June 21, 2017 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Justices Say Law on
Offensive Trademarks is
Unconstitutional
FILM REVIEW:
BFFS Reunite for Raunchy ‘Rough Night’
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
J
Portland-based Asian-American rock band The Slants
By SAM HANANEL
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The
Supreme Court on Mon-
day struck down part of
a law that bans offensive
trademarks, ruling in fa-
vor of a Portland-based
Asian-American
rock
band called the Slants
and giving a major
boost to the Washington
Redskins in their sepa-
rate legal fight over the
team name.
The justices were unan-
imous in saying that the
71-year-old
trademark
law barring disparag-
ing terms infringes free
speech rights guaran-
teed in the Constitution’s
First Amendment.
“It offends a bedrock
First Amendment prin-
ciple: Speech may not be
banned on the ground
that it expresses ideas
that offend,” Justice Sam-
uel Alito said in his opin-
ion for the court.
Slants founder Simon
Tam tried to trademark
the band name in 2011,
but the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office de-
nied the request on the
ground that it disparages
Asians. A federal appeals
court in Washington lat-
er said the law barring
offensive trademarks is
unconstitutional and the
Supreme Court agreed.
The Redskins made
similar arguments af-
ter the trademark office
ruled in 2014 that the
name offends American
Indians and canceled the
team’s trademark. That
case, before a federal ap-
peals court in Richmond,
had been on hold while
the Supreme Court con-
sidered the Slants case.
Tam insisted he was
not trying to be offen-
sive, but wanted to trans-
form a derisive term into
a statement of pride.
The Redskins also con-
tend their name honors
American Indians, but
the team has faced de-
cades of legal challenges
from Indian groups that
say the name is racist.
Tam said the band was
“beyond humbled and
thrilled” with the ruling.
“This journey has al-
ways been much bigger
than our band: it’s been
about the rights of all
marginalized communi-
ties to determine what’s
best for ourselves,” he
said.
Despite intense public
pressure to change the
Redskins name, team
owner Dan Snyder has
refused, saying in the
See TRADEMARK on page 9
essica (Scarlett Johansson)
and Peter (Paul W. Downs)
are on the verge of tying the
knot. But prior to walking
down the aisle together, they’ve
agreed to simultaneously throw
themselves bachelor’s and bach-
elorette’s parties. But while she
flies down to Miami for a swing-
ing soiree’ with a quartet of her
closest college classmates, his
relatively-modest plan is merely
to share a refined evening of wine
tasting with a few nerdy buddies.
Since Jess is also in the midst of
a campaign for the state senate,
she doesn’t want their reunion to
get so out of control as to gener-
ate the sort of negative press that
might hurt her candidacy. How-
ever, she’s blissfully unaware
that decorum is the last thing on
the mind of Alice (Jillian Bell), the
girlfriend entrusted with sched-
uling their agenda.
Alice sees the getaway as an op-
portunity for the BFFs to indulge
“
What ensues is
a relentlessly-hi-
larious, ever-es-
calating comedy
of errors
one last time in the sort of de-
pravity they enjoyed on campus
a decade ago, when they would
get wasted playing beer pong on a
typical Friday night. Consequent-
ly, she’s prepared for a wild week-
end which includes everything
from cocaine to a male stripper.
Such activities might not sit well
with another attendee, Frankie
(Ilana Glazer). After all, she’s not
only a lesbian, but a repeat of-
fender worried about violating
the “three strikes” law mandat-
ing a life sentence. However, pal
Pippa (Kate McKinnon), a clown
returning from Australia for a
good time, is up for anything, as is
overstressed Blair (Zoe Kravitz)
who needs to decompress from
‘Rough Night’
an ugly custody battle.
The mayhem starts right in the
airport terminal when Alice un-
corks a bottle of champagne in
celebration, only to unwittingly
trigger a stampede by passengers
mistaking the pop for a gunshot.
Then, upon arriving at their
beachfront rental house, the girl-
friends are invited by naughty
next-door neighbors Lea (Demi
Moore) and Pietro (Ty Burrell) to
participate in an orgy.
The plot thickens soon after
the exotic dancer Alice hired
rings the doorbell. Before he has
a chance to shed all of his clothes,
he accidentally hits his head and
promptly passes away. Against
their better judgment, Jessica
and company decide to dump the
body in the ocean rather than call
the cops. And what ensues is a re-
lentlessly-hilarious, ever-escalat-
ing comedy of errors.
Thus unfolds “Rough Night,” a
raunchy romp most reminiscent
of The Hangover (2009), although
it also has moments likely to re-
Review
cont’d from pg 6
and the next thing you
know she’s landed in
France sporting a bright
orange backpack fes-
tooned with a Canadian
flag. Her troubles start
right off the bat, when
she gets stuck in a sub-
way turnstile thanks to
that oversized valise.
The slapstick escalates
further when the weight
of the knapsack causes
her to topple into the
Seine while posing for
a photo on a bridge. She
has to shed the bag to sur-
vive the ordeal, and ends
up separated from all her
possessions, including
her passport, cell phone,
cash and clothes.
It is in these dire straits
that Fiona crosses paths
‘Lost in Paris’
with Dom (Abel), a man
living in a tent pitched
along the banks of the
river who soon becomes
hopelessly smitten with
her. So, Fiona finds her-
self having to fend of the
advances of an ardent ad-
mirer while frantically
searching for her miss-
ing aunt.
The ensuing chase
proves every bit as
charming and sublime
as it is hilarious and im-
plausible. A disarming-
ly-endearing homage to
the silent film era!
Excellent HHHH
Unrated
In French and English
with subtitles
Running time:
83 min.
Distributor:
Oscilloscope
Laboratories
To see a trail-
er for Lost in
Paris,
visit
T h e S k a n n e r.
com.
mind you of “Bridesmaids” (2011)
and “Weekend at Bernie’s” (1989).
The movie marks the phenom-
enal directorial debut of Lucia
Aniello, the first woman to direct
an R-rated comedy since Tamra
Davis made “Half Baked” in 1998
with Dave Chappelle.
Laughs galore in a bawdy bach-
elorette party gone from bad to
worst!
Excellent HHHH
Rated R for crude sexuality, drug
use, coarse humor, brief bloody
images and pervasive profanity
Running time: 101 min.
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
View movie trailers at
TheSkanner.com