by Kam Williams
For movies opening September 14, 2012

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Finding Nemo (G) 3-D rerelease of the much-beloved animated adventure about a timid clownfish (Albert Brooks) who summons up the courage to embark on a perilous transoceanic trek to rescue a son (Alexander Gould) left trapped in a bowl in a dentist's office after being netted by fishermen near the Great Barrier Reef. Voice cast includes Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney and Geoffrey Rush.

Resident Evil: Retribution (R for pervasive graphic violence) 5th installment in the grisly, sci-fi franchise finds Milla Jovovich reprising her role as an intrepid defender of the planet and forging new alliances in a high body-count fight against legions of flesh-eating zombies. With Boris Kodjoe, Oded Fehr, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez and Bingbing Li.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

10 Years (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, drug use and alcohol abuse) Skeletons-out-of-the-closet dramedy about the shocking confessions shared by five best friends (Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Chris Pratt, Oscar Isaac and Max Minghella) upon returning to their hometown for their 10th high school reunion. Ensemble cast includes Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Ari Graynor, Kate Mara and Ron Livingston.

Arbitrage (R for profanity, drug use and violent images) Richard Gere stars in this Wall Street thriller as the philandering manager of a sinking hedge fund who implicates a friend of the family (Nate Parker) in the death of his mistress (Laetitia Casta) rather than risk damaging his marriage and reputation. With Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling and William Friedkin.

Bait 3-D (R for profanity, graphic violence and grisly images) Disaster flick about the residents of a beachfront community who find themselves surrounded by a swarm of great white sharks after a tsunami leaves them trapped inside a submerged grocery store. Cast includes Xavier Samuel, Julian McMahon and Phoebe Tonkin.

Barfi! (Unrated) Romance drama about the love triangle which develops when a woman (Ileana D'Cruz) has second thoughts about rejecting a hearing and speech-impaired suitor (Ranbir Kapoor) after he falls for a mentally-challenged maiden (Priyanka Chopra). (In Hindi with subtitles)

Francine (Unrated) Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (for The Fighter) plays the title character in this introspective portrait of an ex-con adjusting back to civilian life in a rural region of upstate New York after paying her debt to society. With Victoria Charkut, Dave Clark and Keith Leonard.

I'm Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful (Unrated) Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme (for Silence of the Lambs) directs this post-Katrina documentary chronicling the valiant struggle of a feisty, retired resident of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward to rebuild her home left devastated by the hurricane.

Liberal Arts (Unrated) Romantic dramedy about a just-jilted 35 year-old bachelor (Josh Radnor) who falls for a teenaged college student (Elizabeth Olsen) upon returning to his alma mater to attend one of his professor's (Richard Jenkins) retirement party. Cast includes Zac Efron, Allison Janney, Kate Burton and Elizabeth Reasor.

The Master (R for profanity, sexuality and graphic nudity) Philip Seymour Hoffman handles the titular role of this tale of disillusionment, set in the wake of World War II, revolving around a devoted member (Joaquin Phoenix) of a burgeoning religious cult who gradually grows suspicious of the motivations of its charismatic founder. With Amy Adams, Laura Dern and Jesse Plemons.

The Stand Up (Unrated) New lease on life drama about a comedian (Jonathan Sollis) who retires after the tragic death of his girlfriend (Julia Dennis) only to get a second chance at love when he takes a job as a kindergarten teacher at a grammar school where he develops a crush on a cute colleague (Margarita Levieva). Supporting cast includes Aidan Quinn, Jennifer Mudge and Jonathan Reed Wexler.

Step Up to the Plate (Unrated) Haute cuisine documentary about renowned, French chef Michel Bras decision to hand over the reins of his three-star restaurant to his long-time assistant, his son, Sebastien. (In French with subtitles)

Stolen (R for violence and brief profanity) Nicolas Cage stars in this crime thriller about a recently-paroled master thief's frantic search for a daughter (Sami Gayle) kidnapped for a ransom he can't raise. With Malin Akerman, Josh Lucas and Danny Huston.

