Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

By Kam Williams

For movies opening July 3, 2009

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG for crude humor and scenes of peril) Third installment in the animated family franchise finds Woolly mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) and the rest of his prehistoric pals on a mission to rescue Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) from a mysterious underground world where they have a close encounter with dinosaurs and a one-eyed weasel (Simon Pegg). Voice cast includes Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, Bill Hader, Karen Disher and Jane Lynch.

Public Enemies (R for profanity and gangland-style slayings) Michael Mann directs this grisly crime saga, set in the Thirties, revolving around the efforts of the FBI to bring mobsters John Dillinger (John Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) to justice. With Christian Bale as the lawman leading the chase, Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover, and Marion Cotillard as the gangsters' gun moll.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

The Beaches of Agnès (Unrated) 81 year-old, legendary director Agnès Varda chronicles her own career as a member of French cinema's Rive Gauche movement in this revealing auto-bio-pic. (In French with subtitles)

The Girl from Monaco (R for sexuality and profanity) Romantic comedy about a criminal defense attorney (Fabrice Luchini) who travels to Monaco to handle a murder trial only to end up competing for the affections of a perky, TV weather girl (Louise Bourgoin) with his own bodyguard (Roschdy Zem). (In French with subtitles)

I Hate Valentine's Day (PG-13 for sexuality) My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Nia Vardalos and John Corbett reunite for this romantic romp revolving around a Manhattan florist who finds herself falling in love with a handsome guy opening a new restaurant right down the block. Support cast includes Judah Friedlander, Rachel Dratch and Zoe Kazan.

Lion's Den (Unrated) Argentine crime saga about a pregnant, 25 year-old college student (Martina Gusman) who ends up raising her baby (Tomas Plotinsky) behind bars and falling in love with a fellow inmate (Laura Garcia) after murdering the father of her child and his gay lover (Rodrigo Santoro) in a jealous rage. (In Spanish with subtitles)

Local Color (R for profanity) Genius-protégé drama, set in 1974, about the mutually-beneficial relationship forged between a troubled 18 year-old art student (Trevor Morgan) and a retired Russian widower (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who lost his joy not only for painting but for living, too, following the death of his wife. With Ray Liotta, Ron Perlman and Charles Durning.

Nollywood Babylon (Unrated) "Lights! Camera! Action!" in Africa is the subject of this documentary examining Nigeria's booming movie industry, now the third largest in the world after that of L.A. and Bombay.

Tony Manero (Unrated) Crime drama, set in Chile in 1978, about a fifty year-old serial killer (Alfredo Castro) whose hobby is impersonating John Travolta's character from Saturday Night Fever. (In Spanish and English with subtitles)

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.