Vol. LXI, No. 29
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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1408 (PG-13 for horror, violence, disturbing images, terror, profanity and mature themes). Fright flick adapted from a Stephen King short story about a skeptic (John Cusack) who has built his career selling books debunking claims of paranormal phenomena. Everything changes the day he decides to spend a night in a haunted hotel room. With Samuel L. Jackson as the night manager.
Captivity (R for graphic violence, grisly images, profanity, sexuality and torture). Erotic thriller about a famous cover girl (Elisha Cuthbert) and a chauffeur (Daniel Gillies) who fall madly in love with each other while imprisoned in the dungeon of a sadistic serial killer.
Evan Almighty (PG for peril and crude humor). Sequel to Bruce Almighty sans Jim Carrey instead stars Steve Carrell in the title role as a newscaster-turned-congressman implored by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark in anticipation of another great flood. Cast includes Wanda Sykes, John Goodman and Molly Shannon, with a cameo by Jon Stewart.
Evening (PG-13 for sex, expletives, mature themes, and an accident). Star-studded flashback flick based on the bittersweet Susan Minot best seller revolving around the morphine-induced reminiscences of an ailing dowager (Vanessa Redgrave) who shares a long-hidden secret with her daughters (Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson) on her deathbed. With Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Claire Danes, Patrick Wilson and Hugh Dancy.
Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (Unrated). Sequel finds our intrepid team of superheroes, comprised of Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), the Human Torch (Chris Evans), the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) and Thing (Michael Chiklis), squaring-off against an intergalactic foe (Doug Jones) bent on destruction while also dealing with the return of their archenemy, Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon). Cast includes Kerry Washington and Andre Braugher, with Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer.
Hairspray (PG for teen smoking, mild epithets and suggestive content). Adaptation of the Broadway musical, set in Baltimore in 1962, about the efforts of a light on her feet portly pepperpot (Tracy Turnblad) to integrate a local, TV dance show after she realizes the producers don't allow black kids to appear on the program. Star-studded cast includes John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Marsden, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney and Jerry Stiller.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PG-13 for fantasy violence and frightening images). Fifth year at Hogwarts School finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) frustrated that his fellow wizards are in denial about the apparent return of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (PG-13 for nudity, profanity, crude sexuality, and drug references). Adam Sandler and Kevin James co-star in this buddy comedy as NYC firefighters who pretend to be a gay couple in order to qualify for benefits as domestic partners. Supporting cast includes Dan Aykroyd, Jessica Biel, Steve Buscemi, Richard Chamberlain, Ving Rhames and Nicholas Turturro.
Joshua (R for profanity and disturbing behavior). Psychological thriller, set in Manhattan, about a previously contented couple (Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga) whose perfect home life is ruined when their nine year-old piano prodigy (Jacob Cogan) reacts rather badly to the birth of their second child.
Knocked Up (R for sex, drugs and profanity). Romantic comedy about a 24 year-old slacker (Seth Rogen) who gets the surprise of his life when a reporter (Katherine Heigl) with whom he shared a drunken one-night stand turns-up to inform him she's two month's pregnant. Ensemble cast includes Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, Dr. Ken Jeong, Debbie Matenopoulos and Charlyne Yi.
License to Wed (PG-13 for sex and expletives). Robin Williams stars in this romantic comedy as an intermeddling, manipulative minister who puts an engaged couple (Mandy Moore and John Krasinski) through a grueling series of marriage preparation tests before agreeing to perform their wedding ceremony. With DeRay Davis, Eric Christian Olsen and Peter Strauss.
Live Free or Die Hard (PG-13 for sex, expletives, and intense violence). Bruce Willis is back to save Independence Day after a terrorist (Timothy Oliphant) tries to bring America to its knees by sabotaging the internet to shut down the nation's infrastructure.
A Mighty Heart (R for profanity). Adaptation of the memoir of Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie), widow of Daniel (Dan Futterman), the kidnapped Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter whose beheading in Pakistan in 2002 was videotaped by jihadists who then posted it on the internet.
Once (R for profanity). Irish love story, set in Dublin, revolving around the whirlwind romance between a street musician (Glen Hansard) and the Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova) who becomes his collaborator.
Ratatouille (G). Animated adventure from Walt Disney about a rodent (Patton Oswalt) who dreams of becoming a famous French chef. With voiceover work by Brad Garrett, Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm and Peter O'Toole.
Sicko (PG-13 for brief profanity). The American healthcare system gets the Michael Moore treatment in this documentary which makes much of the fact that 45 million people living in the richest country on Earth have no medical insurance.
Sunshine (R for violence and profanity). Apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, set fifty years in the future, about a team of eight astronauts dispatched on a desperate mission to revitalize the dying sun by injecting the fading star with a device designed to breathe new life into it. Ensemble cast includes Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Hiroyuki Sanada, Troy Garity, Benedict Wong and Chris Evans.
Surf's Up (PG for mild epithets and rude humor). CGI-animated mockumentary offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the action at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championship. Voice cast includes Diedrich Bader, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods, Shia LaBeouf and Mario Cantone.
Talk to Me (R for pervasive profanity and some sexual content). Don Cheadle stars in the biopic about Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con turned radio DJ who brought an inspiring sense of social activism to the airwaves in Washington, DC during the turbulent Sixties. Kasi Lemmons directs ensemble cast which includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, and her husband, Vondie Curtis-Hall.
Transformers (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and intense action violence). Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox as co-star in this sci-fi spectacular about a couple of high school students hoping to save the planet after all-out war breaks out between two races of shape-changing robots. Cast includes Josh Duhamel, Bernie Mac, Tyrese and John Turturro.
La Vie en Rose (PG-13 for nudity, profanity, sexuality, substance abuse and mature themes). Marion Cotillard portrays Edith Piaf (1915-1963) in this bittersweet bio-pic about the tragic life and times of the legendary chanteuse who started as a lowly street performer till she was discovered by the nightclub owner (Gerard Depardieu) who put her name up in lights. (In French with subtitles).
Waitress (PG-13 for sex, expletives and mature themes). Kooky cooking comedy about a pregnant pastry chef (Keri Russell) who hopes to escape her unhappy marriage to a control freak (Jeremy Sisto) by entering her special "Kick in the Pants" pie in a baking contest with a $25,000 grand prize. With Nathan Fillion as the town's tongue-tied, bachelor gynecologist who catches her wandering eye.