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August 25. 2010
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‘Lottery Ticket’ Hits Movie Theatres to Sporadic Laughs
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The odds o f winning the lot
tery are what, like, 1 in 175
million? The laughs aren't quite
so hard to come by in "Lottery
Ticket," but they're not a safe
bet, either.
The feature debut from long­
time music video director Erik
White starts out amiably enough,
with a shaggy, shambling vibe.
But it eventually devolves into a
weirdly violent streak, followed
by some seriously heavy-handed
Bow Wow, and Loretta Devine are shown in a scene from ‘Lottery
sentimentality. Still, the ensemble Ticket.'
cast manages to keep things spo­
radically
- enjoyable
- -
stuck workin8 at Foot Locker tries to make his way to work at
Rapper-actor Bow Wow is all but dreams o f creating his own the mall one morning but keeps
grown up here as Kevin, a re- shoe line. "Lottery Ticket’’ is at getting delayed by the random
cent high school graduate who’s Us strongest offthetop, as Kevin neighbors in his Atlanta housing
___________________________________ project.
They include his God-tearing
grandma (Loretta Devine), the
g o ssip y n e ig h b o r (C h a rlie
Murphy) and the crazy recluse
who lives in the basement and
only pops his hand out with some
cash for Kevin to buy him some
beef jerky and a Cherry Coke,
Along for the ride is his broke,
unemployed best friend, Benny,
played by Brandon T. Jackson,
And there's Kevin's childhood
pal, the college-bound Stacie
(Naturi Naughton), who clearly
wants to be more than friends,
and should be.
After a run-in with neighbor-
hood ex-con Lorenzo (Gbenga
A k in n ag b e) o v er som e A ir
Jordans Kevin gets him fired
from his job; buys him self a lot-
tery ticket. And whaddya know?
The numbers he got out o f a
fortune cookiethatdayjusthap-
pen to win him the $370 million
jackpot,
But because we need a plot
contrivance to make things diffi-
cult for Kevin, it just happens to
betheextended July 4 weekend,
so he has to wait three days to
cash in at the lottery office. This
also means he has to survive
three days o f people cozying up
to him or trying to kill him be-
cause he's now a rich man.
"L ottery T icket," show s
flashes o f the kind o f likable
comedy that made Ice Cube's
"Friday" a cult classic It just
doesn’t show them consistently
and the cloyingly feel-good end-
ing nearly negates the good will
the movie generated from the
beginning. It doesn't hit the jack-
pot but it's not a total loss.
126 NE Alberta - Portland OR 97211
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33466 Havlik Dr., Scappoose, OR
Phone (503) 987-1546
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Call ahead for orders made to-go
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Musical Puppets -- The
■
exhibits, live art and enter­
M udeye Puppet Com pany
tainment, networking booths,
presents the musical performance
a puppet show and free food.
“BikeTrike Spoketacular” on Friday,
Mel Brown Live — Portland jazz giant
Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. at Lot 13 on North Mississippi
at 7 Salty’s
Columbia
every
and Shaver. The world premier show will include les- ‘ Mel Brown
J o performs
2
' on the voium
m a every
sons about creative reuse and bicycling_____________ Fndayand Sa^ day " ' | h t K“ «™ 38 the “Gentleman
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—
**— 1 o f Jazz, Brown has a career spanning
Young Jazz A rtist — Fresh from his stud­
over 40 years.
ies at the prestigious Julliard School in
Mexican Equestrian C u ltu re—This sum­
New York City and nomination as a presi­
mer, the Oregon History Museum pre­
dential scholar in the arts, Portland Trom­
sents its new est exhibit Arte en la
bonist Javier Nero performs Monday,
Charreria: The Artisanship o f the Mexi­
Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. at Mississippi Pizza Pub,
can Equestrian Culture. Over 300 stun­
3552 N. Mississippi Ave.
ning objects, many dating from the late
King Farmers Market - The King Farm­
1800s, offer a unique view o f the culture
ers Market is back each Sunday from 10
surrounding the charro or Mexican cow­
a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 31 at Northeast
boy.
Seventh Avenue and Wygant Street,
N orm an Sylvester Band - Boogie Cat
adjacent to King School Park. Food stamp
Norman Sylvester and his band perform
users can receive up to $10 in matching
Friday, Aug. 27 at4 p.m. at the Vancouver
tokens.
Wine & Jazz Festival; Friday, Aug. 27 at
St. Johns Farmers Market - The St.
7 p.m. at Persimmon Country Club; Satur-
Johns Farmers Market takes place each Saturday from day, Aug. 28 at Gemini Pub in Lake Oswego; and
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Johns Plaza through Sept. 25
Saturday, Sept. 4 at Tillicum in Beaverton.
About 24 vendors sell fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy
Einstein Exhibit—Explore the mysteries o f space and
honey and more.
time and journey inside the mind o f Albert Einstein,
one o f the greatest scientists the world has ever
known, in the new exhibit Einstein, at the Oregon
Museum o f Science and Industry.
Pink Martini Double Round - Portland’s international
band Pink Martini puts away its passport for two
special hometown performances as part o f the summer
concert series at the Oregon Zoo on Thursday, Aug. 26
and Friday, Aug. 27.
Community Fun - The next family-friendly and multi­
cultural PROPER Festival is held Saturday, Sept. 1 Lfirom
12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Kenton Park in north Portland.
Activities include a bike and car show, healthy living
Road to Equality Exhibit -- Clark County Historic
Museum presents the exhibit. Road to Equality: the
Struggle for W omen's Rights in the Northwest. The
museum is located at 1511 Main St. in Vancouver. For
more information, call 360-993-5679.
Prehistoric Predators — Enormous dinosaurs with
lifelike ferocity are represented in an exhibit that con­
tinues through Labor Day at the Oregon Zoo. Visitors
will follow a trail through an ancient rain forest, sur­
rounded by the realistic animatronic creatures that
roar, snarl and move.