Kam's Movie Kapsules for 1-8-15

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

by Kam Williams

For movies opening January 8, 2016

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Forest (PG-13 for mature themes and disturbing images) Psychological thriller about a young woman (Natalie Dormer) frightened by paranormal activity transpiring as she searches for her missing sister in the woods at the base of Mount Fuji. With Eoin Macken, Taylor Kinney and Stephanie Vogt.

The Revenant (R for profanity, graphic violence, gory images, brief nudity and a rape) Adaptation of Michael Punke's tale of survival, set in Wyoming in 1823, about a frontiersman's (Leonardo DiCaprio) harrowing ordeal after being mauled by a bear and left to die in the wilderness by members of his hunting party. Support cast includes Tom Hardy, Domnhall Gleeson and Will Poulter. (In English, French and Native American dialects with subtitles)

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Anomalisa (R for profanity, graphic sexuality and frontal nudity) Adult-oriented animated adventure about an author (David Thewlis) who is unable to connect with other people until he hits it off with a stranger (Jennifer Jason Leigh) he meets on a business trip. Additional voices supplied by Tom Noonan.

Anesthesia (R for profanity, sexuality, drug use and brief violence) Crime thriller about several strangers whose lives intersect serendipitously in the wake of the mugging of a Columbia University philosophy professor (Sam Waterston). With K. Todd Freeman, Corey Stoll and the film's director, Tim Blake Nelson.

Diablo (R for violence and brief profanity) Post-Civil War Western, set on the American frontier, about a revenge-minded veteran's (Scott Eastwood) desperate search for his wife (Camilla Belle) abducted by a ruthless gang of Mexican outlaws. Featuring Danny Glover, Walton Goggins and Adam Beach.

Lamb (Unrated) Coming-of-age drama about a middle-aged man (Ross Partridge), grieving the death of his father and the disintegration of his marriage, who saves a suicidal 11 year-old (Oona Laurence) by taking her on a sightseeing sojourn across the country. With Jess Weixler, Tom Bower and Scoot McNairy.

The Masked Saint (PG-13 for violence and mature themes) Adaptation of the Chris Whaley best seller of the same name chronicling the real-life exploits of a professional wrestler-turned-pastor (Brett Granstaff) who decided to not only return to the ring but to moonlight as a crime-fighting vigilante. Cast includes Diahann Carroll, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Lara Jean Chorostecki.

Sweaty Betty (Unrated) Inner-city saga, set in Washington, DC, about a Redskins fan (Floyd Rich) who raises a pig in the 'hood with hopes of turning it into the team's mascot. With Seth Dubois and Rico S.

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art (Unrated) Counter-culture documentary about a cadre of iconoclastic artists who plied their trade in the Sixties and Seventies on the deserts of the American Southwest.

Wazir (Unrated) Unlikely buddies drama, set in Mumbai, revolving around the twist of fate which inspires an Anti-Terrorist Squad officer (Farhan Akhtar) to join forces with a wheelchair-bound chess master (Amitabh Bachchan) to crack a conspiracy. With Aditi Rao Hydari, John Abraham and Anjum Sharma. (In English and Hindi with subtitles)

Yosemite (R for sexuality, nudity and profanity) Coming-of-age tale, set in Palo Alto in 1985, revolving around the partially-overlapping misadventures of a trio of fifth graders (Everett Meckler, Alec Mansky and Calum John) living in a suburban community with a mountain lion on the loose. Based on the James Franco short story of the same name, and featuring Franco, Henry Hopper, Steven Wiig and Barry Del Sherman.