Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXII, No. 23
 
Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Baby Mama (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor, and a drug reference). Comedy about a single career woman (Tina Fey) who wants to have a baby but ends up hiring a surrogate mother (Amy Poehler) from the other side of the tracks after learning that she only has a one-in-a-million chance of getting pregnant herself. Cast includes Greg Kinnear, Sigourney Weaver, Maura Tierney, Romany Malco, and Dax Shepard.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG for violence and epic battle scenes). Based on the second of the C.S. Lewis series of children’s fantasy novels, this sequel sends the four Pevensie siblings (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley) on another time-traveling adventure to a magical land — on this occasion to help overthrow an evil king (Sergio Castellitto) so that the exiled, rightful heir (Ben Barnes) might ascend to the throne. Cast includes Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton, and Eddie Izzard.

The Counterfeiters (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, and violence). True World War II tale of survival set in a Nazi concentration camp about a master counterfeiter (Karl Markovics) forced to ply his trade in order to flood the market with the currency of the countries fighting Hitler and thereby devalue their money. In German with subtitles.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13 for violence and scary images). Harrison Ford returns for a fourth adventure as the famed archeologist, set in 1957 in the jungles of Peru, in a desperate race against Russian spies to find an ancient artifact said to hold the key to a host of magical powers. Spielberg directed cast includes Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, John Hurt, and Karen Allen.

Iron Man (PG-13 for intense violence and brief suggestive content). Screen adaptation of the Marvel Comics series features Robert Downey Jr. in the title role as a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor turned crime-fighting superhero intent on saving the planet from evil villains bent on world domination. Cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and Hilary Swank, with a cameo by the character’s creator, Stan Lee.

Kung Fu Panda (PG for martial arts action). Animated comedy about a clumsy panda bear (Jack Black) working as a waiter in his family’s noodle restaurant who is called upon to fulfill an ancient Chinese prophecy by defending his idyllic, peaceful homeland from a menacing snow leopard (Ian McShane) threatening the kingdom. Voice cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Seth Rogen.

Made of Honor (PG-13 for profanity and sexuality). Romantic comedy about the predicament of a womanizing bachelor (Patrick Dempsey) who decides to propose to his platonic best friend and confidante (Michelle Monaghan) only to have her return from a European business trip already engaged to a rich Scotsman (Kevin McKidd). With Kelly Clarkson, Sydney Pollack, and Kadeem Hardison.

The Promotion (R for profanity, sexual references, and drug use). Workplace comedy pits a couple of Chicago grocery store assistant managers (Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly) against each other as they vie for a managerial position at the chain’s new location. Cast includes Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen, Masi Oka, and Spo.

Sex and the City (R for profanity, sexuality, and graphic nudity). Screen adaptation of the popular HBO series picks up four years after the show ended, with all the leading ladies (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis) as well as four objects of their affections (David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Chris Noth, and Jason Lewis) reprising their original roles in a candid romp updating their relationships. Cast includes Candace Bergen, Jennifer Hudson, and comedian Mario Cantone.

Speed Racer (PG for action, violence, and epithets). The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) wrote and directed this live-action adaptation of the animated Japanese TV series from the sixties. Big-screen version features the car racing phenom (Emile Hirsch) teaming with an ex-rival (Matthew Fox) to take on the ruthless, corporate-sponsored favorite in a big cross-country rally called the Crucible. With Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Richard Roundtree.

The Strangers (R for violence, terror, and profanity). Hair-raising horror flick about a young couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) whose vacation retreat to a remote country cottage turns into a bloody battle for survival after a home invasion by three sadistic masked strangers. With Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, and Laura Margolis.

Then She Found Me (R for profanity and sexuality). Helen Hunt makes her scriptwriting and directorial debut and stars in this dramatic comedy about a New York City schoolteacher who, saddened by the death of her adoptive mother (Lynn Cohen) and abandoned by her husband (Matthew Broderick), gets a new lease on life when she’s courted by the father (Colin Firth) of one of her students and also tracked down by the birth mother (Bette Midler) she never knew. Featuring a cameo by Salman Rushdie.

The Visitor (PG-13 for brief profanity). Sophomore offering from actor-turned-director Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent), a quirky ensemble drama revolving around a jaded professor (Richard Jenkins) at a college in Connecticut who heads to New York to attend a conference only to find a young couple from Senegal (Danai Jekesai Gurira) and Syria (Haaz Sleiman) living in his pied-a-terre.

What Happens in Vegas (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, crude humor, and a drug reference). Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz co-star in this romantic comedy about a couple of losers who meet and marry after a night of debauchery in Las Vegas. Their decision to divorce immediately is complicated when greed sets in after he wins a multi-million dollar jackpot with one of her coins.

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (PG-13 for nudity, profanity, sexuality, and crude humor). Action comedy starring Adam Sandler in the title role as an Israeli secret agent who fakes his own death to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a beautician in New York City. Cast includes John Turturro, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, Henry Winkler, Talia Shire, George Takei, Mariah Carey, Dave Matthews, Lainie Kazan, Charlotte Rae, and Shelley Berman.

Young@Heart (PG for mild epithets and mature themes). Musical documentary chronicles the concerts of a traveling chorus of senior citizens from New England as they entertain audiences all over the world with an eclectic repertoire of songs which ranges from Coldplay to James Brown.

Return to Cinema Review | Return to Top