Arts & Entertainment
Film Review: Orphan Abducted to Neverland in ‘Pan’
By Kam Williams
Special To Th e Skanner
News
E
veryone’s
familiar
with Peter Pan, the
much-beloved chil-
dren’s classic revolving
around the magical adven-
tures of a little boy who can
fl y and won’t grow up. In
fact, the fanciful character
is so deeply woven into the
cultural fabric that he has a
psychological disorder, the
Peter Pan syndrome, named
after him, a pathology ap-
plied to people seemingly
stuck in a state of suspended
adolescence.
Created by Sir James Mat-
thew Barrie, Peter Pan was
fi rst produced as a play in
1904 and adapted into an
illustrated novel seven years
thereafter. The enchanting
fairy tale made its screen
debut as a silent movie in
1924, with assorted re-
makes, sequels, spin-offs
and animated versions being
released over the ensuing
generations.
Directed by Joe Wright
(Anna Karenina), Pan, the
latest incarnation, is a pre-
quel very loosely based on
the J.M. Barrie plotline.
This special f/x spectacu-
lar is the brainchild of ac-
tor-turned-scriptwriter Ja-
son Fuchs, who ostensibly
felt free to speculate wildly
about Peter Pan’s roots. The
fi lm stars Levi Miller as Pe-
ter, and features an impres-
sive supporting cast includ-
ing Hugh Jackman, Rooney
Mara, Garrett Hedlund and
Amanda Seyfried.
At the picture’s point of
departure, we witness a
here, Hook happens to be a
benign fi gure who befriends
Peter, along with Indian
princess Tiger Lily (Mara)
and the ethereal fairy Tinker
Bell.
At this juncture, the movie
morphs into an overstimu-
lating, kitchen sink extrava-
ganza serving up everything
from dazzling, CGI chase
scenes to catchy song-and
dance tunes (ala “Smells
Like Teen Spirit”) to swash-
buckling derring-do. A
riveting roller coaster ride
well-designed to enthrall
tykes for two hours straight.
‘Pan’
newborn baby being very
reluctantly deposited by his
mother (Seyfried) on the
doorstep of the Lambeth
Home for Boys, an orphan-
age run by an order of nuns.
Fast-forward a dozen years
Film Review:
‘In My Father’s House’
Chronicles Grammy-Winning Rapper’s
Reunion with Long-Lost Dad
and we fi nd Peter and his
fellow foundlings sharing
the misfortune of being un-
der the thumb of a sadistic
mother superior (Kathy
Burke).
Furthermore, it’s the
height of the Battle of Brit-
ain, and the Luftwaffe’s dai-
ly fi re bombings of London
during the Blitz have left the
lads terribly traumatized.
Obviously, Fuchs’ anachro-
nistic screenplay takes a few
liberties, such as in setting
the story during World War
II, well after the source ma-
terial was already written.
Nevertheless, the tale
makes an incredible leap
from reality into fantasy
the night a fl ying frigate
swoops out of the sky and
starts plucking the kids right
out of their beds and up into
the heavens. Curiously, the
ship’s captain is not Hook
(Hedlund), but Blackbeard
(Jackman), the notorious
British pirate who roamed
the high seas in the early
18th Century.
Unfortunately,
Black-
beard is no savior but a kid-
napper intent on enslaving
the youngsters in Never-
land, a lair located in an-
other dimension. However,
Very Good
Rated PG for mature
themes, mild epithets, ac-
tion and violence
Running time: 111 minutes
Distributor: Warner Broth-
ers Pictures
View movie trailers at
TheSkanner.com
Preview Oct. 8th at 7:30pm
Admission $10
Brian Tillman with his son Che “Rhymefest” Smith
By Kam Williams
Special To Th e Skanner News
Che “Rhymefest” Smith is among the
handful of rappers who have actually
managed to make it in the music indus-
try. What’s even more remarkable is the
fact that the Grammy-winning artist also
overcame a challenging childhood, hav-
ing been raised on the rough South Side
of Chicago by a single-mom who’d given
birth to him while still in her early teens.
Despite his phenomenal success in the
music business, one thing that nagged
at Rhymefest was why he’d been aban-
doned by his father, Brian, a man he’d
only seen a few times in his entire life,
and not at all over the past two decades.
He wondered whether his dad ever cared
or thought about him — or might he be
dead?
Rhymefest’s curiosity was probably
piqued because of the guilt he himself
felt about having three out-of-wedlock
offspring with baby-mamas he’d never
committed to. He wanted to understand
why he’d perpetuated the cycle of pa-
rental neglect, especially since fatherless
kids represent 60 percent of youth sui-
cides, 71 percent of juvenile incarcer-
ations and 90 percent of homeless chil-
dren.
So, fi rst, he proceeded to buy the house
that his father grew up in and moved in
with his wife, Donnie. Then, after hear-
ing rumors that Brian was a local hobo
and an alcoholic, he started scouring the
streets of the Windy City for him.
Yes, he did search for and get his dad
into rehab right after their tearful reunion.
But would the lush fi nd the strength to
keep his nose clean with the help of this
new lease on life coming in the form of
a job, an apartment, and a loving, sup-
portive son?
That is the tension that tugs at your
heart while watching In My Father’s
House, a Prodigal Dad documentary
co-directed by Ricki Stern and Anne
Sundberg. The picture proves to be very
compelling as a sociological examina-
tion of profound dysfunction, but it’s si-
multaneously a bitter disappointment for
anyone expecting a miraculous, happy
Hollywood ending.
Unfortunately, Rhymfest just can’t
get no satisfaction from the father he’s
craved and loved from afar for as long
as he can remember. But at least he con-
tinues to fl ourish professionally, having
recently co-written the 2015 Oscar-win-
ning Best Song “Glory” with Common
and John Legend for the fi lm Selma.
The movie’s message, if any? If you’re
a successful rap star, you might want to
think twice before returning to the ghetto
to track down the deadbeat dad you nev-
er knew.
Excellent
Rated R for profanity and ethnic slurs
Running time: 93 minutes
Distributor: Arc Entertainment
A powerful, resonant drama that
should be seen not only by theater
lovers but by anyone concerned
with race relations in America.
October 7, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 9