Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Alvin and the Chipmunks (PG for mild crude humor). Combination live-action and computer generated version of the animated TV series from the sixties about a trio of mischievous chipmunks who try to drive their human guardian (Jason Lee) crazy while he tries to turn them into the latest singing sensation.

Atonement (R for profanity, sexuality, and disturbing war images). Romance drama, opening in England in 1935, about the budding relationship between a rich girl (Keira Knightley) and the son (James McAvoy) of her family’s maid aborted when he is falsely accused of a crime by her jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan). Supporting cast includes Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn, Romola Garai and Anthony Minghella. 

August Rush (PG for slight violence, mild profanity, and mature themes). Freddie Highmore stars as the title character in this escapist fantasy about a promising musical prodigy who runs away from an orphanage to New York City to find his parents (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Myers) only to end up living with a Fagin-like wizard (Robin Williams) and lots of other kids in a makeshift shelter in an abandoned theater which was once the Fillmore East. With Terrence Howard as the missing street urchin’s concerned social worker.

Awake (R for profanity, drug use, and a disturbing situation). Psychological thriller about a patient (Hayden Christiansen) who remains conscious while physically paralyzed during his heart surgery, and this condition called anesthetic awareness enables him to overhear people plotting his murder. Cast includes Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, and Lena Olin.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (R for profanity, nudity, violence, drug use, and graphic sexuality). Legendary director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network, The Verdict) assembles a talented ensemble for this suspenseful crime thriller about two brothers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) whose perfectly planned heist of their parents’ (Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) jewelry store goes horribly wrong when their accomplice improvises with disastrous results during the botched robbery. Cast includes Marisa Tomei as one sibling’s spouse who’s secretly sleeping with the other, too.

Beowulf (PG-13 for nudity, sexuality, disturbing images, and intense violence). Animated adaptation of the anonymous epic poem (circa 700 AD) stars Ray Winstone in the title role as the mighty warrior who slays the legendary Grendel (Crispin Glover) on behalf of the King (Anthony Hopkins), only to find himself incurring the wrath of the beast’s ruthless mother (Angelina Jolie). Voice cast includes Alison Lohman, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Chris Coppola, and Robin Wright Penn.

Charlie Wilson’s War (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug use). Tom Hanks handles the title role in this bio-pic based on the George Crile best seller about a boozing, womanizing Congressman from Texas who, in the early Eighties, helped secretly fund the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan which led to the demise of the Soviet Union. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts and Ned Beatty.

Darfur Now (PG for mature subject-matter). Ethnic cleansing unfolding in The Sudan is examined by this documentary demonstrating how the efforts of a handful of individuals can make a difference in halting crimes against humanity. With Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Terminator-turned-Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, and U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Sam Brownback.

Enchanted (PG for scary images and sexual innuendo). Modern-day fairytale, mixing animation and live action, about a beautiful princess (Amy Adams) banished from her magical kingdom by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) to New York City where she finds herself charmed by a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) despite the fact that she’s already been promised to a prince (James Marsden) back home.

Fred Claus (PG for mild epithets and crude humor). Holiday comedy about the zany antics which unfold after Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) bails his down-on-his-luck big brother, Fred (Vince Vaughn), out of jail and gives him a job at the North Pole making toys with the elves. Cast includes Kevin Spacey, Miranda Richardson, Kathy Bates, Ludacris, and Elizabeth Banks.

The Golden Compass (PG-13 for fantasy violence). Epic escapist fantasy, based on Philip Pullman’s award-winning novel, about a precocious 12 year-old scholar (Dakota Blue Richards) already attending Oxford who ventures into a parallel universe to save her best friend and other children kidnapped by an evil organization known as the Gobblers. Ensemble cast includes Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Sam Elliott, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Freddie Highmore.

I Am Legend (PG-13 for intense action and violence). Will Smith stars in this apocalyptic sci-fi adventure, based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name, about a brilliant scientist’s struggle to survive in New York City as he searches for an antidote to the man-made virus which has turned the rest of the human race into a horde of omnivorous flesh-eating mutants.

