PG-13 for disturbing images) Eco-documentary highlights the noble efforts of a group of animal activists who travel to Taiji, Japan in order to save dolphins being raised in captivity for their meat and for entertainment purposes.    

 

Flame & Citron (Unrated) World War II saga, set in Copenhagen in 1944, recounting the real-life exploits of a couple of legendary Danish patriots (Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen) who performed heroic acts of sabotage with the Resistance during the Nazi occupation. (In Danish and German with subtitles)

 

Fragments (R for violence, sexuality and profanity) Crime drama chronicles the psychological fallout suffered by the five survivors (Forest Whitaker, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce and Josh Hutcherson) of a random spree killing in an L.A. diner. With Jennifer Hudson, Jackie Earle Haley and Jeanne Tripplehorn. 

 

Ghosted (In English, German and Mandarin with subtitles) Monika Treut directed this homoerotic whodunit revolving around a Taiwanese journalist (Ting-Ting Hu) who travels from Taipei to Hamburg to investigate the mysterious death of the lesbian lover (Huan-Ru Ke) of a local artist (Inga Busch).

 

Gotta Dance (Unrated) “Young at heart” documentary showcases the auditions by senior citizens competing for a spot on the geriatric, hip-hop dance team used by the NBA’s New Jersey Nets as a halftime attraction.

 

Import/Export (Unrated) Bleak bi-furcated tale of woe unfolding across Europe. One strand focuses on a struggling single-mom (Ekateryna Rak) who leaves her daughter behind in the Ukraine in order to find work in Vienna. The other follows a rudderless young man (Paul Hoffmann) traveling in the opposite direction with his trucker stepfather (Michael Thomas) to make a delivery for a vending machine company. (In German, Russian, Slovak and English with subtitles)

 

Janky Promoters (Unrated) Mike Epps and Ice Cube co-star in this buddy flick chronicling the comedy of errors which ensues when a couple of shady, L.A. concert promoters book a popular rap artist (Young Jeezy) they can’t afford to pay. Supporting cast includes Terry Crews, Tamala Jones and Little JJ.

 

Lorna’s Silence (R for nudity, sexuality and profanity) Crime caper, set in Belgium, about an Albanian immigrant (Arta Dobroshi) who hatches a diabolical plan with a mobster (Fabrizio Rongione) to marry and then murder a Belgian heroin addict (Jeremie Renier) so that a Russian mafia kingpin seeking citizenship can assume his identity. (In French and Albanian with subtitles)

 

Not Quite Hollywood (R for sexuality, violence, gore, drug use, profanity and graphic nudity) Down Under documentary reveals the untold story of Australia’s explosion of “Ozploitation flicks” during the Seventies and Eighties in the wake of the liberalization of the country’s oppressive censorship laws.

 

You, the Living (Unrated) Ensemble drama, set in Stockholm, celebrates the human condition via a series of about fifty vignettes exploring a variety of philosophical themes ranging from love and loss to betrayal and redemption. (In Swedish with subtitles)

 

Thirst (R for graphic violence, disturbing images, nudity, graphic sexuality and violence) Horror flick about a priest (Kang-ho sang) who is accidentally turned into a vampire after a medical procedure goes horribly wrong. (In Korean and English with subtitles)

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