The Trouble with the Truth (R for profanity and sexual references) Bittersweet drama about a starving artist who (John Shea) takes some time to reflect with his ex-wife (Lea Thompson ) upon their failed marriage after their daughter (Danielle Harris) announces her engagement. With Keri Lynn Pratt, Ira Heiden and Rainy Kerwin.

 

Film Review by Kam Williams
Spike Lee Directs Disappointing Fish-Out-of-Water Drama

Flik Royale (Jules Brown) is 13 by the time his mother's (De'Adre Aziza) finally ready to introduce him to his grandfather (Clarke Peters). Trouble is the bourgie mamma's boy was brought up in suburban Atlanta where he's been raised vegetarian and been attending private school.

So, when his single-mom decides the two should get acquainted over the summer, it means the boy will have to live in the projects in Red Hook, an area of New York City teeming with dangers and temptations he hasn't been exposed to before. Still, she figures he'll be okay, since her dad, Enoch (Clarke Peters), happens to be the pastor of the Lil' Peace of Heaven Baptist Church.

Flik grudgingly agrees to stay with the Bible-thumping bishop, and their strained relationship supplies the raison d'etre of Red Hook Summer. Directed by Spike Lee, the movie might superficially resemble some of his classic films like Do the Right Thing and She's Gotta Have It, being a character-driven drama set in a sweltering Brooklyn.

Unfortunately, that's where any similarities start and end. This is a movie that might earn high marks were it the work of a first time director. However, coming from a two-time Oscar-nominee (for 4 Little Girls and Do the Right Thing), it can only be described as a bitter disappointment.

The primary problem is that the acting is mediocre. Secondly, the screen is littered with the sort of buffoonish stereotypes Spike has been criticizing Tyler Perry for, one-dimensional caricatures running the gamut from ghetto gangstas to church ladies. Third the film fails to generate any palpable tension.

The director makes a cameo appearance as pizza deliveryman Mookie, reprising the role he played as the protagonist of Do the Right Thing. Sadly, that distraction merely serves as a sad reminder of how much Spike's skills have eroded since his glory days.

Picture a two-hour episode of Amos ‘n' Andy on crack. Holy mackerel, Sapphire!

Fair (1 star)

Unrated

Running time: 120 minutes

Distributor: Variance Films

To see a trailer for Red Hook Summer, visit

Israeli Documentary Chronicles Rise and Fall of the Kibbutz Movement

At the time the State of Israel was established in 1948, the Kibbutz Movement had already been thriving there for almost 40 years. In fact, the country might not have come into existence without the kibbutzim, because the settlements, which raised kids collectively, were very adept at turning children into patriotic fighters willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their homeland.

The very first kibbutz, Kvutzat Degania, was started in 1909 near the Southern tip of the Sea of Galilee by a dozen refugees from Eastern Europe. They envisioned the kibbutz (which is Hebrew for "gathering") as a path towards creating a just Jewish nation based on socialist principles.

Founded on benign notions of equality and cooperative economics, the kibbutz system became a powerful magnet for Jews who yearned for self-determination. Participants lived communally, with profits from farming and other enterprises being pooled for the benefit of all.

The rise and decline of that utopian experiment is the subject of "Inventing Our Life," a riveting retrospective directed by Toby Perl Freilich. The film illustrates in detail how the kibbutz system evolved over the course of its century-long existence, and how it eventually came to incorporate such individualistic concepts as differential wages and privatization of property.

This warts-and-all documentary shares a wealth of information by way of the bittersweet reflections of several generations of folks raised on a kibbutz. Most touching are the wistful remembrances of those who recall pining for their parents at night as children because kids slept in separate buildings from adults.

We see that in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union these Israeli communists were finally forced to make many concessions to modernity and materialism. One disappointed adherent grudgingly admits learning that, "The kibbutz system, based on altruism, failed, while the American system, based on greed, works."

