The Lincoln Lawyer DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Matthew McConaughey Crime Thriller Comes to DVD

If you enjoy solving a cerebral, multi-layered mystery, then treat yourself to this cleverly-concealed whodunit starring Matthew McConaughey in the title role. He plays the sort of down on his luck attorney audiences just love to root for, an empathetic underdog in need of redemption.
McConaughey’s character, Mick Haller, is a likable lush whose driver’s license was suspended for operating under the influence. But because his Ford Lincoln functions both as a means of transportation and as an office, he now has a delinquent client (Laurence Mason) chauffeuring him around L.A. as a way of paying off a legal bill.
Besides booze, Mick’s battling his ex-wife, Margaret (Marisa Tomei), not only because they have a child (Mackenzie Aladjem) together, but because, as a criminal prosecutor, she works on the opposite side of the law. Given his generally sleazy clientele, he thanks his lucky stars the day he learns that Louis Roulet (Ryan Philippe), the son of a Beverly Hills real estate tycoon (Frances Fisher), wants to hire him.
The 32 year-old heir had just been arrested for the attempted murder of a woman (Margarita Levieva) he picked up at a trendy nightclub. In a meeting behind bars, Louis claims that he’s being framed by a money-hungry liar who staged the attack with a couple of confederates. According to Louis’ version of what transpired, someone standing behind the alleged victim’s apartment door knocked him unconscious as soon as he entered, and then planted a knife and her blood on him.
Seeing the accused as his ticket to a higher tax bracket, Mick arranges for his release on a million-dollar bond. And he insists on a six-figure retainer for what he reasonably expects to be an open and shut case, given how some surveillance tapes corroborates Louis’ alibi for the night in question.
But when the assistant D.A. (Josh Lucas) sticks with his plans to put the defendant on trial, Mick has his trusty private investigator, Frank (William H. Macy), dig a little deeper, only to have the plot thicken deliciously in myriad ways which it would be unfair to divulge. Suffice to say that what ensues is a deceptively-complex game of cat and mouse that’s a pure delight to observe as it unravels.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for violence, sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 119 Minutes
Distributor: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, One-on-One with McConaughey and Connelly, Making the Case: Creating The Lincoln Lawyer, and Michael Connelly: At Home on the Road.

Kam's Kapsules: For movies opening July 15, 2011

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening July 15, 2011


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (PG-13 for frightening images and intense violence) Final chapter of the fabled J.K. Rowling franchise finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) searching for the three remaining Horcruxes en route to an epic showdown with merciless Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). With Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane.

Winnie the Pooh (G) Animated Disney adventure features Winnie (Jim Cummings) leading a menagerie of animal pals on a quest to save Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter) from a creature called Backson (Huell Howser). Voice cast includes Craig Ferguson, John Cleese and Tom Kenny.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Daylight (Unrated) Psychological thriller about a young married couple (Aidan Redmond and Alexandra Meierhans) who end up kidnapped when they stop to pick up a hitchhiker (Michael Godere) while driving through the woods on their way to a wedding. With Ivan Martin, Brian Bickerstaff and Aylam Orian.

Girlfriend (Unrated) Romance drama revolving around a single-mom’s (Shannon Woodward) being courted by both her abusive ex (Jackson Rathbone) and a former classmate (Evan Sneider) with Down Syndrome whose mom (Amanda Plummer) has just died. Support cast includes Harrison Lees, Rachel Melvin and Blake Berris.

Gunless (Unrated) Comic Western about a pistol-packing outlaw (Paul Gross) wanted Dead or Alive in Montana who flees across the Canadian border with bounty hunters on his trail to a quiet town where the local militia joins the chase. With Sienna Guillory, Graham Greene, Dustin Milligan and Callum Keith Rennie.

Hood to Coast (Unrated) Track and field documentary follows the fate of four teams among the thousands of entrants competing in the world’s longest relay race, a grueling, 197-mile test of endurance across Oregon from Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean.

Impolex (Unrated) WWII farce, set after the cessation of hostilities, about an American soldier (Riley O’Bryan) sent on a solo mission across Europe to locate and retrieve a couple of undetonated, Nazi rockets. With Ben Shapiro, Roy Berkeley and Kate Lyn Sheil.

Life, Above All (PG-13 for sexuality and mature themes) Bittersweet drama, set in South Africa, about a stoic 12 year-old (Khomotso Manyaka) who summons up the courage to fight the fear and shame plaguing her tiny, tight-knit community in the wake of an AIDS outbreak which has devastated her family. Cast includes Harriet Manamela, Lerato Myelase and Aubrey Poolo. (In Sotho with subtitles)

Lucky (Unrated) Dark comedy starring Colin Hanks as a serial killer who finds the confidence to pursue the girl of his dreams (Ari Graynor) after winning $36 million in the Iowa State Lottery. With Jeffrey Tambor, Ann-Margret and Mimi Rogers.

