Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2015)
Arts & Entertainment kam’s kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, April 10 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News BIG BUDGET FILMS Beyond the Mask (PG for action, violence and mature themes) Faith-based historical drama about a for- mer mercenary (Andrew Cheney) for the British East India Company who attempts to redeem himself by thwarting a plot against the American Revolution. With Alan Madlane as Ben Frankiln, and John Arden McClure as George Wash- ington. Desert Dancer (PG-13 for mature themes, violence and drug use) True tale, set in Iran, revolving around a young rebel (Reece Ritchie) who risked persecution by founding an underground dance company in a country who are all looking for work in an inhospitable economic climate. Featuring Rebecca Matalon. Black Souls (Unrated) Mafia saga, set in Italy, about two brothers (Marco Leonardi and Peppino Maz- zotta) who run the family’s international drug trade while another sibling (Fab- rizio Ferracane) herds goats in their ancestral hometown nestled in the mountains along the Ionic seacoast. With Barbara Bobulova, Anna Ferruzzo and Giuseppe Fumo. (In Italian with subtitles) Clouds of Sils Maria (R for profanity and graphic nudity) Midlife-crisis drama about an actress (Juliette Binoche) who agrees to por- tray an older character in the revival of the play that made Clouds of Sils Maria where dancing is strictly forbidden. Co-starring Frei- da Pinto, Nazanin Boniadi and Tom Cullen. The Longest Ride (PG- 13 for battle scenes, sports action, sexuality and partial nudity) Screen adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks best- seller about a star-crossed couple (Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood) whose path serendipitously intersects with that of a geezer (Alan Alda) given to reminiscing while waiting to be rescued from a car wreck. With Oona Chaplin, Gloria Reuben and Lolita Davi- dovich. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Below Dreams (Unrated) Millennial Generation drama highlighting the frus- trating job search of three twenty-somethings, an ex- con (Jamaine Johnson), a single-mom (Leanne Miller), and an unemployed college grad (Elliott Ehlers), her famous decades earlier in the starring role. Ensem- ble cast includes Chloe Grace Moretz, Kristen Stewart and Lars Eidinger. (In English, French, Ger- man and Swiss German with subtitles) Dior and I (Unrated) Behind-the-scenes docu- mentary about Raf Simons, the new artistic director at the Christian Dior fashion house. Featuring appear- ances by Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lawrence, Sharon Stone and Marion Cotillard. (In English, French and Ital- ian with subtitles) Ex Machina (R for pro- fanity, violence, sexual references and graphic nudi- ty) Sci-fi thriller about a corporate computer geek (Domhnall Gleeson) who runs away with a fetching fembot after developing a romantic attachment to the gorgeous android (Alicia Vikander) slated to have her memory banks erased. With Oscar Isaac, Corey Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno. Freetown (PG-13 for mature themes involving violence) Inspirational tale of survival recounting a half-dozen missionaries’ flight from Liberia to Sierra Leone to escape the bloody civil war raging in their homeland. Starring Henry Adofo, Alphonse Menyo and Michael Attram. Kill Me Three Times (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and graphic vio- lence) Dark comedy revolving around an assas- sin-for-hire (Simon Pegg) who lands in a triangulated web of intrigue involving blackmail, murder and revenge after botching a hit on a wealthy man’s (Callan Mulvey) philandering wife (Alice Braga). Cast includes Luke Hemsworth, Teresa Palmer and Bryan Brown. Song from the Forest altered the evolution of human life on the planet. Lost River (R for profan- ity, sexuality and disturbing violent images) Ryan Gosling makes his writing and directorial debut with this escapist fantasy revolv- ing around a cash-strapped single-mom (Christina Hen- dricks) who finds herself swept into a subterranean dark world. With Ben Mendelsohn, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes. The Reconstruction of William Zero (Unrated) Sci-fi thriller about a geneti- cist suffering from amnesia (Conal Byrne) who makes a shocking discovery while trying to relearn who he is with the help of his identical twin brother. Support cast includes Amy Seimetz, Tim Haberger and Adam Fris- toe. The Sisterhood of Night (PG-13 for mature themes, suicide, sexuality and pre- scription drug abuse) Screen adaptation of Steven Millhauser’s short story of the same name about a teenage girl (Kara Hay- ward) who becomes the subject of a modern-day version of a Salem witch trial after publicly com- plaining about her initiation into a sinister sorority. With Kal Penn, Georgie Henley, Willa Cutthrell-Tuttleman and Olivia DeJonge. Song from the Forest (Unrated) Cross-cultural documentary about Louis Sarno, an American musi- cologist who moved to the Central African Republic in 1985, had a child with a Pygmy, and raised his son in the rainforest. Living in the Age of Air- planes (Unrated) Harrison Ford narrates this anthropo- logical examination of how the miracle of flight has V Y Peterson Treads Tough Terrain in New Book This extraordinary collection of poetry and fictional prose, chronicles the realities and disparities of divorce, relationships and mental illness, within communities of color. Portland author V.Y. Peterson hopes, with her work, to acknowledge the adversities that are present in communities of color, that are impacting life everyday such as: AIDS, divorce, incarceration and mental illness. She has written countless plays, poems and short stories, that outline her desires for a greater America. Fruits of Our Labor: MY Words, MY Harvest can be purchased at authorhouse.com, Broadway Books in Portland and amazon.com. April 8, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7
