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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2006)
DECEMBER 1. 2006 jUStlOUt'47 s Dr. Marceline Fatila, DC W estover H eights L C I C N.I , 4 V- >i, * Chiropractic Phy&ictan Your Care, «■ • Our First Priority Offering general internal medicine and excelling 5O3-228-6I4O 1716 NE 42ND • PORTLAND, OR in sexual health care ONE ON ONE CARE IN A RELAXED AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT. Serving the community for 22 years • • • , • • 2330 NW Flanders Suite 207 • Specialixing in: headaches family practice auto accident/work injury sports peak performance pregnant women’s back 6 hip care MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED 503-226-6678 I Promoting Natural Habita to for People and Wildlife Finding a date just got a whole lot easier Vrestling with Angels takes a close-up look at politically outspoken playwright Tony Kushner. Full Service Provider: landscape design to installation! Turistas version of Jon Turturro’s titular character in Barton Americans vacationing in Brazil find themselves Fink— someone who means to be a popular enter hunted by evil men who want to do unspeakable tor tainer and heroically socialistic Playwright of the ture to them. The real torture is to the audience, People, but who finds the actual creative process so who must sit through this horrifyingly slow film that stressful and difficult, it’s almost comical (and is devoid of any real suspense and is filmed so chaot decidedly humanizing). ically that you can’t recognize which cast member is The film follows Kushner from approximately which from lugubriously slow scene to scene. If you 2001 through 2004, a timeline encompassing the feel the need to see Turistas, go flush your toilet and productions of two of his pieces, Kabul/Homebody watch it, then repeat for 100 minutes. You’ll find it and Caroline, or Change. More interesting, however, infinitely more entertaining. F are a trip he takes with his brother to their child —Andy Mangels hood hometown of Lake Charles, La.; interviews with his father and footage with family; Kushner Viva Pedro! captured visiting his “fat counselor," delivering a Cinema 21 gears up for queer Spanish filmmaker rousing commencement address at Vassar and giving Pedro Almoddvar’s highly anticipated Volver, open an unlikely speech at a bank’s corporate head ing Dec. 22, with a retrospective of double features quarters in honor of LGBT Pride Week; his wedding on new 35mm prints. From Dec. 8 to 11 is 1988’s to partner Mark Harris; and, not least, the bountiful Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with talking-head footage of Kushner himself, in which 1999’s All About My Mother, which won an Oscar for he passionately and eloquently expounds on press Best Foreign Language Film. From Dec. 12 to 14 is ing issues like Iraq, President Bush, the Taliban, 2OO2’s Talk to Her, which won an Oscar for Best racism, classism and same-sex marriage. Original Screenplay, with 1995’s The Flower of My Whatever one thinks of Kushner’s plays, the Secret. From Dec. 15 to 18 is 1986’s Matador with person we meet in Mock’s film is an engaging, 1987’s Law of Desire. From Dec. 19 to 21 is 1997’sUue erudite, thoughtful speaker who is well-informed, Flesh with 2OO4’s Bad Education. j extremely opinionated and generally possessed of a —Jim Radosta congenial, charismatic charm. Opening Dec. 8 at Hollywixxl Theatre, Wrestling with Angels explores Wrestling with Angels Kushner not just as the playwright we already knew Having always been somewhat ambivalent about, but also as a deeply humane queer voice sin about Tony Kushner—I’ve never been able, as cerely committed to saying something relevant. either a gay man or an observer of popular culture, How well that mission is accomplished in his art to give what feels like the proper degree of excited might be debatable, but Wrestling uith Angels finds veneration to the Kushner-penned theater event him accomplishing it very well in his life B + Angels in America—I was nicely surprised by the —Christopher McQuain figure he cuts in Wrestling with Angels, a close-up Your Mommy Kills Animals portrait of the acclaimed, politically outspoken This documentary by gay director Curt Johnson playwright. “Portrait” is the operative word, as rhe docu provides a balanced view into the work of animal mentary is so clearly the creation of a fan; in fact, rights groups. Unfortunately, the film reveals that director Freida Lee Mock rather blithely assumes some respected, controversial or vilified organiza the viewer is already familiar with Kushner’s work. tional leaders cannot string five words into a complete sentence or form an argument on their But given his renown, that’s not too much to ask, and it frees the film from having to explain what he sometimes defendable, other times extreme, cause. does. Of note is the martyreil focus on an Oregonian Instead, we get a day-to-day, comparatively from Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty who is intimate l<x>k at who Kushner is—anil that person King prosecuted for terrorism. Screens 7 anil 9 p.m. is markedly more down-to-earth and self-effacing Dec. 6 at Clinton Street Theater; proceeds benefit than one might expect. He comes across like a the SHAC7 Support Fund B- —JRC © much less sweaty, much more self-aware queer Circadian Cotw lilting C2 Design, LLC Gail A. Dresner Professional landscape Designer 503.349.4578 (cell) http://circadian.us/ • LCB# 8343 Kick Up Your Heels & Join Us This Holiday Season! Menopause The Hilarious Celebration of Women and The Change!"* The My. HOLIDAY SPECIAL! $11 OFF PER TICKET for shows Dec i - 31 only!' ‘Only applies to phone orders & box office transactions. Must mention code THANKS. Not valid with any other offer. Expires 12/31/06, Plan Your Holiday Parties With Us! Gift Certificates Available! Great Discounts for Groups 13+ call 503-697-1574 Portland Center for the Performing Arts Dolores Winningstad Theatre *1111 Southwest Broadway, Portland Call Ticketmaster 503-224-4400 www.menopausethemusical.com • www.pcpa.com ♦♦♦ G’PRODUCTIONS
