Vol. LXII, No. 5
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Wednesday, January 30, 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.
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 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 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.
Cassandra’s Dream (PG-13). for sexuality, violence, and mature themes). Woody Allen directs this crime saga, set in London, about two brothers (Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell) with money woes who hatch a sinister scheme after becoming embroiled with a femme fatale (Hayley Atwell). English cast includes Tom Wilkinson, John Benfield, and Sally Hawkins.
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.
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.
First Sunday (PG-13 for profanity, sexual humor, and drug references). Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan co-star in this crime comedy about a couple of ghetto gangstas who end up with more than they bargained for when their attempt to rob a church goes awry. Cast includes Katt Williams, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine, Keith David, Chi McBride, Clifton Powell, and Nicholas Turturro.
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus (G). 3-D concert film features performances by the popular 14-year-old Disney singing sensation, shot in Utah during last year’s Best of Both Worlds Tour.
How She Move (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and drug use). Inspirational dance story about a promising high school student (Rutina Wesley) who has to return to her crime infested neighborhood when her parents can no longer afford the tuition at the prep school she’d been attending. Co-starring Tre Armstrong and Melanie Nicholls-King, with cameos by Keyshia Cole and DeRay Davis.
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.
Mad Money (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, and drug references). Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes co-star in this remake of Hot Money, a British thriller based on a real-life crime caper, now overhauled as a crime comedy about three employees of the Federal Reserve Bank who conspire to steal millions of dollars in currency that is about to be destroyed.
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.
Michael Clayton (R for profanity). George Clooney handles the title role in this conspiratorial corporate potboiler about a discontented attorney assigned to handle some dirty work by a senior partner (Sydney Pollack) at a leading New York City law firm. With Tilda Swinton, Ken Howard, and Michael O’Keefe.
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.
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.
Rambo (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).
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.