Salvation Boulevard (Unrated) Social satire based on Larry Beinhart’s best seller of the same name about the charismatic pastor (Pierce Brosnan) of a mega church who’s more interested in fleecing his flock than saving their souls. Cast includes Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Howard Hesseman and Ed Harris.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (PG-13 for sexuality, violence, disturbing images and drug use) Screen adaptation of Lisa See’s historical novel, set in 19th C. China, chronicling the lifelong friendship of two girls (Jennifer Lim and Christina Y. Jun) who develop their own secret language in reaction to being raised in isolation by their families. With Archie Kao, Vivian Wu and Hugh Jackman.

Tabloid (Unrated) Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (for Fog of War) directs this “good girl gone bad” bio-pic about Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming who was arrested for the abduction and rape of a Mormon missionary.

The Tree (Unrated) Melancholy drama about a grief-stricken 8 year-old girl (Morgana Davies) who is convinced that the spirit of her recently-deceased father continues to speak to her through the leaves of her favorite tree in the backyard. With Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas and Christian Byers.

Khomotso Manyaka: The “Life, Above All” Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: A South African Star Is Born

            Khomotso Manyaka was born in 1996 in Elandsdoorn, South Africa, which is where she caught the eye of talent scouts while performing with a church choir. Encouraged to audition for the film “Life, Above All,” she ended up landing the picture’s pivotal lead role of Chanda.

            Khomotso proved to be a natural in front of the camera, and went on to earn the Best Actress Award at the Durban International Film Festival for her stunning debut performance. Life, Above All also made a big splash at Cannes, where it won the Francois Chalais Prize for life affirmation and journalism.

            The compelling, character-driven drama revolves around a 12 year-old girl who summons up the courage to fight the fear and shame poisoning relationships among members of her tight-knit community in the wake of an AIDS outbreak. Directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz, the movie is based on the award-winning novel Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton.       Here, Khomotso talks about the picture which recently premiered at the Human Rights Watch Festival and will be arriving in theaters on July 15.

Kam Williams: Hi Khomotso, thanks for the time.

Khomotso Manyaka: Thank you, Kam.

 KW: What interested you in Life, Above All?

KM: That the movie has a strong and powerful message to all people, and the bonding and love between the mother and daughter.

KW: Tell me a little about the movie.

KM It’s about a young girl called Chanda who wants to bring people together, through the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

KW: How would you describe your character, Chanda?

KM She’s a strong, intelligent, well behaved girl.

KW: What message do you hope people will take away from the film?

KM It is that they must not keep secrets and that they must learn to be open with their families. 

KW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: What was the most challenging aspect of playing Chanda?

KM It wasn’t challenging, but I learned a lot from it.

KW: Patricia has a follow-up: What does it mean to you to receive so much recognition and praise for your work at such a young age?

KM It is fun and I enjoy that they really admire me.

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Congratulations on your much deserved Best Actress award at the Durban International Film Festival. When such a prestigious award goes to a 13 year-old, how does it change what would be your teen years, socially and professionally?

KM Well, I don’t think I would change, but I know that I would be seen as an example is South Africa.

KW: Harriet also asks: How much of the story in Life, Above All was outside of your real-life experiences growing up and how much was already familiar to you and part of your awareness?

KM The familiar part is that I also have three siblings, but it’s only boys. I am also a first born at home.

KW: Finally, Harriet says: Knowing that child stars very often get caught up in being a celebrity too early, what ‘stabilizers' exist for you to keep you from having that too intense time in the spotlight?

KM I think I need to be more careful in what I do in the public, so as to prevent people from talking or writing negative things about me.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says: Congratulations on the Best Actress award. Had you ever acted professionally before you won the casting call for Life Above All?

KM No, I have never acted before this. This was the first time acting, and the first time I was ever in a movie.

KW: Bernadette has a few follow-ups. First: I see that you will be continuing your acting studies. Is there any one actress whose career you would like to emulate?

KM I would like to be like Harriet Manamela. She acted the part of the neighbor in the movie, or like Lerato Mvelase, who played my mother.

KW: Next, she asks: Before working on this film, were you already aware of the fallout of AIDS in terms of the social ostracism of the victims and their family members?

KM I knew about AIDS for a long time because my mom is an HIV/AIDS counselor. We talk about it a lot. 

KW: Lastly, Bernadette would like to know if you would you consider being an actor/activist to promote education about AIDS, based on the problems outlined in the film and the book?

