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)
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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