Vol. LXII, No. 10
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Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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27 Dresses (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and innuendo). Katherine Heigl stars in this romantic comedy about the frustrations of a perennial bridesmaid who has to bite her tongue when the boss (Edward Burns), whom she has had a secret crush on, falls in love with her younger sister (Malin Akerman). Cast includes James Marsden, Judy Greer, and Brigitte Bourdeau.
10,000 B.C. (PG-13 for action violence). Peripatetic prehistoric adventure about a brave young warrior (Steven Strait) who leads a tight-knit band of brothers on an epic journey to the ends of the Earth to rescue the love of his life (Camilla Belle) from the clutches of the warlike tribe who kidnapped her during a raid of their village.
Atonement (R for profanity, sexuality, and disturbing war images). Romance drama, opening in England in 1935, about the budding relationship between a rich girl (Keira Knightley) and the son (James McAvoy) of her familys maid which is aborted when he is falsely accused of a crime by her jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan). Supporting cast includes Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn, Romola Garai, and Anthony Minghella.
The Bands Visit (PG-13 for brief profanity). Cross-cultural comedy about the hijinks which ensue when an Egyptian police orchestra gets lost on its way to a concert in Israel and ends up stranded in a tiny town where everybody learns a touching lesson in tolerance. (In Arabic, Hebrew and English with subtitles)
The Bank Job (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and violence). Jason Statham stars in this action thriller about a struggling car dealer duped by a fetching femme fatale (Saffron Burrows) with a hidden agenda into hatching a plan to burglarize a London banks safe deposit boxes containing not only millions in cash and jewelry but a treasure trove of dirty secrets.
Be Kind, Rewind (PG-13 for sexual references). Buddy comedy about a couple of friends who decide to try to re-shoot every movie a loyal customer (Mia Farrow) wants to rent after one (Jack Black) of them accidentally erases all the tapes at the video rental store where the other (Mos Def) works. With Danny Glover, Melonie Diaz and Sigourney Weaver.
The Bucket List (PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference). Oscar-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman co-star in this bittersweet end-of-life saga as terminally-ill cancer patients who make a break from the hospital after compiling a checklist of everything they want to do before kicking the bucket. With Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd, and Rowena King.
Charlie Bartlett (R for profanity, drug use and brief nudity). Romantic comedy about a rich kid (Anton Yelchin) who finds himself falling in love with the principals (Robert Downey, Jr.) pretty daughter (Kat Dennings) at his new high school, while playing shrink in the boys room where he diagnoses patients and dispenses medication. Cast includes Hope Davis, Tyler Hilton and Megan Park.
College Road Trip (G). Coming-of-age comedy about a high school student (Raven Symone) whose plans for a girls-only trip visiting prospective colleges are ruined when her overbearing, police chief father (Martin Lawrence) insists on accompanying her instead.
Definitely, Maybe (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking and frank dialogue). Flashback flick revolving around a Manhattanite (Ryan Reynolds) in the midst of a messy divorce who decides to reminisce about the three loves of his life so that his curious 11 year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) can guess which was her mother. Was she his college sweetheart (Elizabeth Banks), his best friend and confidante (Isla Fisher) or the tough-to-tame free spirit (Rachel Weisz). Cast includes Derek Luke and Liane Balaban.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (PG-13 for nudity, sexuality and profanity). Bittersweet bio-pic, based on the memoir of the same name by the late Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), the once vivacious editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine who suffered a stroke at 43 which left him paralyzed and unable to communicate except by blinking his only functioning eye. (In French and English with subtitles)
Fools Gold (PG-13 for violence, profanity, sexuality and brief nudity). Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey co-star in this action comedy about a just-divorced couple who rekindle their romance after reuniting to search for a sunken treasure buried aboard a Spanish sailing ship lost at sea in 1715. Supporting cast includes Donald Sutherland, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Brian Hooks.
In Bruges (R for pervasive profanity, graphic violence and drug use). Mob comedy about a couple of hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) sent by their boss (Ralph Fiennes) to unwind in Belgium for a couple of weeks after an assignment in London goes horribly wrong.
