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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2015)
Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, Jan. 30 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News BIG BUDGET FILMS Black or White (PG-13 for profanity, fighting and mature themes involving drugs and alcohol) Cross- cultural drama chronicling the bitter custody battle between a black grandmoth- er (Octavia Spencer) and a white grandfather (Kevin Costner) over their mother- less, biracial granddaughter (Jillian Estell). With Antho- ny Mackie, Andre Holland, Gillian Jacobs and Jennifer Ehle. The Loft (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity, drug use and graphic violence) Remake of the 2008 Belgian thriller of the same name revolving around five mar- ried suburbanites (Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet and Matthias Schoenaerts) who purchase a penthouse in the city for secret rendezvous with mis- tresses only to become suspicious of each other after a female corpse is found inside their pied-à- terre. Cast includes Rhona Mitra, Rachael Taylor and Isabel Lucas. Project Almanac (PG-13 for profanity and sexuality) Found-footage sci-fi thriller about a brilliant teen braini- ac (Jonny Weston) who gets more than he bargained for after building a time-travel machine with the help of his sister (Virginia Gardner) and his egghead BFFs (Sam Lerner and Allen Evange- lista). With Sofia Black-D’Elia, Amy Lan- decker, Agnes Mayasari and Katie Garfield. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Amira & Sam (Unrated) Romantic dramedy about a returning war vet (Martin Starr) who takes a shot at stand-up comedy back in the States while dating the niece (Dina Shihabi) of his former Iraqi translator (Laith Nakli). With Paul Wesley, David Rasche, Ross Marquand and Taylor Black or White Wilcox. Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of (Unrated) Rockumen- tary chronicling both the career of the iconic boy band as well as its 20th anniversary reunion to record a new album. Featur- ing Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Kevin Scott Richardson and Howie Dorough. Girlhood (Unrated) Com- ing-of-age drama about a troubled 16 year-old (Karid- ja Toure) who joins an all-girl gang after becoming fed up with being abused both at home and around the ‘hood. With Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Marietou Toure and Idrissa Diabate. (In French with subtitles) Hard to Be a God (Unrated) Outer space adventure about a team of scientists sent from Earth to a distant planet to help put its primitive inhabitants on a path of progress. Co-star- ring Leonid Yarmolnik, Laura Lauri, Dmitriy Vlad- mirov and Aleksandr Ilin. (In Russian with subtitles) Page 6 The Portland and Seattle Skanner January 28, 2015 My Name Is Hmmm… (Unrated) Unlikely-buddies road drama about an 11 year-old French girl (Lou- Lelia Demerliac) who stows away in the cab of a Scottish truck driver (Douglas Gor- don) after being sexually-abused by her own father (Jacques Bonnaffe). With Sylvie Testud, Emile Gautier, Noemie Ducourau and Marie-Christine Bar- rault. (In French and English with subtitles) Suburban Gothic (R for sexuality, profanity, vio- lence and drug use) Horror comedy about a down-on- his-luck MBA (Matthew Gray Gubler) who moves back in with his parents (Barbara Niven and Ray Wise) when he can’t find a job. Plot thickens when he enlists the assistance of a ballsy bartender (Kat Den- nings) to engage the ghost terrorizing their hometown. Cast includes Muse Watson, Sally Kirkland and John Waters. Supremacy (Unrated) Abduction drama about a See MOVIES on page 11
