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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2012)
arts & entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun By kam Williams Special To The Skanner News BiG BUdGeT filMS extremely loud and incredibly Close (PG-13 for profanity, disturbing images and mature themes) Post 9/11 drama about a 9 year-old boy’s (Thomas Horn) desperate search for the lock that matches the mysterious key left behind by his father (Tom Hanks) who perished in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. With Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, John Goodman and Jeffrey Wright. Haywire (R for violence) Revenge thriller, directed by Steven Soderbergh, about a special ops agent (Gina Carano) determined to track down the traitor back in the U.S. who double-crossed her and left her for dead while on a dangerous assignment in Dublin, Ireland. With Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, red Tails (PG-13 for vio- lence) WWII saga, set in Europe in 1944, recounting the bravery of Tuskegee Airmen grounded because of their skin color who make the most of an oppor- tunity to fight for their country when they are grudgingly enlisted to save the day. Ensemble cast includes Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ne-Yo, Method Man and Gerald McRaney. Underworld: awakening (R for profanity, gore and graphic violence) Kate Beckinsale reprises her role in this sci-fi sequel as a war- rior vampire who now escapes from prison to lead a confederation of were- wolves and the undead in an all-out war with humanity. Featuring India Eisley, Michael Ealy and Theo James. indePendenT & fOreiGn filMS The City dark (Unrated) Light pollution expose’ about the deleterious effect on the quality of life exacted by an increasingly bright planet. red Tails Page 4 The Portland Skanner January 18, 2012 Coriolanus (R for graphic violence) Ralph Fiennes stars in the title role of this modernistic reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s classic play about a banished Roman general who enters an unholy alliance with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler). With Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain and Brian Cox. Crazy Horse (Unrated) Revealing documentary offering an eye-opening peek inside the legendary Crazy Horse, a classy strip club which has been staging choreographed, burlesque shows in Paris since 1951. (In French and English with subtitles) The flowers of War (Unrated) Historical drama based on the Geling Yan novel about a mortician (Christian Bale) who poses as a priest in order to save the lives of prostitutes and parishioners during the Japanese’s rape of Nanking. With Shigeo Kobayashi, Bai Xue and Paul Schneider. (In English, Mandarin and Japanese with subtitles) Miss Bala (R for profani- ty, sexuality and brutal vio- lence) Dream deferred drama about a beauty pag- eant contestant (Stephanie Sigman) forced to abandon her pursuit of the Miss Mexico title when she’s kid- napped by a drug kingpin (Noe Hernandez) after wit- nessing a gangland-style underworld: Awakening massacre inside a seedy, Tijuana disco. With Irene Azuela, Jose Yenque and James Russo. (In Spanish and English with subtitles) The Pruitt-igoe Myth (Unrated) Urban renewal documentary about a much- ballyhooed St. Louis hous- ing project which opened to fanfare in 1954 only to be deliberately detonated and turned to rubble just 20 years later, due to vacan- cies, vandalism and a host of other inner-city mal- adies. Scalene (Unrated) Triangulated, psychological thriller chronicling the quest for vengeance of the mother (Margo Martindale) of a mentally-challenged mute (Adam Scarimbolo) impris- oned for raping his college- age babysitter (Hanna Hall). Support cast includes Jim Dougherty, LaDonna Pettijohn and Raymond Kester. Ultrasuede: in Search of Halston (Unrated) Reverential biopic celebrat- ing the glamour and deca- dence of the late fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick (1932-1990). Featuring reflections by Liza Minelli, Diane von Furstenberg, Billy Joel, Andre Leon Talley and Anjelica Huston. Watching Tv with the red Chinese (Unrated) Cross-cultural comedy, set in NYC in 1980, revolving around a well-meaning neighbor (Ryan O’Nan) who decides to try to play big brother to a trio of trans- fer students (Leonard Nam, James Chen and Keong Sim) from the People’s Republic. With Gillian Jacobs, Constance Wu and Idara Victor. (In English and Chinese with subtitles)
