Thursday, December 12, 2013

Kam's Movie Kapsules for 12-20-13



OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:      
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         
by Kam Williams
For movies opening December 20, 2013


BIG BUDGET FILMS   

American Hustle (R for sexuality, pervasive profanity and brief violence) David O. Russell wrote and directed this crime drama about a couple of con artists (Christian Bale and Amy Adams) forced by an overzealous FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) to infiltrate a New Jersey underworld inhabited by mobsters protected by a crooked, big city mayor (Jeremy Renner). Support cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K. and Michael Pena. 

Anchorman 2 (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor, drug use and comic violence) Will Ferrell reprises the title role as the oafish broadcaster in this sequel which finds his former news team reuniting in New York to work for a 24-hour cable network. Returning cast members include Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd, Good, David Koechner, Luke Wilson, Chris Parnell, Fred Willard and narrator Bill Kurtis, as well as new additions Greg Kinnear, James Marsden, Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig, Meagan Good and Christina Applegate, and featuring cameos by Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Kanye West, Amy Poehler, Nicole Kidman, Drake, Tina Fey, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen and Kirsten Dunst.

Her (R for profanity, sexuality and brief nudity) Oscar-nominee Spike Jonze (for Being John Malkovich) directed this romance drama revolving around a lonely letter writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with the voice (Scarlett Johansson) on his computer’s operating system. With Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Bill Hader and Olivia Wilde.

Saving Mr. Banks (PG-13 for mature themes and unsettling images) Period piece recounting Walt Disney’s (Tom Hanks) bending over backwards to secure the film rights to Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the overprotective author of the beloved children’s book. With Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, Rachel Griffiths, Ruth Wilson and Jason Schwartzman.

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D (PG for peril, action and rude humor) Prehistoric animated epic, set 70 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, chronicling the lives of a trio of dinos (Justin Long, Tiya Sircar and Skyler Stone) from infancy to adulthood. Narrated by John Leguizamo, with additional voicework by Mary Mouser, Clay Savage and Katie Silverman.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

All the Light in the Sky (Unrated) Character-driven drama directed by Joe Swanberg about an aging actress (Jane Adams) forced to reassess her career prospects when her fresh-faced, aspiring niece (Sophia Takal) arrives in Malibu for a weekend stay. With Kent Osborne, Larry Fessenden and Ti West. 

Dhoom 3 (Unrated) Third installment in the Bollywood action series finds crimefighter Jai (Abhishek Bachchan) and sidekick Ali (Uday Chopra) matching wits with a new pair of worthy adversaries (Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif). With Jackie Shroff, Diana Penty and Don Kress. (In Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu with subtitles)

The Past (PG-13 for mature themes and brief profanity) Fractured family drama about a Persian man (Ali Mosaffa) who returns to Paris from Iran four years after abandoning his family there only to find his French wife (Berenice Bejo) dating an Arab (Tahar Rahim). With Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis and Jeanne Jestin. (In French and Persian with subtitles)

The Selfish Giant (Unrated) Adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s cautionary, coming-of-age tale of the same name about a couple of ambitious teenagers (Conner Chapman and Shaun Thomas) whose ill-advised association with a crooked junk dealer (Sean Gilder) leads to tragic consequences. Support cast includes Lorraine Ashbourne, Ian Burfield and Steve Evets.   

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