Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • February 5, 2014 Coming attractions: A late winter & spring preview by Dennis Seuling The January movie doldrums are over, and there is a lot to look forward to during late winter and spring. Here are a few movies and their release dates to keep on the radar. “Non-Stop” (Feb. 28) takes place on an international flight from New York to London. U.S. federal air marshal Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) receives a series of threatening text messages stating unambiguously that a passenger will be killed every 20 minutes unless and until $150 million is transferred to a secret bank account. When the bank account is discovered to be under Marks’ name and a bomb is found aboard the plane, Marks is branded a hijacker. Juli- anne Moore, Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) co-star. “300: Rise of an Empire” (March 7) is a sequel to 2007’s “300,” based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller. This new film explores the story of 300 from the battle at sea between Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) and the Persian naval commander, Artemesia (Eva Green), whose goal is to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. Themistocles must topple the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and the vengeful Artemesia. “Bad Words” (March 14) marks the directorial debut of Jason Bateman. Bateman also stars as 40-year-old Guy Trilby, who finds a loophole in the rules of the Golden Michael Peña stars as Cesar Chavez. Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged par- ents, and overly ambitious eighth-graders are no match for Guy as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Kathryn Hahn, “We’re the Millers”) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand), who is completely unfazed by Guy’s take-no-prisoners approach to life. “Cesar Chavez” (March 28) is director Diego Luna’s powerful portrait of the legendary activist, starring Michael Peña (“End of Watch,” “Crash”) in the title role. The movie tells the story of the civil rights leader and labor organizer torn between his duties as husband and father and his com- mitment to securing a living wage for farm workers. Pas- sionate but soft-spoken, Chavez embraced nonviolence as he battled greed and prejudice in his struggle to bring dig- nity to the laborers. Chavez inspired millions of Americans from all walks of life who never worked on a farm to work for social justice. His journey is a testament to the power of one individual’s determination to change the world. Rosa- rio Dawson, John Malkovich, America Ferrera, and Kevin Dunn co-star. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (April 4) finds Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) living qui- etly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. When a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes entangled in a web of intrigue that threatens the world. Joining forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America struggles to expose the ever- widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assas- sins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). They soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy: the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). “The Quiet Ones” (April 25) is a thriller about an unorthodox professor (Jared Harris) who uses controver- sial methods and leads his best students to take part in a dangerous experiment: the creation of a poltergeist. On the theory that paranormal activity is caused by human nega- tive energy, the rogue scientists perform a series of tests on a young patient that push her to the edge of insanity. As frightening occurrences take place with shocking and gruesome consequences, the experimenters quickly realize they have triggered a force more terrifying and evil than they ever could have imagined. “Million Dollar Arm” (May 16) stars Jon Hamm (TV’s “Mad Men”) as sports agent JB Bernstein who, in a des- perate effort to save his career, concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show com- petition called “Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of a cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) and Riku (Suraj Sharma, “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball but have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to Major League contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys back to America to train. The boys, who have never before left their rural villages, are hit with culture shock in the United States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB -- with the help of friend Brenda (Lake Bell) -- learns valu- able life lessons about teamwork and commitment.