It is China during wartime in 1940, thus we find the embattled nation in the midst of resisting another Japanese invasion. But much of this perilous state of affairs is lost on Niu Er (Bo Huang), an affable, if childlike young man from Yizhen, a barely-arable hamlet located in a rural region of Shandong Province.

Weekly previews for movies opening December 10, 2010

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a dancer with a leading New York City ballet troupe preparing to stage a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." Although previously only a member of the chorus, she's recently been informed by her director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), that he might like to feature her as the face of the company during the upcoming season.

Nominated for an Oscar earlier this year in the Best Foreign Language Film category, The Milk of Sorrow is an introspective mood piece shot against an array of atmospheric backdrops around the city of Lima.

Weekly Previews for movies opening December 3, 2010

James Franco is a marvelous character actor who has exhibited an enviable range in a string of memorable support performances in everything from "Spider-Man" to "Pineapple Express" to "Milk" to "Date Night." In "127 Hours," the subtle scene stealer was afforded not merely a rare opportunity at a lead role but the luxury of basking in the limelight all by himself for the bulk of the picture.

Weekly Previews for movies opening Nov. 24

Amer is a taut, three-part thriller from Belgium heralding the visually-captivating directorial debut of Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Difficult to pigeonhole, except perhaps as an homage to Italian horror flicks from the Seventies, this endlessly-imaginative, escapist adventure presents a surreal exploration of sensuality from the perspective of the same female at three stages in her life

It stands to reason that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be the next-to-last offering in what is already the most lucrative film franchise in history, unless author J.K. Rowling succumbs to fan pressure to extend her best-selling series of children's novels. This installment covers the first half of the seventh and presumably last book, with the final adaptation slated to be released in July of 2011.

Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun