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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Opening This Week — August 17 BIG BUDGET FILMS The Expendables 2 (R for pervasive graphic vio- lence) Bombastic beefcake sequel features a reunion of the crack team of mercenar- ies for a death-defying adventure to avenge the murder of one of their own at the hands of a blood- thirsty rival (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Matinee idol ensemble includes Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarze - negger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth and Yu Nan. The Odd Life of Timo- thy Green (PG for mature themes and mild epithets) Fanciful fairytale about a young boy (CJ Adams) who K AM ’ S C APSULES Movie Reviews by Kam Williams miraculously sprouts out of the ground in the garden of a childless couple (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Gar- ner) desperate for a baby. With Rosemarie DeWitt, Odeya Rush, Dianne Wiest, David Morse, Ron Liv- ingston and Common. ParaNorman (PG for scary action, mature themes, rude humor and mild epi- thets) Animated adventure about a misunderstood ghoul whisperer (Kodi Smit-McPhee) whose abili- ty to communicate with the dead comes in handy when witches, ghost and zombies descend on his quiet home- town. Featuring voice work by Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Tempestt Bledsoe and Jeff Garlin. Sparkle (PG-13 for vio- lence, profanity, drug use, smoking, mature themes and domestic abuse) The late Whitney Houston makes her final screen per- formance in this remake of the musical drama, set in the Sixties, about three sisters (Jordin Sparks, Tika Sumpter and Carmen Ejogo) whose singing group becomes Motown’s latest sensation only to have sud- den fame tear their close- knit family apart. With Mike Epps, Derek Luke, Cee-Lo Green and Omari Hardwick. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS ‘The Expendables 2’ The Awakening (R for violence, nudity and sexual- ity) Haunted house horror flick set in the wake of World War I at a British boarding school where a professional skeptic (Re - becca Hall) summoned to debunk recent ghost sight- ings as a hoax instead gets the surprise of her life when she encounters real super- natural phenomena for the first time. With Dominic West, Imelda Staunton and John Shrapnel. Beloved (Unrated) Romance drama about a pretty Parisian hooker (Ludivine Sagnier) who falls head over six-inch stilettos for a dashing doctor (Radivoje Bukvic) only to learn that he has a wife back in Czechoslovakia. With Milos Forman, Catherine Deneuve and Paul Schnei- der. (In French, English and Czech with subtitles) Brother, Can You Spare a Dollar? (Unrated) Unsen- timental retrospective cele- brates the guts and glory of the Depression Generation while speculating about the prospects of America’s post-industrial economy. Chicken with Plums (PG-13 for drugs, smoking, sensuality and violent images) Maudlin, character- driven drama, set in Teheran in the Fifties, about an inconsolable violinist (Mathieu Amalric) who loses the will to live after Page 6 The Portland Skanner August 15, 2012 ‘Sparkle’ wife (Golshifteh Farahani) destroys his beloved instru- ment during a heated argu- ment. Cast includes Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros and Eric Carava- ca. (In French and English with subtitles) Why Stop Now? (Unrat- ed) Road comedy about an aspiring piano prodigy (Jesse Eisenberg) who finds his car commandeered by his mother’s (Melissa Leo) miffed drug dealer (Tracy Morgan) on the day of his big audition. With Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Sarah Ramos and Tanya Wright. Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (Unrated) Sci-fi comedy about the cross-species romance between a shy, See MOVIES on page 7 ‘Why Stop Now?’