KM Yes! Because it would help people who don’t know about HIV/AIDS.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

KM No, not really.

KW: Are you ever afraid?

KM Well, everyone gets afraid sometime or other, but when it comes to having opportunities like being famous, I get afraid because I won’t be able to live my life and I won’t live freely.

KW: Are you happy?

KM Yes.

KW: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

KM All the time.

KW: What was the last book you read?

KM Twilight, Eclipse.

KW: What are you listening to on your iPod?

KM I don’t have an iPod, but I usually listen to R&B on my phone.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

KM Well… I looooove South Africa’s traditional food.

KW: Who is your favorite clothes designer?

KM I don’t know.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

KM I see a child of God, successful, talented, beautiful, well behaved, trust worthy.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

KM I would wish that everyone could believe in God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

KM To work hard for what you want and trust that God is the way and the key to success.

KW: Who’s at the top of your hero list?

KM My mom.

KW: How do you want to be remembered?

KM As an honest, loving, funny and well behaved girl, and as a good role model.

KW: Thanks again for the interview, Khomotso, and best of luck with the movie.

KM Thank you for the opportunity, Kam.

Unburdened by Conscience (BOOK REVIEW)

Unburdened by Conscience: A Black People’s Collective Account of America’s Antebellum South and the Aftermath
by Anthony W. Neal
University Press of America
Paperback, $26.95
172 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7618-5492-0

Book Review by Kam Williams

“While pursuing my Bachelor of Arts degree in college, I took a lot of history courses [which] offered an essentially unapologetic, Southern view of American slavery [as] a benign institution. They focused primarily on the slaveholders, whom they euphemistically called ‘Southern planters.’
Each historian chose different words to convey [the same] message about the slave owners: The majority of Southern planters were good people who were morally concerned about the welfare of their slaves… As I read those textbooks, it dawned on me that I was not the intended audience.
After completing my assigned reading, I harbored a deep resentment because I believed I had been required to read propaganda for academic credit… In trying to humanize the slaveholders, most of those historians were leaving out an indispensable part of the record… black people’s perspective.
Determined to present slavery from their point of view… I offer this book as the product of that effort.”
-Excerpted from the Preface (pgs. ix-x)

American history books typically suggest that most Africans were docile and that slave revolts like the one led by Nat Turner were rare occurrences on plantations. But truth be told, escapes, resistance and insurrections were the rule rather than the exception, given the whippings, rapes and other forms of torture routinely employed by owners and overseers to keep their chattel in line.
Unburdened by Conscience sets the record straight by relying on narratives and journals kept by ex-slaves rather than on academic texts which never bothered to consider the African-American experience. Compiled by Boston-based attorney Anthony W. Neal, the book represents a refreshing alternative to the conventional wisdom in much the same way that the late Howard Zinn painted an empathetic picture from the point-of-view of blacks, women, Native-Americans and other oppressed groups in A People’s History of the United States.
Here, for example, Neal cites freedman Richard Macks’ witnessing a Maryland slave auction where a mulatto female castrated her new master when he attempted to molest her. A similar case is recounted by ex-slave Charity Morris whose pregnant cousin Sallie cracked her master over the head with a fireplace poker in return for having repeatedly raped her. Sadly, Salllie was soon convicted of murder, although not executed until the baby was born.
A sobering opus belatedly shedding light on a shameful chapter of our cultural legacy.

Love, Etc.

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Romance Documentary Examines Depth of Commitment in Relationships

