Kam's Kapsules: For movies opening June 3, 2011

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening June 3, 2011


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Beginners (R for profanity and sexuality) Out-of-the-closet drama about a terminally-ill, 75 year-old widower (Christopher Plummer) who finally summons up the courage to inform his son (Ewan McGregor) about his gay lover (Goran Visnjic). With Melanie Laurent, Lou Taylor Pucci and Mary Page Keller. (In English and French with subtitles)

X-Men: First Class (PG-13 for violence, sexuality and brief profanity) Prequel to the popular Marvel Comics franchise, set in the early Sixties before mutants Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) became archenemies and adopted their respective alter egos, Professor X and Magneto. Cast includes Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Zoe Karvitz and Hugh Jackman.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Beautiful Boy (R for profanity and sexuality) Dysfunctional family drama about a couple (Michael Sheen and Maria Bello) contemplating divorce whose marriage becomes further strained by the media circus which envelops them after their only son (Kyle Gallner), a college freshman, embarks on a killing spree on campus before committing suicide. With Meat Loaf, Moon Bloodgood and Deidrie Henry.

Bride Flight (R for sexuality and graphic nudity) Romance drama chronicling the diverging fates of three Dutch refugees: a fashion designer (Anna Drijver), a farm girl (Karina Smulders) and a barren spinster (Elise Schaap), all of whom emigrate from Holland to New Zealand after World War II to enter arranged marriages. (In Dutch and English with subtitles)

Empire of Silver (Unrated) Fact-based flashback flick, set in China at the dawn of the 20th Century, revolving around the disinterested heir (Aaron Kwok) to a banking fortune who only reluctantly follows in the footsteps of his domineering father (Tielin Zhang). Support cast includes Jennifer Tilly, Lei Hao and Jonathan Kos-Read. (In Mandarin and English with subtitles)

Film Socialisme (Unrated) Jean-Luc Godard directed this cinematic symphony in three movements painting a surreal portrait of life from a variety of equally-enigmatic, points-of-view. (In French with subtitles)

The Last Mountain (PG for mature themes and brief profanity) Eco-documentary recounting the protracted effort of a tiny, tight-knit community to preserve the last Appalachian Mountain in Pennsylvania still standing untouched after decades of strip mining by the coal industry.

Love, Wedding, Marriage (PG-13 for profanity and sexuality) Dermot Mulroney directs this romantic comedy about a newlywed shrink (Mandy Moore) forced to reassess her beliefs about relationships after learning about her parents’ (James Brolin and Jane Seymour) impending divorce. With Kellan Lutz, Michael Weston and Richard Reid.

Mr. Nice (Unrated) Crime saga revisiting the rise and fall of drug smuggler Howard Marks (Rhys Ifans), based on the Welsh outlaw’s tell-all autobiography. Cast includes Crispin Glover, Chloe Sevigny and David Thewlis. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)

Rejoice & Shout (PG for some smoking and mature themes) Sanctified documentary celebrating the 200-year history of Gospel music features appearances by Smokey Robinson, Mavis Staples and Andrae Crouch.

Some Days Are Better than Others (Unrated) Character-driven drama about the human condition exploring such themes as fulfillment, connection, abandonment and abundance. Ensemble cast includes James Mercer, Carrie Brownstein, David Wodehouse and Renee Roman Nose.

Submarine (Unrated) Coming-of-age comedy about a frustrated 15 year-old (Craig Roberts) with only two things on his mind: losing his virginity before his next birthday and, discouraging his mother (Sally Hawkins) from cheating on his father (Noah Taylor) with a new age guru (Paddy Considine). Supporting cast includes Gemma Chan, Yasmin Paige and Ben Stiller.

Turkey Bowl (Unrated) Gridiron comedy focusing on a bunch of college buddies’ annual reunion to play a game of touch football. Starring Morgan Beck, Adam Benic, Kerry Bishe’, Troy Buchanan, Zeke Hawkins and Zoe Perry.

!Women Art Revolution (Unrated) Female empowerment documentary highlighting the groundbreaking achievements of those women who have transformed the art world since the Sixties. Featuring Miranda July, Yoko Ono, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Judy Chicago and The Guerilla Girls.

