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Singing siblings seek fame in morality play
“Sparkle”
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence,
profanity, drug use, smoking,
mature themes and domestic
abuse.
Running time: 116 minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures
By Kam Williams
Emma Anderson (Whitney Houston)
didn’t want her daughters to
follow in her footsteps by having
babies as teenagers while squandering
their future in the futile
pursuit of celebrity and bad boys
who wouldn’t treat them like ladies.
That’s why the overprotective single-mom
feels fortunate to be able
to raise them in a middle-class
suburb of Detroit where she keeps
them on the straight and narrow
path via a steady diet of Christianity
and high expectations.
All three siblings have inherited
the ability to sing from their
The Ambassador (Unrated)
Danish journalist Madds Brugger
poses as a shady European
diplomat in this shocking documentary
exposing corrupt
government officials openly
trading in blood diamonds in
the Central African Republic.
(In Danish, English and
French with subtitles)
Breathing (Unrated) Austrian
actor-turned-director Karl
Markovics makes his directorial
debut with this eloquent
character study of an incarcerated
teenager’s (Thomas
Schubert) effort to earn an
early parole for good behavior
by working in the morgue.
With Karin Lischka, Georg
Friedrich and Gerhard Liebmann.
(In German and English
with subtitles)
The Day (R for nudity,
graphic violence and pervasive
profanity) Post-apocalyptic scifi
thriller about an intrepid
quintet‘s 24-hour defense of
the decimated planet against
a horde of bloodthirsty predators.
Starring Shawn Ashmore,
Cory Hardrict, Ashley
Bell, Michael Eklund and
Dominic Monaghan.
The Flying Swords of Dragon
Gate (R for violence) Jet
Li stars in this 3-D remake
of Dragon Gate Inn (1966), a
martial arts adventure about
mother, a blessing they put to
good use for the Lord in the
church choir every Sunday. However,
each girl also has her own
distinctive personality yearning to
express itself.
Brainy Dolores (Tika Sumpter)
has her mind set on attending
Meharry School of Medicine. Selfeffacing
Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) is
a gifted composer who’s too shy to
perform any of her heartfelt ballads
in public. But seductive Sister
(Carmen Ejogo) is just the opposite,
being a confident extrovert
who craves the limelight and the
attention of men.
Consequently, it’s no surprise
that Sister might rebel and run
away from home, rather than abide
by her mother’s restrictive house
rules. She’s only been back in
town for two months, but already
has a couple of suitors competing
for her hand, Levi (Omari Hardwick),
a penniless, perfect gentleman,
and Satin (Mike Epps), a
flashy, silky smooth operator.
an avaricious band of marauders’
search for buried treasure
in the desert while hiding their
true intentions by masquerading
as ordinary citizens.
Featuring Lunmei Kwai, Xun
Zhou, Kun Chen and Yuchun
Li. (In Mandarin with subtitles)
For a Good Time, Call (R for
profanity, drug use and graphic
sexuality) Raunchy romantic
romp revolving around
a couple of cash-strapped
roommates (Ari Graynor and
Lauren Miller) who resort to
phone sex to pay the rent on
their pricey Manhattan apartment.
Ensemble cast includes
Seth Rogen, Mimi Rogers, Nia
Vardalos and Justin Long.
The Good Doctor (PG-13
for crude sexuality, disturbing
situations and mature themes)
Orlando Bloom plays the title
character in this psychological
thriller about a recent med
school grad who develops an
unhealthy obsession with a
pretty patient (Riley Keough)
with a kidney infection. Supporting
cast includes Taraji P.
Given Sister’s materialistic
nature, it’s easy to guess that that
she would opt to entertain the
overtures of the latter, a misogynist
with a dark side yet to reveal
itself. Meanwhile, Sparkle starts
dating Stix (Derek Luke) who
Henson (great-great niece of
Matthew), Troy Garrity (son of
Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden),
Sorel Carradine (daughter of
Keith), Jean St. James (mother
of Martin Starr) and Michael
Pena.
Joker (Unrated) Fantasy
adventure about escapees
from an insane asylum who
established their own kingdom
when their mental hospital
was accidentally left off
the map in the 1947 partition
of India and Pakistan. Starring
Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi
Sinha and Chitrangda Singh.
(In Hindi with subtitles)
Little Birds (R for violence,
sexuality, nudity, rape, drug
and alcohol use, and pervasive
profanity) Coming-of-age road
drama about a couple of teenagers
(Juno Temple and Kay
Panabaker) who make a break
from their humdrum hometown
after meeting some cute
older boys (Chris Coy, Carlos
Pena and Kyle Gallner) from
L.A. Cast includes Kate Bosworth,
Leslie Mann and Neal
McDonough.
encourages the talented sisters to
form a trio and take a shot at
superstardom.
So unfolds “Sparkle,” a modern
morality play with a sobering
message made all the more telling
by serving as Whitney Hou-
ston’s cinematic farewell. Several
of the late pop diva’s lines in the
movie induce goose bumps, such
as when she matter of factly asks,
“Was my life not enough of a cautionary
tale for you?”
The film features standout performances
by Whitney and Carmen
Ejogo, with Derek Luke and
Mike Epps appearing at their best
as well. Jordin Sparks certainly
holds her own when called upon
to sing, but she comes across in
this big screen debut as not quite
ready to handle a title role, at least
acting-wise.
Written and directed by the
husband-wife team of Mara Brock
Akil and Salim Akil, respectively,
“Sparkle” is very loosely based
on the 1976 musical of the same
name, with the point of departure,
the timeline, plot developments,
and the score being tweaked for
the overhaul, and all for the better.
A must-see, between Whitney’s
sentimental Swan Song and
Carmen’s coming out party.
Independent & Foreign Films www.NYParenting.com
Kam’s Kapsules
By Kam Williams
Carmen Ejogo as Sister, Tika Sumpter as Dolores and Jordin
Sparks as Sparkle.
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Page 33 • Caribbean Life • Brooklyn/Staten Island • Aug. 31–Sept. 6, 2012