9-26 Kam's Kapsules (FEATURE)

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:      

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         

by Kam Williams

For movies opening September 26, 2014

BIG BUDGET FILMS   

The Boxtrolls (PG for action, peril and mild crude humor) Animated fantasy revolving around an orphan (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) raised in a cave by trash-collecting trolls targeted by an evil exterminator (Ben Kingsley). Voice cast includes Elle Fanning, Tracy Morgan, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

The Equalizer (R for graphic violence, sexual references and pervasive profanity) Denzel Washington stars in the title role of this screen version of the Eighties TV series about a retired spy-turned-hardware store clerk who reluctantly starts moonlighting as crime fighting vigilante on the streets of Boston. With Chloe Grace Moretz, Martin Csokas, Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo.   

Pride (R for profanity and brief sexuality) Historical drama recounting real events unfolding in the United Kingdom during the summer of 1984 when a group of gay activists rallied to the side of striking coal miners. Ensemble cast includes Bill Night, Imelda Staunton, Paddy Considine, Andrew Scott and Dominic West.    

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

Advance Style (Unrated) Aging gracefully is the focus of this documentary chronicling the fashion sense of some Manhattan socialites over 60 who are challenging the conventional cultural assumption equating beauty and youth.

Believe Me (PG-13 for profanity) Buddy comedy about a broke college senior (Alex Russell) who enlists the assistance of a few classmates to raise his tuition by forming a fake charity designed to fleece gullible Christians. Cast includes Nick Offerman, Christopher McDonald, Zachary Knighton, Miles Fisher, Sinqua Walls and Johanna Braddy.

Days and Nights (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama, loosely based on Chekhov’s play “The Seagull,” revolving around the havoc wreaked by reckless desire indulged over a holiday weekend at a retreat in rural New England. Ensemble cast includes Katie Holmes, Allison Janney, William Hurt, Jean Reno and Ben Whishaw. 

Good People (R for profanity and graphic violence) Crime thriller about an American couple (Kate Hudson and James Franco), living in London, who end up on the run from mobsters after finding a fortune in cash hidden in their dead tenant’s apartment. With Omar Sy, Tom Wilkinson and Anna Friel.  

Jimi: All Is by My Side (R for profanity, sexual references and drug use) Oscar-winning scriptwriter John Ridley (for 12 Years a Slave) wrote and directed this rocktrospective chronicling Jimi Hendrix’s (Andre 3000) life in London prior to the release of his debut album. Featuring Imogen Poots, Hayley Atwell and Ruth Negga.  

Lilting (Unrated) Romance drama, set in London, where a Chinese-Cambodian mom (Pei-pei Cheng) mourns the untimely death of her son (Andrew Leung) with the help of the gay lover (Ben Whishaw) she never knew he had. With Peter Bowles, Naomi Christie and Shane Salter.

The Little Bedroom (Unrated) Unlikely buddies drama about an elderly widower (Michel Bouquet) who finds himself befriended by the grieving young nurse (Florence Loiret Caille) assigned to care for him after a bad fall. Cast includes Joel Delsaut, Valerie Bodson and Eric Caravaca. (In English and French with subtitles)

Plastic (R for sexuality, nudity, drug use, graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Fact-based tale about a couple of British hackers (Ed Speleers and Will Poulter) whose multimillion-dollar, credit card scheme lands them in the crosshairs of a sadistic gangster (Thomas Kretschmann) whose identity they stole.  

Smiling through the Apocalypse (Unrated) Reverential biopic about Harold Hayes (1926-1989) editor-in-chief of Esquire Magazine at the height of its heyday in the Sixties. Featuring commentary by staff writers Gore Vidal, Tom Wolfe, Nora Ephron and Gay Talese. 

The Song (PG-13 for mature themes including substance abuse, crude references and smoking) Musical drama examining the toll exacted upon an aspiring singer’s (Alan Powell) marriage after a tune he wrote for his wife (Ali Faulkner) turns him into a superstar. Featuring Danny Vinson, Aaron Benward Jude Ramsey.

The Two Faces of January (PG-13 for and smoking) Adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith best seller of the same name, set in Athens in 1962, about a couple of American sightseers (Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst) who, against their better judgment, help their tour guide (Oscar Isaac) cover up a murder. With Daisy Bevan, David Warshofsky and Ozan Tas. (In English, Turkish and Greek with subtitles)

Two-Night Stand (R for sexuality, profanity and drug use) Romantic comedy about two strangers (Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton) forced by a snowstorm to share another night between the sheets after a disastrous one-night stand. Featuring Victor Cruz, Berto Colon and Jessica Szohr.