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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Opening This Week — Weekly Movie Previews BIG BUDGET FILMS Django Unchained (R for profanity, nudity, ethnic slurs and graphic violence) Jamie Foxx stars as the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s revenge-tinged West- ern about a slave-turned-bounty hunter’s search for his wife and slave owners with corporate corruption about a gas company advance team (Matt Damon and Frances McDormand) that downplays the ecological risks while duping small town property owners into leasing their drilling rights. Support- ing cast includes K AM ’ S Hal Hol- C APSULES brook, Rose- Movie marie Reviews D e Wi t t by Kam and John Williams Krasins- ki. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Jamie Foxx stars as Django whom he wants to settle a score. Cast includes Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washing- ton, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. Les Miserables (PG-13 for violence, mature themes and suggestive material) Musical drama, set in Paris in the wake of the French Revolution, revolving around a ruthless policeman’s (Russell Crowe) relentless pursuit of an ex-con (Hugh Jack- man) wanted for a parole violation after serving 19 years for the theft of a loaf of bread. With Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bon- ham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. Parental Guidance (PG-13 for rude humor) Generation-skipping comedy about a couple of old-fashioned grandparents (Billy Crystal and Bette Midler) who meet their match babysitting three grandkids (Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush and Kyle Harrison) whose helicopter parents (Marisa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott) are away on business. With Tony Hawk, Gedde Watan- abe and Steve Levy. Allegiance (R for pervasive profanity) Stop-loss drama about a National Guard Lieutenant (Seth Gabel) torn between his loyalty to the military and a member of his unit (Bow Wow) who went to care for a son with terminal cancer AWOL rather than redeploy to Iraq. With Aidan Quinn, Resh- ma Shetty and Malik Yoba. Quartet (Unrated) Dustin Hoffman directs this musical drama set at a home for retired opera singers where plans for the annual concert celebrating Verdi’s birthday are disrupted by the arrival of a pampered diva (Maggie Smith). Featuring Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly and Sheridan Smith. Rush continued from page 6 a restaurant. However, one hazard of the job for her is having to fend off the sleazy over- tures of fellow messenger, Manny (Wole’ Parks), and of their equally-flirtatious dis- patcher, Raj (Aasif Mandvi). Nonetheless, this picture is more about action than romance, and the fun starts soon after Wilee accepts an assignment to trans- port an envelope designated “Premium Rush” from his alma mater to Chinatown. But before he even has a chance to leave campus, a gentleman (Michael Shannon) identifying himself as the Dean of Students asks permission to take possession of the parcel. Wilee’s suspicion is aroused when Dean Ackerman inexplicably goes ballistic when denied. And that concern escalates to fear when the guy starts frothing at the mouth and gives chase by auto, running lights and driving against traffic. The plot thickens further when the pedal- pushing protagonist stops at the police sta- tion to report the attempted theft. There, he discovers that he’s on his own because Ack- erman, lo and behold, is ostensibly a crooked police officer with a hidden agenda and a pecuniary interest in hijacking the package. Like a compelling cross of Crank (2006) and 16 Blocks (2006), Premium Rush unfolds at a breakneck pace that doesn’t give you a chance to pause and wonder whether what you’re watching is even cred- ible. But nothing else matters when such an urgent roller coaster ride, or should I say bike ride, manages to keep you on the edge of your seat for its dizzying duration. The Big Apple is the congested setting for a Tour de Gridlock Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG-13 for violence, ethnic slurs and profanity. In English and Mandarin with subtitles. Running time: 91 minutes Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Enter- tainment DVD Extras: The Starting Line: Meet the Cast; and Behinds the Wheels: Action, Stunts and Chases. Tabu (Unrated) Flashback flick about an ailing octogenarian (Laura Soveral) in Lis- bon who becomes desperate on her deathbed to contact the ex-lover (Henrique Espirito Santo) from Mozambique with whom she’d shared an illicit affair many years earlier. With Teresa Madruga, Isabel Munoz Cardoso, Ana Moreira and Carloto Cotta. (In Portuguese with subtitles) West of Memphis (R for profanity and disturbing violence) Justice-delayed docu- mentary about a trio of Arkansas teenagers convicted of a triple murder they didn’t commit who spent 18 years in prison before finally being freed recently with the help of DNA evidence. With commentary by Henry Rollins and Eddie Vedder. Promised Land (R for profanity) Tale of December 26, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 7
