Kam's Movie Kapsules for 2-28-14

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:      

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         

by Kam Williams

For movies opening February 28, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS   

Non-Stop (PG-13 for sensuality, profanity, intense violence and drug use) Action thriller about a federal air marshal (Liam Neeson) who springs into action aboard a transatlantic flight from New York to London after receiving text messages threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes until a $150 million ransom is deposited into an offshore account. Cast includes Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Nate Parker and Anson Mount. (In English and German with subtitles)

Son of God (PG-13 for graphic violence) Biblical epic chronicling the teachings, miracles and life of Jesus Christ (Diogo Morgado) from His birth through death and resurrection. With Roma Downey as Mary, Joe Coen as Joseph, Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate, Sebastian Knapp as John the Baptist, Paul Knops as Adam and Darcie as Eve. 

    

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

Almost Human (Unrated) Sci-fi horror flick about a guy (Josh Ethier) who disappears in a flash of bright light only to return to town just as mysteriously two years later, right before the start of a string of grisly murders. With Graham Skipper, Vanessa Leigh and Susan T. Travers. 

The Bag Man (R for violence, sexuality and profanity) Multi-layered mystery revolving around a courier (John Cusack) who finds himself trailed by the cops and mobsters after being directed by a crime boss (Robert De Niro) to pick up and deliver a valuable package without examining its contents. Supporting cast includes Rebecca Da Costa, Sticky Fingaz, Crispin Glover and Dominic Purcell.

Chlorine (Unrated) Dysfunctional family dramedy, set in suburban New Jersey, about a materialistic matriarch (Kyra Sedgwick) more concerned about keeping up with the Joneses than with the welfare of her offspring or her exasperated husband (Vincent D’Onofrio). With Rhys Coiro, Tom Sizemore and Elisabeth Rohm.

Ernest & Celestine (PG for scary moments) Oscar-nominated adventure (for Best Animated Feature) about the unexpected friendship forged between an orphaned mouse (Mackenzie Foy) and a shy and retiring bear (Forest Whitaker). Voice cast includes Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Nick Offerman and Jeffrey Wright.

Hair Brained (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, nudity, crude humor, and teen smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption) Unlikely-buddies comedy about a 14 year-old genius (Alex Wolff) who grudgingly befriends a middle-aged late starter (Brendan Fraser) when they meet while entering college as freshman. With Fred Melamed, Julia Garner and Greta Lee.

Kids for Ca$h (PG-13 for profanity and mature themes) Pay-to-play documentary chronicling the shocking 2008 scandal in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where crooked judges put innocent juveniles behind bars in return for kickbacks from a privately-owned penitentiary in need of inmates.

The Lunchbox (PG for smoking and mature themes) Romance drama, set in Mumbai, about how a mistaken meal delivery leads to the courting of a neglected housewife (Nimrat Kaur) by a grieving widower (Irrfan Khan). Support cast includes Denzil Smith, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nakul Vaid. (In Hindi and English with subtitles)

Odd Thomas (Unrated) Horror comedy based on the Dean Koontz best-seller of the same name about a short-order chef (Anton Yelchin) whose ability to see dead people comes in handy when his idyllic hometown is invaded by an army of ghosts bent on mass destruction. With Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin and Leonor Varela.

Repentance (R for profanity, violence and torture) Forest Whitaker stars in this psychological thriller, set in New Orleans, as a troubled man at the end of his rope who impulsively takes his therapist hostage. (Anthony Mackie). Featuring Nicole Ari Parker, Sanaa Lathan and Mike Epps.

  

Stalingrad (R for violence) World War II drama, set in a devastated Stalingrad, about the star-crossed love affair of a young Russian woman (Yanina Studilina) and a high-ranking Nazi officer (Thomas Kretschmann). With Pyotr Fyodorov, Dmitriy Lysenkov and Aleksey Barabash. (In Russian and German with subtitles)

Two Lives (Unrated) Flashback drama, set in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, about an orphan (Juliane Kohler) who belatedly discovers that she was the product of the experimental forced mating of a local woman (Liv Ullmann) and a Nazi soldier stationed in occupied Norway during World War II. Cast includes Sven Nordin, Ken Duken and Rainer Bock. (In German, Norwegian, English, Russian and Danish with subtitles)