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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Opening This Week — Nov. 30 BIG BUDGET FILMS Killing Them Softly (R for violence, drug use, sex- ual references and pervasive profanity) Screen adaptation of the George V. Higgins crime thriller of the same name about a hit man (Brad Pitt) hired to investigate the heist of a mob-protected poker game. Cast includes Richard Jenk- ins, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini, Sam Shepard and Max Casella. K AM ’ S C APSULES Movie Reviews by Kam Williams compound somewhere in South Africa. California Solo (Unrat- ed) Midlife crisis drama Elza INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Addicted to Fame (Unrated) Price of fame biopic takes a behind-the- scenes look at the late Anna Nicole Smith during the making of Illegal Aliens, a sci-fi spoof of Charlie’s Angels. Featuring commen- tary by Larry King, Harvey Levin and Jesse Eisenberg. Back to 1942 (Unrated) Historical epic, set in Henan province, revisiting the political corruption within the Chinese government which led to the senseless starvation of 3,000,000 citi- zens during a year-long drought. Starring Fan Xu, Daoming Chen, Alec Su, Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody. (In Mandarin and English with subtitles) Beware of Mr. Baker (Unrated) Warts-and-all rocktrospective revisiting the rise and fall of Ginger Baker, from his glory days as the drummer for Cream and Blind Faith to the self- destructive behavior which led to the loss of his fortune and his withdrawing from the world into a fortified about a retired British rock- er (Robert Carlyle), living in L.A., forced to clean up his act when he finds him- self facing deportation after being arrested for driving under the influence. With Danny Masterson, William Russ and Kathleen Wil- hoite. Tang. (In Mandarin with subtitles) Elza (Unrated) Roots drama about a Parisian- Caribbean woman’s (Stana Roumillac) return to her native Guadeloupe in search of her long-lost father after completing her master’s degree. With Vincent Byrd Le Sage, Christophe Cherki and Sophie Berger. (In French with subtitles) Ex-Girlfriends (Unrated) Messy romantic dramedy, set in NYC, about a dude (Alexander Poe) desperate to rekindle a relationship with an ex (Kristen Connol- ly) who discovers that she and another former girl- friend (Jennifer Carpenter) are currently both dating the same guy. With Noah Bean, Teddy Bergman and Liz Holtan. Hecho en Mexico (R for profanity, sexual references and brief drug use) Rever- ential documentary pays tribute to modern Mexico by weaving a cinematic tap- estry about some of the country’s contemporary cultural icons, including Don Cheto, Ruben Albarron and Amandititita. My Brothers (Unrated) Irish road drama, set in County Cork over the course of Halloween week- end in 1987, revolving around the raucous sibling rivalry which surfaces among three brothers (Timmy Creed, Paul Court- ney and TJ Griffin) trying to replace their dying father’s (Don Wycherley) favorite wristwatch while riding around in a stolen bread truck. Otelo Burning (Unrated) Overcoming-the-odds drama about a poor, South African teenager (Jafta Mamabolo) whose fortunes change when he is afforded an opportunity to pursue his passion for surfing. With Thomas Gumede, Sihle Xaba and Kenneth Nkosi. (In English and Zulu with subtitles) e c J c m Killing Them Softly Parked (Unrated) Unlike- ly-buddies drama about a lonely, middle-aged man living in his car (Colm Meany) who gets a new lease on life when he’s befriended by a 21 year-old stoner (Colin Morgan) who introduces him to an attrac- tive music teacher (Milka Ahlroth). With Stuart Gra- ham, Mark Butler and David Wilmot. Silent Night (R for sexu- ality, nudity, profanity, graphic violence and brief drug use) Holiday-themed horror flick about a serial killer in a Santa Claus suit who goes on a bloody ram- page around a quiet Midwestern town on Christ- mas Eve. Starring Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King and Donal Logue. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (R for pro- fanity, graphic sexuality, frontal nudity and pervasive gruesome violence) Vigi- lante drama about a man (Scott Adkins) who becomes bent on revenge when he comes out of a coma to learn that his wife and daughter had been slain by a creep (Jean-Claude Van Damme) during a home invasion. With Dolph Lund- gren, Mariah Bonner and James Rawlings. The Collection (R for profanity, graphic violence, grisly images and brief nudity) Horror sequel to The Collector finds a sur- vivor (Josh Stewart) of the sadistic serial killer’s (Ran- dall Archer) previous spree now leading an assault on the madman’s lair in order to rescue the daughter (Emma Fitzpatrick) of a wealthy businessman (Christopher McDonald). With Lee Tergesen, Navi Rawat and Johanna Brady. Dragon (R for violence) Two-fisted tale of redemp- tion about an unassuming village craftsman with a secret past (Donnie Yen) whose cover is blown by a detective (Takeshi Kaneshi- ro) and his former martial arts master (Yu Wang). With Kara Hui, Wu Jiang and Wei November 28, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 7
