Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

American Gangster (R for nudity, sexuality, profanity, violence and pervasive drug content). Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe square off in this mob saga, set in the Seventies, about the efforts of a rogue cop to bring down a drug lord who’s been smuggling heroin to Harlem in the coffins of soldiers who died in Vietnam. Cast includes Cuba Gooding, Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruby Dee, Josh Brolin, Carla Gugino, Roger Guenveur Smith and Joe Morton, with street cred coming courtesy of rappers T.I., Common and RZA.

August Rush (PG for slight violence, mild profanity and mature themes). Freddie Highmore stars as the title character in this escapist fantasy about a promising musical prodigy who runs away from an orphanage to New York City to find his parents (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Myers) only to end up living with a Fagin-like wizard (Robin Williams) and lots of other kids in a makeshift shelter in an abandoned theater which was once the Fillmore East. With Terrence Howard as the missing street urchin’s concerned social worker.

Bee Movie (PG for suggestive humor and brief smoking). Animated family about a bumblebee (Jerry Seinfeld) in search of a new line of work who befriends a florist (Renée Zellweger) who helps him sue humanity for stealing his species’ honey for centuries. Voice cast includes Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, Kathy Bates, Ray Liotta, John Goodman and Sting, plus talk show hosts Larry King and Oprah Winfrey.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (R for profanity, nudity, violence, drug use and graphic sexuality). Legendary director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network, The Verdict) assembles a talented ensemble for this suspenseful crime thriller about two brothers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) whose perfectly planned heist of their parents’ (Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) jewelry store goes horribly wrong when their accomplice improvises with disastrous results during the botched robbery. Cast includes Marisa Tomei as one sibling’s spouse who’s secretly sleeping with the other, too.

Beowulf (PG-13 for nudity, sexuality, disturbing images, and intense violence). Animated adaptation of the anonymous epic poem (circa 700 AD) stars Ray Winstone in the title role as the mighty warrior who slays the legendary Grendel (Crispin Glover) on behalf of the King (Anthony Hopkins), only to find himself incurring the wrath of the beast’s ruthless mother (Angelina Jolie). Voice cast includes Alison Lohman, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Chris Coppola and Robin Wright Penn.

Dan in Real Life (PG-13 for sexual innuendo). Steve Carrell assumes the titular role in this romantic sitcom about a widowed relationship advice columnist struggling to raise three daughters (Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston) alone who suddenly finds himself in a quandary after unknowingly falling in love with his brother’s (Dane Cook) gorgeous girlfriend (Juliette Binoche).

The Darjeeling Limited (R for profanity). Road comedy about three estranged brothers (Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzmann and Adrien Brody) whose plans to bury their differences during a spiritual quest across India go awry when they’re ejected from a train and left stranded in the middle of the desert where their sibling rivalries only intensify.

Enchanted (PG for scary images and sexual innuendo). Modern-day fairytale, mixing animation and live action, about a beautiful princess (Amy Adams) banished from her magical kingdom by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) to New York City where she finds herself charmed by a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) despite the fact that she’s already been promised to a prince (James Marsden) back home.

Fred Claus (PG for mild epithets and crude humor). Holiday comedy about the zany antics which unfold after Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) bails his down-on-his-luck big brother, Fred (Vince Vaughn), out of jail and gives him a job at the North Pole making toys with the elves. Cast includes Kevin Spacey, Miranda Richardson, Kathy Bates, Ludacris and Elizabeth Banks.

Gone Baby Gone (R for violence, drug use, and pervasive profanity). Ben Affleck makes his directorial debut with this crime thriller about a couple of private eyes (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) who end up risking their sanity and their lives to crack the case of a missing four year-old girl (Madeline O’Brien). With Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Karen Ahern.

Hitman (Unrated). Action-oriented political potboiler about a cold and calculated, genetically-engineered assassin (Timothy Oliphant) being pursued across Europe by Interpol and the Russian military who suddenly discovers that he not only has a conscience but feelings for a mysterious femme fatale (Olga Kurylenko).

