Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIV, No. 21
 
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Babies (Unrated). Documentary chronicling the first year in the lives of four infants, one each from Mongolia, Namibia, Japan, and America. In French with subtitles.

The Back-up Plan (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, and sexual references). Comedy revolving around a single woman (Jennifer Lopez) who conceives twins via artificial insemination on the very day that she meets the man of her dreams (Alex O’Loughlin). Cast includes Anthony Anderson, Robert Klein, Tom Bosley, Linda Lavin, Eric Christian Olsen, and Michaela Watkins.

Date Night (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, violence, a drug reference, and pervasive crude humor). Steve Carell and Tina Fey co-star in this screwball comedy as a jaded suburban couple from Jersey who decide to spice up their marriage by having dinner together in a fancy Manhattan restaurant only to end up on the run from mobsters and cops when they are mistaken for wanted con artists. Star studded supporting cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, James Franco, Common, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis, and Will.i.Am.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Unrated). Screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best seller of the same name about a journalist-turned-amateur sleuth (Michael Nyqvist) who, with the help of a rebellious, young computer hacker (Noomi Rapace), tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of a teen heiress which transpired forty years earlier. In Swedish with subtitles.

Harry Brown (R for sexuality, drug use, pervasive profanity, and graphic violence). Film about a recently widowed law-abiding senior citizen (Michael Caine) who morphs into a crime-fighting vigilante after the street gang members that murdered his best friend (David Bradley) get off with a slap on the wrist. Cast includes Emily Mortimer, Iain Glen, and Charlie Creed-Miles.

How to Train Your Dragon (PG for intense action, scary images, and mild epithets). Animated adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s best-selling children’s novel about an unassuming young Viking warrior (Jay Baruchel) who ends up befriending a toothless dragon (Jonah Hill) that he’s supposed to slay. Voice cast includes Gerard Butler, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrara, Craig Ferguson, and Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse.

Iron Man 2 (PG-13 for profanity and intense violence). Robert Downey, Jr. reprises his role as the genius billionaire inventor with a superhero alter ego. This installment finds him resisting pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share the secrets to his state-of-the-art armor with the U.S. military out of fear that the technology might fall into the wrong hands. Cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sam Rockwell.

Just Wright (PG for brief profanity and suggestive material). Queen Latifah and Common co-star in this romantic comedy about a physical therapist who finds herself falling for the professional basketball player she’s been hired to rehabilitate after a career threatening knee injury. With Paula Patton, Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier, and NBA Stars Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, and Rashard Lewis.

Letters to Juliet (PG for crude humor, smoking, and mild epithets). Romantic comedy about a recently engaged American (Amanda Seyfried) vacationing with her preoccupied fiancé (Gael Garcia Bernal) in Verona, Italy where she encourages an elderly Englishwoman (Vanessa Redgrave) to look for the long-lost love she hasn’t heard from in over half a century. Cast includes Daniel Baldock, Franco Nero, and Lidia Biondi.

MacGruber (R for violence, profanity, nudity, crude humor, and graphic sexuality). Action comedy starring Will Forte in the title role inspired by the sketch character he originated on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Screen adaptation has the hapless soldier of fortune assembling an elite team to track down a madman (Val Kilmer) in possession of a nuclear warhead. With Ryan Phillippe, as well as SNL’s Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (R for profanity, terror, disturbing images, and graphic bloody violence). Jackie Earle Haley assumes the role of disfigured Freddy Krueger in this remake of the original slasher film about a serial killer who stalks a group of suburban teens in order to kill them one-by-one in their sleep. With Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, and Thomas Dekker.

Please Give (R for nudity, profanity, and sexuality). New York City comedy about a couple in crisis (Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt) trying to work on their relationship while dealing with the demands of the cranky tenant next-door (Ann Morgan Guilbert) who is being looked after by two grown granddaughters (Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet). With Elisabeth Keener, Elise Ivy, and Lois Smith.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PG-13 for intense action sequences). Medieval action fantasy, based on the video game of the same name, about a rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) who reluctantly joins forces with a rival princess (Gemma Atherton) in order to keep an ancient dagger said to have supernatural powers from falling into the clutches of a diabolical despot (Ben Kingsley) bent on world domination. With Alfred Molina, Richard Coyle, and Steve Toussaint.

Robin Hood (PG-13 for sexuality and intense violence). Russell Crowe stars as the latest incarnation of the beloved 13th century legendary outlaw of English folklore who, with his band of Merry Men, rob from the rich to give to the poor. Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, Kevin Durand as Little John, and Danny Huston as Richard the Lionhearted.

The Secret in Their Eyes (R for profanity, violent images, graphic nudity, and rape). Film set in the ’70s in Buenos Aires, where a federal agent (Ricardo Darin) becomes consumed with cracking the case of a young married woman (Carla Quevodo) who was raped and brutally murdered inside her own home while her husband (Pablo Rago) was at work. In Spanish with subtitles.

Sex and the City 2 (R for profanity and graphic sexuality). Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, and Sarah Jessica Parker all return for this sequel which has the decadent New York City quartet reuniting a couple years later for an eventful all expenses paid getaway to Abu Dhabi. Cast additions include Miley Cyrus, Penelope Cruz, and Liza Minelli.

Shrek Forever After (PG for crude humor, action, and brief mild epithets). Fourth and final installment in beloved animated series finds the big green ogre (Mike Myers) separated from fair Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Far, Far Away Land after being duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn). Voice cast includes Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Jane Lynch, Meredith Viera, Ryan Seacrest, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Craig Robinson.

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