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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Opening This Week: March 2 Edition De Niro and Paul Dano co-star in this dys- functional family dramedy about a young man mourning the loss of his mother (Julianne Moore) who is surprised to find his long-lost father living in a homeless cen- ter. With Olivia Thirlby, Lili Taylor and Dale Dickey. By Kam Williams Special To The Skanner News BIG BUDGET FILMS The Lorax (PG for mild epithets) Danny DeVito stars as the title character in this ani- mated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic about an idealistic 12 year-old (Zac Efron), raised in an artificial reality, who searches for a real tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams (Taylor Swift). Voice cast includes Betty White, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle. Project X (R for nudity, drug and alcohol abuse, mayhem, recklessness and pervasive profanity, sexuality, and crude humor) Raunchy teensploit revolving around three high school seniors (Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathan Daniel Brown) who throw a wild house party that spirals totally out of control. With Alexis Knapp, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Dax Flame. ‘The Lorax’ FOREIGN FILMS Art Is… The Permanent Revolution (Unrated) Agitprop documentary examining how printmakers, including Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso, have influenced the political landscape over the ages via graph- ic depictions of the human condition. Being Flynn (R sexuality, drug use, per- vasive profanity and brief nudity) Robert INDEPENDENT PAID ADVERTISEMENT What Will You Do with Your Tax Refund? By Bruce Whiting Western Regional Manager, KeyBank W ill you be getting an income tax refund check this year? It’s not too early to think about it. If you’re like most people, it may be tempting to buy retail goods, such as flat-screen televisions and other big-ticket items with your refund. Key- Bank urges taxpayers to use tax refunds to improve their overall financial health, so consider some alternatives such as paying off debt, creating or beefing up a rainy day fund and saving for long-term purchases, such as a house or car. Consider these helpful tips: • First, make sure you’re getting all the money you’re owed. In particular, when you file your taxes, find out if you’re eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is a tax credit that puts money back into the pockets of hard-working Americans. It can be any- where from $2 to $5,751, depending on your income level and the number of children you have. A tax advisor can tell you if you’re owed this credit. Many nonprofits have free tax preparation days where you can get help with tax forms before April 15. • When deciding how best to use your tax refund, remember to view money as a tool to achieve goals—and goals don’t become real or clear until they are writ- ten. Work with your banker to deter- mine your short- and long-term goals, and develop a plan to achieve them. • Consider using refunds to beef up a savings account that serves as a house- hold emergency fund. Experts advise having three to six months of living expenses saved for emergencies. • You may want to use some of your refund to pay down debt. Before using a tax refund to pay credit card balances, review a copy of your credit report to get an accurate assessment on outstand- ing debt. All three credit bureaus, Page 6 The Portland Skanner Bruce Whiting Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, pro- vide free reports at www.annualcred- itreport.com. To learn more about budgeting and paying off debt, sign up for KeyBank’s free classes. You can find a class near you by stopping into your local Key- Bank Plus branch, or calling 1-800- KEY2YOU. KeyBank Plus is a suite of financial solutions that includes low-fee check cashing, money orders, and free financial education. You don’t need to be a customer to take advantage of KeyBank Plus; serv- ices are open to everyone through approximately 300 KeyBank branches in 14 states, including right here in Ore- gon. We welcome you and look forward to helping you achieve financial suc- cess. About the author: Bruce Whiting is the Western Regional Manager of Com- munity Development Banking at Key- Bank and is committed to helping local residents. He can be reached at bruce_a_whiting@keybank.com. February 29, 2012 Black Butterflies (Unrated) bittersweet biopic, set in South Africa in the Sixties, recounting the ill-fated arc of a defiant, anti- Apartheid poet (Carice van Houten) who found herself at odds with her father (Rut- ger Hauer) serving as the racist regime’s Minister of Censorship. Supporting cast includes Liam Cunningham, Grant Swanby and Graham Clarke. Boy (Unrated) Coming-of-age drama, set in New Zealand in 1984, about an 11 year- old Michael Jackson fan (James Rolleston) who belatedly bonds with his absentee father (Taika Waititi) when the Prodigal hoodlum returns to town to unearth a buried treasure. With Moerangi Tihore, Cherilee Martin and Haze Reweti. Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? (Unrated) The haves vs. the have-nots doc- umentary chronicling the carefully-orches- trated dismantling of the U.S. middle-class by the corporatocracy with the help of politicians and lobbyists. Let the Bullets Fly (Unrated) Action comedy, set in China in the Twenties, about a notorious crime boss (Wen Jiang) who poses as the newly-appointed mayor of a ‘The Salt of Life’ provincial town until he meets his match in a local mobster (Chow Yun-Fat). With Cari- na Lau, Kun Chen and You Ge. (In Man- darin and Cantonese with subtitles) Patriocracy (Unrated) Middle-of-the- road documentary issuing an urgent call for reason in this age of political polarization. Featuring appearances by Eleanor Clift, Pat Buchanan and Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper. The Salt of Life (Unrated) Midlife crisis comedy about an aging guy (Gianni Di Gre- gorio) neglected by his wife (Elisabetta Pic- colomini) who decides to find out whether he’s still attractive by flirting with neigh- borhood ladies. With Valeria De Franciscis, Alfonso Santagata and Valeria Cavalli. (In Italian with subtitles)
