Movies with "King" in them.

King of California- Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) is a sixteen year old girl who can take care of herself. She has too. Her mother abandoned her and her father Charlie has just been released from a mental institution. Charlie (Michael Douglas) returns home with a wild beard and an even wilder idea. While in the institution he did some reading about a 17th century Spanish treasure buried in the very California town he and Miranda reside in. Miranda is of course, skeptical, but as she tells the audience, "Our parents have power over us. We want to believe in them." Miranda is really the parent in the relationship but she still can't resist helping Charlie with his quest. She needs to believe that he's not crazy.
After several attempts at Applebee's, Chuck E. Cheese, and the local country club, Charlie's map leads him to one conclusion: CostCo. If his calculations are correct the treasure is buried beneath the floor of the store. Miranda is ready to give up at this point but Charlie insists. "I'm not going to be beaten by six feet of concrete!" he tells her. Again Miranda can't say no so she gets a job at CostCo. so she can scout the situation by day, and so they can dig by night.
"King of California" is the first film from writer-director Mike Cahill. It has its flaws to be sure. Some of the comedy feels forced and the film is often too quirky for its own good. But in the end the movie won me over. Cahill writes a very believable and warm relationship between father and daughter. Douglas and Wood bring the Don Quixote-Sancho Panza dynamic to life in a wonderful way. By now Douglas is a reliable old pro, but Wood continues to prove herself and surprise with the depth that she brings to every role. Last week I said (in my review of "Across the Universe," which I didn't even really like) that Wood is one of the best young actresses working today. The truth is she's one of the best actresses working today period. This is a pretty fun movie. I look forward to Cahill's next effort, which will likely be far more assured. "King of California" is playing in select cities and it is currently at the Metro in Seattle. 7/10.

The Kingdom- First off, I have one request to reviewers everywhere. Stop comparing this movie to "Syriana." It's not like "Syriana." Let "The Kingdom" be "The Kingdom." There. I feel better.
Peter Berg's (TV's "Friday Night Lights"- watch it) film opens by giving us the basic history of Saudi Arabia and its relationship with the United States from 1932 on. It's sort of a Saudi 101. This leads into a lazy afternoon of Americans playing baseball at a military installation. This quickly gives way to a terrorist attack that leaves hundreds dead. The FBI quickly puts together a team to go and investigate. Led by Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), the team of four will have their work cut out for them due to the rigid local customs. Rounding out the team are Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), and Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman).
Upon arriving in the Kingdom, Colonel Al Ghazi (the outstanding Ashraf Barhom) is their guide. He's there to make sure that nothing happens to them and that they don't inadvertently violate Islamic law by going places they aren't allowed to go. It makes their job exceedingly difficult and gathering evidence is almost impossible.
"The Kingdom" is a very entertaining movie. I was surprised by the amount of humor in the film. Writer Matthew Michael Carnahan's dialogue works more often than it doesn't. The snarky wisecracks (mostly delivered by Bateman) are believable. (On a side note I have to mention that Bateman took a page out of the Bob style book. For half the film he's wearing a Baltimore Orioles cap and a Pixies t-shirt. I can't even tell you how many times I've gone out dressed just like that. It makes me like Michael Bluth even more.)
"The Kingdom" is not a staggering artistic achievement and occasionally the camera work makes it difficult to figure out just what's happening on screen. But it's very enjoyable and bonus points for being a film that dares to say that maybe America isn't the most evil country in the world after all. On that count I'm shocked it got made. I won't give away the final shot, but it is a chilling reminder of the kind of resolve that we face in the world today. 7.5/10.