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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2016)
August 24, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: ‘Southside with You’ Revisits Barack and Michelle First Date FILM REVIEW: ‘Morris from America’ a Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Dramedy By Kam Williams For The Skanner News W Newcomer Markees Christmas plays Morris, a teenager trying to adjust to life in Germany. By Kam Williams For The Skanner News I t’s hard being Mor- ris Gentry (Markees Christmas) just now. The lonely 13-year-old is not only mourning the loss of his late mother, but is having a diicult “ wants to it in and even has a crush on a girl a couple years older. Katrin (Lina Keller) can’t help but notice and, lattered by the atten- tion, she invites Morris to hang with her crowd, a rebellious lot that dabbles in drugs and Markees Christmas’ big screen debut opposite funnyman Craig Robin- son in his irst serious lead role. The support cast also acquits itself quite ad- mirably, the upshot amounting to a poignant coming-of-age tale which The character-driven dramedy revolves mostly around the very-convincing fa- ther-son relationship, featuring the talented Markees Christmas’ big screen debut opposite funnyman Craig Robinson in his irst serious lead role time adjusting to life in Germany. He had to leave his hometown of Richmond and pals be- hind when his father (Craig Robinson) landed a job in Heidelberg as a professional soccer coach. Now, the troubled youngster inds himself in the awkward position of being the only Black kid in a school where classmates have stereo- typical expectations of him as an African Amer- ican. For instance, they are surprised that he isn’t any good at basket- ball or dancing. At least he does con- sider himself an aspir- ing gangsta rapper, al- though the only person he can impress is his father, since he only performs in English. But even his translated words would probably sound out of place so far removed from the ghet- to, given how he writes lyrics about, “[F-word]- ing all the bitches two at a time. all you can take for $10.99.” Despite getting daily German lessons from a tutor (Carla Juri), Mor- ris fails to make new friends, and stoically asserts that he doesn’t need any in the same macho manner that he spits out his rhymes. Yet, under that tough facade, is a sensitive kid who alcohol. He accepts the overture, though he ini- tially doesn’t know that the object of his afection already has a boyfriend. That means she’s more likely to remain a frus- trating fantasy than a conquest he could boast about in his next song. Written and directed by Chad Hartigan (This Is Martin Bonner), “Mor- ris from America” is a bittersweet bildungs- roman which never hits a false note. The char- acter-driven dramedy revolves mostly around the very-convincing fa- ther-son relationship, featuring the talented resonates as realistic from its heartbreaking beginning clear through to a satisfying resolu- tion. Very Good HHH Rated R for sexuality, brief nudity, teen drug use and partying, and pervasive profanity In English and German with subtitles Running time: 91 min. Studio: Beachside Films Distributor: A24 To view the trailer for Morris from America, visit TheSkanner.com. SHOWTIMES ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE (R) Fri-Tues: 12:10, 7:15 THE BFG (PG) Fri-Thur: 11:30, 4:55 SWISS ARMY MAN (R) Fri-Thur: 9:35 FINDING DORY (PG) Fri-Thur: 12:00, 2:20, 6:50 TICKLED (R) Fri-Thur: 2:10, 9:20 ho would ever think of making a movie just about Barack (Parker Sawyers) and Michelle Obama’s (Tika Sumpter) irst date? Richard Tanne would, that’s who, and he makes an im- pressive directorial debut with this in- spirational biopic chronicling a very eventful day in the lives of the future President and First Lady. The story unfolds in Chicago during the summer of 1989 when Michelle was already employed as an attorney and living back home with her par- ents (Vanessa Bell Calloway and Phil- lip Edwad Van Lear). Barack had just inished his irst year at Harvard law school and had landed an internship as her assistant at her prestigious irm. Apparently, he was so instantly smit- ten with Michelle that he could barely contain himself. When she refused to consider a romantic rendezvous, he pitched her on the idea of attending a business meeting with him. Once Michelle grudgingly agrees, Barack arrives late, yet is too cocky to be embarrassed about either his tardi- ness or the gaping hole in the loor of his rusty jalopy. What the skeptical object of his afection doesn’t know is that he has added a picnic, a museum and a movie to their planned itinerary. Again, Michelle balks, but consents only ater reminding her self-assured suitor that “This is not a date.” Nev- ertheless, the smooth-talking chain smoker presses on with his own agen- da, with the Art Institute of Chicago being their irst port-of-call. The two continued to get to know each other over sandwiches in the park, with the discussion touching on everything from family to faith to blackness to the meaning of life. So, Michelle had a decent measure of the man by the time they headed to the South Side rec center where Barack had once worked as a community or- ganizer. The icing on the cake proves to be an inspi- rational speech that’s nothing short of pres- idential which he de- livers there to the dis- couraged denizens of the crumbling ‘hood. Michelle’s loodgates inally open, undoubt- edly helped along by The Week of Friday, Aug. 26 through Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (PG-13) Fri: 2:00 LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (PG) Fri-Thur: 7:30 CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (PG-13) Fri-Thur: 4:15 JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) (G) Fri-Wed: 4:35, 9:05 / Thur: 4:35 $4.00 adults, $3.00 senior citizens (65+) 7818 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215 503-252-1707 • AcademyTheaterPdx.com Babysitting: Available for children 2 to 8 years old. Fri: shows after 3:30pm and before 8:00pm. Sat - Sun: all shows before 8:00pm. $9.50 per child for the length of the movie. Call to reserve a spot, no drop ins. ‘Southside with You’ chronicles Barack and Michelle Obama’s irst date one woman’s (Deanna Reed Foster) approval of her as the irst sister she’s ever seen Barack with. Next thing you know, the two lovebirds head to the theater to see Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” before capping of the evening with a little canoodling while sharing an ice cream cone. “Southside with You” is a syrupy soap opera readily recommended for ardent Obama admirers. The predict- able love story has a tendency to tele- graph its punches, since its familiar plotline sticks to what’s already pub- lic knowledge. Overall, this plausible account of the blossoming of love be- tween Barack and Michelle serves up a pleasant, if sanitized version of their romantic launch en route to an histor- ic rendezvous with destiny! Very Good HHH Rated PG-13 for smoking, a violent im- age, brief profanity and a drug refer- ence To view the trailer for Southside with You, visit TheSkanner.com.