35 & Ticking

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Couples Deal with Relationship Drama in Biological Clock Comedy

When you think of African-American romance flicks featuring an ensemble cast, films like The Best Man, Love Jones and Brown Sugar immediately come to mind. You can add 35 & Ticking to that rare genre, although the movie doesn’t quite measure up to any of the aforementioned black classics.
Directed by Russ Parr, 35 & Ticking revolves around a quartet of lifelong friends, Victoria (Tamala Jones), Zenobia (Nicole Ari Parker), Cleavon (Kevin Hart) and Phil (Keith Robinson). The picture’s point of departure is 1983, when the four were still in grade school. Back then, the boys were fond of teasing Zenobia, a gangly girl who was tall for her age.
The story soon fast-forwards to the present, where we find Zenobia dreading her 37th birthday celebration because she hears her biological clock ticking and she’s still looking for her life mate. Despite her high-profile job as a TV sportscaster, she hasn’t exactly been dating appropriate men. The latest in her long line of losers is Zane (Clifton Powell), an ex-con who objects to her wearing a red dress to a party because it’s the color of a rival gang.
Nerdy Cleavon is single, too, primarily because he lacks the confidence to approach women. Plus, he doesn’t have a job, unless selling his semen to an infertility clinic counts.
He tries to make a love connection with the help of Zenobia who coaches him on what to say to a woman he wants to approach. “Tell her you’re name, tell her she’s pretty, and don’t tell her you’re unemployed.” Cleavon successfully employs that strategy with Falinda (Meagan Good), but then has to worry about whether the gorgeous stranger will lose interest once she learns that the “bank” he works at is just a sperm bank.
As for Phil, he’s married with children, but his immature wife Koko (Jill Marie Jones) is considering leaving him for a womanizing NBA star (Darius McCrary). At the other extreme, Victoria would like to start to a family, but her reluctant hubby (Dondre Whitfield) doesn’t want any kids.
The tension builds in each of these emotional scenarios en route to their eventual resolutions. Yet betwixt and between are myriad moments of levity which serve as gentle reminders not to take it all too seriously. All the loose ends are tied satisfactorily by the time the curtain comes down, making 35 & Ticking an amusing look at the state of black-on-black romance in the 21st Century.

Very Good (2.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 104 minutes
Distributor: Image Entertainment

Where's the Birth Certificate? (BOOK REVIEW)

Where's the Birth Certificate?
The Case That Barack Obama Is Not Eligible to Be President
by Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.
WND Books
Hardcover, $25.95
420 pages, Illustrated
ISBN: 978-193648829-2

Book Review by Kam Williams

“Is the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, illegally occupying the Oval Office? This book will demonstrate conclusively that no legal authority has ever verified Barack Obama’s legal eligibility to be president, that glaring inconsistencies and blackouts in his life narrative have caused widespread doubts among the American populace, and that, in fact, a compelling body of evidence exists that Obama is not a natural-born citizen as is required of all presidents by Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution.
This book further establishes the case that Barack Obama, aided by the media collaborators, has conducted one of the most audacious cover-ups ever perpetrated at the highest level of American politics. By the time you finish reading, you will understand the need to block Obama’s bid for re-election in 2012...”
-- Excerpted from the Preface (pg. v)

Four years ago, black conservative Shelby Steele took a calculated risk when he published a book explaining why Barack Obama wouldn’t win the Presidential election of 2008. But in spite Shelby’s ending up with egg on his face, there’s been no shortage of so-called “birthers” again willing to predict the demise of Obama’s 2012 campaign even before it begins.
With the help of Donald Trump, the notion that Barack was born outside of the U.S. began to catch fire this spring, at least until the President finally called a press conference on April 27th, the very same day that a book called “Where's the Birth Certificate?” was being published by Skylar Blue. So, by releasing his original birth certificate, Obama ostensibly headed that opus off at the pass while simultaneously torpedoing Trump’s political aspirations.
I think most folks considered the birther issue put to rest once and for all, but now along comes another tome with the same title as Blue’s. This “Where's the Birth Certificate?” was written by Jerome R. Corsi, author of Unfit for Command, which questioned the veracity of Senator John Kerry’s service record during the war in Vietnam.
However, Corsi’s 400+ pages of copiously-detailed insinuations read more like the desperate ramblings of a mental patient or a paranoid conspiracy theorist than the product of years of sound, well-reasoned research. Nonetheless, all is for naught, given the President’s dispositive production of the missing document in question.
Where's the valid birth certificate? On file in Hawaii, fool!

