Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

O Jerusalem (R for graphic battle scenes) Historical epic revisits the creation of Israel in 1948 as seen through the eyes of two friends from New York, one a Jew (J.J. Field), the other, an Arab (Said Taghmaoui) who make their way to the Middle East to contribute to their respective causes. Cast includes Sir Ian Holm, Tom Conti and Tovah Feldshuh.

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.

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).

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 support 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 with fidelity issues during a very eventful week-long reunion at a picturesque retreat 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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