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