Ken Jeong: “The Hangover Part II” Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: The Funniest Doctor in America Makes a House Call

The son of Korean immigrants, Ken Jeong was born in Detroit on June 15, 1969 but raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. He graduated from high school there at the age of 16 after playing violin in the orchestra and being elected to the student council. Next, he attended Duke University, earning a bachelor’s degree before studying medicine at the University of North Carolina.
However, while completing his residency in New Orleans, Dr. Jeong was moonlighting as a standup comedian, and he moved to L.A. after winning “The Big Easy Laff-Off.” He has since delivered unforgettable performances in such movies as The Kims of Comedy, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Couples Retreat and The Hangover.
On TV, he’s appeared in a number of series and currently enjoys the recurring role of angry Spanish teacher Señor Chang on the NBC sitcom "Community." He has also done a number of television specials, most recently hosting this year’s Billboard Awards.
As for his private life, Ken’s wife, Tran, is a physician, too, and they have twin daughters, Alexa and Zooey. Here, he talks about reprising his role as the flamboyant Mr. Chow in The Hangover Part II.


Kam Williams: Hi Dr. Jeong. I’m honored to have this opportunity.
Ken Jeong: Oh, thank you for interviewing me. How’re you doing, Kam?

KW: Just great, thanks. I told my readers I’d be interviewing you and they sent in a lot of questions, so I’d like to get right to them. Ken Emerson says: I have been one of your biggest fans ever since I saw you climb naked out of the trunk of the car in The Hangover. What do I have to do to get an autographed picture of you?
KJ: [Laughs] Just forward his request to my publicist and I’d be very happy to send a picture to him. Absolutely!

KW: How did you enjoy shooting The Hangover Part II over in Thailand?
KJ: I loved it! It was just great. Being invited to go back to the big dance for the sequel to the movie that made my career was like a dream come true for me. It was an amazing opportunity to revisit the character that put me on the map and to revisit with family. These guys are my favorite crew to work with. I just had a blast!

KW: All the biggest laughs this go-round revolve around your character.
KJ: [Chuckles] Thank you. That’s very kind of you.

KW: Larry Greenberg says: You're cooler than Buckaroo Banzai. I read that your comedy career took off when Brandon Tartikoff saw you perform in New Orleans. Another reader, Fred Plunkett, Jr., who is from New Orleans, thinks that it was Bud Friedman who told you that you've got what it takes. Care to settle the debate by sharing who it is you credit with telling you to head for Hollywood?
KJ: Yes, sir. It was a standup comedy contest in New Orleans called “The Big Easy Laff-Off,” and the judges of the contest were both Bud Friedman, the founder of The Improv, and Brandon Tartikoff, the former President of NBC and ex-Chairman of Paramount Pictures. I won the competition and got to perform at The Improv in Los Angeles. This was fifteen years ago. When I finished my residency in New Orleans, I went to L.A. where I would work as a doctor during the day, and then at night I would actually go to The Improv and do standup, all the while kind of cultivating my comedy resume.

KW: Fred remembers seeing you perform with the Brown Improv group, which just celebrated their 17th year anniversary in New Orleans. He wants to know whether you still keep in touch with any members of the troupe.
KJ: Of course! That was the improv group I worked with every Saturday for three years while I was doing my residency. I credit Brown with really helping me find my comedic voice. And there are many talented actors and comedians I worked with there who I still keep in touch with today. I look back upon Brown as my training ground, my Second City, if you will.

KW: Fred also reminisces about catching you at True Brew Café on Open Mic Night. Does that ring a bell?
KJ: Yes! True Brew was a great venue located in New Orleans’ business district. It was a place where they had standup comedy once a week. It was great because it gave me an opportunity to develop my act. I have very, very fond memories of New Orleans.

