Kam's Movies Kapsules for 3-2-12

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening March 2, 2012


BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Lorax (PG for mild epithets) Danny DeVito stars as the title character in this animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic about an idealistic 12 year-old (Zac Efron), raised in an artificial reality, who searches for a real tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams (Taylor Swift). Voice cast includes Betty White, Ed Helms and Rob Riggie.

Project X (R for nudity, drug and alcohol abuse, mayhem, recklessness and pervasive profanity, sexuality, and crude humor) Raunchy teensploit revolving around three high school seniors (Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathan Daniel Brown) who throw a wild house party that spirals totally out of control. With Alexis Knapp, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Dax Flame.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Art Is… The Permanent Revolution (Unrated) Agitprop documentary examining how printmakers, including Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso, have influenced the political landscape over the ages via graphic depictions of the human condition.

Being Flynn (R sexuality, drug use, pervasive profanity and brief nudity) Robert De Niro and Paul Dano co-star in this dysfunctional family dramedy about a young man mourning the loss of his mother (Julianne Moore) who is surprised to find his long-lost father living in a homeless center. With Olivia Thirlby, Lili Taylor and Dale Dickey.

Black Butterflies (Unrated) bittersweet biopic, set in South Africa in the Sixties, recounting the ill-fated arc of a defiant, anti-Apartheid poet (Carice van Houten) who found herself at odds with her father (Rutger Hauer) serving as the racist regime’s Minister of Censorship. Supporting cast includes Liam Cunningham, Grant Swanby and Graham Clarke.

Boy (Unrated) Coming-of-age drama, set in New Zealand in 1984, about an 11 year-old Michael Jackson fan (James Rolleston) who belatedly bonds with his absentee father (Taika Waititi) when the Prodigal hoodlum returns to town to unearth a buried treasure. With Moerangi Tihore, Cherilee Martin and Haze Reweti.

Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? (Unrated) The haves vs. the have-nots documentary chronicling the carefully-orchestrated dismantling of the U.S. middle-class by the corporatocracy with the help of politicians and lobbyists.

Let the Bullets Fly (Unrated) Action comedy, set in China in the Twenties, about a notorious crime boss (Wen Jiang) who poses as the newly-appointed mayor of a provincial town until he meets his match in a local mobster (Chow Yun-Fat). With Carina Lau, Kun Chen and You Ge. (In Mandarin and Cantonese with subtitles)

Patriocracy (Unrated) Middle-of-the-road documentary issuing an urgent call for reason in this age of political polarization. Featuring appearances by Eleanor Clift, Pat Buchanan and Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper.

The Salt of Life (Unrated) Midlife crisis comedy about an aging guy (Gianni Di Gregorio) neglected by his wife (Elisabetta Piccolomini) who decides to find out whether he’s still attractive by flirting with neighborhood ladies. With Valeria De Franciscis, Alfonso Santagata and Valeria Cavalli. (In Italian with subtitles)

The Snowtown Murders (Unrated) Fact-based crime thriller, set in 1999, about an impressionable 16 year-old (Lucas Pittaway) who is recruited by his mother’s (Louise Harvey) vigilante boyfriend (Daniel Henshall) to participate in a grisly killing spree around Adelaide, Australia. Cast includes Bob Adriaens, Matthew Howard and Anthony Groves.

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (R for crude humor, graphic nudity, drug use, slapstick violence, and pervasive profanity and sexuality) Coarse comedy about a couple of guys (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) indebted to mobsters who try to revitalize a bankrupt mall as a way of repaying the loan they lost investing in a film that failed. With John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell and Mark Cuban.

The Woods (Unrated) Back-to-nature comedy about a bunch of young bohemians who retreat to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with hopes of creating a utopian society. Cast includes Toby David, Justin Phillips and Nicola Persky.