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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2017)
December 13, 2017 The Skanner Seattle Page 5 Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, Dec. 15 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ Credits Dickens for the Way We Celebrate By Kam Williams For The Skanner News C ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ BIG BUDGET FILMS Ferdinand (PG for ac- tion, rude humor and mature themes) John Cena plays the title char- acter in this animat- ed adventure about a peace-loving bull who’d rather stop to smell the roses than chase a mat- ador’s red cape around an arena. Voice cast in- cludes Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, Ga- briel Iglesias, Boris Kod- joe and Davud Tennant. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PG-13 for sci-fi ac- tion and violence) Sec- ond episode in the trilogy directed by Rian Johnson (Looper) finds Rey (Dai- sy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) embarking on an epic, intergalactic adven- ture with the legendary Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to unlock the mystery of “The Force.” Featuring Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o and the late Carrie Fisher. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS The Ballad of Lefty Brown (R for profanity and violence) Bill Pull- man assumes the title role in this Western, set on the plains of Mon- tana, about an aging cowboy who enlists the assistance of a young gunslinger (Diego Josef ) and a lawman (Tommy Flanagan) to track down the outlaws responsi- ble for the gruesome murder of his friend, a newly-elected U.S. Sen- ator (Peter Fonda). Cast includes Jim Caviezel, Kathy Baker and Joseph Lee Anderson. Beyond Skyline (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Sci- fi sequel about a veteran LAPD detective (Frank Grillo) who mounts a daring attempted res- cue of his son from an alien spaceship that vac- uumed the entire pop- ulation of Los Angeles off the face of the Earth. With Bojana Novakovic, Johnny Weston, Kev- in O’Donnell and Iko Kam Williams Kam’s Kapsules Movie Reviews Uwais. (In English, Indo- nesian with subtitles) Killing for Love (Un- rated) Tabloid news doc- umentary revisiting the events surrounding the high-profile murder tri- al of University of Vir- ginia student Elizabeth Haysom and her Ger- man boyfriend for the decapitation of both of her parents. The Leisure Seeker (R for sexuality) Romantic romp revolving around an elderly couple (Don- ald Sutherland and Hel- en Mirren) who embark on a road trip from Bos- ton to Key West to recap- ture their passion for life and love. Support cast includes Joshua Mikel, Kirsty Mitchell and Janel Moloney. Permanent (PG-13 for profanity, crude humor, sexual references and mature themes) Coming- of-age comedy, set in the South in 1982, revolving around a white ‘tweener (Kira McLean), new to a town, who ends up os- tracized at school after her hairdresser acciden- tally leaves her with an afro instead of curls like her idol, Farah Fawcett. With Patricia Arquette, Rainn Wilson and Devin Albert. Sundowners (Un- rated) Buddy comedy about a couple of jaded wedding photographers (Phil Hanley and Luke Lalonde) who get a break from the monotony when they land a gig in Mexico. Featuring Tim Heidecker, Cara Gee and Nick Flanagan. harles Dickens (1812-1870) is con- sidered the preeminent novelist of the Victorian Era because of his touching and timeless tales that shed light on the plight of the poor. He probably began developing an empathy for the less fortunate at an early age. That’s because he had to drop out of school to work in a factory to support the family after his bank- rupt father (Jonathan Pryce) went to a debtors’ prison. Charles’ challenging childhood os- tensibly served as the source of inspi- ration for such coming-of-age classics as “The Adventures of Oliver Twist,” “Great Expectations” and “David Cop- perfield.” But the book which has had the most profound effect on Western culture is “A Christmas Carol,” since it irreversibly altered how we celebrate the holiday. That notion is the genesis of “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” Les Standiford’s historical narrative re- counting the events in December of 1843 leading up to Dickens’ publishing “A Christmas Carol.” Now, that opus has been adapted to the big screen by Bharat Nalluri (MI-5) as a sentimental tale of redemption. As the film unfolds, we find a cash- strapped Dickens (Dan Stevens) liv- ing beyond his means and struggling ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ to support his family. Truth be told, he didn’t even marry his wife, Kate (Morfydd Clark), and have the the first of their 10 kids until 1836. That anach- ronism makes one wonder to what extent the picture conveniently takes further license with the facts in order to spin a heartwarming yarn. Anyhow, with debt collectors closing in, we see Dickens fighting writer’s block to crank out another best seller after releasing three bombs in a row. Luckily, key elements of “A Christmas Carol,” like the characters Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer) and “The Ghost of Christmas Past” (Anna Murphy) come to him in a variety of ways, ranging from dreams to an off- hand observation made by his hum- ble, Irish housekeeper (Donna Marie See FILM on page 7 Youth (Unrated) Com- ing-of-age adventure, set in the Seventies, revolv- ing around the trials and tribulations of members of a military cultural troupe. Ensemble cast includes Xuan Huang, Miao Miao and Caiyu Yang. (In Mandarin with subtitles) L A FIN ! K E WE
