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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2014)
Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, Dec. 26 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News BIG BUDGET FILMS American Sniper (R for graphic violence, sexual ref- erences and pervasive profanity) Clint Eastwood directed this adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Navy Seal Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most successful sniper in the history of the U.S. military. With Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes and Jake McDorman. Big Eyes (PG-13 for mature themes and brief profanity) Revisionist histo- ry biopic correcting the record about Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), the painter whose husband (Christoph Waltz) became one of the most celebrated artists of the Fifties and Six- ties by passing off her work as his own. Co-starring Krysten Ritter, Danny Hus- ton and Jason Schwartzman. (In English, French and Ital- ian with subtitles) The Gambler (R for sex- uality, nudity and pervasive profanity) Mark Wahlberg stars in the title role of this remake of the 1974 thriller as a college professor whose gambling habit lands him in trouble with loan sharks (John Goodman and Michael Kenneth Williams) and the casino owner (Alvin Ing) who’d extended him a quarter-million dollar line of credit. With Brie Larson, George Kennedy and Jessi- ca Lange. Into the Woods (PG for action, peril, suggestive material and mature themes) Disney family fantasy inter- weaving the plotlines of several Grimm Brothers fairytales, including Cin- derella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Maury) and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and the Beanstalk. Ensem- ble includes Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine and Tracey Ullman. Selma (PG-13 for vio- lence, disturbing images, and brief profanity) Civil Rights Era saga, directed by Ava DuVernay, chronicling the historic march led by Dr. Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) credited with pressuring Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. With Carmen Ejogo, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Mar- tin Sheen, Giovanni Ribisi, Common and Oprah. Unbroken (PG-13 for brief profanity and intense brutality) Angelina Jolie directs this adaptation of the Lauren Hillenbrand best- seller of the same name recounting Olympic athlete- turned-WWII hero Louie Zamperini’s (Jack O’Con- nell) harrowing internment in a Japanese POW camp after his plane was shot down over the Pacific dur- ing a rescue mission. With Takamasa Ishihara, Garrett Hedlund, Finn Wittrock and Jai Courtney. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Barbecue (Unrated) French farce revolving around a trim and fit, diet- conscious health nut (Lambert Wilson) who decides to throw caution to the wind after suffering a heart attack on his 50th birth- Selma day. Supporting cast includes Franck Dubosc, Florence Foresti and Sophie Duez. (In French with subtitles) Beloved Sisters (Unrated) Incestuous romance drama about a couple of aristocrat- ic siblings (Hannah Herzsprung and Henriette Confurius) who opt to share when they both fall in love with the poet, philosopher and playwright Friedrich Schiller (Florian Stetter). With Claudia Messner, Ronald Zehrfeld and Maja Maranow. (In German and French with subtitles) Leviathan (R for profani- ty, sexuality and nudity) Legal drama about a humble family man (Aleksey Sere- bryakov) who retains the services of an attorney (Vladimir Vdovichenkov) to prevent his seaside home with a view from being seized for a pittance by emi- nent domain by a corrupt mayor (Roman Madyanov). Support cast includes Elena Lyadova, Anna Ukolova and Sergey Pokhodaev. (In Russian with subtitles) Tale of the Grim Sleeper (Unrated) Keystone Cops documentary revisiting the badly-bungled investigation of the case of Lonnie Franklin, Jr., aka The Grim Sleeper, a serial killer whose reign of terror around South Central L.A. claimed at least ten lives over a quar- ter-century. Two Days, One Night (PG-13 with mature themes) Slice-of-life drama about a woman (Marion Cotillard) recovering from a nervous breakdown who has to spend a weekend try- ing to convince her factory co-workers to reverse their vote to have her fired in return for a big bonus. With Fabrizio Rongione, Cather- ine Salee and Pili Groyne. (In French and Arabic with subtitles) December 24, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7
