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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2017)
Page 6 The Skanner December 20, 2017 Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, December 22 BIG BUDGET FILMS Bright (Unrated) Sci-fi thriller, set in an alter- nate reality where hu- mans coexist with fair- ies, elves and orcs, and revolving around an orc (Joel Edgerton) and a human cop (Will Smith) who put aside their dif- ferences to protect a young elf (Lucy Fry) in possession of a power- ful magic wand coveted by an evil elf (Noomi Ra- pace). With Jay Hernan- dez, Edgar Ramirez and Veronica Ngo. Downsizing (R for pro- fanity, sexual referenc- es, graphic nudity and drug use) Sci-fi dramedy revolving around a cou- ple (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) who agree to move to a miniature community after Norwe- gian scientists discover a process to shrink people to 5” tall. Support cast includes Jason Sudeikis, Kam Williams Kam’s Kapsules Movie Reviews Christoph Waltz, Neil PatrickHarris and Lau- ra Dern. (In English and sexual references) Road comedy chronicling a couple of fraternal twins’ (Owen Wilson and Ed Helms) search for their long-lost father after learning that their pro- miscuous mom (Glenn Close) had lied about his dying when they were young. With Terry Bradshaw, J.K. Simmons, ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ ‘Bright’ Spanish with subtitles) Father Figures (R for pervasive profanity and Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, Katt Wil- liams, June Squibb and Harry Shearer. The Greatest Show- man (PG for a brawl and mature themes) Musical biopic about P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), the en- tertainment visionary who turned a modest circus into a worldwide spectacle based on the belief that, “There’s a sucker born every min- ute.” Featuring Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG-13 for ac- tion, profanity and sug- gestive content) Sci-fi sequel revolving around four teens’ (Morgan Turner, Madison Ise- man, Ser’Darius Blain and Alex Wolff ) adven- tures after turning into video game avatars. Principal cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Missi Pyle and Nick Jonas. Molly’s Game (R for profanity, drug use and some violence) Jessi- SHOWTIMES THE BREADWINNER (PG-13) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 2:15, 7:15 Sun: 2:15 / Mon: 7:15 ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. (PG-13) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 4:40, 9:35 Sun: 4:40 / Mon: 9:35 THE STAR (PG-13) Sun: 12:15 / Mon: 5:15 BLADE RUNNER 2049 (R) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 1:35, 6:35 Sun: 1:35 / Mon: 6:35 The Week of Friday, Dec. 22 through Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017 BATTLE OF THE SEXES (PG-13) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 11:40, 9:20 / Mon: 9:20 LOVING VINCENT (PG-13) Fri-Sun, Tue-Thur: 11:30, 4:50 / Mon: 4:50 HOME ALONE (PG) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 11:45, 4:20, 9:50 Sun: 11:45, 4:20 / Mon: 4:20, 9:50 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) (PG) Fri-Sat, Tue-Thur: 2:00, 6:55 / Sun: 2:00 Mon: 6:55 $4.00 adults, $3.00 (65+), $3.00 (12 & under) 7818 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215 503-252-1707 • AcademyTheaterPdx.com Babysitting: Children 2 to 8 years old. Fri: shows starting between 3:30 pm and 8 pm. Sat - Sun: shows starting between 1 pm and 8 pm. $9.50 per child for the length of the movie. Call to reserve a spot, no drop ins. ca Chastain plays the title character in a bi- opic chronicling the rise and fall of Molly Bloom, the Olympic ski- er-turned-gambling op- erator who ran a high- stakes poker game for a decade until the FBI brought down the oper- ation. A-list cast includes Idris Elba, Kevin Cost- ner, Michael Cera, Gra- ham Greene and Chris O’Dowd. Pitch Perfect 3 (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, action and crude humor) Final installment in the a cappella trilogy finds the Bellas reuniting to enter- tain the troops during a very eventful USO tour overseas. Ensemble cast includes Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks and John Lithgow, with a cameo by DJ Khaled. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Crooked House (PG-13 for sexuality and mature themes) Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic crime novel of the same name about a private eye (Max Irons) hired by an ex-lover (Stefanie Martini) to investigate the mysterious murder of her wealthy grandfa- ther (Gino Picciano).on the grounds of the fami- ly patriarch’s sprawling estate. With Glenn Close, Christina Hendricks, Gil- lian Anderson and Ter- ence Stamp. Hangman (R for vi- olence, profanity and graphic images) Murder mystery about a deco- rated homicide detective (Al Pacino) who joins forces with a criminal profiler (Karl Urban) to apprehend a serial killer (Joe Anderson) playing a twisted version of the word game “Hangman.” Featuring Brittany Snow, Sarah Shahi and Chelle Ramos. Happy End (R for pro- fanity and sexuality) Skeletons-in-the-closet drama uncovering the secrets of members of a rich French family bliss- fully unaware of the suf- fering in migrant camps on the other side of Cal- ais. Co-starring Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Mathieu Kassovitz. (In French and English with subtitles) Hostiles (R for profan- ity and graphic violence) Panoramic Western, set in 1892, about a veteran calvalry Captain (Chris- tian Bale) who reluctant- ly agrees to escort a dy- ing Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) from a fort in New Mexico back to his tribe’s ancestral lands in Mon- tana. Supporting cast in- cludes Rosamund Pike, Adam Beach, Ben Foster and Timothee Chalamet. Tiger Zinda Hai (Unrat- ed) Second installment in the Tiger espionage se- ries, set eight years after the events in the original, finds the international spies (Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif ) embark- ing on another thrilling international adventure. With Anupriya Goenka, Paresh Rawal and Angad Bedi. (in Hindi with sub- titles) FILM REVIEW: Denzel Delivers Oscar- Quality Performance as Attorney with Asperger’s in ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ by Kam Williams For The Skanner News R oman J. Israel (Denzel Washing- ton) is a high-functioning savant on the autism spectrum who has been practicing law in L.A. for the past 36 years. The brilliant attorney has spent most of his career under the radar, writing legal briefs in a rear of- fice for indigent criminal defendants, while his partner, William Henry Jackson, served as the face of the firm, whether cultivating clients or arguing their cases in the courtroom. This unorthodox arrangement worked well for Roman who, besides his disorder, is a longtime political ac- tivist dedicated to a progressive agen- da, namely, to assist downtrodden in- dividuals unfairly ensnared in the net of the prison-industrial complex. And because of that commitment, he’s been willing to work for far less pay than colleagues of his caliber. Consequently, the highly-principled lawyer has had to scrape by on a modest salary, living in the same dive for decades, where he subsisted on a steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches and jazz classics played on an old-fashioned turntable. Everything changes the day William Jackson suffers a heart attack and the two-person firm is forced to dissolve. Roman first applies for a position with a public interest non-profit that shares his values. But when the empathetic director (Carmen Ejogo) explains that she doesn’t have the money to hire an attorney, he resigns himself to joining a corporate firm where he’s soon teamed with a young associate (Colin Farrell) interested only in maximizing profits. This leaves Roman sitting on the See FILM on page 9