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February 17, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 FILM REVIEW: ‘How to Be Single’ Samples Manhattan Singles Scene Arts & Entertainment Kam Talks to Isaiah Washington About ‘The Sin Seer,’ Books, ESP By Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News By Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News W I hen Alice (Dakota Johnson) graduat- ed from college, it would have been very easy for her to settle down with her college sweet- heart of four years. After all, Josh (Nicholas Braun) was not only a nice guy with a prom- ising future but very eager to marry and start a family. However, since she’d never really dated anyone else, Al- ice wanted to test the waters before making such a big commitment. So, she ended the relationship and moved clear across the country to New York City to live with her elder sister, Meg (Leslie Mann), an obstetrician who hears her biological clock ticking. Alice lands a job as a paralegal at a big law firm where she makes fast friends with a flamboyant co-worker (Rebel Wilson) eager to show her the ropes both around the office and the Manhattan dating scene. Despite a Rubenesque figure, Robin exudes an enviable confidence that the relative- ly-modest Alice ostensibly admires. After hours, the two descend upon a trendy meat market, where Alice catches the eye of a handsome bar- tender (Anders Holm). Against her better judgment, she impulsively agrees to a one-night stand with the stranger, only to find it not to her lik- ‘How to Be Single’ ing. Worse, the disaster has her pining for Josh who has no interest in rec- onciling. That means Alice must con- tinue to negotiate her way around the gauntlet of a strange new world where she can’t quite get her footing. Thus unfolds How to Be Single, a raunchy romantic comedy directed by Christian Ditter (Love, Rosie). The movie is very loosely based on Liz Tuccillo’s 2008 best-seller of the same name which revolved around a 38 year-old heroine instead of one in her early twenties. Dakota Johnson exhibits an endear- ing mix of sensuality and vulnerabili- ty as the naive newcomer looking for love in all the wrong places. And her character’s plight is playfully juxta- posed against that of her sister who is so desperate to get pregnant that she’s See FILM on page 11 saiah Washington was born Aug. 3, 1963 in Houston, Tex- as. After a stint in the US Air Force, he attended Howard University as a theater arts ma- jor, then joined the City Kids Repertory, a troupe which per- formed at schools for at-risk kids. Isaiah has appeared in such Isaiah Washington as a private eye in ‘The Sin Seer’ Spike Lee films as Crooklyn, an to star in, and I saw yet another op- Clockers, Girl 6 and Get on the Bus. Other movies on his resume in- portunity to be a producer on a movie. clude Romeo Must Die, Out of Sight, Bul- KW: How would you describe the film worth and Love Jones. His first regular gig on TV was as a in 25 words or less? IW: It’s a shocker in the end! regular cast member on “Grey’s Anat- omy.” In his spare time, Isaiah enjoys KW: Do you believe that some people building model airplanes, and he also wrote a memoir, A Man From Another have extra sensory powers in real life? IW: Absolutely! Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life. KW: How would you describe your Here, he talks about his latest offer- ing, The Sin Seer, a thriller where he character, Grant Summit? IW: As mysterious, loyal and a pro- plays an ex-con-turned-private eye who solves cases with the help of a tector. clairvoyant [Lisa Arrindell Anderson]. KW: What message do you think peo- Kam Williams: Hi Isaiah, thanks for ple will take away from the film? IW: Watch your friends and family the interview. members closely. Isaiah Washington: Hi, Kam. KW: What interested you in The Sin Seer? IW: I thought that the story was very unique for an African American wom- KW: AALBC.com founder Troy John- son asks: What was the last book you See WASHINGTON on page 10
