Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIII, No. 40
 
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

9 (PG-13 for violence and scary images). Post-apocalyptic animated adventure about tiny man-made creatures who rise to defend the planet from the fearsome machines that have already decimated humanity and now threaten to wipe out all living things. Voice cast includes Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, and Elijah Wood.

Amreeka (PG-13 for profanity and teen drug use). Dramatic comedy about a Palestinian single-mother (Nisreen Faour) with a teenage son (Melkar Muallem) and their adjustment to life in suburbia after they move from the West Bank to a tiny town in Illinois. In English and Arabic with subtitles.

Bright Star (PG for mature themes, sensuality, smoking, and mild epithets). Oscar-winner Jane Campion (The Piano) wrote and directed this 19th century costume drama about the three-year romance of poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his neighbor Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) which ended prematurely when he contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 25.

Capitalism: A Love Story (Unrated). Iconoclast Michael Moore examines the toll exacted on the American Dream by the country’s unquestioned allegiance to the free market economic system.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (PG for mild epithets). Animated adventure inspired by the beloved children’s best seller of the same name about a town where a mad scientist’s (Bill Hader) atmospheric experiment gone horribly wrong leads to food falling from the sky like rain. Voice cast includes Anna Faris, Mr. T, Andy Samberg, Al Roker, and Will Forte.

Couples Retreat (PG-13 for profanity and sexuality). Battle-of-the-sexes comedy revolving around four couples vacationing on a tropical island who come to regret booking themselves at the therapy getaway when they learn that participation in the retreat’s relationship counseling sessions is not optional. Ensemble cast includes Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kali Hawk, Kritsten Bell, Tasha Smith, and Jean Reno.

Fame (PG for mature themes, teen drinking, sexuality, and mild epithets). Remake of the 1980 classic revolving around the aspirations of students at New York Citiy’s School for the Performing Arts as they prepare for professional careers in dance, music, and acting. Cast includes Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Debbie Allen, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, and Charles S. Dutton.

Good Hair (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, drug references, and partial nudity). Chris Rock emcees this documentary taking a lighthearted look at African-American hair, including styles, straightening, wigs, extensions, salons and self-esteem issues. With appearances by Maya Angelou, Eve, Meagan Good, Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Al Sharpton, and Kerry Washington.

I Can Do Bad All by Myself (PG-13 for violence, drug use, smoking, and the sexual assault of a minor). Tyler Perry’s back in drag as Madea for this modern morality play which has the gun-toting granny delivering the trio of orphaned juvenile delinquents she catches burglarizing her home to their only living relative (Taraji P. Henson). With Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, Marvin Winans, Brian J. White, and Hope Olaide Wilson.

The Informant! (R for profanity). Steven Soderbergh directs this fact-based legal thriller about a corporate executive who becomes a star-witness (Matt Damon) who testifies against his former employer and other agri-business companies in a federal price-fixing case. With Patton Oswalt, Scott Bakula, and Melanie Lynskey.

Inglourious Basterds (R for profanity, violence, and brief sexuality). Brad Pitt stars in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II story about a U.S. Army lieutenant from the south who recruits a squad of Jewish GIs for a bloody mission to hunt down Nazis behind enemy lines. Cast includes Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, and Jacky Ido.

The Invention of Lying (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and drug use). Romantic comedy set in a mythical world where everyone is truthful and gullible except for the one person (Ricky Gervais) who has learned how to lie his way to fame and fortune while manipulating his way into the heart of the woman of his dreams (Jennifer Garner). With Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, and Louis C.K.

Jennifer’s Body (R for profanity, sexuality, gory violence, and brief drug use). Megan Fox plays the title character in this horror comedy about a popular high school cheerleader who starts seducing and devouring male classmates after a satanic ritual leaves her possessed by a demon. With Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, and Amy Sedaris.

Julie & Julia (PG-13 for sensuality and brief profanity). Nora Ephron directs this lighthearted biopic merging the memoir of celebrated chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) with that of her biggest fan, a housewife (Amy Adams) who tried to cook 524 of her idol’s famous recipes over the course of one year. With Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina.

Love Happens (PG-13 for profanity and sexual references). Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart co-star in this romance drama about a grieving widowed self-help guru who falls in love with an empathetic florist who is attending of one his seminars. With Martin Sheen, Sasha Alexander, and Judy Greer.

More Than a Game (PG for mild epithets and smoking). Overcoming-the-odds documentary recounting the hoop exploits and tight-knit friendship of LeBron James and the four pals he played on the same basketball team with from junior high through high school graduation.

Night of the Demons (R for sexuality, nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence). Grisly remake of the 1998, high attrition-rate horror flick about a decadent Halloween party at a haunted house in New Orleans where teenaged revelers suddenly find themselves stalked by bloodthirsty demons. Cast includes Shannon Elizabeth, Edward Furlong, and Tiffany Shepis.

Pandorum (R for profanity and violence). Science fiction horror film about two stranded astronauts (Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster) with amnesia who gradually realize they’re no longer alone on their spaceship and that the survival of mankind is dependent upon them. With Cam Gigandet, Cung Le, and Eddie Rouse.

Paris (R for profanity and sexual references). Melancholy drama about an ailing chorus line dancer (Romain Duris) reduced to observing Paris’ hustle and bustle from his apartment balcony while waiting for a heart transplant. With Juliette Binoche, Melanie Laurent and Fabrice Luchini. In French with subtitles.

A Serious Man (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity, and brief violence). Semi-autobiographical comedy set in Minnesota in 1967, written and directed by the Coen Brothers, about a college professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose life falls apart when he is left by his wife (Sari Lennick) for one of his colleagues (Fred Melamed).

Surrogates (PG-13 for profanity, disturbing images, sexuality, drug use, and intense violence). Bruce Willis stars in this futuristic science fiction crime thriller as an FBI agent forced to investigate the first murder in what was presumed to be a crime free utopian society filled with robotic clones. Supporting cast includes Radha Mitchell, Boris Kodjoe, Ving Rhames, and James Cromwell.

Whip It (PG-13 for sexuality, crude humor, profanity, and drug use). Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut and also appears in this adaptation of Shauna Cross’ best seller about a reluctant beauty pageant contestant (Ellen Page) who rebels against her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) by joining a rough-and-tumble roller derby team. Cast includes Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Eve, Daniel Stern, Juliette Lewis and Har Mar Superstar.

Zombieland (R for profanity and gory violence). Horror comedy about a hardy band of survivors (Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone) who seek sanctuary in an amusement park after America is overrun by man eating zombies. Supporting cast includes Billy Murray, Amber Heard, and Derek Graf.

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