Il Divo This Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner tells the incredible-but-true story of Giulio Andreotti, who has been a member of the Italian parliament since 1946, thrice serving as prime minister and surviving several lifetimes' worth of Mafia-tinged scandal. Toni Servillo gives an extraordinary performance as Andreotti, looking like a cross between Larry King and some form of alien reptile, and director Paolo Sorrentino makes him the inscrutable center of a whirling, violent narrative that is never less than compelling, even if you know nothing about Italian politics. (Sun. March 1, 12:35 p.m., Channelside 3) —David Warner
Kassim the Dream At age 6, Kassim Ouma was kidnapped by the rebel army in Uganda and forced into soldiering — killing or torturing anyone he was told to. He escaped his captivity, and Uganda, made his way to the U.S. and became a world champion, junior middleweight boxer. It's a riveting saga, made even more compelling by the complexities of its protagonist: Ouma is not an entirely sympathetic character — documentarian Kief Davidson captures him smoking weed during training, hanging out with a retinue of thug types, acting selfish and petulant. Yet Kassim worships his two young sons, and ingratiates himself to countrymen when he is finally able to return to Uganda in the film's last segment. Best of all, Kassim holds nothing back, whether he's being an angel or an asshole. The scenes of him hysterically weeping over his father's grave in a dusty Ugandan town make for harrowing reality cinema. (Sat. Feb. 28, 6:45 p.m.; Sun. March 1, 4:55 p.m., Channelside 4) —Eric Snider
Misconceptions A pretty blonde standard-bearer for the Christian right gets a message from God telling her that she should be the surrogate mother for a gay doctor and his choreographer husband who live in Boston — and the action all takes place in Pinellas County. The premise is absurd, but writer/director Ron Satlof doesn't let the stereotypes get too cruel or dismissive, and while you may foresee the ending long in advance, it's a pleasant enough ride getting there, with an affecting performance by A.J. Cook in the central role of Miranda Bliss. Also starring Orlando Jones as the choreographer and David Sutcliffe as Miranda's conflicted spouse. (Sun. March 1, 9 p.m., Channelside 6) —DW
Of All The Things Songwriter Dennis Lambert ("Baby Come Back," "Nightshift," "Rhinestone Cowboy") stars in this documentary chronicling his return to music after over 20 years of obscurity and a career as a Boca Raton realtor. Lambert's long-overlooked 1972 solo material has amassed a loyal following in the Philippines and at 60 years old, Lambert is convinced (by a Filipino radio promoter as well as his children) to dust off his keyboard and drum machine and embark on a tour that will serve as his last chance at stardom. The film is humorous and entertaining, and over the course of the two-week tour we see Lambert go from humble realtor to autograph-signing pop star not wanting to leave his own meet-and-greets. The best part is when the drum machine (which, for better or worse, plays a major role in the story) gets repeatedly stuck playing the intro to the wrong song, "We Built This City (on Rock and Roll)." (Sat. Feb. 28, 6:20 p.m., Channelside 3) —Joran Oppelt
Possible Lives Argentina's dramatic Patagonian landscape nearly upstages the drama in this moody, aimless film devoted to one woman's search for her missing husband. When geologist Luciano disappears during a work-related trip, Carla leaves their home in Buenos Aires to search for him. Traveling south into snowy, mountainous terrain, she begins an affair with a man nearly identical to Luciano, even as evidence mounts that her husband is dead. Unable to deliver on the faint suspense and psycho-sexual imbroglio developed during its 80-minute duration, Possible Lives at least offers the satisfaction of watching desire and distress alternately transform the delicate features of Ana Celentano (Carla). (Fri. Feb. 27, 9:30 p.m.; Sat. Feb. 28, 10:15 p.m.; and Sun. March 1, 8:45 p.m., at Channelside 3; Mon.-Tues. Mar. 2-3, 7:30 p.m., Studio@620.) —Megan Voeller
Strip Club King Joe Redner is the greatest human to ever breathe air — that's effectively what Tampa indie producer Shelby McIntyre posits with his documentary Strip Club King. OK, perhaps I exaggerate, but McIntyre exaggerates Redner's altruism and importance — or if he doesn't exactly inflate Redner's accomplishments, he at least fails to balance his film with a more penetrating look at Redner the man, foibles and all. He leaves untouched the issue of objectifying women — you'd think that dancing naked in front (and on the laps) of leering men was something Mother Teresa might've done in her spare time. Using mostly interview footage with Redner, his ex-wife, children, friends and strippers — interspersed with local news segments and clips from the Mons Venus owner's public access show — McIntyre portrays his subject as a fiery but righteous crusader for personal freedoms. There's truth in that, but not the whole truth. (Fri. March 6, 10:40 p.m., Channelside 3) —ES
The Year of Getting to Know Us Ex-SNLer (and future Late Night host) Jimmy Fallon flexes his acting muscles in this by-the-numbers indie from director Patrick Sisam. Fallon stars as an emotionally distant 30-something who returns home to "Arcade, Florida" to deal with the deteriorating health of his estranged father (Tom Arnold) and the fallout from Dad's philandering past. Both funny guys, neither Fallon nor Arnold crack so much as a smile, and the characters (including Sharon Stone as Fallon's loopy and long-suffering mom and Lucy Liu as his current suffering girlfriend) all visibly carry the weight of their private pain. This would have been revelatory had Zack Braf not covered similar ground in 2004's Garden State. (Sat. Feb. 28, 5:45 p.m.; Sun. March 1, 5:15 p.m., Channelside 6) —Joe Bardi
Virtual JFK What would have happened in Vietnam had John F. Kennedy somehow dodged the assassin's bullet in 1963? This is the question posed by Virtual JFK, a historical documentary produced by some cohorts of acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris. But where Morris's brilliant films dig deep into subject matter through direct (and often uncomfortable) interviews, Virtual JFK leans almost entirely on archival video and sound clips (many of them rarely seen). This doesn't sink the production, but it does render it little more than a glorified Powerpoint for a college-level history class. (Sat. Feb. 28, 4:05 p.m., Channelside 4; Sun. March 1, 6:45 p.m., Channelside 3) —JB
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.