Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIII, No. 34
 
Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

500 Days of Summer (PG-13 for profanity and sexuality). Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel co-star in this wry comedy about an incurable romantic falling head-over-heels for a woman who doesn’t even believe in true love. Supporting cast includes Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Sid Wilner.

Adam (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and mature themes). Bittersweet romantic comedy, set in New York City, about an unemployed electrical engineer (Hugh Dancy) with Asperger’s syndrome who finds the girl of his dreams in his patient next-door neighbor (Rose Byrne) who is willing to put up with his eccentricities.

Bandslam (PG for mature themes and mild epithets). Teen film about a popular cheerleader (Aly Michalka) who joins forces with the new kid in school (Gaelan Connell) and a moody loner (Vanessa Hudgens) to form a rock group in order to compete against her egotistical ex-boyfriend (Scott Porter) in a battle of the bands showdown.

Cold Souls (PG-13 for nudity and brief profanity). Paul Giamatti plays himself in this droll, science-fiction comedy about an off-Broadway actor with performance anxiety who travels from New York to Russia to retrieve his medically extracted soul from the ambitious soap opera actress (Dina Korzun) who borrowed it. Cast includes David Strathairn, Emily Watson, and Katheryn Winnick.

District 9 (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity). Science fiction adventure about a race of extraterrestrial refugees from a dead planet, caged in a South African slum, whose fortunes change after one of their prison guards (Sharlito Copley) contracts a DNA-changing virus which holds the key to understanding the mysterious aliens. In English and Nyanja with subtitles.

Final Destination: Death Trip 3D (R for sexuality, profanity, and violence). Horror film about a teenager (Bobby Campo) whose premonition saves his friends from certain death in the collapse of the stands at an auto racetrack only to have them start dying anyway in a series of freak accidents. Cast includes Mikelti Williamson, Krista Allen, Haley Webb, and Nick Zano.

Funny People (R for profanity, sexuality, and crude humor). Judd Apatow wrote and directed this film about a terminally-ill comedian (Adam Sandler) with less than a year to live who decides to hire a deli counterman (Seth Rogen) as his opening act only to have his disease go into remission. Cast includes Leslie Mann, Dr. Ken Jeong, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Norm MacDonald, and RZA.

G-Force (PG for mild action and crude humor). Disney mixes live action with animated characters in this kiddie-oriented adventure about a crack squad of specially trained animals sent on a mission by the FBI to put a stop to a diabolical billionaire (Bill Nighy) bent on world domination. Cast includes Penelope Cruz, Will Arnett, Tracy Morgan, Sam Rockwell, Niecy Nash, Jon Favreau, and Steve Buscemi.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13 for mayhem and graphic violence). Action thriller about an elite team of gadget equipped military spies who venture to the ends of the earth in search of the international arms dealer (Christopher Eccleston) who is masterminding a diabolical plot to plunge the planet into complete chaos. Supporting cast includes Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Arnold Vosloo, and Sienna Miller.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (R for nudity, sexuality, drug use, and profanity). Comedy about a struggling auto dealership that hires a used-car liquidator (Jeremy Piven) to help turn their Fourth of July weekend into a profitable sales event. Cast includes Ving Rhames, James Brolin, Alan Thicke, and Dr. Ken Jeong.

Halloween II (Unrated). Tyler Mane returns as slasher Michael Myers for a sequel which has the depraved serial killer returning home to Haddonfield, Illinois where a visit to his recuperating sister (Laurie Scout-Compton) leads to a bloody rampage. Supporting cast includes Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Margot Kidder, Howard Hesseman, and Weird Al Yankovic.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG for violence, frightening images, mild epithets, and some sensuality). Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and company return for the sixth screen adaptation based on the famed J.K. Rowling series of children’s novels. This installment finds Harry starting another year at Hogwarts School where he discovers new dangers lurking in the castle’s shadows due to the return of his archenemy Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

The Hurt Locker (R for violence and profanity). Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty co-star in this Iraq War story, set in the summer of 2004, as members of an elite bomb squad assigned to defuse improvised explosive devices, who are alarmed by their reckless new Staff Sergeant’s (Jeremy Renner) utter disregard for military protocol. Support cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, and David Morse.

In the Loop (Unrated). Political satire film, based on the BBC-TV series The Thick of It, and revolving around a President of the United States and a British Prime Minister who conspire to embroil their countries in a war over the objections of their top military advisers. Cast includes James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, and Chris Addison.

Inglourious Basterds (R for profanity, violence, and brief sexuality). Brad Pitt stars in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II saga about a U.S. Army lieutenant from the south who recruits a squad of Jewish GIs for a bloody mission to hunt down Nazis behind enemy lines. Ensemble includes Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, and Jacky Ido.

Julie & Julia (PG-13 for sensuality and brief profanity). Nora Ephron directs this lighthearted biopic merging the memoir of celebrated chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) with that of her biggest fan, a housewife (Amy Adams) who tried to cook 524 of her idol’s famous recipes over the course of a single year. With Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina.

Ponyo (G) Disney animated adventure about a young mermaid (Noah Lindsey Cyrus) who runs away from home and washes up on shore where she is befriended by a 5-year-old boy (Frankie Jonas) who promises to protect her forever. Voice cast includes Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, and Cloris Leachman.

Post Grad (PG-13 for brief profanity and sexual situations). Family comedy about a recent college graduate (Alexis Bledel) who has to move back home to live with her eccentric relatives after her dream job in publishing fails to pan out. Cast includes Carol Burnett, J.K. Simmons, Fred Armisen, Michael Keaton, and Jane Lynch.

Shorts (PG for mild action and crude humor). Modern fairytale about the ruckus raised in a suburban Texas town when a rainbow colored rock found by an 11-year-old (Jimmy Bennett) suddenly starts granting the wishes of anybody holding it. With William H. Macy, James Spader, and Kat Dennings.

Taking Woodstock (R for profanity, sexuality, drug use, and nudity). Oscar-winner Ang Lee directs this lighthearted look at the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair based on Elliot Tiber’s whimsical memoir recounting his pivotal role in mounting the historic three day rock festival. Cast includes Demetri Martin, Emile Hirsch, Henry Goodman, Paul Dano, and Imelda Staunton.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (PG-13 for mature themes, nudity, sexuality, and brief disturbing images). Science fiction fairytale about the frustrations experienced by a woman (Rachel McAdams) in love with a librarian (Eric Bana) born with a genetic disorder which causes him to involuntarily travel in time.

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