Kam's Kapsules: For Movies Opening May 17

BIG BUDGET FILMS  

Star Trek: Into Darkness (PG-13 for intense violence) Twelfth installment in the futuristic, sci-fi franchise finds Captain Kirk (Chris Pinne) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise summoned back to Earth to confront a seemingly-unstoppable evil force which has left the planet on the brink of extinction. Ensemble cast includes Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urban as Bones.



INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Augustine (Unrated) Doctor-patient drama, set in the 19th Century, examining the bedside manner of a leading neurologist (Vincent Lindon) treating a malingering teenager (Soko) left partially paralyzed after suffering a seizure. With Chiara Mastroianni, Olivier Rabourdin and Roxane Duran. (In French with subtitles)

Bidder 70 (Unrated) Eco-documentary about a nature-loving college student sentenced to a couple of years in prison for successfully acquiring the drilling rights to 22,000 acres of federal land at auction in order to prevent a pristine national park from being spoiled by gas industry fracking. 

Black Rock (R for sexual references, graphic nudity, grisly violence and pervasive profanity) Survival saga about the harrowing ordeal of three childhood friends (Kate Bosworth, Katie Aselton and Lake Bell) whose vacation on a remote island off the coast of Maine is rudely interrupted by the arrival of recently-discharged army vets hunting for humans. With Jay Paulson, Will Bouvier, Anslem Richardson and Carl Aselton. 

The English Teacher (Unrated) Julianne Moore handles the titular role as a spinster with a pair of Siamese cats whose life is disrupted by the return to town of a former student (Michael Angarano) after failing as a playwright in the Big Apple. With Greg Kinnear, Nathan Lane and Lily Collins.

Erased (R for violence) Cat-and-mouse thriller about a former CIA agent (Aaron Eckhart) who ends up on the run with his estranged daughter (Liana Liberato) after they are both marked for termination as part of a wide-ranging international conspiracy. With Olga Kurylenko, Kate Linder and Neil Napier.

Frances Ha (R for profanity and sexual references) Greta Gerwig stars as the title character in this New York City dramedy about a homeless, aspiring dancer dealing with diminished dreams and an estranged BFF (Mickey Sumner) who won't speak to her anymore. Supporting cast includes Adam Driver, Michael Zegen and Patrick Heusinger.

Pieta (Unrated) Korean tale of redemption about a loan shark (Jeong-jin Lee) forced to reconsider his line of work by a mysterious woman who claims to be his long-lost mother (Min-soo Jo). With Ki-Hong Woo, Eunjin Kang and Jae-ryong Cho. (In Korean with subtitles)

Stories We Tell (PG-13 for mature themes, smoking and brief profanity) Out of the closet documentary dissecting a dysfunctional family's skeletons by interrogating each member of the clan in order to get to the truth.