Kam's Movie Kapsules for 3-8-13

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:      

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         

by Kam Williams

For movies opening March 8, 2013

BIG BUDGET FILMS

   

Dead Man Down (R for sexuality, violence and pervasive profanity) Multilayered whodunit, set in NYC, about a couple of grieving neighbors (Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace) who flirt before bonding because of a mutual passion for revenge. A-list cast includes F. Murray Abraham, Isabelle Huppert, Terrance Howard, Dominic Cooper and Armand Assante.     

Oz the Great and Powerful (PG-13 for action, scary images and brief mild epithets) James Franco stars in this prequel to The Wizard of Oz as a shady circus magician who gets a shot at redemption after being swept by a tornado from Kansas to an enchanting, faraway land. With Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Bill Cobbs and Zach Braff.   

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The ABCs of Death (Unrated) A to Z horror flick, shot by 26 directors, with each one’s segment titled by a different letter of the alphabet and illustrating a unique way to die. Starring Dallas Malloy, Lee Hardcastle and Lucy Clements.

Emperor (PG-13 for violence, smoking and brief profanity) Romance drama set in postwar Japan where a U.S. General (Matthew Fox) searches for an ex-girlfriend  (Eriko Hatsune) while deciding the fate of Emperor Hirohito. With Tommy Lee Jones, Aaron Jackson and Kaori Momoi. (In English and Japanese with subtitles)

The Girl (PG-13 for profanity, violence, disturbing images, smoking and mature themes) Dysfunctional family drama, set in Texas, about a struggling single-mother (Abbie Cornish) who loses custody of her son (Austin Wayne West) to the foster care system only to have things go from bad to worse when she gets caught trying to make some easy money by smuggling an undocumented alien across the border. With Geoffrey Rivas, Austin West and Will Patton.  

Greedy Lying Bastards (PG-13 for brief profanity) Eco-documentary exposing the corporate interests thwarting scientists’ efforts to inform the public that the upsurge in droughts, wildfires, tornados, glacier loss and wildfires are the result of man-made climate change. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

Gut Renovation (Unrated) Gentrification documentary chronicling the erection of luxury condos in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn by real estate developers following the eviction of the struggling artists and working-class families living in the community.  

Language of a Broken Heart (Unrated) Romantic comedy about a just-jilted, love guru (Juddy Talt) who abandons NYC for his hometown of Rockford, Illinois where he finds himself falling for a free-spirited bookseller (Julie White).  With Kate French, Oscar Nunez and Lara Pulver.

The Other Side of the Ice (Unrated) Atlantic and Pacific documentary chronicling a family’s attempt to sail from Newport, Rhode Island to Seattle, Washington by way of the treacherous Northwest Passage.

The Silence (Unrated) Copycat crime thriller about a 13 year-old (Anna Lena Klenke) who vanishes from the same spot where another little girl (Melina Fabian) was raped and murdered decades earlier by a handyman (Ulrich Thomsen) never brought to justice. With Wotan Wilke Mohring, Katrin Sasz and Sebastian Blomberg. (In German with subtitles)

Somebody Up There Likes Me (Unrated) Buddy comedy about best friends (Keith Poulson and Nick Offerman) who are both in love with the same woman (Jess Wexler). Cast includes Kevin Corrigan, Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt.

The We and the I (Unrated) Day-in-the-life drama revolving around the exploits of a group of Bronx teens boarding a bus at the start of their summer vacation. Starring Joe Mele, Meghan Murphy, Alex Raul Barrios, Michael Brodie and Teresa Lynn.