I’m Not There (R for nudity, sexuality and profanity). Experimental bio-pic employs a half-dozen different actors (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin) to portray Bob Dylan at different stages of the enigmatic music icon’s life. Cast includes Oscar-nominees Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams.

Into the Wild (R for profanity and nudity). Sean Penn directs this back-to-nature adventure, based on the real-life exploits of Christopher McCandless, a student-athlete (Emile Hirsch) who gave away all his money and earthly possessions to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness after graduating from Emory College in 1992.

Lars and the Real Girl (PG-13 for sexuality). Droll romantic comedy about a delusional loser (Ryan Gosling) whose friends and family don’t have the heart to tell him that the life-sized doll he fell in love with online and ordered over the internet isn’t a real woman. With Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Paul Schneider.

Lions for Lambs (R for profanity and violence). Robert Redford directs and co-stars in this political potboiler as an idealistic college professor who inspires two of his students (Derek Luke and Michael Pena) to abandon the comfort of campus for Afghanistan where their fates will be affected by a presidential hopeful (Tom Cruise) who gives a scoop to a television journalist (Meryl Streep). With Andrew Garfield and Peter Berg.

Love in the Time of Cholera (R for sexuality, nudity and brief profanity). Screen adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece of magical realism, set in Colombia between 1880 and 1930, about a lowly poet’s (Javier Bardem) fifty-year obsession with the attractive aristocrat (Giovanna Mezzogiomo) who married a doctor (Benjamin Bratt) instead of following her heart. Directed by Mike Newell, and with Hector Elizondo, Laura Haring and John Leguizamo.

Lust, Caution (NC-17 for explicit sexuality). Ang Lee directs this WWII saga, set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, about a beautiful young actress (Tang Wei) who joins the resistance movement and agrees to impersonate a rich heiress in order to seduce and assassinate a leading collaborator (Tony Leung) with the enemy.

Martian Child (PG for mature themes and mild epithets). Otherworldly dramedy about a grieving science fiction writer (John Cusack), mourning the death of his fiancee’ who befriends a six year-old boy (Bobby Coleman) whose claims that he’s from Mars might be true. With Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Sophie Okonedo and Joan Cusack.

The Mist (R for profanity, terror, gore and gruesome violence). Frank Darabont adapted and directed this Stephen King horror story about a thunderstorm which leaves a tiny town in Maine enshrouded in a thick fog and under attack by an army of unseen creatures. Cast includes Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher and Marcia Gay Harden.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G). Natalie Portman stars in this escapist fantasy as the insecure manager of a magical toy store who inherits the business from her 243 year-old boss (Dustin Hoffman) and then realizes that she has the right stuff to run the place with the help of his accountant (Jason Bateman) and a precocious kid (Zach Mills).

No Country for Old Men (R for profanity and graphic violence). Coen Brothers adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s modern-day Western about a Vietnam vet (Josh Brolin) on the run after stumbling upon several corpses, a stash of heroin and $2 million left at the scene of a grisly gun battle near the Rio Grande. Cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald and Stephen Root.

P2 (R for profanity, gore, graphic violence, and terror). Horror flick about a businesswoman (Rachel Nichols) trying to survive after finding herself locked on the second level of a parking garage on Christmas Eve by a psychopathic killer (Wes Bentley).

Saw IV (R for profanity and pervasive torture and gruesome violence). Despite the apparent demise of the infamous Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice (Shawnee Smith), we find the slasher franchise revived for a fourth installment of grisly fare when a couple of FBI profilers (Scott Patterson and Athena Karkanis) are assigned to the depleted police precinct only to find themselves and the surviving SWAT team members (Lyriq Bent and Costas Mandylor) suddenly facing a sinister series of deadly traps perhaps set by the serial killer’s ex-wife (Betsey Russell).

This Christmas (Unrated). Family skeletons aplenty come popping out of the closet during this holiday drama set during a dysfunctional African-American family’s first reunion in years. Ensemble cast includes Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Lauren London, Idris Elba, Regina King, Columbus Short and Laz Alonso.

Return to Cinema Review | Return to Top