I’m Not There (R for nudity, sexuality, and profanity). Experimental biopic employs a half-dozen different actors (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, and Marcus Carl Franklin) to portray Bob Dylan at different stages of the enigmatic music icon’s life. Cast includes Oscar-nominees Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams.

The Kite Runner (PG-13 for violence, brief profanity, child rape, and mature themes). Adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best seller about the quest for redemption of a well-to-do Afghani-American immigrant (Khalid Abdalla) who returns to his native Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban to find the less fortunate childhood friend (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) he had betrayed and left behind 20 years earlier.

Lust, Caution (NC-17 for explicit sexuality). Ang Lee directs this World War II saga, set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, about a beautiful young actress (Tang Wei) who joins the resistance movement and agrees to impersonate a rich heiress in order to seduce and assassinate a leading collaborator (Tony Leung) with the enemy.

Margot at the Wedding (R for sexuality and profanity). Nicole Kidman handles the titular role in this dramatic comedy about a narcissistic writer who causes quite a stir after showing up unexpectedly with her adolescent son (Zane Pais) for the impending wedding of her freewheeling sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to an unemployed artist (Jack Black). Cast includes John Turturro, Matthew Arkin (son of Alan), and Halley Feiffer (daughter of Jules).

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G). Natalie Portman stars in this escapist fantasy as the insecure manager of a magical toy store who inherits the business from her 243 year-old boss (Dustin Hoffman) and then realizes that she has the right stuff to run the place with the help of his accountant (Jason Bateman) and a precocious kid (Zach Mills).

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG for mild violence). Nicolas Cage reprises his role as treasure hunter Ben Gates for another globe-trotting, action-oriented adventure. This go-round, his quest is to clear the name of an ancestor implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by finding the 18 pages missing from the diary of John Wilkes Booth’s diary. Talented cast includes Oscar-winners Cage, Helen Mirren and Jon Voight, and nominees Harvey Keitel and Ed Harris.

No Country for Old Men (R for profanity and graphic violence). Coen Brothers adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s modern-day Western about a Vietnam vet (Josh Brolin) on the run after stumbling upon several corpses, a stash of heroin, and $2 million left at the scene of a grisly gun battle near the Rio Grande. Cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald and Stephen Root.

The Perfect Holiday (PG for mild epithets and suggestive humor). Christmas comedy about an overburdened single-mom (Gabrielle Union) whose young daughter (Khail Bryant) asks an obliging mall Santa (Morris Chestnut) to find a man for her recently-divorced mother. With Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah, Katt Williams, Charlie Murphy, and Faizon Love.

P.S. I Love You (PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity). Bittersweet drama adapted from Cecilia Ahern’s debut novel about a grieving widow (Hilary Swank) who deals with her loss with the help of ten monthly messages magically delivered to her posthumously by her late husband (Gerard Butler). Cast includes Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick, Jr.

Starting Out in the Evening (PG-13 for sex, expletives, and brief nudity). Adapted from the novel of the same name by Brian Morton, this drama revolves around the May-December relationship of a 24 year-old graduate student (Lauren Ambrose) and the aging author (Frank Langella) whose works are the subject of her master’s thesis.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R for graphic violence). Johnny Depp stars in this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, set in 19th C. London, about a London barber bent on revenge after being imprisoned for 15 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Directed by Tim Burton, and featuring Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen.

This Christmas (Unrated). Family skeletons aplenty come popping out of the closet during this holiday drama set during a dysfunctional African-American family’s first reunion in years. Ensemble cast includes Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Lauren London, Idris Elba, Regina King, Columbus Short, and Laz Alonso.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug use). Musical parody of the bio-pic genre stars John C. Reilly in the titular role as a rock & roll icon who finally settles down with his longtime backup singer (Jenna Fischer) after several failed marriages, sleeping around with over 400 women, fathering 22 children and beating an assortment of drug addictions. With Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Morgan Fairchild, Jack Black and Jason Schwartzmann.

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