Vol. LXII, No. 35
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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Babylon A.D. (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, action sequences and intense violence). Sci-fi thriller about a mercenary (Vin Diesel) escorting a young woman (Melanie Thierry) from Russia to Canada unaware that her body is host to an organism from which a cult plans to produce a genetically-engineered Messiah. Cast includes Michelle Yeoh, Charlotte Rampling, and Gerard Depardieu.
Brideshead Revisited (PG-13 for sexuality). Emma Thompson stars in this World War II era tale of forbidden love set in England, based on Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel about a Protestant of humble birth (Matthew Goode) who becomes infatuated with the sister (Hayley Atwell) of a college classmate (Ben Whishaw) from an aristocratic Catholic family when brought home to their palatial castle over vacation.
College (R for pervasive sexuality and crude humor, nudity, profanity, and drug and alcohol abuse). End-of-innocence comedy revolving around three high school seniors (Drake Bell, Kevin Covais and Andrew Caldwell) who enjoy a wild weekend at a raucous fraternity house during their visit to a prospective college.
The Dark Knight (PG-13 for menacing and intense violence). Christian Bale returns as the Caped Crusader in an action thriller co-starring the late Heath Ledger as Batman’s archenemy, a psychopathic clown known as the Joker. Cast includes Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Michael Jai White.
Death Race (R for profanity and graphic violence). High-adrenaline, sci-fi thriller, set in 2020, revolving around a NASCAR champion (Jason Statham) imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit who is forced by the warden (Joan Allen) to drive a monster car equipped with machine guns and flamethrowers through a gauntlet of bloodthirsty inmates in a grisly, nationally-televised game of kill or be killed. Cast includes Tyrese, Ian McShane, and Natalie Martinez.
Disaster Movie (PG-13 for profanity, drug references, slapstick violence, crude humor, and sex content). Disaster flicks gets the same treatment already accorded the horror (Scary Movie), teen (Date Movie) blockbuster (Epic Movie) and historical (Meet the Spartans) genres in this zany spoof about a bunch of twenty-somethings who encounter a series of calamities over the course of one very eventful night. Ensemble cast includes Kim Kardashian, Carmen Electra, and Tony Cox.
Elegy (R for nudity, sexuality, and profanity). Romance drama starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, based on The Dying Animal, the Philip Roth novella about a freewheeling college professor who initiates a no-strings affair with a cute Cuban student only to find himself uncharacteristically turning into a possessive, jealous stalker. With Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Hopper and Deborah “Blondie” Harry.
Fly Me to the Moon (G). 3-D animated adventure about three flies (Trevor Gagnon, Philip Daniel Bolden and David Gore) who stow away aboard Apollo 11 during its historic spaceflight in order to be the first insects on the moon. Voice cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley, Jr. and Kelly Ripa.
Frozen River (R for profanity). Cross-cultural, Christmastime tale about a recently-abandoned, white housewife (Melissa Leo), struggling to support her sons on a Mohawk reservation in upstate New York, who is pressured by a Native American single-mom (Misty Upham) to start smuggling illegal immigrants across the Canadian border into the U.S. Cast includes Michael O’Keefe, Mark Boone, Jr. and Charlie McDermott.
Hamlet 2 (R for profanity, nudity, sexual references, and drug content). Comedy, set in Tucson, about the efforts of a failed actor-turned-drama teacher (Steve Coogan) to stage a politically-incorrect sequel to Hamlet over the objection of the high school’s administration. Cast includes Catherine Keener, Melonie Diaz, Elisabeth Shue, David Arquette and Amy Poehler.
Henry Poole Is Here (PG for mature themes and mild epithets). Luke Wilson plays the title character in this bittersweet comedy about a depressed loner with a dire medical prognosis whose desire for isolation is frustrated by the arrival of strangers who start flocking to his property to pray to the image of Christ which has miraculously appeared on the side of his house. With Radha Mitchell, George Lopez, and Morgan Lilly.
The House Bunny (PG-13 for profanity, partial nudity, and sex-related humor). Movie about a Playboy bunny (Anna Faris) kicked out of the mansion by Hefner on her 27th birthday for being too old who takes a job as a sorority housemother before proceeding to makeover some of the homeliest coeds on campus.
