Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIV, No. 27
 
Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

The A-Team (PG-13 for profanity, smoking, and pervasive action violence). Screen adaptation of the TV series from the ’80s chronicling the exploits of a squad of former Special Service soldiers determined to clear their names after being unfairly branded as war criminals. With Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, Sharlto Copley as Murdock, and Quinton Jackson as B.A. Baracus.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (R for graphic sexuality and nudity). Romance drama set in Paris in the ’20s about the scandalous affair between by a famous French clothes designer (Anna Mouglalis) and the promising classical composer (Mads Mikkelsen) whose penniless refugee family she let live in her villa after they escaped the Russian Revolution. In French, Russian, and English with subtitles.

Despicable Me (PG for mild action and crude humor). 3-D animated comedy set in an idyllic suburban neighborhood where a wicked eccentric (Steve Carell) with a black house and a dead lawn is secretly hatching a diabolical plan to steal the moon with the assistance of an army of minions. Hope for averting the disaster rests with three orphans (Dana Gaier, Miranda Cosgrove, and Elsie Fisher) in need of a father who see some potential for redemption in the evil villain. Voice cast includes Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, Will Arnett, Dr. Ken Jeong, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews.

Get Him to the Greek (R for graphic sexuality, pervasive profanity, and drug use). Intercontinental road comedy about the hijinks which ensue when an ambitious intern (Jonah Hill) is assigned to escort an over-imbibing womanizing rock star (Russell Brand) from London to Los Angeles for a comeback concert. Spinoff of Forgetting Sarah Marshall features Rose Byrne and Sean Diddy Combs, with cameos by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Pharrell, Meredith Viera, and Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Unrated). Screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best seller of the same name about a journalist-turned-amateur sleuth (Michael Nyqvist) who, with the help of a rebellious young computer hacker (Noomi Rapace), tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of a teen heiress which occurred forty years earlier. In Swedish with subtitles.

Grown Ups (PG-13 for profanity, nudity, crude humor, and suggestive material). Comedy about five former teammates (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider) who, in memory of their recently-deceased basketball coach, reunite for the first time in years and run amok over the 4th of July weekend at the same lake house where they celebrated winning a championship as kids. With Maya Rudolph, Salma Hayek, Tim Meadows, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, Norm Macdonald, and Gary Busey.

I Am Love (R for nudity and sexuality). Bittersweet love story set in Milan at the turn of the millennium revolving around a Russian socialite (Tilda Swinton) married to an Italian industrialist (Pippo Delbono) who embarks on an ill advised affair with a chef (Edoardo Gabbriellini) she’s introduced to by her son (Flavio Parenti). In Italian, Russian, and English with subtitles.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (R for profanity and sexual humor). Revealing bio-pic chronicling a year in the life of the legendary comedienne/elective plastic surgery devotee. With appearances by daughter Melissa, Don Rickles, and Kathy Griffin.

The Karate Kid (PG for bullying, violence, and mild epithets). Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan co-star in this remake of the 1984 screen classic about a 12-year-old newcomer to China being bullied at school. The school’s janitor agrees to help him master the martial arts so long as he promises not to question the unorthodox training regimen. With Taraji P. Henson, Tess Liu, and Harry Van Gorkum.

Knight and Day (PG-13 for violence and brief profanity). Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reunite for the first time since Vanilla Sky for this action comedy about a woman from the Midwest who crosses paths with a dashing international spy only to become embroiled in a globetrotting adventure where they must prevent an invention holding the key to infinite power from falling into the wrong hands. With Maggie Grace, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, and Paul Dano.

The Last Airbender (Unrated). M. Night Shyamalan directs the first episode in a live-action trilogy based on the popular animated TV show Avatar. First installment in the science fiction fantasy series opens with the world at war and on the brink of destruction and revolves around the attempt of a young boy (Noah Ringer) to restore peace with the help of a couple of friends (Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone) and a flying bison (Dee Bradley Baker). With Dev Patel, Ali Khan, and Rohan Shah.

Mother and Child (R for sexuality, profanity, and brief nudity). Adoption is the central theme of this drama juxtaposing an embittered 50-year-old woman’s (Annette Bening) search for the daughter (Naomi Watts) she gave away at 14 against a barren black woman’s (Kerry Washington) desperate quest for a child of her own. Cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Amy Brenneman, Tatyana Ali, Carla Gallo, David Morse, Shareeka Epps, Jimmy Smits, Latanya Richardson, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Eileen Ryan.

Predators (Unrated). Science fiction sequel about a group of elite warriors who discover that they were brought to another planet by a race of bloodthirsty alien creatures to be hunted as prey in a human game reserve. Cast includes Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Alice Braga, and Danny Trejo.

The Secret in Their Eyes (R for profanity, violent images, graphic nudity, and rape). Film set in the ’70s in Buenos Aires, where a federal agent (Ricardo Darin) becomes consumed with cracking the case of a young married woman (Carla Quevodo) who was raped and brutally murdered inside her own home while her husband (Pablo Rago) was at work. In Spanish with subtitles.

Shrek Forever After (PG for crude humor, action, and brief mild epithets). Fourth and final installment in beloved animated series finds the big green ogre (Mike Myers) separated from fair Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Far Far Away Land after being duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn). Voice cast includes Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Jane Lynch, Meredith Viera, Ryan Seacrest, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Craig Robinson.

Solitary Man (R for profanity and sexuality). Midlife crisis movie about a once successful Manhattan mogul (Michael Douglas) who lost both his wife (Susan Sarandon) and his car dealership after a series of romantic and business indiscretions. The contrite womanizer has a shot at redemption provided he can control himself when he accompanies his girlfriend’s (Mary-Louise Parker) college-bound daughter (Imgen Poots) on a campus visit to his alma mater. With Danny DeVito, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jenna Fischer.

Toy Story 3 (G). Revival of the animated film series finds Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang in a daycare center after being accidentally thrown away by the mother (Laurie Metcalf) of their now college-bound owner, Andy (John Morris). Voice cast includes Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt, and Jeff Garlin.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13 for intense violence and some sensuality). Episode three in the fantasy saga opens with high school graduation fast approaching, and Bella (Kristen Stewart) is forced to choose between her love of a vampire (Edward Pattinson) and her friendship with a werewolf (Taylor Lautner). Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest again finds itself plagued by a string of mysterious slayings. With Anna Kendrick, Dakota Fanning, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

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