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Love Actually

Kam's Kapsules by Kam Williams

Against the Ropes (PG-13 for crude language, violence, sensuality, and drug use). Charles Dutton directs Meg Ryan and Omar Epps in this boxing biopic about the life of Jackie Kallen, the female promoter from Detroit who handled four world champions, including Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns.

Along Came Polly (PG-13 for crude humor, sex content, profanity, and drug references). Jennifer Aniston stars in the title role of this romantic comedy as a party girl who gets involved in a risky affair with a normally risk averse newlywed (Ben Stiller) who just found out his wife's cheating on him.

Barbershop 2: Back in Business (PG-13 for profanity, drug references, and sexuality). Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Ice Cube, and a half-dozen others are back for another irreverent slice of life at the Chicago neighborhood shop, now threatened by a developer out to replace it with a franchise outlet for a chain of haircutteries. Star-studded cast additions include Queen Latifah and Kenan Thompson.

Broken Lizard's Club Dread (R for violence, gore, profanity, sex, and drugs). Horror comedy about a machete wielding serial killer wreaking havoc at a hedonistic island getaway for swinging singles while the resort's staff tries to cover up the slaughter so they won't lose all their customers.

The Butterfly Effect (R for violence, drug use, profanity, and sex content). Sci-fi flick with Ashton Kutcher as a man who figures out how to tele-commute backwards in time in order to undo childhood traumas which have been plaguing him in adulthood.

Catch That Kid (PG for mild epithets, adult themes, and crude humor). An American remake of the 2002 Danish film, Klatretosen, about a 12 year-old girl (Kristen Stewart) who plans an elaborate bank heist to pay for an operation for her mountain climber father (Sam Robards) who was paralyzed in an accident on Everest. With Jennifer Beals as the hand-wringing wife and mother.

Cold Mountain (R for violence and sexuality). Nicole Kidman stars opposite Jude Law in this Civil War saga set in the waning days of the Confederacy. Anthony Minghella directs this costume drama depicting the ordeals encountered by a wounded Confederate soldier while returning home to North Carolina to his pining sweetheart.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (PG for mature themes and mild epithets). Disney adaptation of the young adult novel by Dylan Sheldon into a romantic comedy about the peer group adjustment problems of a high school girl (Lindsey Lohan) from Greenwich Village whose family moves to a New Jersey suburb.

The Cooler (R for violence, profanity, drug use, and intense sexuality). William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin, paired for the third time in their careers, are in a Mafia comedy about a contagious loser in Las Vegas whose luck turns around after he falls in love with a cocktail waitress, which serves to irritate the crooked casino manager.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (PG-13 for some sensuality). Set in pre-Castro Cuba, this film casts Romola Garai as an 18 year-old American with two left feet who gets charmed by Javier (Diego Luna), the local waiter who secretly teaches the girl the forbidden dance steps which unleash her inner Carmen Miranda.

The Dreamers (NC-17 for frontal nudity and graphic sexuality). Bernardo Bertolucci's adaptation of the Gilbert Adair novel, set in Paris in 1968, about an uptight American student who gets drawn into a kinky relationship by an incestuous brother and sister.

Eurotrip (R for nudity, sex, profanity, drug, and alcohol use). The producers of Road Trip found a whole new cast, including Matt Damon in a cameo, for this madcap film about a high school student (Scott Thomas) who travels across Europe with a couple of friends in search of a German girl (Jessica Bohrs) he met over the Internet.

The Fog of War (PG-13 for disturbing images and adult themes). Biopic on Vietnam War era Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara digested from 20 hours of interviews conducted by Errol Morris.

50 First Dates (PG-13 for crude sexual humor and drug references). Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, who worked so well together in The Wedding Singer, reunite for another offbeat romantic comedy, this about a veterinarian trying to woo an amnesiac with short-term memory loss who has to be courted afresh every day.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (PG-13 for sex content). Scarlett Johansson stars as the title character of this 17th century costume drama, based on the Tracy Chevalier novel of the same name, which speculates about the anonymous subject of the famous Vermeer painting of the same name.

Hidalgo (PG-13 for violence and mild sexual innuendo). A horseracing adventure, set in 1890, stars Viggo Mortensen as a half-breed Pony Express courier who travels to Saudia Arabia to ride his half-breed mustang in a grueling 3,000 mile race against the best pedigreed stallions in the world.

In America (PG-13 for sex, expletives, drug use, and violence). Five-time Academy Award-nominee Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) serves up more Oscar bait with this drama about an impoverished Irish family which moves to New York to pursue the American Dream.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PG-13 for battle scenes and scary images). The J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy is completed with Frodo and friends returning for a final showdown for control of Middle Earth.

Miracle (PG for rough sports action and some salty language). Patriotic docudrama recounts the 1980 Olympic triumph of the American ice hockey team against all odds. With Kurt Russell as recently-deceased coach Herb Brooks.

Monster (R for graphic violence, sex content, and pervasive profanity). Charlize Theron put on 25 pounds to play a plump prostitute turned serial killer in this arresting biopic chronicling the real-life case of convicted murderer Eileen Wuornos.

Mystic River (R for profanity and violence). Clint Eastwood directed this labyrinthine whodunit starring Sean Penn as a man whose daughter has been murdered. Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne co-star as the detectives handling the investigation, while Tim Robbins surfaces as the prime suspect.

The Passion of the Christ (R for graphic violence). Devout Catholic Mel Gibson's long-awaited, arguably anti-Semitic, re-enactment of the last 12 hours in the life of Christ, starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Monica Belucci as Mary Magdalene, and Rosalinda Celentano as the Devil incarnate.

Starsky & Hutch (PG-13 for drug use, profanity, violence, nudity, and sexual situations). Perennial buddies Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson make their sixth film together, a tongue-in-cheek, retro adaptation of the popular TV show which enjoyed a five-year run from 1975-79. Supporting cast includes Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Carmen Electra, and Amy Smart.

Touching the Void (Unrated). Documentary retraces the perilous trek in 1985 to the top of the 21,000 foot Siula Grande by a couple of British mountain climbers, the first to reach the Peruvian Andes peak by scaling its 90 degree face.

Twisted (R for violence, language, and sexuality). Crime thriller about a cop (Ashley Judd) who becomes the subject of a murder investigation when all of a serial killer's victims turn out to be her ex-boyfriends. With Samuel L. Jackson and Andy Garcia.

Welcome to Mooseport (PG-13 for sex chat and nudity). Family comedy about the campaign for mayor of a quaint New England town which pits a retired U.S. President (Gene Hackman) against the owner (Ray Romano) of the local hardware store.