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Page 8 The Skanner January 17, 2018 Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, Jan. 19 BIG BUDGET FILMS 12 Strong (R for vi- olence and pervasive profanity) Adaptation of “Horse Soldiers,” Doug Stanton’s best seller chronicling the declassified exploits of a Special Forces unit deployed to Afghani- stan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Co-starring Chris Hemsworth, Mi- chael Shannon, William Fitchner, Michael Pena, Rob Riggle and Trevante Rhodes. Den of Thieves (R for violence, profanity, sex- uality and nudity) Crime caper revolving around a seasoned team of bank robbers’ audacious plan to steal $120 million in cash from the L.A. branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. Cast includes Ge- Kam Williams Kam’s Kapsules Movie Reviews consumption) Romance drama revolving around a country music star’s (Alex Roe) reunion with the childhood sweet- heart (Jessica Rothe) he left at the altar a de- cade earlier when he re- turns home for his best friend’s funeral. Support cast includes John Benja- min Hickey, Abby Ryder and Travis Tritt. The Leisure Seeker (R for sexuality and mature themes) Adaptation of Michael Zadoorian’s bit- tersweet best seller about a couple of ailing octoge- Moloney Mikel. and Joshua INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Delirium (R for vio- lence and disturbing images) Harrowing hor- ror flick about a just-dis- charged mental patient (Topher Grace) who in- herits a haunted house from his recently-de- ceased parents (Robin Thomas and Daisy Mc- Crackin). With Patricia Clarkson, Genesis Rodri- guez and Callan Mulvey. The Final Year (Un- rated) Lame duck doc- umentary chronicling the accomplishments of President Obama’s for- eign policy team during his last months in office. Featuring behind-the- scenes footage of Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Ambassa- dor to the United Nations Samantha Power. Kangaroo (Unrated) Macropodidae mar- supial documentary chronicling Australia’s long-standing love-hate relationship with its na- tional animal. ‘Mama Africa’ rard Butler, 50 Cent, Pab- lo Schreiber and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. Forever My Girl (PG for mature themes, mild epithets and alcohol narians (Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland) who ignore doctors’ or- ders to embark on a fi- nal cross-country trip in their trusty RV. With Kirsty Mitchell, Janet Mama Africa (Unrat- ed) Reverential docu- mentary about Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), the South African singer/po- litical activist who lived in exile until the end of Apartheid. Featuring archival footage of Nel- son and Winnie Man- dela, Kathleen Cleaver, Harry Belafonte and her husband, Stokely Car- michael. (In English and ‘Den of Thieves’ stars stars Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway French with subtitles) Mary and the Witch’s Flower (PG for action and mature themes) An- imated fantasy based on “The Little Broom- stick” by Mary Stewart, a children’s novel about a bored, 10 year-old (Hana Sugisaki) who escapes her humdrum life with the help of a magical broomstick which en- ables her to fly above the clouds. With Ryu- nosuke Kamiki, Yuki Amami and Fumiyo Kohinata. (In Japanese with subtitles) Mom & Dad (R for sexuality, nudity, teen drug use, dis- turbing violence and pervasive profanity) Selma Blair and Nico- las Cage play the ti- tle characters in this horror comedy about a day-long hysteria of unknown origin that turns parents all over the world into homicidal maniacs out to kill their own kids. Supporting cast A career you can be proud of. Being a carpenter isn’t just a job. It’s a way of life. We’re devoted to strengthening the lives of our members with steady work, wealth and personal growth. We take a stand for our members and all workers. We work together to lead the building industry in safety, training and compensation. We create rich lives for our members and partners. To learn more about becoming a union carpenter, go to NWCarpenters.org. PORTLAND: 1636 East Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 | 503.261.1862 HEADQUARTERS: 25120 Pacific Hwy S, #200, Kent, WA 98032 | 253.954.8800 More than 20,000 members in the Pacific Northwest. includes Annie Winters, Lance Henriksen and Ra- chel Melvin. Step Sisters (PG-13 for sexuality, crude humor, partying, pro- fanity and drug refer- ences) Cross-cultural comedy about a Harvard Law School-bound black undergrad (Megalyn Echikunwoke) who de- cides to choreograph dance routines for her rhythmically-chal- lenged, white sorority sisters so they can enter the annual step compe- tition. With Eden Sher, Naturi Naughton, Desti- ny Lopez and Gage Goli- ghtly. FILM REVIEW: Hanks and Streep in ‘The Post’ Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in ‘The Post’ By Kam Williams For The Skanner News “T he Post” is a pic- ture fated to be compared to a couple of clas- sic newsroom thrillers: “All the President’s Men” (1976) and “Spotlight” (2015). Like the former, it’s set in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s and re- volves around an attempt by the Nixon administra- tion to prevent the publi- cation of incriminating information leaked to the Washington Post by a whistleblower. And it’s eerily similar to the Best Picture Oscar-winner “Spotlight” in that they’re both ensemble dramas recounting an idealistic newspaper’s legal battle on behalf of freedom of the press. Risk-averse Hollywood honchos have a very pre- dictable habit of parrot- ing success, which means it’s just a matter of time before a knockoff of a big hit arrives in theaters. In this case, “Spotlight” scriptwriter Josh Sing- er,was tapped to tweak first-timer Liz Hannah’s original screenplay about the Pentagon Pa- pers. So it makes sense that one might have great expectations of the pro- duction, given that it was also directed by the legendary Steven Spiel- berg and co-stars Tom Hanks and perennial Oscar-nominee Meryl Streep. But while the movie is certainly worth seeing, it’s actually a dis- appointment, given the cast and crew’s impres- sive pedigree. The picture’s point of departure is Vietnam in 1966, which is where we find Secretary of De- fense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) on a fact-finding tour. Upon landing back in the States, he lies through his teeth on the tarmac to put a positive spin on the odds of America winning the war. Fast forward five years, which is when military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) goes rogue after becoming disillusioned by the government’s contin- ued cover-up. He then proceeds to turn over to the Washington Post and other publications an internal, Department of Defense report about the war. Dubbed the “Pen- See FILM on page 11