Jumper (PG-13 for intense violence, brief sexuality and some profanity). Time-travel sci-fi thriller, based on the Steven Gould novel of the same name, about a genetic anomaly (Hayden Christensen) able to teleport himself anywhere who finds himself embroiled in a war that has been raging for eons between Jumpers and their sworn enemies, the Paladins. With Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane, Tom Hulce and Anna Sophia Robb.
Juno (PG-13 for profanity, premarital sexuality, and mature themes). Coming-of-age dramatic comedy about a pregnant teen (Ellen Page) who divides her time between getting to know the father (Michael Cera) and bonding with the couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) about to adopt her unborn baby. Cast includes Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, and Rainn Wilson.
The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13 for sexuality, violence and mature themes). 16th C. romance drama, based on the historical novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory, revolving around the competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne (Natalie Portman) Boleyn for the affections of Englands King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). With Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess and Rue McLanahan.
Penelope (PG for sexual innuendo, mature themes and mild epithets). Christina Ricci handles the title role in this romantic fairy tale about an aristocratic heiress burdened by a family curse which prevents her from enjoying her dowry until she finds true love with an appropriate suitor. Cast includes James McAvoy, Catherine OHara and Reese Witherspoon.
Persepolis (PG-13 for sexual references, profanity, mature themes, violent images and brief drug use). Feminist animated adventure, set at the dawn of the Iranian revolution in the late seventies, chronicles the resistance to the oppressive, fundamentalist Islamic regime displayed by a defiant young girl (Chiara Mastroianni) followed from the age of 9 to 24. (In French, Persian, German and English with subtitles)
The Savages (R for sexuality and profanity). Dysfunctional family drama about the sibling rivalry which re-arises between a brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and sister (Laura Linney) when they both move back home to care for their senile father (Philip Bosco).
Semi-Pro (R for profanity and crude humor). Sports comedy starring Will Ferrell as a one-hit wonder who purchases a last place, minor league basketball team and tries to inspire his players to achieve their NBA hoop dreams. Ensemble cast includes Woody Harrelson, rapper Andre Benjamin, ex-Conan OBrien sidekick Andy Richter, comedian DeRay Davis, Will Arnett, Maura Tierney, David Koechner, SNL alum Tim Meadows, R&B diva Patti LaBelle, Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley and comedienne Charlene Yi.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG for peril, mature themes, frightening images and action violence). Escapist fantasy about twin brothers (Freddie Highmore) who, along with their sister (Sarah Bolger), discover a magical world filled with fairies and scary creatures soon after moving with their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) from New York City to their great, great Uncle Arthurs (David Strathairn) secluded, rundown country estate.
Step Up 2 the Streets (PG-13 for profanity, suggestive material and brief violence). Foot-stomping sequel features Briana Evigan as an orphaned street-dancer who falls in love with a classmate (Robert Hoffman) from the other side of the tracks at the prestigious Maryland School for the Arts. With only a cameo by the star of the original, Channing Tatum.
There Will Be Blood (R for violence). Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this adaptation of Oil!, Upton Sinclairs classic, 1927 epic novel chronicling the life of a self-made, California oil tycoon. With Paul Dano, Kevin J. OConnor, and Ciaran Hinds.
Vantage Point (PG-13 for intense violence, disturbing images and brief profanity). Political potboiler examines an attempted assassination of the President of the United States (William Hurt) from the varying perspectives of eight eyewitnesses. Ensemble cast includes Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Matthew Fox, Eduardo Noriega, Richard T. Jones and Bruce McGill.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, sexual content and drug references). Martin Lawrence plays the title role in this ensemble comedy about a popular, Hollywood talk-show host who finds himself cut down to size during a family reunion after he travels back to his Georgia roots for his parents 50th anniversary. Cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan, MoNique, Mike Epps, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicole Ari Parker and Joy Bryant.
Witless Protection (PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor). Larry the Cable Guy stars in this mob comedy about a small-town sheriff in Mississippi who mistakenly kidnaps a woman (Jenny McCarthy) in the witness protection program from the four FBI agents assigned to guard her until trial. Supporting cast includes Joe Mantegna, Yaphet Kotto and Peter Stormare.