KW: Will Cooper says: Given the number of years you invested in becoming a doctor, from med school to residency, before switching careers, do you ever wish you had spent that time pursuing your comedy career?
KJ: That’s a great question. My answer is, no. I’m real glad I studied medicine. I truly believe that without my medical background, I wouldn’t have the career I have right now. Medicine really matured me as a person because, as a physician, you’re obviously dealing with life and death issues, issues much more serious than what we’re talking about in entertainment. You can’t get more serious than life and death. And if you can handle that, you can handle anything. So, to me, to have the discipline in comedy to always do the best you can, is a work ethic I credit as coming from my being a physician. And I apply it all the time in my work as an actor.

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: Have you ever had to treat someone who became ill on the set?
KJ: Yeah, when I was doing All about Steve with Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper. We were shooting in 105-degree weather, and I remember catching one of the extras who was just about to collapse from heat exhaustion and taking them to the medic. So, yeah, I get asked medical advice all the time and, being a doctor, I don’t mind. It’s par for the course for me.

KW: Judyth Piazza says: You have been very successful. What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
KJ: Working hard. There’s really no substitute for working hard. I think that’s my biggest talent. There are always people who are funnier and more talented than I am, but I don’t take anything for granted and I commit myself 100% to each of my roles.

KW: Like when you climbed out of the car trunk naked in The Hangover. Was those your private parts or were you wearing a prosthetic?
KJ: That was all me. In fact, it was my idea, my initiative, to come out naked.

KW: Did you do any improv in The Hangover Part II?
KJ: Not as much. The script was so good that you didn’t need to improvise that much. Since the script for the second was funnier than the first, I found it easier to do, because I really couldn’t top any of the lines already written on the page for Mr. Chow. It was one of my easiest jobs, creatively.

KW: Tommy Russell, actor and former medical student, wants to know how long it took before you really felt like you achieved some regular success in the entertainment world.
KJ: I think Knocked Up was my biggest break. Up until then I was still working at my day job as a physician. That first movie really opened the doors for me, and it gave me the confidence to pursue acting full-time. [Director] Judd Apatow basically discovered me at an audition. That movie really changed my life in so many ways. And it led to The Hangover which changed my life yet again.

KW: Congratulations on doing a great job hosting the Billboard Awards.
KJ: Thank you.

KW: Do you see it as an audition for the Oscars?
KJ: Oh, no, no, no. To me it was just an honor to host my first awards show, and to have a chance to do an opening number, to show my love of music, to demonstrate some musical ability that maybe people were unaware, and to rub elbows with some of the best musicians and biggest stars on the planet… Nicki Minaj… Lady Gaga… Keith Urban… I had the best seat in the house. It was pretty amazing!

KW: Lastly, is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
KJ: Not really. I think I’ve been asked just about every question under the sun. I’m just really honored that people are even interested in asking me questions. Keep ‘em coming!

KW: Thanks again for the time, Ken, and best of luck with the film.
KJ: Thanks, Kam. Take care.

The Hangover Part II

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: The Boys Are Back for Bawdier Bachelor Party in Bangkok

