Kam's Kapsules for movies opening August 18, 2017

 

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun 

by Kam Williams

OPENING THIS WEEK

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Hitman's Bodyguard (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Unlikely-buddies comedy about an ace bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds) who grudgingly helps a notorious assassin (Samuel L. Jackson) negotiate a dangerous gauntlet en route to the Hague where he's set to testify in 24 hours at the International Court of Justice. Co-starring Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek and Elodie Yung.

Logan Lucky (PG-13 for profanity and crude comments) Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh (for Traffic) comes out of retirement after four years to direct, shoot and edit this comic crime caper revolving around two brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) who hatch a plan to pull a heist at the Charlotte Motor Speedway during NASCAR's Coca -Cola 600 car race Ensemble cast includes Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Dwight Yoakam and Riley Keough.

Patti Cake$ (R for crude sexual references, drug use, pervasive profanity and a brief nude image) Overcoming the odds saga, set in Lodi, New Jersey, revolving around a Rubenesque rapper's (Danielle Macdonald) quest for superstardom. With Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhanajay, Mamoudou Athie and Cathy Moriarty.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Crown Heights (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and violence) Miscarriage of justic drama recounting the real-life ordeal of Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield) who was sentenced to life in 1980 for a murder he didn't commit. With Nnamdi Asomugha, Bill Camp and Yil Vazquez.

Dave Made a Maze (Unrated) Nick Thune plays the title character in this horror comedy about an artist who ends up trapped in his living room inside a booby-trapped fort of his own making. With Kristen Vangsness, John Hennigan and Stephanie Allynne.

Gook (Unrated) Racial strife saga, set in South Central L.A. in the wake of the Rodney King verdict, revolving around the attempt of a couple of Korean-American brothers (Justin Chon and David So) to protect their shoe store from rioters with the help of a street-wise, 11 year-old black girl (Simone Baker). Cast includes Ben Munoz, Curtiss Cook, Jr. and Chris Jai Alex.

Lemon (Unrated) Midlife crisis dramedy about a struggling actor-turned-drama teacher (Brett Gelman) whose world falls apart after he's dumped by his blind girlfriend of ten years (Judy Greer). With Nia Long, Fred Melamed and Michael Cera.

The Queen of Spain (Unrated) Penelope Cruz stars in this sequel to her 1998 film, Girls of Your Dreams. Follow up finds her character returning to Spain from Hollywood to star in a movie about Queen Isabella. Supporting cast includes Antonio Resines, Neus Asensi and Ana Belen. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

Shot Caller (R for graphic violence, drug use, brief nudity and pervasive profanity) Crime thriller about a recently paroled DUI convict (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who finds himself pressured to pull a big heist by the gang that protected him while behind bars. With Omari Hardwick, Benjamin Bratt, Emory Cohen and Lake Bell.

Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (Unrated) Reverential retrospective taking a fond look at the careers of pianist Pinetop Perkins, guitarist Hubert Smith and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, members of the unsung band that backed up such blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Narrated by Marc Maron, and featuring commentary by Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Greg Allman.