Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

Conviction (R for profanity and violent images). Hilary Swank stars in this biopic recounting the case of Betty Anne Waters, a single mother and high school dropout who earned a GED, college, and law degrees in order to clear the name of her innocent brother (Sam Rockwell) who had been unfairly convicted of murder. With Minnie Driver, and Owen and Tobias Campbell.

Due Date (R for profanity, sexuality, and drug use). Robert Downey, Jr. and Zack Galifianakis co-star in this road comedy about an uptight father-to-be who hitches a ride across the country with a wacky slacker in order to make it on time to witness the birth of his baby. With Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Charlie Sheen, and RZA.

Easy A (PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, drug use, and teen sexuality). Romantic comedy, loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, about a pretty high school girl (Emma Stone) who develops a bad reputation when she starts charging classmates for letting them pretend she’s slept with them. With Amanda Bynes, Lisa Kudrow, Patricia Clarkson, Fred Armisen, Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci, and Malcolm McDowell.

For Colored Girls (R for rape, sexuality, and profanity). Tyler Perry’s adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s feminist stage play explores a variety of themes pertinent to the African-American community, ranging from rape, infidelity. domestic violence, to gays still in the closet. Cast includes Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, Kelly Washington, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad, Macy Gray, Anika Noni Rose, and Whoopi Goldberg.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (R for sexuality, brief profanity, and graphic violence). Final installment in the trilogy, based on the posthumously published novels by the late Stieg Larsson, finds the plucky protagonist (Noomi Rapace) recovering from her bullet wounds while awaiting trial for a triple murder and plotting to take revenge on those responsible for her predicament. Cast includes Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, and Annika Hallin. In Swedish with subtitles.

Hereafter (PG-13 for mature themes, disturbing images, and brief profanity). Clint Eastwood directs this otherworldly drama about three haunted souls whose lives serendipitously intersect, an American blue collar worker with psychic powers (Matt Damon), a French tsunami survivor (Cecile De France), and a British schoolboy (Frankie McLaren) grieving over the death of his twin brother (George McLaren). Cast includes Jay Mohr, Richard Kind, and Tex Jacks.

Jackass 3-D (R for nudity, profanity, crude humor, and dangerous stunts). Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O and the rest of the stuntmen return for another round of jaw dropping death defying feats, this time in 3-D.

Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (PG for scary action sequences). Animated adventure about an intrepid barn owl (Jim Sturgess) who led an escape of kidnapped owlets from an orphanage where they were being brainwashed to join an army led by their evil captors. Voice cast includes Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving, and Abbie Cornish.

Life as We Know It (PG-13 for profanity, drug use, and sexuality). Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel co-star in this romantic comedy about two acquaintances who can’t stand each other until they have to live under the same roof to care for their suddenly orphaned goddaughter (Alexis Clagett) after her parents perish in an accident. Cast includes Josh Lucas, Hayes MacArthur, and Christina Hendricks.

Mao’s Last Dancer (Unrated). Biopic recounts the acrobatic exploits of Li Cunxin (Chi Cao), a peasant plucked from poverty at the age of 11 to train at the prestigious Beijing Ballet Academy and who blossomed into one of the world’s elite dancers. With Joan Chen, Bruce Greenwood, and Suzie Steen. In English and Mandarin with subtitles.

Megamind (PG for action and mild epithets). Animated adventure in 3-D about a hapless, evil villain (Will Ferrell) who decides to align himself with the forces of good after the demise of his longtime superhero adversary (Brad Pitt) when he unwittingly creates a diabolical scoundrel (Jonah Hill) bent on world domination. Voice cast includes Tina Fey, Ben Stiller, and J.K. Simmons.

Paranormal Activity 2 (R for profanity and brief violence). Horror film about an ill fated family that set up security cameras all around their new home in the wake of what they believed to be a series of break ins. With Katie Featherston and Gabriel Johnson.

Red (PG-13 for intense action sequences and brief profanity). Comical screen adaptation of the DC Comics series about a retired CIA agent (Bruce Willis) who reassembles his old team (Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich) after learning that there’s an assassin on the loose intent on harming him and his woman (Mary-Louise Parker). With Karl Urban, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Emily Kuroda.

Saw 3D (R for profanity, torture, and gruesome violence). This installment in the grisly series finds the survivors of the brutal killer’s (Tobin Bell) reign of terror seeking help from a self help guru (Sean Patrick Flannery) only to discover that he’s hiding a dark secret of his own. Featuring Betsy Russell, Costas Mandylor, Dean Armstrong, and Gina Holden.

Secretariat (PG for mild epithets). Horse racing movie, reminiscent of Seabiscuit, recounting how the inexperienced owner (Diane Lane) of a cash strapped stable somehow miraculously raised the first Triple Crown-winner in a quarter century with the help of a wily horse whisperer (John Malkovich) and a jockey (Otto Thorwarth) in need of redemption. With James Cromwell, Scott Glenn, and Fred Thompson.

The Social Network (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, and drug and alcohol use). David Fincher directs this biopic about billionaire Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) who founded Facebook in 2004 while still a student at Harvard. Cast includes Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones, Max Minghella, Andrew Garfield, Brenda Song, Mara Rooney, and Joseph Mazzello.

Stone (R for violence, graphic sexuality, and pervasive profanity). Crime film about a convicted arsonist (Ed Norton) who has his wife (Milla Jovovich) seduce a member (Robert De Niro) of the parole board in order to secure an early release.

The Town (R for sexuality, drug use, graphic violence, and pervasive profanity). Ben Affleck directs and stars in this Beantown crime caper, based on Chuck Hogan’s best seller Prince of Thieves, about the mastermind of a bank heist who finds himself falling for the pretty teller (Rebecca Hall) his gang took hostage. With Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper, and Pete Postlethwaite.

Waiting for Superman (PG for mature themes, mild epithets, and smoking). Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directs this documentary exposing the failings of the dropout factories and academic sinkholes comprising America’s public education system. With appearances by Harlem Principal Geoffrey Canada, D.C. School Superintendent Michelle Rhee, and Teachers’ Union President Randi Weingarten.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (PG-13 for brief profanity and mature themes). Oliver Stone reunites with Michael Douglas who reprises his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko. Here, the disgraced corporate raider teams with his estranged daughter’s (Carey Milligan) fiancé (Shia LaBeouf) to take revenge on the hedge fund manager (Josh Brolin) responsible for the death of the young man’s mentor (Frank Langella). With Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Donald Trump, and Eli Wallach.

You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger (R for profanity). Woody Allen directs this romantic comedy, set in England, revolving around two couples in crisis. An elderly gent (Anthony Hopkins) abandons his wife (Gemma Jones) to chase his lost youth in the arms of a carefree call girl (Lucy Punch), while his daughter (Naomi Watts) develops a crush on her charming cosmopolitan boss (Antonio Banderas). With Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin, and Roger Ashton-Griffiths.

Return to Top | Return to Cinema Review | Go to Music and Theater Reviews