Kam's Kapsules for movies opening August 17, 2018

 

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun  

by Kam Williams

OPENING THIS WEEK

WIDE RELEASES

Alpha (PG-13 for intense peril) Ice Age tale of survival chronicling the unlikely friendship forged between a lone wolf abandoned by its pack and an injured young man (Kodi Smit McPhee) separated from his tribe. With Leonor Varela, Jens Hulten and Natassia Malthe.

Crazy Rich Asians (PG-13 for profanity and suggestive content) Adaptation of Kevin Kwan's semi-autobiographical best seller of the same name revolving around the hostility encountered by a Chinese-American college professor (Constance Wu) when she accompanies her wealthy boyfriend (Henry Golding) home to Singapore for his best friend's (Chris Pang) wedding. Cast includes Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Dr. Ken Jeong and Awkwafina. (In English and Mandarin with subtitles)

Mile 22 (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Espionage thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as the leader of a tactical CIA team assigned to extract an asset with valuable information (Iko Uwais) from a foreign country before the enemy closes in on him. With John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey and Lauren Cohan. (In English, Russian and Indonesian with subtitles)

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN

Alt-Right: Age of Rage (Unrated) Political documentary revisiting last summer's neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Virginia leading to the murder of counter-demonstrator Heather Heyer. Featuring commentary by Antifa activist Daryle Lamont Jenkins and white supremacist Richard Spencer.

Billionaire Boys Club (R for sexuality, violence, drug use and pervasive profanity) Remake of the 1987 of the fact-based crime thriller, set in L.A. in the Eighties, about a gang of preppies who murder an investor (Kevin Spacey) in their get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme. Co-starring Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Bokeem Woodbine and Emma Roberts.

Do You Trust This Computer? (Unrated) Cautionary documentary warning of the perils of the impending Artificial Intelligence era in which self-learning computers are apt to control virtually every aspect of our lives.

Juliet, Naked (R for profanity) Adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel of the same name about a diehard rock fan (Chris O'Dowd) whose jaded girlfriend (Rose Byrne) falls in love with the obscure musician (Ethan Hawke) he's become obsessed with. Supporting cast includes Jimmy O. Yang, Megan Dodds and Lily Newmark.

Minding the Gap (Unrated) Rust Belt documentary, set in Rockford, Illinois, chronicling a dozen years in the lives of three skateboarding BFFs from adolescence to facing adult responsibilities.

A Whale of a Tale (Unrated) Eco-expose' revisiting Taiji, the Japanese fishing village denounced for dolphin hunting in the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove. (In Japanese with subtitles)

The Wife (R for profanity and some sexuality) Glenn Close plays the title character in this adaptation of Meg Wolitzer's best seller of the same name about an aging woman who comes to question the 40 years of self-sacrificing which enabled her husband (Jonathan Pryce) to win the Nobel Prize for literature. With Christian Slater, Max Irons and Elizabeth McGovern.