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Kam's Kapsules by Kam Williams

The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D (PG for mild action and rude humor). Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) wrote and directed this escapist adventure about an unpopular 10 year-old (Cayden Boyd) who creates a couple of imaginary friends to deal with his loneliness. With David Arquette and comedian George Lopez.

Apres Vous (R for profanity). French farce about a well-adjusted waiter who ends up in a messy love triangle with the suicidal man whose life he saves and the attractive woman who had recently dumped him. In French with subtitles.

Batman Begins (PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and mature themes). Christian Bale is the latest incarnation of the Caped Crusader in this IMAX prequel which retraces how, as an orphaned young lad, Bruce Wayne abandoned Gotham City to study martial arts in Asia, returning to defend the metropolis as his crime-fighting alter ego. Expanded cast includes Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Ken Watababe, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer.

Bewitched (PG-13 for sex, expletives, partial nudity, and drug references). Nicole Kidman brings the Elizabeth Montgomery role to the screen in this adaptation of the television series (1964-1972). Plot has a real witch unknowingly cast to play a witch on a television sitcom about a witch married to a human. With Will Ferrell as husband Darrin, Shirley MacLaine as mother Endora, Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur, Jim Turner as Larry Tate, and Amy Sedaris as Mrs. Kravitz.

Cinderella Man (PG-13 for profanity and graphic boxing violence). Ron Howard and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) reunite for this Depression-era bio-pic about the life and times of the legendary Jim Braddock, an unemployed New Yorker who turned to boxing to feed his family. With Renée Zellweger as his wife, Craig Bierko as title fight opponent Max Baer, and acclaimed character actor Paul Giamatti.

Crash (R for sex, expletives, and violence). This slices-of-lives melodrama revolves around an assortment of social issues faced by an ethnically-diverse set of strangers who cross paths by chance in the wake of a car accident. Cast includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Tony Danza, Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Terence Howard, Ryan Phillippe, Ludacris, Keith David, Larenz Tate, Loretta Devine, and Nona Gaye.

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (R for violence, gore, sex, expletives, and drug use). Fourth in a series of horror films (Night of the Living Dawn, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead). This installment is set in a fortified, walled-in city inhabited by humans surrounded and badly-outnumbered by cannibalistic zombies.

Herbie: Fully Loaded (G). Disney casts Lindsay Lohan as the new owner of Herbie, an anthropomorphic auto with a mind of his own and determined to race on the NASCAR circuit.

Ladies in Lavender (PG-13 for brief profanity). Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith share the title role in this costume drama, set in England in 1936, about a couple of spinster sisters living in seclusion in a seaside Cornish cottage whose peace and quiet is disturbed when a wounded Polish violinist floats in with the tide and triggers a round of sibling rivalry.

The Longest Yard (PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, profanity, violence and drug references) Adam Sandler stars in this remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds' romp about a pro quarterback behind bars who leads a rag-tag team of fellow convicts in a game of football against their prison guards. Cast includes comedian Chris Rock, gangsta' rapper Nelly, SNL's Tracy Morgan, NFL alums Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin and Bill Romanowski. And Burt returns, but in a different role.

Madagascar (PG for crude humor, mild epithets and mature themes) Animated family adventure about four animals raised in captivity at New York's Central Park Zoo who escape but end up crated and carted off to Africa where they have to fend for themselves in the wild. Starring Ben Stiller as a lion, Chris Rock as a zebra, David Schwimmer as a giraffe, and Jada Pinkett-Smith as a pregnant hippopotamus. Supporting voice cast includes Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter.

Mad Hot Ballroom (PG for mature themes). Dance documentary retraces the inspirational rise of eleven year-old New York City public school kids from humble circumstances who master the tango, fox trot, rumba, swing, and merengue in preparation for the annual, citywide competition.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (PG-13 for sexual content, expletives, and intense violence). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share the title roles in this crime thriller about a seemingly sedate, suburban couple who are unaware that they are both assassins and under contract to kill each other. Support cast includes Vince Vaughn, Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington, and Keith David.

The Perfect Man (PG for suggestive content). Romantic comedy with Hilary Duff as a match-maker who pairs up her recently-divorced mom (Heather Locklear) with a charming secret Internet admirer. Hi-jinks galore ensue, since this cyber Mr. Right's missives are all a product of the concerned daughter's imagination.

Rebound (PG for mild epithets and mature themes). Martin Lawrence stars in this comedy as a hot-headed college basketball coach who finds himself demoted to the junior high school level where he tries to learn to control his temper. Cast includes Wendy Raquel Robinson and Saturday Night Live's Horatio Sanz.

Saving Face (R for sex and expletives). A comedy about a forty-something widow (Joan Chen) who shows up at her lesbian daughter's (Michelle Krusiec) doorstep after being shunned by the rest of the family for getting pregnant out of wedlock. In Mandarin and English with subtitles.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (PG-13 for sensuality, profanity, and mature themes). Coming-of-age film, based on the Ann Brashares novel of the same name, follows the trials and tribulations of four 16 year-olds forced to spend their first summer apart. Featuring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrara, Blake Lively, and Alexis Bledel as the jeans-sharing life-long friends.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (PG-13 for sci-fi violence and intense images) The curtain comes down on the prequel trilogy with this third installment which ends exactly where the original George Lucas adventure began. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) must morph into Darth Vader and turn on Obi Wan-Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Returning cast members include Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson.

War of the Worlds (PG-13 for disturbing images and frightening sequences of violence). Steven Spielberg directs this remake of the 1953 sci-fi film based on the 1938 radio play narrated by Orson Welles adapted from the original H.G. Wells classic novel about a Martian invasion of Earth. Tom Cruise stars as a dockworker struggling to save his family. Cast includes Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, and Gene Barry.