Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

3:10 to Yuma (R for violence and profanity). Christian Bale and Russell Crowe co-star in this remake of the 1957 classic Western about the dangerous trip by a broke rancher across the desert who is trying to collect a bounty for bringing an outlaw to a train waiting to transport him to justice. Cast includes Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda and Kevin Durand.

30 Days of Night (R for profanity and graphic horror violence). Josh Hartnett and Melissa George head an ensemble cast in this high attrition-rate horror flick about a sheriff who, with the help of his estranged wife, confronts a horde of bloodthirsty vampires that descend on a tiny Alaskan town during the pitch black month when the sun slips beneath the horizon.

Across the Universe (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, nudity, drug use and violence). Beatles-based musical, set against the backdrop of the turbulent Sixties, revolving around the romantic relationship of a dockworker (Jim Sturgess) from Liverpool and the rebellious refugee (Evan Rachel Wood) from suburbia he meets in Greenwich Village while searching for his long-lost father.

The Comebacks (PG-13 for drug use, crude humor and sexual content). Spoof of inspirational sports flicks revolves around a down-and-out college football coach (David Koechner) who inspires his rag-tag team of losers to overachieve in their quest for the championship.

Death at a Funeral (R for profanity and drug use). Offbeat British comedy about the relatives of a recently-deceased family patriarch who hope not only to bury the body but also a dark secret about the dysfunctional dearly departed.

Eastern Promises (R for nudity, profanity, violence, and graphic sexuality). David Cronenberg directs this crime thriller about a midwife (Naomi Watts) who finds herself on the run from a Russian crime family after delving into the diary of a teenager who died during childbirth. Cast includes Viggo Mortensen, Victor Cassel and Sinead Cusack.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (PG-13 for sexuality, nudity and violence). Cate Blanchett reprises her Oscar-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth I (1553-1603) in this sequel, set in the late 16th Century, where we find the monarch defending her empire while falling for Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). With Geoffrey Rush, Samantha Morton and Rhys Ifans.

Feast of Love (R for nudity, sexuality and profanity). Ostensibly inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this multi-layered meditation on relationships revolves around assorted romantic liaisons among members of a tight-knit Oregon community. Ensemble cast includes Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Selma Blair, Jane Alexander, Radha Mitchell and Fred Ward.

The Final Season (PG for mild epithets, teen smoking and mature themes). Inspirational sports flick about the efforts of a new coach (Sean Astin) to motivate members of his baseball team over the course of the last season before the Iowa high school merges with another. Cast includes Tom Arnold, Rachael Leigh Cook and Michael Angarano.

The Game Plan (PG for mature themes). The Rock stars in this Disney kiddie comedy about a famous and fun-loving NFL quarterback who finds his playboy lifestyle suddenly sacked by his having to raise the seven year-old daughter (Madison Pettis) he never knew he had. With Kyra Sedgwick, Morris Chestnut and Gordon Clapp.

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.

Good Luck Chuck (R for nudity, profanity, sexuality and drug use). Based on the Steve Glenn short story of the same name, this romantic comedy revolves around the lengths to which a successful dentist/perennial loser at love (Dane Cook) will go to land the accident-prone penguin expert/girl of his dreams (Jessica Alba).

The Heartbreak Kid (R for profanity, crude humor and graphic sexuality). The Farrelly Brothers direct this romantic comedy about a confirmed bachelor (Ben Stiller) who finally ties the knot only to fall in love with a woman (Michelle Monaghan) he meets while honeymooning in Mexico with his suddenly insufferable bride (Malin Akerman).

In the Valley of Elah (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, violence and disturbing content). Two-time Oscar-winner Paul Haggis (for Crash) wrote and directed this crime thriller about a couple (Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon) who team with a police detective to solve the mysterious disappearance of their son (Jonathan Tucker) who went AWOL after his return from Iraq.

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.

The Jane Austen Book Club (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, drug use and mature themes). Romance drama about a half-dozen females who form a book club only to find parallels between their lives in California and that of the characters in the 19th Century British novels they’ve been reading. Ensemble includes Maria Bello, Amy Brenneman, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker and Hugh Dancy.

The Kingdom (R for profanity and graphic violence). Jamie Foxx stars in this international potboiler as an FBI Special Agent who assembles an elite team of commandos (Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) with only five days to find the madman behind the terrorist bombing of a Western compound in Saudi Arabia.

Michael Clayton (R for profanity). George Clooney handles the title role in this conspiratorial corporate potboiler about a discontented attorney assigned to handle some dirty work by a senior partner (Sydney Pollack) at a leading NYC law firm. With Tilda Swinton, Ken Howard and Michael O’Keefe.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG for scary images). Disney, digital 3D re-release of Tim Burton’s animated classic about a Halloween Pumpkin King (Chris Sarandon) who decides to try to take control of the Christmas holiday away from Santa Claus. Voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara, Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens and Danny Elfman.

Rendition (R for profanity and violence, including torture). Political potboiler about a CIA Agent (Jake Gyllenhaal) who comes to question the unorthodox methods being employed by the Agency in the war on terrorism while he’s participating in the detention and interrogation of an Egyptian-born engineer (Omar Metwalley) married to an American citizen (Reese Witherspoon). A-list support cast includes Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, J.K. Simmons and Peter Sarsgaard.

Reservation Road (R for profanity and disturbing images). Revenge flick, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, revolving around an anguished college professor’s (Joaquin Phoenix) desperate search for the driver (Mark Ruffalo) of the car which claimed the life of his 10 year-old son (Sean Curley) in a hit-and-run accident. Ensemble includes Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino and Elle Fanning.

Resident Evil: Extinction (R for profanity, nudity and pervasive graphic violence). Third installment of the fright franchise based on the popular video game finds Milla Jovovich reprising her lead role as the two-fisted heroine at the center of another harrowing, high body-count horror flick. Cast includes Mike Epps, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter and Ashanti.

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (PG for fantasy action and scary images). Sci-fi adventure about a young boy (Alexander Ludwig) who discovers that he is among the last of a group of immortal warriors capable of time-traveling for a cataclysmic showdown with evil forces.

Sydney White (PG-13 for profanity, partying and sexual humor). Teensploit putting a twist on the Snow White fairy tale features Amanda Bynes as a college freshman who opts to live with seven social zeros instead of pledging her late mother’s sorority.

Things We Lost in the Fire (R for profanity and drug use). Oscar-winners Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro co-star in this bittersweet drama about a recently-widowed mother of two young children who finds a shoulder to lean on in her husband’s drug-addicted best friend since childhood. With David Duchovny and Alison Lohman in supporting roles.

We Own the Night (R for nudity, profanity, sexuality, drug use and grahic violence). Set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn in 1988, this crime saga pits the manager (Joaquin Phoenix) of a nightclub owned by Russian mobsters against his brother (Mark Wahlberg) and father (Robert Duvall), both of whom are with the NYPD. With Eva Mendes as the gangster’s gun moll.

Why Did I Get Married? (PG-13 for profanity, sexual references and mature themes). Tyler Perry directs and co-stars in this adaptation of his play about four married couples, friends since college, who find their marriages tested during a week-long reunion in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Ensemble cast includes Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Tasha Smith, Malik Yoba, Michael Jai White, Sharon Leal, Denise Boutte and Lamann Rucker.

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