Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXV, No. 13
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

The Adjustment Bureau (PG-13 for sexuality, brief profanity, and a violent image). Science fiction thriller about a politician (Matt Damon) frustrated by fate while pursuing an affair with a ballet dancer (Emily Blunt). Cast includes Anthony Mackie, Lisa Thoreson, and Michael Kelly, with cameos by Jon Stewart and Chuck Scarborough.

Barney’s Version (R for profanity and some sexuality). Screen adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s picaresque novel of the same name featuring Paul Giamatti as a heavy drinking cigar-smoking, politically incorrect, TV producer doing his best to reflect upon his life despite the limitations of advanced Alzheimer’s. With two-time Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman and nominee Minnie Driver.

Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13 for profanity, scenes of destruction, and sustained intense violence). Apocalyptic, science fiction film about a Marine platoon which represents the last hope for humanity in the wake of an alien invasion. Cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Bridget Moynihan, and Cory Hardrict.

Beastly (PG-13 for profanity, crudeness, drug references, and violence). Modern day take on Beauty and the Beast reimagined as an urban tale about a school bully (Alex Pettyfer) who finds himself transformed into an ugly monster when a Goth classmate (Mary-Kate Olsen) casts a spell on him. To undo the curse, he must find a woman (Vanessa Hudgens) willing to love him in this hideous state. Cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Rhiannon Moller-Trotter.

Cedar Rapids (R for sexuality, vulgarity, profanity, and drug use). Comedy about a repressed insurance salesman (Ed Helms) who turns over a new leaf at a convention in Iowa where he is pressured to loosen up by a couple of party animals (John C. Reilly and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and a seductive colleague (Anne Heche). With Stephen Root and Rob Corddry.

Certified Copy (Unrated). Bittersweet drama about a British art historian (William Shimell) who has a rendezvous with a French antiques dealer (Juliette Bonoche) from his past while in Tuscany to promote his new book. With Filippo Trojano, Adrian Moore, and Agathe Natanson. In French, Italian, and English with subtitles.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (PG for mischief and rude humor). Sequel finds the former nerd (Zachary Gordon) resisting pressure from his well meaning parents (Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn) to bond with his big brother/chief tormenter (Devon Bostick). With Robert Capron, Peyton List, and Grayson Russell.

Hall Pass (R for profanity, sexuality, drug use, graphic nudity, and pervasive crude humor). Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis co-star in this comedy about a couple of best friends stuck in stale marriages who are given a week of freedom by their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) with a promise of no questions asked. Cast includes Richard Jenkins, talk show host Joy Behar, comedienne Kathy Griffin, retired Red Sox great Dwight Evans, and J.B. Smoove.

Hop (PG for mild rude humor). Mixed live-action/animated adventure about a teenager (Russell Brand) who runs away to Hollywood to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a drummer rather than replace his retiring father (Hugh Laurie) as the Easter Bunny. However, the rebellious rabbit comes to reassess his options while being nursed back to health by the slacker (James Marsden) who accidentally hit him with an automobile. Voice cast includes Chelsea Handler, Elizabeth Perkins, and David Hasselhoff.

Insidious (PG-13 for violence, terror, mature themes, frightening images, and brief profanity). Horror flick about a couple (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) desperate to prevent evil spirits from inhabiting the body of their son (Ty Simpkins) who can’t be roused from a coma after hitting his head. With Barbara Hershey, Angus Sampson, and Andrew Astor.

Kill the Irishman (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality, and graphic violence). Factual crime saga recounting the bloody turf war which unfolded during the summer of ’76 between the established Cleveland Mafia and a rival gang created by a renegade mobster (Ray Stevenson). A-list cast includes Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, and Paul Sorvino.

The King’s Speech (R for profanity). Drama set in the twenties recounting the rise to power of shy and retiring King George VI (Colin Firth) with the help of the therapist (Geoffrey Rush) who helped his majesty suppress his stutter. With Claire Bloom as Queen Mary, Michael Gambon as King George V, and Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth.

Limitless (PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, violence, sexuality, and disturbing images). Bradley Cooper stars in this thriller about a frustrated writer whose life is transformed after he is introduced to a top-secret smart drug which enables him to use 100 percent of his brain. With Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, and Anna Friel.

The Lincoln Lawyer (R for violence, sexuality, and profanity). Matthew McConaughey stars in the title role of this courtroom drama about a disgraced criminal defense attorney working out of the back of his car who finally lands a shot at redemption when he’s hired by a Beverly Hills playboy (Ryan Philippe) accused of raping a call girl. With John Leguizamo, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, and Josh Lucas.

Mars Needs Moms (PG for science fiction action and scenes of peril). Intergalactic animated adventure about a nine-year-old boy (Seth Green) who comes to appreciate his mother (Joan Cusack) only after she is abducted by Martians. Voice cast includes Dan Fogler, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, and Raymond, Ryan, and Robert Ochoa.

The Music Never Stopped (Unrated). Bittersweet drama about a regretful father (J.K. Simmons) who seeks to reconcile with his long-lost son (Lou Taylor Pucci) suffering from a brain tumor by listening to the Grateful Dead. With Tammy Blanchard, Mia Maestro, and Cara Seymour.

Of Gods and Men (PG-13 for brief profanity, disturbing images, and a scene of wartime violence). A movie recounting the real-life slaughter of seven Trappist monks stationed in a monastery in Algeria who were found beheaded after ignoring the warnings of fundamentalist Muslims to vacate the premises. Starring Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, and Olivier Rabourdin. In Arabic and French with subtitles.

Paul (R for profanity, sexual references, and drug use). Science fiction comedy about a couple of nerds (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) who encounter an alien (Seth Rogen) while driving an RV across the desert on their way to a comic book convention in San Diego. Cast includes Jane Lynch, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Steven Spielberg, Blythe Danner, and Jeffrey Tambor.

Rango (PG for crude humor, mild epithets, action, and smoking). Computer animated adventure about a chameleon (Johnny Depp) who dreams about morphing into the sheriff of an Old West town plagued by bandits. Voice cast includes Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Nighy.

Red Riding Hood (PG-13 for violence, terror, and some sensuality). Overhaul of the Grimm Brothers’ fairytale as a gothic love triangle in which a young woman (Amanda Seyfried) with two suitors (Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons) learns that her sister has been slain under a full moon by the werewolf prowling the forest surrounding their village. With Virginia Madsen, Julie Christie, Gary Oldman, and Billy Burke.

Source Code (PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, and profanity). Sci-fi thriller about a highly-decorated soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who discovers that he’s on a mission to find the terrorist bomber of a Chicago commuter train when he suddenly wakes up in someone else’s body. Cast includes Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, and Michelle Monaghan.

Sucker Punch (PG-13 for mature themes, sexuality, profanity, and violence). Fantasy thriller starring Emily Browning as a teenager institutionalized by her evil stepfather (Gerald Plunkett) who has five days to escape from an insane asylum with the help of four other female inmates (Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, and Jamie Chung) before having to undergo a lobotomy. With Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm, and Scott Glenn.

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