Life Of A King
Millennium Entertainment
Rated PG-13 for drug use, violent images and mature themes
Ex-Con Opens Chess Club For At-Risk Kids In Ghetto-Based Biopic
Eugene Brown (CubaGooding, Jr.) was so worried about returning to his neighborhood in inner-city Washington, D.C. after serving 17 years for bank robbery that he shared his concern with his cellmate Searcy (Dennis Haysbert). The wise, old elder responded by making an analogy between life and the game of chess amounting to the simple suggestion “Take care of the king.”
He also handedEugenea chess piece, hoping it might serve as a constant reminder to avoid trouble by employing fundamental game strategy. And that practical piece of advice would come in handy, especially since landing employment would turn out to be quite a challenge, given his criminal record.
But rather than break the law again for a quick buck,Eugenedisplayed the patience to wait until he found a legit job as a janitor. Working at the same high school his children had attended, he was afforded an opportunity to redeem himself when asked by the principal (LisaGay Hamilton) to monitor detention, too.
Instead of just having the students stand at the blackboard and write, “I will not be late for class” or “I will not forget my homework” 50 times,Eugenecame up with the inspired idea of teaching them how to play chess each afternoon. Soon, he founded a chess club as a regular afterschool activity and viable alternative to the gangsta ways so many of the troubled youth found attractive.
Meanwhile,Eugeneneeded to mend fences with his estranged offspring, college coed Katrina (Rachae Thomas), and black sheep Marcus (Jordan Calloway), a juvenile jailbird following in his father’s footsteps. That proves easier said than done since the absentee-dad wasn’t around for either’s formative years.
Written and directed by Jake Goldberger (Don McKay), Life Of A King is a warts-and-all biopic based on the downfall and resurrection of the real Eugene Brown. As raw and realistic as it is predictable and cliché-ridden, this modern morality play does at least drive home a pertinent message for adolescents in the targeted demographic.
A Sunday school-style parable which makes very effective use of chess mastery as a metaphor for negotiating the perilous gauntlet of possible ghetto pitfalls.
Very Good (2.5 stars)
Running time: 100 minutes
Frozen
Walt Disney Pictures
Rated PG for action and mild rude humor
Princess Saves The Day In Musical Adaptation Of Hans Christian Andersen Classic
Given the toll the polar vortex has been exacting on the continental U.S.lately, I think plenty of people can relate to the frigid predicament of the people living in the fictional kingdomof Arendelle. Disney’s Frozen is an animated adventure loosely based on The Snow Queen, a classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale first published in 1845.
This delightful musical stars Kristen Bell as the voice of Anna, the young princess who takes it upon herself to save the day after her sister, recently-crowned Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), inadvertently plunges Arendelle into a permanent winter before disappearing. You see, Elsa was born with a superpower similar to Batman’s adversary Mr. Freeze as well as the character Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat, namely, the ability to freeze things in an instant.
Complicating matters is the fact that Elsa, empowered in the wake of their parents’ demise, had just put the kaibosh on her sister’s plans to marry handsome Prince Hans (Santino Fontana). So, Anna, accompanied by an anthropomorphic snowman (Josh Gad) and a rugged mountain man (Jonathan Groff) with a trusty reindeer, embarks on an epic journey in hope of finding her sibling with hopes of not only reversing the curse but of reconciling their differences.
En route, Anna and company are afforded ample opportunities to belt out a tune when not proving their mettle in playful plights of peril. The enchanting picture is as memorable for its pleasant luminescence and catchy soundtrack (including the Best Song Oscar-nominated “Let It Go”), as for its unpredictable resolution.
To its credit, Frozen puts a novel spin on the hackneyed nursery rhyme plotline which has the prince arriving in the nick of time to save the damsel-in-distress. A touching tale of sisterhood with a priceless message about blood being thicker than an ill-advised crush.
Excellent (4 stars)
Running time: 102 minutes
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam’s Kapsules:
For movies opening January 24, 2014
I, Frankenstein (PG-13 for intense fantasy and pervasive violence) Adaptation of Mary Shelley’s monster classic re-imagined as a dystopian tale revolving around a reanimated corpse (Aaron Eckhart) caught up in a clash between demons and gargoyles. Cast includes Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto and Yvonne Strahovski.
Aatsinki: The Story Of Arctic Cowboys (Unrated) Lapland documentary chronicling a year-in-the-life of a family of reindeer herders. (In Finnish with subtitles)
Enemies Closer (R for sexuality, drug use, profanity and graphic violence) Action thriller about an ex-Navy SEAL (Tom Everett Scott) who joins forces with his mortal enemy (Orlando Jones) in order to avoid the clutches of a ruthless drug cartel searching for a missing shipment. With Jean-Claude Van Damme, Linzey Cocker and Zahary Baharov. (In English and French with subtitles)
Gimme Shelter (PG-13 for violence, profanity, drug use and mature themes) Coming-of-age drama about a troubled runaway (Vanessa Hudgens) who escapes her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson) to search for the long-lost father she’s never known (Brendan Fraser) only to end up pregnant in a homeless shelter. With James Earl Jones, Dascha Polanco and Stephanie Szostak.
Knights Of Badassdom (R for violence, sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity) Horror comedy about a motley group of live-action role play gamers’ fight for survival after inadvertently summoning a demon from the depths of Hell. Co-starring Peter Dinklage, Steve Zahn and Summer Glau.
Life Is Strange (Unrated) Post-World War II documentary examining the struggle for self-identity experienced by Jewish survivors displaced by the Holocaust.
Mercedes Sosa: The Voice Of Latin America (Unrated) Reverential biopic examining the enduring legacy of Mercedes Sosa (1935-2009), aka La Negra (“The Black One”), the Argentine folk singer who pioneered a progressive brand of music that inspired political upheavals in Portugal, Spain and South America. Featuring Milton Nascimento,Elba Bustelo and Luz Casenave. (In Spanish with subtitles)
Run & Jump (Unrated) Family drama, set in County Kerry, Ireland, about an anxious housewife’s (Maxine Peake) effort to rehabilitate her 38-year-old husband (Edward MacLiam) after a debilitating stroke with the help of a reassuring American doctor (Will Forte). With Sharon Horgan, Clare Barrett and Ciara Gallagher.
Stranger By The Lake (Unrated) Sexplicit homoerotic thriller revolving around a couple (Pierre Deladonchamps and Christophe Paou) enjoying a passionate, summertime affair at a secluded lakeshore in southern France who suddenly find themselves the prime suspects in the murder of an acquaintance (Francois Renaud Labarthe) also frequenting the popular, gay pickup spot. With Mathieu Vervisch, Gilbert Traina and Jerome Chappatte. (In French with subtitles)
Visitors (Unrated) Dialogue-free documentary, shot in black & white by Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi) and scored by Philip Glass, insinuating that humanity has become increasingly mesmerized by technology.
