Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXI, No. 39
 
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Kam’s Kapsules by Kam Williams

2 Days in Paris (Unrated). Romantic comedy about a French photographer (Julie Delpy) and an American designer (Adam Goldberg) living in New York City who decide to vacation in Paris to rekindle the passion in their relationship only to have the plan derailed by her meddling parents and the resurfacing of her still flirtatious ex-boyfriends. In French and English with subtitles.

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.

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.

Balls of Fury (PG-13 for profanity, crude behavior, and sex-related humor). Dan Fogler stars in this revenge comedy as a washed-up ping-pong champion coaxed out of retirement by an FBI Agent (George Lopez) to enter a tournament hosted by the Asian crime lord (Christopher Walken) who murdered his father. Cast includes Maggie Q, Aisha Tyler, Kerri Kenney, David Koechner and Jim Lampley.

The Bourne Ultimatum (Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action). Matt Damon reprises the titular role as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne for the third installment of the franchise inspired by the best-selling series of international political potboilers by Robert Ludlum. Our peripatetic hero wanders the planet again, finding himself on the run from inscrutable enemies while still on a relentless quest to determine his own identity. Talented cast includes Oscar-winner Chris Cooper, nominees Joan Allen, David Straithairn, and Albert Finney, plus Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine.

The Brave One (R for profanity, sexuality, and graphic violence). Shades of Charles Bronson’s Death Wish in this film about a radio DJ (Jodie Foster) out for retribution after a brutal attack which left her seriously wounded and took the life of her beloved fiancé. Directed by Oscar-winner Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and co-starring Terrence Howard as the NYPD detective on the trail of this vigilante who’s taking the law into her own hands.

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.

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.

Dragon Wars (PG-13 for intense violence). Based on a Korean legend, this sci-fi adventure revolves around a reporter (Jason Behr) determined to save Los Angeles from a giant flying serpent with the help of a beautiful young woman (Amanda Brooks) stricken with a mysterious illness.

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.

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 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.

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).

Halloween (Unrated). Rob Zombie directs this remake of the 1978 horror classic which started the slasher series about a maniac (Tyler Mane) who embarks on a murderous rampage after escaping from the mental institution where he’d been held since killing his sister. Supporting cast includes Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Adrienne Barbeau, Mickey Dolenz, and Dee Wallace.

In the Shadow of the Moon (PG for smoking, mild epithets and brief violence). Out of this world documentary revisits all nine NASA missions to the moon, interweaving archival footage with contemporary interviews with all the still surviving Apollo astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, Eugene Cernan, Jim Lovell and Alan Bean.

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 soon after his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

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.

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.

Mr. Woodcock (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, mature themes, a drug reference, and crude humor). Billy Bob Thornton stars in the title role of this comedy about the return of a best-selling author (Seann William Scott) to his hometown where he discovers, to his horror, that his mother (Susan Sarandon) is engaged to the sadistic gym teacher who had made his life miserable all through high school. With Amy Poehler and Ethan Suplee.

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, this one featuring her leading survivors of the last zombie attack across the desert to the ruins of Las Vegas. Cast includes Mike Epps, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter and Ashanti.

Silk (R for nudity and sexuality). Costume drama, set in 19th Century France, about a silkworm smuggler (Michael Pitt) who cheats on his wife (Keira Knightley) with a geisha girl (Sei Ashina) while in Japan on business. (In Japanese and English with subtitles)

Superbad (R for profanity, sexuality, alcohol and drug use, a violent image, and pervasive crude content). Raunchy coming-of-age comedy about a couple of inseparable nerdy high school seniors (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) who plan the perfect party in order to get the girls of their dreams before they set off in the fall to different colleges.

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.

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