A valuable history lesson about an idealistic blueprint for nirvana ultimately frustrated by something as simple as basic human nature.

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 80 minutes

Distributor: First Run Features

DVD Extras: Deleted scenes and an audio interview with director Toby Perl Freilich.

 

To see a clip of Inventing Our Life, visit

 

Interview with Kam Williams
Carmen Sparkles

Carmen Ejogo was born in London on New Year's Day 1974 to Elizabeth Douglas and Charles Ejogo, a couple of Scottish and Nigerian extraction, respectively. She made her U.S. film debut opposite Eddie Murphy playing Veronica 'Ronnie' Tate in the 1997 comedy Metro.

Carmen then went on to star in films such as Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, What's the Worst that Could Happen? opposite Martin Lawrence, Neil Jordan's The Brave One opposite Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster, Gavin O'Connor's Pride and Glory opposite Ed Norton, and in Sam Mendes' 2009 indie hit Away We Go opposite Maya Rudolph. Ejogo can next be seen starring opposite Tyler Perry in the feature I, Alex Cross, a psychological thriller based on the James Patterson novels about Washington DC detective Alex Cross.

Additionally, Ejogo garnered the attention of television critics and audiences alike for her portrayal of Sally Hemmings, the title character in the 2000 CBS miniseries Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal. Later, Ejogo starred as Coretta Scott King in HBO's critically acclaimed film Boycott opposite Jeffrey Wright and Terrence Howard. Her role earned her a 2001 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV film or miniseries. In 2005, Ejogo starred in HBO's Emmy nominated Lackawanna Blues. Her role as Aalen earned her a second Image Award nomination. Ejogo will next star as FBI agent Baca Sunjata in the highly-anticipated ABC television series Zero Hour opposite Anthony Edwards.

Carmen and her husband, actor Jeffrey Wright, live in Brooklyn which is where they are raising their two children. Here's she talks about her latest role as Sister in Sparkle opposite Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston.

 

Kam Williams: Hi Carmen, thanks so much for the time. I really appreciate it.

Carmen Ejogo: Thank you.

 

KW: My brother Larry is the librarian at a Friends school that I think you're very familiar with.

CE: Oh, wow! That's so cool! That's where one of my kids got their start. Small world!

 

KW: What interested you in Sparkle?

CE: You wouldn't ask that question, if you'd seen the movie, Kam. This role is to die for. It's such a great role. The highs and lows of the character's sister [Sparkle, played by Jordin Sparks] are so dramatic and nuanced and layered that you'd be a fool to turn this role down.

 

KW: Did you go back and Watch Lonette McKee's performance in the original version of Sparkle in preparing to do this role?

CE: No. No, I don't know how you make a role your own if you do that. So, watching another actress play the same character in preparation for my own performance is the last thing I would ever do, particularly with Sister, since Lonette made it so iconic that it would be a crazy idea to watch her. I think our movie pays homage to the original, but it's definitely different in numerous ways.

 

KW: What message do you think people will take away from the movie?

CE: It's essentially about not letting your light be dimmed by anybody who doesn't appreciate the dream that you're trying to pursue. It's about knowing who you are, and following your path even if you're not given support by those around you. And it's also about family.

 

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: I looooooved your performance in Metro. She asks: Do you enjoy being a member of Mensa and what is your IQ?

CE: [LOL] That is hilarious! Oh my God! I had no idea until recently that my being in Mensa was even on Wikipedia or somewhere else. It is true, but it's funny that it should come up as interview question.

 

KW: So, how high is your I.Q.?

CE: 156, for anyone that's interested. But I probably wouldn't be able to get as high a score after raising two kids and losing a lot of brain cells in the process.

 

KW: Patricia also says: Musicals are an amazing art form. We used to see a lot of them with people like Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers. They were an integral part of Hollywood and it was common to see actors sing, dance and act. But by the 1950s, the decline began and we rarely see big musicals anymore besides Chicago. How do you explain this phenomenon and what do you think it will take to reverse the trend?

