Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Ajami (Unrated). Ethnic tensions abound in this slice-of-life drama examining the deteriorating state of Palestinian-Israeli relations in the ancient seacoast city of Jaffa. Cast includes Fouad Habash, Nisrine Haban, and Elias Saba. In Arabic and Hebrew with subtitles.

Alice in Wonderland (PG for fantasy, action, violence, scary images, and smoking). Tim Burton directs this animated sequel to the Lewis Carroll children’s classic revolving around a 19-year-old Alice’s (Mia Wasikowska) return to the whimsical kingdom for a reunion with the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and other childhood friends, and to end the Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham Carter) reign of terror. Voice cast includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, and Crispin Glover.

The Back-up Plan (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, and sexual references). Comedy revolving around a single woman (Jennifer Lopez) who conceives twins via artificial insemination on the very day she finally meets the man of her dreams (Alex O’Loughlin). Cast includes Anthony Anderson, Robert Klein, Tom Bosley, Linda Lavin, Eric Christian Olsen, and Michaela Watkins.

The Bounty Hunter (PG-13 for profanity, violence, and sexuality). Romantic comedy about a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter (Gerard Butler), hired to bring his bail-jumping ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) to justice for a minor legal infraction, who ends up on the run with her when they both become embroiled in the murder case she’s been investigating. With Christine Baranski, Jeff Garlin, Jason Sudeikis, and Dorian Missick.

The City of Your Final Destination (PG-13 for a sexual situation with partial nudity). Bittersweet road drama about an Iranian graduate student (Omar Metwally), hoping to write an authorized biography of a late Latin American novelist, who travels from Colorado to Uruguay to get the cooperation of the suicide victim’s widow (Laura Linney), his mistress (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and his disconsolate brother (Anthony Hopkins), in the project. The first production by James Ivory since the passing of his longtime collaborator, Ismail Merchant. In English and Spanish with subtitles.

City Island (PG-13 for sexuality, smoking, and profanity). Sitcom about a wacky Italian-American family with a lot of skeletons in the closet, including a patriarch (Andy Garcia) who’s secretly taking acting lessons, a Prodigal Son (Steven Strait) who’s an ex-con, a daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) who’s working as a stripper, a teenager (Ezra Miller), and his sexually-frustrated wife (Julianna Margulies). Cast includes Emily Mortimer, and Alan Arkin.

Clash of the Titans (PG-13 for fantasy violence, frightening images, and brief sensuality). Sam Worthington stars in this remake of the 1981 fantasy thriller about a mortal son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who volunteers to lead a daring band of warriors on a dangerous mission to prevent Hades (Ralph Fiennes) from dethroning his father. With Gemma Arterton, Pete Postlethwaite, and Nicholas Hoult.

Date Night (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, violence, a drug reference, and pervasive crude humor). Steve Carell and Tina Fey co-star in this screwball comedy as a jaded suburban couple from Jersey who decide to spice up their marriage by having dinner together in a fancy Manhattan restaurant only to end up on the run from mobsters and cops when they are mistaken for wanted con artists. Star-studded supporting cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, James Franco, Common, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis, and Will.i.Am.

Death at a Funeral (R for profanity and drug use). Remake of the 2007 dark comedy about the mayhem which breaks out when skeletons come out of the family closet while the clan convenes to bury the family patriarch. Director Neil LaBute assembled a cast featuring Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Loretta Devine, Luke Wilson, Regina Hall, and James Marsden.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (PG for crude humor and mild epithets). Combination live action/animated comedy based on Jeff Kinney’s illustrated children’s novel of the same name chronicling the misadventures of a wisecracking junior high school student (Zachary Gordon) and his best friend (Robert Capron) over the course of a very eventful academic year. Supporting cast includes Steve Zahn, Karan Brar, and Grayson Russell.

Furry Vengeance (PG for crude humor, mild epithets, and smoking). Comedy, set in rural Oregon, about a greedy real estate developer (Brendan Fraser) who gets what’s coming when the creatures living in the forest learn about his heartless plans to pave over their peaceable kingdom in order to make way for a mammoth housing development. Cast includes Dr. Ken Jeong, Brooke Shields, and Angela Kinsey.

The Ghost Writer (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, nudity, violence, and drug use). Roman Polanski directed this adaptation of Robert Harris’ best seller about a ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) who uncovers secrets which put his life in jeopardy while doing research for the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). With Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Timothy Hutton, Jim Belushi, Tom Wilkinson, and Eli Wallach.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Unrated). Screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best seller of the same name about a journalist-turned-amateur sleuth (Michael Nyqvist) who, with the help of a rebellious, young computer hacker (Noomi Rapace), tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of a teen heiress which transpired forty years earlier. In Swedish with subtitles.

Greenberg (R for profanity, drug use, and graphic sexuality). Ben Stiller stars in the title role of this poignant romance about the attempt of two lost souls, adrift in Los Angeles, to forge a meaningful connection. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Greta Gerwig, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, and Chris Messina.

Hot Tub Time Machine (R for nudity, graphic sexuality, crude humor, drug use, and pervasive profanity). Hedonistic, science fiction comedy about four bored buddies (John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Coddry, and Clark Duke) who embark on a road trip with the help of a magical hot tub which teleports them back to 1986 where they over-imbibe while attempting to recapture their lost youth. With Chevy Chase, Kellee Stewart, and Sebastian Stan.

How to Train Your Dragon (PG for intense action, scary images, and mild epithets). Animated adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s best-selling children’s novel about an unassuming, young Viking warrior (Jay Baruchel) who ends up befriending a toothless dragon (Jonah Hill) he’s supposed to slay. Voice cast includes Gerard Butler, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrara, Craig Ferguson, and Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse.

Kick Ass (R for pervasive profanity and graphic violence, nudity, sexuality, and drug use by children). Action film about a social zero (Aaron Johnson) who turns his obsession with comic books into something productive by not only becoming a crime-fighting superhero but by inspiring a number of copycat kids to follow suit. With Christopher Mintz-Passe, Sophie Wu, and Evan Peters.

The Last Song (PG for mature themes, violence, sensuality, and mild epithets). Drama about a rebellious 17-year-old prodigy (Miley Cyrus) sent by her divorced mother (Kelly Preston) to spend the summer with her estranged father (Greg Kinnear) in an island resort town where she falls in love with a local (Liam Hemsworth) while mending fences and making beautiful music with her dad.

The Losers (PG-13 for profanity, sensuality, and intense violence). Action-oriented adaptation of the DC Comics series, revolving around an elite, U.S. Special Services unit on assignment in the Bolivian jungle where they join forces with a mysterious operative (Zoe Saldana) while engaging a diabolical adversary (Jason Patric) bent on world domination. Cast includes Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (R for profanity, terror, disturbing images, and graphic bloody violence). Jackie Earle Haley assumes the role of disfigured Freddy Krueger in this remake of the classic slasher film about a serial killer who stalks a group of suburban teens in order to kill them one-by-one in their sleep. With Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy and Thomas Dekker.

Vincere (Unrated). World War II saga about the love child born in 1922 from the illicit liaison of Benito Mussolini (Filippo Timi) and his secret mistress, Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), that was consummated before the Fascist dictator’s rise to power. In Italian and German with subtitles.

Why Did I Get Married Too (PG-13 for mature themes, sexuality, profanity, drug references, and domestic violence). Tyler Perry reassembles original cast for another round of madcap marital melodrama featuring four couples with crises. Cast includes Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal, Maliik Yoba, Richard T. Jones, Lamman Rucker, Michael Jai White, Cicely Tyson, and Lou Gossett, Jr.

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