Kam's Movie Kapsules for 1-17-14

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:      

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         

by Kam Williams

For movies opening January 17, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS   

Devil’s Due (R for profanity and graphic images) Demon seed horror flick about a newlywed (Allison Miller) who starts experiencing bizarre symptoms soon after learning she’d unexpectedly become pregnant on her honeymoon. With Zach Gilford, Sam Anderson and Steffie Grote.

The Nut Job (PG for action and rude humor) Animated adventure revolving around a mischievous squirrel (Will Arnett) who hatches a plan to rob a nut store after being banished from the park by a mean raccoon (Liam Neeson) Voice cast includes Brendan Fraser, Maya Rudolph, Katherine Heigl and Jeff Dunham.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (PG-13 for intense violence and brief profanity) Chris Pine stars as the title character previously played by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck, in this reboot of the franchise inspired by the Tom Clancy series of espionage thrillers. This installment finds the intrepid CIA analyst on assignment in Moscow to foil a terrorist attempt to cripple the U.S. economy. Cast includes Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Kenneth Branagh.

Ride Along (PG-13 for violence, sexuality and brief profanity) Buddy comedy, set in Atlanta, about a trash-talking groom-to-be (Kevin Hart) who goes on patrol for a day with his fiancée’s (Tika Sumpter) police officer brother (Ice Cube) in order to prove himself worthy. With John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, David Banner and SNL’s Jay Pharoah. 

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

Big Bad Wolves (Unrated) Israeli crime thriller about a suspected serial killer (Rotem Keinan) who finds himself being trailed by the revenge-minded father (Tzahi Grad) of his last victim and by a rogue cop (Lior Ashkenazi) willing to take the law into his own hands. Support cast includes Menashe Noy, Dvir Benedek and Kais Nashif. (In Hebrew with subtitles)

Freezer (R for profanity and graphic violence) Claustrophobic thriller about a man (Dylan McDermott) who is locked in a freezer with a stranger (Peter Facinelli) by Russian mobsters demanding the return of $8 million. With Yuliya Snigir, Andrey Ivchenko and Pascal Petardi.

G.B.F. (R for sexual references) Mean girls teensploit about three high school coeds’ (Xosha Roquemore, Andrea Bowen and Sasha Pieterse) cutthroat competition to land a recently-outed, high school classmate (Michael J. Willett) as their gay best friend. Featuring Rebecca Gayheart, Natasha Lyonne, Megan Mullally and Evanna Lynch.

Gloria (Unrated) Paulina Garcia plays the title character in this romantic dramedy, set in Santiago, about a lonely, 58 year-old divorcee who rushes headlong into a relationship with a naval officer (Sergio Hernandez) she meets at a singles’ bar. With Diego Fontecilla, Fabiola Zamora and Coca Guazzini. (In Spanish with subtitles)

Jamesy Boy (Unrated) Fact-based tale of redemption recounting how a teenage gang member (Spencer Lofranco) turned his life around behind bars with the help of a convicted murderer mentor (Ving Rhames). With James Woods, Vera Farmiga, Mary-Louise Parker and the Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo. 

Life of a King (PG-13 for drug use, violent images and mature themes) Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars in this biopic as Eugene Brown, a paroled ex-con who founded a chess club for at-risk kids in Washington, DC. Cast includes LisaGay Hamilton, Dennis Haysbert and Thurston Hill.

Like Father, Like Son (Unrated) Switched at birth drama about the life-altering decision faced by a couple (Masaharu Fukuyama and Keita Ninomiya) after being informed that they had taken the wrong baby home from the hospital a half-dozen years earlier. With Machiko Ono, Yoko Maki and Riri Furanki. (In Japanese with subtitles)

Maidentrip (Unrated) Seafaring documentary recounting 14 year-old, Dutch girl Laura Dekker’s 2010 attempt to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe by boat alone.

Reasonable Doubt (R for profanity and violence) Mistaken identity thriller about an ambitious district attorney (Dominic Cooper) who comes to regret allowing an innocent man (Samuel L. Jackson) take the rap for his fatal hit-and-run accident. Cast includes Gloria Reuben, Erin Karpluk and Ryan Robbins.

Summer in February (Unrated) Romance drama, set in Edwardian England at the dawn of the 20^th Century, revisiting the scandalous antics of a group of Bohemians residing at an artists’ colony in Cornwall. Co-starring Dominic Cooper, Emily Browning and Dan Stevens.