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Arts & Entertainment kam’s kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, May 22 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News BIG BUDGET FILMS Chocolate City (R for profanity, brief violence, partial nudity and pervasive sexuality) Inner-city saga about a cash-strapped col- lege student (Robert Ri’chard) who moonlights as a stripper at a neighbor- hood nightclub on ladies’ night. Ensemble cast includes Vivica A. Fox, Tyson Beckford, DeRay Davis, Carmen Electra, Ginuwine and Michael Jai White. Poltergeist (PG-13 for intense horror fare, mild profanity and suggestive material) Remake of the 1982, haunted house horror classic about the abduction of a little girl (Kennedi Clements) whose family is being terrorized by malevo- lent spirits. Starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jarred Harris. Chaplin, Ian Tracey and Peter McRobbie. Tomorrowland (PG for brief profanity, mature themes, action, violence and scenes of peril) Sci-fi adventure about a preco- cious teen (Britt Robertson) and a jaded genius (George Clooney) who embark on a dangerous mission to a far- away place in another dimension. With Hugh Lau- rie, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Tim McGraw. (Dis)Honesty (Unrated) Truth-telling is the subject of this documentary explor- ing the toll that lying takes on us, both individually and collectively, as a society. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Aloft (R for profanity and sexuality) Tale of redemp- tion about a journalist (Melanie Laurent) who orchestrates the reunion of a renowned artist/healer (Jen- nifer Connelly) with the son (Cillian Murphy) she’d abandoned 20 years earlier. Support cast includes Oona The Farewell Party (Unrated) Dark comedy, set in Jerusalem, revolving around the compassionate friends of a terminally-ill retiree (Shmuel Wolf) who build a self-euthanasia machine for him and other residents of their old folks home. With Ze’ev Revach, Levan Finkelshtein and Ruth Geller. (In Hebrew with subtitles) Gueros (Unrated) Social satire about a troubled teen (Sebastian Aguirre) sent by his overwhelmed mother to live with his big brother (Tenoch Huerta) attending college in Mexico City. Fea- Poltergeist turing Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortiz Gris and Raul Briones. (In Spanish with subtitles) Love at First Fight (Unrated) Romantic romp revolving around a conven- tional carpenter (Kevin Azais) who falls head-over- heels for a paranoid survivalist (Adele Haenel) preparing for Armageddon. With Antoine Laurent, Brigitte Rouan and William Lebghil. (In French with subtitles) See MOVIES on page 11 Books: ‘Michelle Obama: A life,’ by Peter Slevin more complicated points than the simplistic sound bites she’s been reduced to. For that reason, it is appro- priate that her biography opens with an in-depth analysis of a very emotional speech she delivered to Anacostia High’s graduat- ing class of 2010. She pointed out the irony in the fact that this public school located in a neigh- borhood marked by poverty, violence and inequality was also just a stone’s throw away from the U.S. Capitol. She went on make parallels between that ghetto and the one where she was raised on the South Side of Chicago. Then, Michelle started to cry while recalling the sacri- fices on the part of her parents which enabled both her and brother to attend Princeton. And when she finished, it was apparent that her salient message about the power of perse- verance had resonated with all in attendance. In Michelle Obama: A Life, author Peter Slevin paints an unapologetically rosy picture of the First Lady, opting to play down or entirely avoid any contro- versial subjects. It’s important to note that she never cooperated with the project, although he report- edly did get to interview a number of folks close to her. A titanic, 400+ page tome, complete with 16 pages of color pictures, for fans who prefer to read an opus about the First Lady that accentu- ates the positive. Author Peter Slevin paints an unapologetically rosy picture of the First lady, opting to play down or entirely avoid any controversial subjects. It’s important to note that she never cooperated with the project, although he reportedly did get to interview a number of folks close to her. By Kam Williams For The Skanner News Michelle Obama: A Life by Peter Slevin Knopf Hardcover, $27.95 448 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-0-307-95882-2 “Here is the first compre- hensive account of the life and times of Michelle Obama, a woman of achievement and purpose— and the most unlikely First Lady in modern American history... The journey winds from the intricacies of her upbringing as the highly focused daughter of a gre- garious water-plant worker afflicted with MS to the tribulations she faces at Princeton University and Harvard Law School during the racially charged 1980s. And then returning to Chicago where she… embarks on a search for meaningful work that takes her back to the communi- ty… even as she struggles to find balance as a mother and a professional—while married to a man who wants to be president. [The book] deftly explores the drama of Barack’s his- toric campaigns and the harsh glare faced by Michelle in a role both relentlessly public and not entirely of her choosing.” — Excerpted from the Bookjacket M ichelle Obama has been catching a lot of flak again, this time for her remarks during a recent commencement address at Tuskegee Univer- sity. The First Lady has been under the gun ever since the 2008 presidential campaign, when her detrac- tors playing “gotcha politics” quoted something she said out of context to suggest that she hates the United States. But Michelle was making May 20, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7
