Kam’s Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun, December 3, 2010

For movies opening December 10, 2010

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader This is the third installment in the film franchise based on the C.S. Lewis series of fantasy novels. Skandar Keynes as Edmund and Georgie Henley as Lucy Pensie, with Will Poulter as their cousin Eustace. They all return to the magical land of Narnia to embark on a dangerous, seafaring mission that takes them to the edge of the world. Cast includes Simon Pegg and Oscar-winners Liam Neeson and Tilda Swinton. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is rated PG for frightening images and action fantasy sequences.

The Tourist English-language remake of Anthony Zimmer, the French thriller about an American, played by Johnny Depp. He is vacationing in Italy, where he falls in love with a manipulative British temptress, played by Angelina Jolie. The police are on her trail because she has a hidden criminal agenda. With Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton and Paul Bettany. The Tourist is rated PG-13 for violence and brief profanity.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

And Everything s Going Fine Steven Soderbergh directs this documentary chronicling the career of the late Spalding Gray (1941-2004), an actor/playwright and performance artist known for his minimalist monologues. And Everything s Going Fine is unrated.

Beijing Taxi Neo-communist documentary offers an intimate peek at the social transformation of rapidly-modernizing China as witnessed by a trio of cabbies driving around the nation’s capital. Beijing Taxi, in Mandarin with subtitles, is unrated.

The Company Men Downsizing drama about the fallout visited upon a trio of fired corporate executives (Academy Award-winners Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones) and their families following a restructuring by a conglomerate as a cost-cutting measure. With Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson and Oscar-winner Kevin Costner. The Company Men is rated R for profanity and brief nudity.

The Fighter Overcoming the odds bio-pic chronicling light welterweight boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) real-life journey on the road to redemption with the help of his half-brother trainer (Christian Bale) leading to a shot at the championship title. With Oscar-nominees Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. The Fighter is rated R for violence, sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity.

The Garden of Eden Screen adaptation of the posthumously-published Hemingway novel of the same name about an American couple (Jack Huston and Mena Suvari) honeymooning on the French Riviera whose relationship becomes strained when they both fall in love with a naughty, Italian nymphet (Caterina Murino). The Garden of Eden is rated R for profanity, nudity and graphic sexuality.

Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie Flower Power bio-pic about the life and times of 74 year-old Hugh Romney, aka Wavy Gravy, clown and peace activist who came to fame in the summer of ’69 as the leader of the Hog Farm, the hippie collective hired to handle security at the historic Woodstock Music Festival. Featuring appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Buffy Saint Marie. Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie is unrated.

The Tempest Academy Award-nominee Julie Taymor’s iconoclastic interpretation of the Shakespeare play features Oscar-winner Helen Mirren in the lead role of Prospero, thereby transforming the beloved classic into a gender-bending tale of female empowerment revolving around a woman caught up in a volcanic struggle for survival and a quest for vengeance. Ensemble cast includes Russell Brand, Alan Cumming, Alfred Molina, and Oscar-nominees Djimon Hounsou, Tom Conti and David Strathairn. The Tempest is rated PG-13 for nudity, scary images and suggestive content.

Vengeance High attrition-rate action flick about a French chef (Johnny Halliday) who hires a trio of Hong Kong hit men (Anthony Wong, Lam Kar Tung and Lam Suet) to even the score with the mobsters who massacred his daughter’s family (Sylvie Testud). Vengeance, in English, French and Cantonese with subtitles, is unrated.

You Won’t Miss Me Seriocomic character study about a 23 year-old misfit (Stella Schnabel) recently released from a mental hospital. With Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz and Sarah Ball. You Won’t Miss Me, in English and Spanish with subtitles, is unrated.

Kam Williams is a popular and top NewsBlaze reviewer, our chief critic. Kam gives his unvarnished opinion on movies, DVDs and books, plus many in-depth and revealing celebrity interviews.

Sadly, Lloyd Kam Williams passed away in 2019, leaving behind a huge body of work focused on America’s black entertainment community. We were as sad to hear of his passing as we were overjoyed to have him as part of our team.