The Longshots (Unrated). Sports saga chronicles the real life tale of a pigtailed, 11 year-old tomboy (Keke Palmer) who, with the help of her uncle (Ice Cube), became the first girl in league history to play Pop Warner football. Cast includes Tasha Smith, David Banner, and Earthquake.
Mamma Mia! (PG-13 for sex-related material). Screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, set on an enchanting Greek island, where an 18-year-old bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) has invited all three of her mother’s (Meryl Streep) ex-lovers to her wedding, hoping to determine which one is her father: the businessman (Pierce Brosnan), the adventurer (Stellan Skarsgard), or the banker (Colin Firth).
Man on Wire (PG-13 for sexuality, nudity, and drug references). Documentary revisits Frenchman Philippe Petit’s daring, death-defying, and illegal high-wire walk at 1368 feet in the air between the roofs of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers back in 1974. In English and French with subtitles.
Mirrors (R for nudity, profanity, violence, and disturbing images). Kiefer Sutherland stars in this remake of a Korean horror film (Into the Mirror) about a night watchman who finds himself confronting a malevolent force which is using mirrors to terrorize his family. With Paula Patton, Amy Smart, and Frank Mayers.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13 for adventure and action violence). Brendan Fraser returns for a third go-round as intrepid explorer Rick O’Connell, who is now joined by his son (Luke Ford), his wife (Maria Bello), and her brother (John Hannah) in an epic adventure to the Far East to combat a recently-resurrected 2,000-year-old shape-shifting entity (Jet Li) bent on world domination. With Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong, and Russell Wong.
Pineapple Express (R for violence, drug use, sexual references, and pervasive profanity). Teen film about a lazy stoner (Seth Rogen) who purchases a new strain of weed from his drug dealer (James Franco) only to find himself on the run from sadistic mobsters after he witnesses a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez). Cast includes Dr. Ken Jeong, Nora Dunn, Bill Hader, and Amber Heard.
The Rocker (PG-13 for nudity, profanity, drug use, and sexual references). Rainn Wilson stars in this musical comedy about a drummer booted out of a big-hair band back in the eighties who makes the most of a second chance to indulge his rock & roll fantasies 20 years later when he joins his nephew’s (Josh Gad) group to play at a high school prom. Cast includes Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Jane Krakowski, Howard Hesseman, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen, and Pete Best.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (PG-13 for sensuality and mature material). America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and Blake Lively return for this sequel, set during the summer following their freshman year of college, which finds the tight-knit friends living in four different cities yet still committed to being there for each other emotionally despite the distance. Supporting cast includes Blythe Danner, Michael Rady, and Jesse Williams.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (PG for smoking, mild epithets, and non-stop sci-fi violence). Animated adventure chronicling the heroic exploits of the Jedi Knights in another epic, intergalactic battle between good and evil. Voice cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Ian Abercrombie.
Tell No One (Unrated). Crime thriller about a grieving pediatrician (Francois Cluzet) who suddenly finds himself a suspect in his wife’s (Marie-Josee Croze) murder when the police decide to reopen the case at the same time that he receives an anonymous email warning him to “tell no one” that she’s still alive. In French with subtitles.
Traitor (PG-13 for brief profanity, mature themes, and intense violence). International political potboiler about a former U.S. Special Operations Officer (Don Cheadle) who finds himself subjected to close scrutiny by both FBI (Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough) and CIA (Jeff Daniels) Agents after being implicated in a series of terrorist attacks.
Tropic Thunder (R for violence, drug use, sexual references, and pervasive profanity). Ben Stiller wrote, directed, and co-stars opposite Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. in this action comedy about actors shooting a war movie on location in the jungles of Southeast Asia who suddenly find themselves in a battle with live bullets after they are mistaken for real soldiers by guerillas.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (PG-13 for sexuality, smoking, and mature themes). Woody Allen directs this romantic comedy about two girlfriends (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson), spending the summer in Spain, who fall in love with the same artist (Javier Bardem), unaware that his unstable ex-wife (Penelope Cruz) is about to reenter the picture. In Catalan, English, and Spanish with subtitles.