Web Edition

NEWS

FEATURES

ENTERTAINMENT

COLUMNS

CONTACT US

Kam's Kapsules by Kam Williams

Being Julia (R for sexuality). Romance drama, set in London in the 1930s, features Annette Bening as an aging stage actress who, at the height of her career, takes refuge from a stale marriage in an illicit love affair with an ardent American admirer half her age.

Blade: Trinity (R for sex, profanity, and violence). The curtain comes down on this grisly trilogy with Wesley Snipes reprising his title role as a vampire hunter. This final installment has him as the last hope who can save humanity from hordes of undead bloodsuckers. With Kris Kristofferson, Parker Posey, and Jessica Biel.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (R for sex and expletives). Renee Zellweger reprises her title role, while Hugh Grant returns, too. Sequel, set four weeks later, has Bridget already bored with her new beau (Colin Firth) and dealing with lesbian longings for his co-worker (Jacinda Barrett).

Christmas with the Kranks (PG for language and sexually suggestive material). Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis star in this Scrooge-themed comedy based Skipping Christmas, a holiday novel by John Grisham about a couple whose plans to ignore the holidays are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of their daughter (Julie Gonzalo). Supporting cast includes Dan Aykroyd, Jake Busey, Cheech and Tom Poston.

Closer (R for sexuality, nudity and profanity). Oscar-winner Mike Nichols (The Graduate) directs this adaptation of the Patrick Marber play of the same name. Leading ladies Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman appear opposite Clive Owen and Jude Law in a bawdy relationship drama about the effect of chance, instant attraction, and casual betrayal on two couples.

Finding Neverland (PG for adult themes and mild epithets). Johnny Depp stars as Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie in this family drama which speculates about what might have been the inspiration behind Peter Pan, his revered children's classic. With Kate Winslet, Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman, and Julie Christie.

The Flight of the Phoenix (PG-13 for profanity and violence). Remake of the 1965 film with Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Peter Finch, Richard Attenborough, and George Kennedy. This colorized update features Dennis Quaid as the captain of an ill-fated cargo plane which crashes in the Mongolian Desert where passengers and crew get on each other's nerves while trying to repair the damaged aircraft.

The Incredibles (PG for action violence). Disney animated, sci-fi adventure about a family of super-heroes, living secretly in suburbia under the Witness Protection Program, who come out of seclusion to save the world from a super-villain bent on world domination. Voices of CGI characters provided by Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Craig T. Nelson, and Jason Lee.

Kinsey (R for sex content). Laura Linney and Liam Neeson star in this look at the life of Alfred Kinsey, Harvard-educated academic whose pioneering research in human sexual behavior in the late Forties opened up a whole new field of study.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG for mature themes, scary situations, and mild epithets). Jim Carrey narrates this adaptation of the popular children's book series as the greedy Count who adopts three orphaned distant relatives with the hope of stealing the kids' inheritance.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (R for sex, expletives, nudity, drug use, and violence). Call Bill Murray Steve in this madcap update of Moby Dick about a revenge-minded oceanographer who sets out on an expedition to hunt down the jaguar shark which killed his partner. Along for the ride in this comic adventure are Steve's estranged wife (Anjelica Huston), a journalist (Cate Blanchett), and an airline pilot (Owen Wilson) who might be his son.

The Motorcycle Diaries (R for profanity). Biopic based on the journals of Che Guevera, written in 1951-52, when the future leader of the Cuban Revolution was a carefree, 23 year-old medical student.

National Treasure (PG for violence and scary images). Disney kiddie adventure starring Nicholas Cage as an archeologist in search of a treasure chest buried by Founding Fathers George Wahington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson during the Revolutionary War. Includes Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer.

Ocean's Twelve (PG-13 for profanity). Original ensemble cast returns for sequel, expanding gang to accommodate the addition of Danny's (George Clooney) wife (Julia Roberts). This go-round, they decide to pull a trio of heists in Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam. Fresh faces include Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas, Bruce Willis, and Peter Fonda.

The Polar Express (G). Animated adaptation of Jumanji author Chris Van Allsburg's children's book about a boy who's belief in Santa Claus is rewarded by the arrival of a train to take him to the North Pole as proof. Tom Hanks stars, supplying the voice of a half-dozen characters including the boy, his father, the conductor, a hobo, Scrooge and St. Nick.

Ray (PG-13 for sex and adult themes). Jamie Foxx disappears into the title role in this bio-pic based on the life of legendary blues singer Ray Charles. With Regina King, Terrence Howard, Kerry Washington, Larenz Tate, and Aunjanue Ellis.

Sideways (R for sex, expletives, and nudity). Road film with Paul Giamatti as a recently-divorced writer who embarks on a weekend exploration of the California wine country with a washed-up actor friend (Thomas Haden Church) to soak their woes while reflecting on their failed relationships.

Spanglish (PG-13 for sex and expletives). Academy Award-winner James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment) directs this cross-cultural comedy about the effect of the arrival of an attractive, Mexican immigrant housekeeper (Paz Flor) on the family of a famous chef (Adam Sandler) and his insecure wife (Tea Leoni).

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (PG for crude humor). This adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon has its super-absorbent, super-hero (Tom Kenny) abandon the safety of Bikini Bottom to retrieve the stolen crown of King Neptune. With voicework supplied by Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor, James Earl Jones, Scarlett Johansson, and David Hasselhoff.