Page 8 The Skanner February 22, 2017
News
Oscars
cont’d from pg 7
utes. But he al-
ways cuts such
a
mesmerizing
presence that he
could have just as
easily been nomi-
nated for Hidden
Figures,
Kicks
or Free State of
Jones.
Best Supporting
Actress
Will Win: Viola
Kam predicts ‘La La Land’ to win Best Picture
Davis (“Fences”)
Deserves
to
the Best Original Screenplay category
Win: Viola Davis
by both the British Academy and the
Overlooked: Greta Gerwig (“20th Writers Guild of America?
Century Women”) and Janelle Monae
Predictions for the Balance of the
(“Moonlight”)
Categories
Comment: Viola Davis finally gets
Animated Feature: “Zootopia”
the Oscar she deserved for “The Help.”
Foreign Language Film: “Toni Erd-
This go-round, she strategically avoid-
mann”
ed a head-to-head showdown with
Documentary Feature: “13th”
Meryl Streep by downsizing her star-
Cinematography: “La La Land”
ring role into a support performance.
Costume Design: “La La Land”
Best Original Screenplay
Production Design: “La La Land”
Will Win: “La La Land”
Film Editing: “La La Land”
Deserves to Win: “La La Land”
Makeup and Hairstyling: “Star Trek
Overlooked: “Loving”
Beyond”
Comment: “La La Land” manages to
Original Score: “La La Land”
squeak by “Manchester by the Sea,” a
Best Song: “La La Land” (“City of
critical win on an historic night.
Stars”)
Sound Editing: “La La Land”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Sound Mixing: “La La Land”
Will Win: “Moonlight”
Visual Effects: “The Jungle Book”
Deserves to Win: “Moonlight”
Animated Short: “Piper”
Overlooked: “Deadpool”
Documentary Short: “Extremis”
Question: Why was “Moonlight”
Live-Action Short: “Ennemis Inter-
nominated for the Best Adapted
ieurs”
Screenplay Oscar, but nominated in
FILM REVIEW: Temperamental
Teacher Challenges Nerdy
Colleague to Duel in ‘Fist Fight’
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
D
o you remember
how, when you
were growing up,
if a couple of class-
mates came to blows
on the schoolyard, they
would be quickly sepa-
rated to the suggestion
that they settle their dif-
ferences off campus at
the end of the day? That
was the point of depar-
ture of “Three O’Clock
High,” a 1987 comedy
about a bully with a
short fuse who chal-
lenges a mild-mannered
milquetoast to a duel af-
ter school.
Ostensibly inspired by
that teensploitation clas-
sic, “Fist Fight” is a slight
variation on the theme
which flips the script by
having a couple of teach-
ers squaring-off instead
of students. Otherwise,
the basic idea remains
intact.
The movie co-stars Ice
Cube and Charlie Day
as Ron Strickland and
Andy Campbell, respec-
tively, colleagues at Roo-
sevelt High. Intimidat-
ing history teacher Ron
cuts a sharp contrast to
nerdy English teacher
Andy, and much of the
humor revolves around
their difference in tem-
perament.
The action unfolds on
the last day of.school
Tracy Morgan in ‘Fist Fight’
which is when we find
seniors running a muck
and pulling a variety of
outrageous pranks like
kicking the spout off a
water cooler and rock-
ing the ineffective se-
curity guard’s (Kumail
Nanjiani) golf cart while
he’s still sitting in it. De-
spite the insanity, the
faculty is doing its best
to maintain decorum.
Nevertheless,
Mr.
Campbell’s lesson on
why words matter is
interrupted by the an-
tics of class clowns. He’s
able to handle the dis-
ruption far better than
Mr. Strickland who pro-
ceeds to blow his cork.
The plight thickens
when both teachers are
summoned to Principal
Tyler’s (Dean Norris) of-
fice to explain why Ron
chopped a disrespectful
pupil’s desk in half with
an ax. The upshot of the
meeting is that Ron loses
his job because of Andy,
so he challenges him
to a fight after school.
Consequently,
fraidy
cat Campbell spends the
rest of the afternoon try-
ing to find a way to avoid
the confrontation.
Too bad, the ensuing
buildup to the big show-
down between the ad-
versaries proves to be
less entertaining than
the promising premise.
For, the two share few
funny moments follow-
ing the setup. Luckily,
this kitchen sink come-
dy continues to deliver
courtesy of such student
stunts as hiring a mari-
achi band to follow the
principal around the
halls.
The movie marks the
feature film debut of
actor-turned-director
Richie Keen, who also
makes a cameo appear-
ance as a computer store
employee. And the sup-
port cast includes the
scene-stealing
Tracy
Morgan, whose quirky
trademark mannerisms
are put on full display.
Note, “Fist Fight” is
a relentlessly-profane
romp which might have
set a record for the use
of the F-word. Since the
closing tableau sets up
the sequel, might I sug-
gest that the next install-
ment cut down on the
curses in favor of more
jokes.
Good HH
Rated R for sexuality,
nudity, drug use and
pervasive profanity
Running time: 91 min.
Distributor:
Warner
Brothers Pictures
To see a trailer for Fist
Fight, go to TheSkanner.
com.
View movie trailers at
TheSkanner.com