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Vol. LXII, No. 7
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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27 Dresses (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and innuendo). Katherine Heigl stars in this romantic comedy about the frustrations of a perennial bridesmaid who has to bite her tongue when the boss (Edward Burns), whom she has had a secret crush on, falls in love with her younger sister (Malin Akerman). Cast includes James Marsden, Judy Greer, and Brigitte Bourdeau.
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 which is 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.
The Bucket List (PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference). Oscar-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman co-star in this bittersweet end-of-life saga as terminally-ill cancer patients who make a break from the hospital after compiling a checklist of everything they want to do before kicking the bucket. With Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd, and Rowena King.
Cloverfield (PG-13 for violence, terror, and disturbing images). Sci-fi action thriller chronicles the harrowing ordeal of five young New Yorkers who throw a friend a going-away party the same night a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Ensemble includes Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, and Odette Yustman.
Definitely, Maybe (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking and frank dialogue). Flashback flick revolving around a Manhattanite (Ryan Reynolds) in the midst of a messy divorce who decides to reminisce about the three loves of his life so that his curious 11 year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) can guess which was with her mother. Was she his college sweetheart (Elizabeth Banks), his best friend and confidante (Isla Fisher) or the tough-to-tame free spirit (Rachel Weisz). Cast includes Derek Luke and Liane Balaban.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (PG-13 for nudity, sexuality and profanity). Bittersweet bio-pic, based on the memoir of the same name by the late Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), the once vivacious editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine who suffered a stroke at 43 which left him paralyzed and unable to communicate except by blinking his only functioning eye. (In French and English with subtitles)
The Eye (PG-13 for violence, terror, and disturbing content). Jessica Alba stars in this remake of the 2002 horror film from Hong Kong about a blind violinist haunted by frightening visions after her sight is restored by a double corneal transplant operation. With Parker Posey, Francois Chau, and Chloe Moretz.
Fool’s Gold (PG-13 for violence, profanity, sexuality and brief nudity). Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey co-star in this action comedy about a just-divorced couple who rekindle their romance after reuniting to search for a sunken treasure buried aboard a Spanish sailing ship lost at sea in 1715. Supporting cast includes Donald Sutherland, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Brian Hooks.
In Bruges (R for pervasive profanity, graphic violence and drug use). Mob comedy about a couple of hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) sent by their boss (Ralph Fiennes) to unwind in Belgium for a couple of weeks after an assignment in London goes horribly wrong.
Jumper (PG-13 for intense violence, brief sexuality and some profanity). Time-travel sci-fi thriller, based on the Steven Gould novel of the same name, about a genetic anomaly (Hayden Christensen) able to teleport himself anywhere who finds himself embroiled in a war that has been raging for eons between “Jumpers” and their sworn enemies, the “Paladins.” With Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane, Tom Hulce and AnnaSophia Robb.
Juno (PG-13 for profanity, premarital sexuality, and mature themes). Coming-of-age dramatic comedy about a pregnant teen (Ellen Page) who divides her time between getting to know the father (Michael Cera) and bonding with the couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) about to adopt her unborn baby. Cast includes Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, and Rainn Wilson.
The Kite Runner (PG-13 for violence, brief profanity, child rape, and mature themes). Adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s bestseller 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 his childhood friend Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada), whom he had betrayed and left behind 20 years earlier.
Meet the Spartans (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor, and slapstick violence). Silly spoof of 300 from the purveyors of parodies who brought us Scary Movie, Date Movie, and Epic Movie. Besides the Spartan saga, this irreverent comedy satirizes everything from Transformers, Rocky Balboa, You Got Served, Britney Spears, Ghost Rider, and Paris Hilton. Cast includes Carmen Electra, Method Man, and Diedrich Bader.
Over Her Dead Body (PG-13 for sexuality and profanity). Supernatural romantic comedy about a bride (Eva Longoria) who dies on her wedding day only to come back as a ghost to sabotage the budding relationship between her devastated fiancé (Paul Rudd) and the psychic (Lake Bell) he consults at the suggestion of his sister (Lindsay Sloane). Supporting cast includes Stephen Root, Sam Pancake, and Jason Biggs.
Persepolis (PG-13 for sexual references, profanity, mature themes, violent images and brief drug use). Feminist animated adventure, set at the dawn of the Iranian revolution in the late seventies, chronicles the resistance to the oppressive, fundamentalist Islamic regime displayed by a defiant young girl (Chiara Mastroianni) followed from the age of 9 to 24. (In French, Persian, German and English with subtitles)
Rambo IV (R for profanity, sexual assaults, grisly images, and graphic violence). After 20 years, Sylvester Stallone reprises the title role of Vietnam vet John Rambo, now returning to Southeast Asia to lead a team of mercenaries on a mission to save Christian mercenaries kidnapped by Burmese soldiers. With Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, and Tim Kang.
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 senile father (Philip Bosco).
The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG for peril, mature themes, frightening images and action violence). Escapist fantasy about twin brothers (Freddie Highmore) who, along with their sister (Sarah Bolger), discover a magical world filled with fairies and scary creatures soon after moving with their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) from New York City to their great, great Uncle Arthur’s (David Strathairn) secluded, rundown country estate.
Step Up 2 the Streets (PG-13 for profanity, suggestive material and brief violence). Foot-stomping sequel features Briana Evigan as an orphaned street-dancer who falls in love with a classmate (Robert Hoffman) from the other side of the tracks at the prestigious Maryland School for the Arts. With only a cameo by the star of the original, Channing Tatum.
Strange Wilderness (R for crude humor, sexuality, drug use, and non-stop profanity). Steve Zahn and Allen Covert co-star in this over-the-top comedy as the co-hosts of an animal wildlife TV series who try to prop up the show’s sagging ratings by mounting an ill-advised expedition to Ecuador in search of the legendary Bigfoot.
There Will Be Blood (R for violence). Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this adaptation of Oil!, Upton Sinclair’s classic, 1927 epic novel chronicling the life of a self-made, California oil tycoon. With Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Ciaran Hinds.
Untraceable (R for profanity, torture, and grisly violence). Diane Lane stars in this cat-and-mouse thriller as an FBI agent on the trail of a cyber serial killer who broadcasts his murders over the internet live on his own website. Cast includes Colin Hanks, Mary Beth Hurt, and Billy Burke.
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show (R for sexual humor and pervasive profanity). Concert flick chronicles emcee Vince Vaughn presenting four of his favorite comedians, Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco, as they crisscross the country, performing in 30 cities in 30 days.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, sexual content and drug references). Martin Lawrence plays the title role in this ensemble comedy about a popular, Hollywood talk-show host who finds himself cut down to size during a family reunion after he travels back to his Georgia roots for his parents’ 50th anniversary. Cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan, Mo’Nique, Mike Epps, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicole Ari Parker and Joy Bryant.