Love, Etc. is a particularly poignant examination of love which magically ushers the audience right into the middle of the romantic relationships of a variety of native New Yorkers. Over the course of the film, each couple faces a crisis of different sort, and watching them struggle to resolve their issues proves to be most compelling.
The documentary marks the directorial debut of Jill Andresevic who deserves high praise for earning the trust of her subjects to the point that they allowed her to capture their intimate, emotional exchanges on camera. She must also be credited for editing the film in an entertaining fashion which ratchets up the tension and keeps you guessing about the ultimate fates of the five unions.
Each couple’s tale gets its own title, beginning with “Getting Married” which revolves around the impending, elaborate wedding of Chitra and Mahendra, an Indian-American couple from Jamaica, Queens. He’s an unemployed attorney and is clearly unenthusiastic about getting hitched. By contrast, she’s a paralegal and gung ho despite being the breadwinner and having a sexist fiancé who expects her to do the housework when she arrives home in the evening.
Chitra is warned by her mother that “You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have a partner who loves and respects you, it means nothing.” So, it isn’t much of a surprise that they’re in crisis soon after exchanging their vows.
“Starting Over” revolves around Ethan, a single-father from Forest Hills who has custody of his two kids, ages 12 and 14. A construction worker, he freely confesses to having little confidence with women whether he meets them on the job or online.
Consequently, the woman he’s currently dating, Erica, is the mother of a friend of his son. Trouble is he’s Jewish, she’s Catholic. Furthermore, she hates his drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes which makes the liaison look doomed from the start.
“Starting a Family” is all about Scott, a gay theater director who lives in Harlem. He hears his biological clock ticking, and finds a female willing to serve as a surrogate mom. However, after the twins arrive 9 months later, he has a difficult finding a partner interest in babies until family-minded David comes along.
“First Love” examines the commitment of a couple of high school sweethearts from SoHo, Brazilian-immigrant Gabriel and straight-A student Danielle. These 18 year-olds have huge crushes on each other, and they-re dreading the prospect of separating when she leaves town for Dartmouth University while he sticks around to matriculate at a film school in Manhattan.
Finally, there’s “Lasting Love” which chronicles the enduring bond between Albert and Marion, who are still crazy about each other after 48 years of marriage. The Canarsie natives also shared a long professional career collaborating as a successful songwriting team, although today doting Albert devotes most of his time to caring for his 89 year-old wife who suffers from dementia.
“Sometimes, she doesn’t know who I am,” he concedes. “But when you love someone, the feelings get stronger as the years go by.” I guarantee that there won’t be a dry eye in the house when Marion responds by taking his hand and whispering “It was nice loving you.”

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 95 Minutes
Distributor: Paladin

Top Ten DVD List for July 5th

This Week’s DVD Releases
by Kam Williams

Headline: Top Ten DVD List for July 5th

Richard Pryor Here and Now / Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip


The Making of the President



Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy


Mysteries at the Museum – Season One


13 Assassins


The Complete Gidget Collection


Gettysburg / Gods and Generals – Limited Collector’s Edition


Boy Meets World – The Complete Sixth Season


The PJ’s - Season Two


Bloodlust Zombies

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: LaBeouf Leads in Latest Showdown between Autobots and Decepticons

This summer, a number of sequels have reimagined the past by placing fictional characters at the center of critical historical events. For instance, X-Men 4 implied that mutants might have played a pivotal role in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, while Pirates of the Caribbean 4 featured Captain Jack in a race with Ponce de Leon to locate the fabled Fountain of Youth.
Dark of the Moon, the third installment of the Transformers franchise, is the latest movie to take such cinematic license. In this instance, revisionist history suggests that the space race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the Sixties was inspired by the crash on the dark side of the moon of an alien aircraft from the planet Cybertron, the home of the Transformers.
The Apollo 11 astronauts were the first to find the wreckage, and they retrieved some futuristic technology during an untelevised portion of the lunar landing. The Russians, theoretically, reached the marooned spaceship, too, and subsequently seized a share of its state-of-the-art know-how. This back story ostensibly explains how the two anthropomorphic races of robots, the Autobots and the Decepticons, came to be sworn adversaries.
Following that fanciful prologue, the film fast-forwards to the present where we learn of several developments in the life of Sam Witnicky (Shia LaBeouf), the unassuming hero of the trilogy’s prior two installments. He’s recently graduated from college and moved to Washington, D.C. where he lives with his gorgeous, new girlfriend, Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley).
With the help of her billionaire boss, Dylan Gould (Patrick Dempsey), Sam soon takes an entry-level position in a division of his corporate conglomerate. What he doesn’t know is that the unctuous Dylan is secretly in league with the Decepticons who are hatching a plan to colonize Earth and to turn most of humanity into their slaves.
Of course, once Sam does catch wind of the frightening scheme, it’s again up to him to summon up the courage to save the day with the help of a rag tag team of comprised of patriots and Autobots. The only glaring flaw of this bombastic Michael Bay spectacular is that the special-effects driven showdown between the forces of good and evil drags on for about an hour longer than necessary. Consequently, the ending is less a dramatic conclusion than a welcome relief from incessant overstimulation.
Despite the picture’s disintegration into an indiscriminate concatenation of pyrotechnics and noisy detonations, there are nonetheless a number of laudable performances to enjoy along the way, most notably, Shia LaBeouf as the intrepid protagonist, Patrick Dempsey as the despicable villain, Dr. Ken Jeong as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (replacing Megan Fox) as the vulnerable damsel-in-distress, John Malkovich as a sadistic henchman, and Tyrese as a trash-talking, gung ho mercenary.
Mindless escapist fare designed with the attention-deficit millennials in mind.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, mayhem, destruction, sexual innuendo and intense, sci-fi violence.
Running time: 157 minutes
Distributor: Paramount Pictures