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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Opening This Week — For Movies Opening Aug. 31 Sonakshi Sinha and Chi- trangda Singh. (In Hindi with subtitles) BIG BUDGET FILMS Lawless (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and graph- ic violence) Prohibition Era crime saga revisiting the real-life exploits of the bootlegging Bondurant brothers (Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke), a ruthless gang who ran a thriving moonshine opera- tion in the mountains of Franklin County, Virginia where they crossed paths with a crooked Deputy Sheriff (Guy Pearce) demanding a cut of the take. With Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman and Mia Wasikowska. The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (G) Interactive kiddie flick in which the title characters’ (Malerie Grady, Stephanie Renz and Misty Miller) plans to throw a pal (Taras Los) a surprise birthday party go awry when their magical balloons float away. Ensemble includes Christopher Lloyd, Toni Braxton, Cloris Leachman, Cary Elwes, Jaime Pressly and Chazz Palminteri. The Possession (PG 13 for violence and disturbing themes) Evil spirit horror flick about a couple’s (Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan) desperate effort to defeat the demonic force unwittingly unleashed on their family after their youngest daughter (Natasha Calis) bought an antique box at a neighborhood yard sale. Cast includes Madison Davenport, Grant Show and Agam Darshi. K AM ’ S C APSULES Movie Reviews by Kam Williams defense of the decimated planet against a horde of bloodthirsty predators. Star- ring Shawn Ashmore, Cory Hardrict, Ashley Bell, Michael Eklund and Dominic Monaghan. The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (R for vio- lence) Jet Li stars in this 3- D remake of Dragon Gate Inn (1966), a martial arts adventure about an avari- cious band of marauders’ The Possession For a Good Time, Call (R for profanity, drug use and graphic sexuality) Raunchy romantic romp revolving around a couple of cash-strapped roommates (Ari Graynor and Lauren Miller) who resort to phone sex to pay the rent on their The Ambassador search for buried treasure in the desert while hiding their true intentions by mas- querading as ordinary citi- zens. Featuring Lunmei Kwai, Xun Zhou, Kun Chen and Yuchun Li. (In Man- darin with subtitles) pricey Manhattan apart- ment. Ensemble cast includes Seth Rogen, Mimi Rogers, Nia Vardalos and Justin Long. ing situations and mature themes) Orlando Bloom plays the title character in this psychological thriller about a recent med school grad who develops an unhealthy obsession with a pretty patient (Riley Keough) with a kidney infection. Supporting cast includes Taraji P. Henson (great-great niece of Matthew), Troy Garrity (son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden), Sorel Carradine (daughter of Keith), Jean St. James (mother of Martin Starr) and Michael Pena. Joker (Unrated) Fantasy adventure about escapees from an insane asylum who established their own king- dom when their mental hos- pital was accidentally left off the map in the 1947 par- tition of India and Pakistan. Starring Akshay Kumar, Little Birds (R for vio- lence, sexuality, nudity, rape, drug and alcohol use, and pervasive profanity) Coming-of-age road drama about a couple of teenagers (Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker) who make a break from their humdrum hometown after meeting some cute older boys (Chris Coy, Carlos Pena and Kyle Gallner) from L.A. Cast includes Kate Bosworth, Leslie Mann and Neal McDonough. Ornette: Made in Amer- ica (Unrated) Reverential biopic chronicling the career of avant garde jazz saxophonist Ornette Cole- man. Includes appearances by Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Jayne Cortez and Denardo Coleman. The Tall Man (R for vio- lence, profanity and terror) High attrition-rate horror flick about a rust belt ghost town where the town nurse (Jessica Biel) remains skep- tical about rumors of disap- pearing children until her own son (Jakob Davies) vanishes into thin air in the middle of the night. With William B. Davis, Stephen McHattie and Jodelle Fer- land. Ornette: Made in America The Good Doctor (PG-13 for crude sexuality, disturb- INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS The Ambassador (Unrat- ed) Danish journalist Madds Brugger poses as a shady European diplomat in this shocking documentary exposing corrupt govern- ment officials openly trad- ing in blood diamonds in the Central African Republic. (In Danish, English and French with subtitles) Breathing (Unrated) Aus- trian actor-turned-director Karl Markovics makes his directorial debut with this eloquent character study of an incarcerated teenager’s (Thomas Schubert) effort to earn an early parole for good behavior by working in the morgue. With Karin Lischka, Georg Friedrich and Gerhard Liebmann. (In German and English with subtitles) The Day (R for nudity, graphic violence and perva- sive profanity) Post-apoca- lyptic sci-fi thriller about an intrepid quintet‘s 24-hour August 29, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 5
