Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (R for violence, gore, and profanity). There is no peace on earth this Christmas for the unsuspecting folks in the quiet Colorado town where this sci-fi sequel unfolds pitting the last surviving predator against an army of aliens in a bloody, bestial showdown. With John Ortiz, Steven Pasquale, Shareeka Epps, and Reiko Aylesworth.

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. With Terrence Howard as the missing street urchin’s concerned social worker.

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.

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 out of jail his down-on-his-luck big brother, Fred (Vince Vaughn), 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. Cast includes Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Sam Elliott, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Freddie Highmore.

The Great Debaters (PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, brief sexuality, and the depiction of violence and disturbing images). Denzel Washington directs and stars opposite Forest Whitaker and Kimberly Elise in this fact-based drama, set in 1935, about a professor at a small black college who inspired students to form the school’s first debate team and to challenge Harvard for the national championship.

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.

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.

Margot at the Wedding (R for sexuality and profanity). Nicole Kidman handles the title role in this dramatic comedy about a narcissistic writer who causes quite a stir after showing up unexpectedly with her adolescent son (Zane Pais) at the 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).

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 dollars 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 a 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.

The Savages (R for sexuality and profanity). Dysfunctional family drama about the sibling rivalry which re-arises between a brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and sister (Laura Linney) when they both move back home to care for their suddenly senile father (Philip Bosco).

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 nineteenth century London, about a 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 (PG 13). 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 title 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.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (PG for action/peril, mild epithets, and brief smoking). Fable set during World War II based on the children’s book by Dick King-Smith, about a lonely Scottish boy (Alex Etel) who finds a magical egg which hatches a curious sea creature he raises until it grows into a towering monster he must release into the Loch Ness where it becomes the subject of a Scottish legend. Cast includes Emily Watson, Brian Cox, and Ben Chaplin.

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