Kam Williams Reviews Movies Opening Jan. 29, 2016

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Fifty Shades of Black (R for crude sexuality, graphic nudity, coarse humor and pervasive profanity) Salacious spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey featuring Marlon Wayans as a kinky tycoon who seduces a naive college student (Kali Hawk) into a sordid, sadomasochistic relationship. With Jane Seymour, Mike Epps and Fred Willard.

The Finest Hours (PG-13 for intense peril) Seafaring tale of survival, set off the coast of Cape Cod in 1952, recounting the real-life ordeal of the crew of an oil tanker taking on water during one of the worst nor'easters ever to hit New England. Ensemble includes Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.

Kung Fu Panda 3 (PG for action and mild rude humor) Latest installment in the animated franchise finds Po (Jack Black) joining forces with his long-lost father (Bryan Cranston) for an adventure aimed at preventing a supernatural warrior (J.K. Simmons) from draining thousands of kung fu masters of their powers. Voice cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen and Kate Hudson.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Everybody's Fine (Unrated) Bittersweet character study, set in Beijing, revolving around a recently-widowed retiree (Guoli Zhang) who is agonizing over his four children's (He Chen, Chen Yao, Shawn Duo and Ye Qianyun) failure to return home for the family's annual summer reunion. (In Mandarin with subtitles)

Jane Got a Gun (R for violence and some profanity) Natalie Portman portrays the title character in this Western, set on ranch in New Mexico, about a woman who enlists the help of an ex (Joel Edgerton) in defending her family from the gang of outlaws that just ambushed her bullet-riddled husband (Noah Emmerich). With Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro and Boyd Holbrook.

Lazer Team (PG-13 for profanity, partying, sexuality, action, violence and teen smoking) Sci-fi comedy about four losers (Burnie Burns, Michael Jones, Gavin Free and Colton Dunn) called upon to save the planet during an invasion by aliens from outer space. Support cast includes Alan Ritchson, Irina Voronina and Alexandria DeBerry.

Rabin, the Last Day (Unrated) Assassination reenactment chronicling the final hours in the life of ill-fated, Israeli Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin. Co-starring Yitzhak Hizkiya, Pini Mittelman, Tomer Sisley, Ronen Keinan and Yogev Yefet.

Requiem for the American Dream (Unrated) Cautionary documentary featuring firebrand Noam Chomsky in which the MIT Professor bemoans the demise of the middle-class while reminding the masses that they're the only hope of restoring a functioning democracy.