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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2011)
arts & entertainment A Palin Portrayal Lefties Will Like F air warning: This revealing expose’ is not for diehard sup- porters of Sarah Palin. The damning biopic essentially paints the former governor of Alaska as less of a Mama Grizzly Bear than a power- hungry witch who goes to great lengths to crush her adversaries, whether they be political or personal. “Sarah Palin: You Betcha!” is directed by Nick Broomfield, who also stars in the alternately humorous and eye-opening documen- tary. Like a British mix of Borat and Michael Moore, he crisscrosses Alaska, stop- ping of course in his sub- ject’s hometown of Wasilla, to sort the truth from fiction in terms of all the ugly rumors that have been lev- eled against Palin since she entered the public con- sciousness during the run- up to the 2008 presidential election. What Broomfield finds is that most of the natives are reluctant to appear onscreen, ostensibly out of a fear of suffering reprisals for cooperating with his project. As a result, most of the folks who do talk had been so betrayed by Palin that they were not inclined M ovie r evieW by Kam Williams to mend fences. For instance, John Stein laments how in 1996, when he was the incumbent mayor of Wasilla, he was stabbed in the back by his state. In another sequence, Palin’s ex-brother-in-law recounts how upon becom- ing governor, Palin decided a top policy matter would be getting him fired from the Alaska State Troopers because he was divorcing her sister. That case has received loads of media attention in recent years, but others in the film testify that this sort of vindictiveness was typical, that she exhib- ited an unusual interest in matters which affected her “You Betcha!” is a journey across Alaska’s anti-Sarah landscape protégé, Sarah Palin. She not only declared her candi- dacy for his job but pro- ceeded to run campaign ads that called to replace him with a Christian. So much for separation of church and Excellent IIII Unrated Running time: 91 minutes Distributor: Freestyle Releasing Page 8 The Portland Skanner october 12, 2011 family. Meanwhile, she ostensibly ignored the busi- ness of government, often e- mailing and text-messaging instead of paying attention during official meetings and hearings. As for Sarah’s side of the story, the intrepid is shown sticking a microphone in her face in public on several occasions. And while she politely agreed to a tete-a- tete at a more convenient time to talk, her office apparently never returned any of his calls. Bourbon at the Border P assinArt theater company will open ‘Bourbon at the Border’ at Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center Thursday Oct. 13. The play, by the award-winning Atlanta- based writer Pearl Cleage offers an inti- mate story of an African-American couple whose lives were forever changed after they became Freedom Riders, during the civil rights era. It was 1961 when the civil rights pio- neers who became the famed Freedom Riders traveled to the Deep South to defy Jim Crow. Their goal? To test the 1960 Supreme Court Ruling that declared segre- gation in interstate buses and rail stations unconstitutional. The Freedom riders showed incredible courage in the face of hatred and extreme violence. Many endured savage beatings and brutality while local police refused to intervene. Yet their endurance and courage would inspire America and transform the Civil Rights Movement. In November 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued rules prohibiting segregation transporta- tion facilities. Bourbon at the Border takes us into the lives of May and Charlie, who joined hun- dreds of other Americans on a journey to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 for a massive voter registration drive, they had no idea how big a decision that was or how it would reverberate through their lives. As students at Howard University, their campus activism had been simply met with annoying calls to their parents and constant threats of expulsion. However, the stakes in Mississippi were a lot higher. White supremacists, outraged at the chal- lenge to their segregated way of life, responded with violence that left three civil rights workers dead and many wounded. ‘Bourbon at the Border’ will show at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays to Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays at the Interstate Firehouse, 5340 N Interstate Ave. The production will run through Nov. 5., Tickets are: $20 and $17 students and seniors. For more information Call 503.235.8079 email passinart@yahoo.com or visit: www.passinart.org