When we first encountered the self-proclaimed Wolf Pack a couple of years ago, the four buddies were secretly driving across the desert by convertible to throw Doug (Justin Bartha) a bachelor party in Las Vegas. However, they got far more than they bargained for when they awakened in a totally trashed hotel room the following morning, not only missing the groom but being unable to recall what had transpired during their ostensibly-wanton night of debauchery.
With just hours until the wedding, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) began frantically retracing their steps to determine Doug’s whereabouts without alarming his fiancée, Tracy (Sasha Barrese), who was waiting impatiently at the altar back in L.A. Ultimately, they did find their pal right in the nick of time for him to tie the knot, but only after embarking on an unbelievably wacky series of misadventures.
In The Hangover Part II it’s dentist Stu’s turn to getting married, but because his bride, Lauren (Jamie Chung), is from Thailand, that’s where they’re planning to exchange their vows. So, the Wolf Pack reunites in that exotic locale for what proves to be an even bawdier bachelor party in the City of Bangkok.
Again directed by Todd Phillips, the sequel slavishly resurrects the original’s storyline almost to a fault, as if the new scriptwriters were afraid to tinker with a winning formula. Consequently, it’s not exactly a surprise this go-round when the guys somehow end up with amnesia after sneaking off to partake in a pre-marital, male-bonding ritual.
The plot has been tweaked slightly to have the bride’s teenage brother, Teddy (Mason Lee), disappear into thin air instead of the groom. And somehow, Doug also gets separated from the others, leaving it again up to Phil, Stu and Alan to search for the kid in a frenetic race against time. Along the way, they even cross paths with some of the same colorful characters they encountered in Vegas, such as Mike Tyson and the shady con man Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong).
Upping the ante in terms of shock value, the film trades in its trademark tasteless humor ranging from Stu’s being raped by a pre-op transsexual (Yasmin Lee) to a miniature primate simulating fellatio on a Buddhist monk (Aroon Seeboonruang) on a bus. The latter tableau inspires terminally-inappropriate Alan to deliver the flick’s most memorable line: “When a monkey nibbles on a penis, it’s funny in any language.”
When all is said and done, Hangover 2 triggers fewer belly laughs-per-minute than the original, yet it nevertheless still generates more than enough yucks to satisfy fans of the gross-out genre. Just remember to check your brain at the box office as you enter the theater because, “What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand!”

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for brief violence, full-frontal nudity, pervasive profanity, drug use and graphic sexuality.
Running time: 102 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Captain Jack Is Back for Voyage in Search of the Fountain of Youth

Pirates of the Caribbean has proven to be an enduring, review-proof franchise, thanks to the derring-do and roguish charm of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and the way in which his swashbuckling adventures manage to capture the imagination of ‘tweeners. On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the popular series, does not disappoint in this regard, as it again immerses the peripatetic protagonist in the sort of special effects-driven, seafaring saga the kids in that target demographic relish.
This episode opens in a London courtroom, where we find Jack hatching an elaborate plan to save his loyal First Mate, Gibbs (Kevin McNally), from the hangman’s noose. After a daring jailbreak, however, the pair are apprehended and dragged before King George II (Richard Griffiths) who spares their lives on the condition that they participate in an expedition to find the fabled Fountain of Youth for England before explorer Ponce de Leon can do so for Spain.
The hitch is that since Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl, was lost at sea, he will have to set sail on the HMS Providence, a privateer frigate under the command of his archenemy, Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Rather than suffer such an indignity, Jack mounts another escape, only to end up in league with the legendary Blackbeard (Ian McShane) aboard Queen Anne’s Revenge after falling under the spell of the ruthless outlaw’s daughter, Angelica (Penelope Cruz).
At this juncture, On Stranger Tides morphs into a cutthroat competition pitting Barbossa and Blackbeard’s vessels against each other in a race for the aforementioned Fountain of Youth. En route, the participants must deal with a host of ordeals ranging from seductive mermaids to magical chalices, distractions rather reminiscent of the tests of Ulysses in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey.
Of course, jaunty Jack prevails in the end, just be sure to sit through the closing credits for a hint about what to expect from the next sequel.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action-adventure sequences.
Running time: 137 Minutes
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures

Top Ten DVD List for May 24th

This Week’s DVD Releases
by Kam Williams

Headline: Top Ten DVD List for May 24th

Platoon [25th Anniversary Edition]


The Unknown War – WWII & the Epic Battles of the Russian Front


Picasso Braque Go to the Movies


Transcendent Man


The Scrambled States of America


The Kids in the Hall – The Complete Series


Gnomeo & Juliet


MLB Bloopers: Deluxe Doubleheader


I Am Number Four


Fanboy & Chum Chum



Honorable Mention

Caillou's Summer Vacation


A Small Act


The North Star & More Stories about Following Your Dreams


Lemonade Mouth


Seconds Apart


Mad World


The Scenesters


Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads - Season One


Capadocia: A Place without Forgiveness – Season One


The Big Bang


Children’s Hospital – The Complete First & Second Seasons


Violet Tendencies


Fertile Ground


Dino-Mighty Music