CE: I'm not a film historian, so I couldn't say for sure. But my guess is that the costs involved in making musicals was pretty high, and that the taste of what was pleasing to movie audiences changed by the time you got into the Sixties and Seventies. I was a big fan of John Cassavetes, his wife, Gena Rowlands, and that era of filmmaking which was about realism and which represented the antithesis of the dreamy escapism you found in musicals. I'm guessing that musicals didn't make sense anymore because of the changes in the political environment that began in the late Sixties, an era of self-awareness and social revolutions. Musicals are finally kind of coming back to a degree now, perhaps out of a sense of nostalgia.

 

KW: Marcia Evans says: I'm a huge fan of yours. I loved your role in my favorite film, Lackawanna Blues. I was so proud that HBO showcased such an amazing story about a piece of the patchwork to our cultural history quilt. You PLAYED that role! What was it like for you to portray Alean, and to be paired opposite the gorgeous and talented Jimmie Smits?

CE: What's interesting is that that role was actually Halle Berry's. She had to pull out at the very last minute, which meant I literally had only a couple of days to prepare for that role. Honestly, it was like baptism by fire, because I was so underprepared that I had to work on instinct. I was feeding off the energy of those excellent actors while trying to find my place which made it a really exciting experience for me.

 

KW: April Hughes asks: What was it like working with Whitney Houston?

CE: Amazing! She is an icon, and she brought a passion from the heart for telling Sparkle's story that made her an inspiration to watch every day and it also made it a pleasure to perform opposite her.

 

KW: April would also like to know if you have any advice for aspiring actresses/singers?

CE: Yes, go back and watch the great performances in your business so that you can understand the heights that should be aspired to. There are many mediocre entertainers who don't aspire to much more than fame and glory. It's very easy to have them as your role models because there aren't as many greats. Go back, discover the greats, and take it from there.

 

KW: Larry Greenberg says: I read that your director, Salim Akil, worked with schizophrenics before he started working with actors. He asks: Did that make him a more patient director than others you have worked with?

CE: Oh my God! I had no idea. But that makes sense. He is literally the calmest director I've ever worked with. He was so willing to step back and let us do our work without feeling that he had to interfere and tell us what to do just for the sake of looking like a director. He had such confidence in himself. So, it wouldn't surprise me, if he's had experience outside of the business, because he has much deeper soul than that. Working with people troubled in that way could be great training for working with actors who themselves can be a little schizophrenic at times. [Laughs]

 

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?

CE: Oh yeah. A lot. The great fear I've had to overcome, particularly this past year, is the fear of failure. It can be safer to stay in a comfort zone that's not stretching yourself. I tried to overcome that fear playing Sister. You have to be willing to be afraid, if you're going to be an artist.

 

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?

CE: Yes. I'm happier than I've been for a very long time, for all kinds of reasons. I'm glad my kids are happy. I'm grateful that my work is going well. I'm happy that this moment in my career arrived at this age, because I'm ready for it in a way that I might not have been at 20.

 

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

CE: I don't have a lot of guilt.

 

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

CE: Darwin's Cathedral. It's about evolution and religion and it's gonna serve me well for Zero Hour, my new TV show that I start filming soon. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226901351/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

 

KW: I see that you'll also be starring opposite Tyler Perry in Alex Cross this fall.

CE: That's right! That's coming out in October. That was fun, too!

 

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

CE: I make a really delicious eggplant and squash curry that's inspired by Vij of Vij's Restaurant, a great chef and restaurateur in Vancouver. I like to cook that dish because it's really simple but the flavor is so pungent and intense that I feel like I'm a real chef whenever I create it.

 

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: You've portrayed Coretta Scott King and Sally Hemmings. She's wondering whether there's another historical figure you'd like to play in a biopic?

CE: I'd love to play Betty Davis, one of Miles Davis' wives. She was sort of like Madonna before there was a Madonna. I'd love to play a full-out rocking chick. Like a Sister 2.0.

