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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2016)
Page 6 The Skanner February 10, 2016 Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 BIG BUDGET FILMS Deadpool (R for sex- uality, graphic nudity, graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Ryan Reynolds plays the Marvel Comics antihero in this origins adventure about a Special Forces mercenary left mutated by a proverbial medical experiment gone hor- ribly wrong. With Ed Skrein, Karan Soni and Michael Benyaer. How to Be Single (R for sexuality and perva- sive profanity) Roman- tic comedy revolving around the misadven- tures of a newcomer to New York City (Dakota Johnson) who decides to test the waters of the Manhattan dating scene after breaking up with her marriage-minded college sweetheart (Nich- olas Braun). Co-starring Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Damon Wayans, Jr. and Alison Brie. Where to Invade Next (R for profanity, drug use, violent images and brief graphic nudity) Mi- chael Moore mockumen- tary finds the inveterate iconclast mounting faux Kam Williams Kam’s Kapsules Movie Reviews invasions of other na- tions in search of ways to improve the quality of life in the United States of America. Zoolander 2 (PG-13 for brief profanity, coarse humor, crude sexuality and a scene of over-the- top violence) Ben Stiller reprises the title role in a silly sequel which finds the dim-witted model joining forces with his former adversary (Owen Wilson) in order to fight a new fashion industry nemesis (Will Ferrell). Ensemble cast includes Kristen Wiig, Benedict Cumberbatch, Penelope Cruz and Olivia Munn, with cameos by Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Lenny Kravitz, Demi Lovato and Macau- lay Culkin. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (Unrated) Romantic comedy re- volving around the love which blossoms between an Asian-American (Jamie Chung) visiting Hong Kong for the very first time and the white guy (Bryan Greenberg) giving her a tour of the city. With Sarah Lian, Jaeden Cheng and Rich- ard Ng. Cabin Fever (Unrat- ed) Faithful remake of the 2002 horror comedy about five college friends (Gage Golightly, Mat- thew Daddario, Nadine Crocker, Dustin Inram and Samuel Davis) on the run from a flesh-eating virus during a weekend getaway at a remote ru- ral retreat. Featuring Randy Schulman, Louise Linton, Jason Rouse and Eli Roth. Fitoor (Unrated) Bol- lywood version of Great Expectations, the Charles Dickens classic revolving around the coming-of- age of a struggling street urchin (Aditya Roy Ka- poor). With Katrina Kaif, Rahul Bhat and Tabu. (In Hindi with subtitles) ‘Zoolander 2’ Mountains May De- part (Unrated) Three- part character study, set in 1999, 2014 and 2025, chronicling events in the life of a beautiful (Tao Zhao), pursued by two suitors (Yi Zhang and Jing Dong Liang), who opted to marry for mon- ey over love. With Zijan Dong, Sylvia Chang and Lu Liu. (In Cantonese, Mandarin and English with subtitles) National Parks Adven- ture (Unrated) Eco-doc- umentary, narrated by Robert Redford, extolling the virtues of America’s national parks. Of Mind and Music (PG-13 for suggestive material, drug referenc- es and mature themes) Tenderhearted family drama, unfolding against the backdrop of the New Orleans music scene, ex- amining the toll exacted by Alzheimer’s on a pop- ular street performer (Aunjanue Ellis). Co-star- ring Bill Cobbs and Joa- quim de Almeida. Providence (Unrated) See MOVIES on page 10 FILM REVIEW: ‘Monster Hunt’ a Kid- Friendly Medieval Martial Arts Mash-up ‘Monster Hunt’ By Kam Williams For The Skanner News D The James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation irected by Raman Hui (Shrek the Third), Monster Hunt was released across Asia last sum- mer where it became the high- est-grossing Chinese film of all time. The version I watched was dubbed into English, which served to turn the martial arts/comedy mash-up into a decidedly campy affair. The experience reminded me of the Japanese horror flicks from the 1950s where the corny dialogue in- variably failed to fit the movement of the actors’ mouths. This one even has its characters often speaking in inappropriately-modern idioms such as, “You are such a loser!” Pur- ists might be happy to know that the movie is also being made available with subtitles, though I suspect it’s far funnier lip-synched. Set during an ancient dynasty, the picture features an unapologetical- ly exuberant mix of sentiment and slapstick that endeavors to tug at your heartstrings while simultane- ously tickling your funny bone. The CGI-driven costume fantasy unfolds in a mythical kingdom inhabited by both humans and monsters. The plot thickens when the ham- let’s male mayor, Tianyin (Jing Bo- ran), is miraculously impregnated by a malevolent Monster Queen. Next thing you know, just about everybody around, human and mon- ster alike, wants half-breed baby Wooba dead, much to the chagrin of the glowing, expecting daddy. Lucky for Tianyin, he forges a fast friendship with Hua Xiaolan (Bai Baihe), a female warrior bless- ed with a winning combination of maternal instincts and mad karate skills. She’s determined to save the radish-shaped bundle of joy, so what ensues is an overstimulating kitchen sink adventure throwing everything up on the screen from cartoon phys- ics fight scenes to Bollywood-style song-and-dance numbers. Kid-friendly fare amusing enough to entertain adults, too, provided their brains are on pause! Very Good HH1/2 Unrated Dubbed or Mandarin with subtitles Running time: 104 minutes Distributor: Film Rise
