Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

The Children of Huang Shi (R for violence and disturbing images). Historical drama, set in China in 1937, chronicles the real-life exploits of George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a British journalist who, with the help of an Australian nurse (Radha Mitchell) and a leader of the resistance movement (Chow Yun Fat), saves sixty orphans from the clutches of Japanese invaders by leading them on a perilous trek through the mountains to the Mongolian border. Suspiciously similar to the 1958 screen classic The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. (In English, Mandarin, Japanese, and Russian with subtitles).

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 Fall (R for violence). Escapist sci-fi saga set in L.A. in the 1920s about a little girl (Cantinca Untaru) recovering from a fall who is befriended by a bedridden hospital patient (Lee Pace) capable of capturing her imagination by spinning a vivid tale mixing fantasy and reality.

Get Smart (PG-13 for violence, profanity, and crude humor). Screen adaptation of the sixties spy sitcom stars Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart, aka Secret Agent 86. Gadget-driven, slapstick adventure pits the bumbling Smart and fellow CONTROL agents against Kaos, an evil crime syndicate masterminded by Siegfried (Terrence Stamp) and bent on world domination. Cast includes Anne Hathaway as 99, Alan Arkin as the Chief, David Koechner as Larabee, The Rock as Agent 23, and Bill Murray as Agent 13.

The Happening (R for violent and disturbing images). M. Night Shyamalan directs this sci-fi thriller about a teacher (Mark Wahlberg) who escapes to the Pennsylvania countryside with his estranged wife (Zooey Deschanel) in an effort to avoid the airborne toxin which has been causing people in cities to commit suicide. With John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, and Spencer Breslin.

The Incredible Hulk (PG-13 for action violence, frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content). Edward Norton replaces Eric Bana as the Marvel Comics superhero in a screen adaptation which totally overhauls the cast from Ang Lee’s 2003 production while also ignoring the original’s plot. Here, the Hulk seeks a cure for the condition which causes him to morph into a giant green monster when stressed. New cast includes Liv Tyler, William Hurt, Tim Roth, Robert Downey Jr., and Tim Blake Nelson, with cameos by Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno.

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, and Samuel L. Jackson, with a cameo by the character’s creator, Stan Lee.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (G). Depression era drama, inspired by the illustrated children’s novel of the same name by Valerie Tripp, stars Abigail Breslin as a spunky nine year old who, with the help of her friends, sets out to solve the string of robberies around Cincinnati which has left her already cash-strapped family facing foreclosure. With Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, Jane Krakowski, Stanley Tucci, and Willow Smith.

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.

The Love Guru (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, slapstick violence, crude humor, and drug references). Mike Myers comedy vehicle about an orphan abandoned at an ashram in India who employs some unorthodox therapeutic methods upon his return to the U.S. as a relationship advice expert. Cast includes Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Jessica Barrow, Meagan Good, Sir Ben Kingsley, Vern Troyer, and Justin Timberlake.

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.

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.

War, Inc. (R for violence, profanity, and brief sexuality). Political satire about the efforts of a former American Vice-President (Dan Aykroyd) to monopolize the economy of a mythical, war-torn nation on behalf of a corporation by hiring a hit man (John Cusack) to kill a Middle Eastern oil minister. With Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, and Ben Kingsley.

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.

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