 

KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets," asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?

CE: Leaving my first agent was both my best business decision and my worst business decision. It depends on how I want to look at my career because of opportunities that may have come had I stayed with him and because of the opportunities that did come because I had to fight harder for roles.

 

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

CE: Oh, my goodness me! [Chuckles] A mommy.

 

KW: How hard is it to balance working and parenting, giving that you and Jeffrey are both actors?

CE: It explains why I haven't been onscreen very much the last ten years. [Laughs] It's very hard. It's been getting easier as I give myself permission to work again. It's all about my guilt level.

 

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

CE: Great question! Ooooh, gosh! You know what? That is a question I don't have an answer for. You've stumped me!

 

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

CE: That Sparkle's a huge hit! [LOL]

 

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

CE: Summers in Scotland when I was 3.

 

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

CE: That depends on how you define success. Success for me will be where the body of work I've done afforded me the opportunity to be as good as I can be, and to explore myself and to see what I'm capable of. People like that share a willingness to be scared and to take chances.

 

KW: The Rudy Lewis question: Who's at the top of your hero list?

CE: Oh man, it's so hard to answer that. In terms of dignitaries, Nelson Mandela's up there. In terms of artists, this will change, but I'm really into a performance artist named Marina Abramovic' right now.

 

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?

CE: My children.

 

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh with them?

CE: There's a lot of laughter in our house. I get their American/British sense of humor and they get my British sense of humor.

 

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

CE: Oh my! I'm a bit young to be asked that. [Laughs]

 

KW: Yes, you are. Sorry. Thanks again for the time, Carmen, and best of luck with Sparkle.

CE: Thank you, Kam.

To see a trailer for Sparkle, visit

 

Film Review by Kam Williams
Piano Prodigy's Aspirations Frustrated by Drug-Addicted Mom's Dealer in Irreverent Abduction Dramedy

Eli Bloom (Jesse Eisenberg) is a classical music prodigy who dreams of attending a prestigious conservatory in Boston. The only thing standing in the way of his promising future is the constant distraction of having to care for his 9 year-old sister, Nicole (Emma Rayne Lyle), and his mother (Melissa Leo), a 45 year-old cocaine addict who just can't seem to get her act together.

She finally agrees to enter rehab on the very same day of his big audition. And a complication arises when she's rejected by the clinic for passing the drug test they administer.

Since this program only admits people who flunk, Penny pressures her son to purchase $50 worth of blow from her dealer (Tracy Morgan) so she can get good and high to satisfy the center's by-the-book bureaucrats. Although Eli'd prefer to be practicing piano, he grudgingly agrees to approach the pusher, unaware that his mom happens to be deeply indebted to him.

Then, once Sprinkles learns that Eli is Penny's son, he and his henchman, Black (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), proceed to carjack the whole blooming Bloom family in order to recoup their losses come Hell or high water. Meanwhile, time's a wasting and the odds that Eli will even be able to attend his audition worsen by the minute.

So unfolds Why Stop Now, a raucous road dramedy featuring the unlikely casting of Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (for The Fighter) and Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg (for The Social Network) opposite SNL alumnus Tracy Morgan. The oil-and-water is a classic case study of squandered talent, with the serious thespians looking lost when asked to react to the motor-mouthed comic's ostensibly improvised jokes like "somebody needs tough-actin' Tinactin" about smelly feet.

Whitlock isn't any funnier as Morgan's partner-in-crime, coming off as mean-spirited when he tosses Nicole's beloved puppet out the window of the moving auto. Nonetheless, the movie delivers just enough laughs to remain recommended, despite the fact that this hard to pigeonhole head-scratcher would have benefitted from making a total commitment to either comedy or a drama.

 

Good (2 stars)

Unrated

In English and Spanish with subtitles.

Running time: 88 minutes

Distributor: IFC Films

To see a trailer for Why Stop Now, visit