Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 4, 2018)
Page 6 The Skanner April 4, 2018 Arts & Entertainment Kam’s Kapsules: Movies Opening Friday, April 6 Film Review: Gamers Search for Easter Egg in ‘Ready Player One’ BIG BUDGET FILMS Blockers (R for crude humor, pervasive pro- fanity, graphic sexuality, drug use, partying and frontal nudity) Prom night comedy revolving around three parents (John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz) who join forces to thwart their daughters’ (Geral- dine Viswanathan, Kath- ryn Newton and Gideon Adlon) plan to lose their virginity. With Ramona Young, Miles Robbins and Graham Phillips. Chappaquiddick (PG- 13 for smoking, pro- fanity, mature themes and disturbing images) Historical docudrama recounting Ted Ken- nedy’s (Jason Clarke) summer of ‘69 car ac- cident that claimed the life of 28 year-old, cam- paign worker Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). Featuring Andria Black- man as Joan Kennedy, Clancy Brown as Robert McNamara, and Taylor Nichols as Ted Sorensen. The Miracle Season (PG for mature themes) Inspirational true tale about a girls’ high school volleyball team that tri- Kam Williams Kam’s Kapsules Movie Reviews umphed in spite of the tragic death of its star player (Danika Yarosh) in a moped accident. With Erin Moriarty and Oscar-winners Helen Hunt (for “As Good as It Gets”) and William Hurt (for “Kiss of the Spider Woman”). A Quiet Place (PG-13 for terror and bloody images) Haunted house horror flick about a fam- ily that finds itself hunt- ed by mysterious crea- tures who use sound to locate their prey. Cast includes Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Mil- licent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS ACORN and the Firestorm (Unrated) Investigative post-mor- tem deconstructing how the country’s largest anti-poverty organiza- ‘ACORN and the Firestorm’ tion was defunded after the airing of an embar- rassing, hidden-camera video shot by a couple of right-wing activists pos- ing as a pimp and pros- titute seeking advice about tax evasion and child smuggling. The Heart of Nuba (Unrated) Reverential biopic about Dr. Tom Catena, the selfless American physician who, for the past decade, has been the only sur- geon available to a mil- lion people living in the wart-torn Nuba Moun- tains of southern Sudan. Lean on Pete (R for profanity and brief vi- olence) Coming-of-age drama, set in Portland, about the bond forged between a 15-year-old stable boy (Charlie Plummer) and a retired racehorse slated for slaughter. With Steve Buscemi, Steve Zahn, Travis Fimmel and Chloe Sevigny. Spinning Man (R for profanity and sexual references) Pierce Bros- nan plays the title char- acter in this whodunit about a philandering philosophy professor suspected of foul play after a student (Odeya Rush) he’s sleeping with disappears without a trace. With Jamie Ken- nedy, Minnie Driver, Al- exandra Shipp and Guy Pearce. Spiral (Unrated) An eye-opening documen- tary chronicling the recent rise of an- ti-Semitism in France. Where Is Kyra? (Unrated) Michelle Pfeiffer plays the ti- tle character in this NYC saga as an unem- ployed woman whose life spirals out of con- trol after the death of the mother (Suzanne Shepherd) she’d be- come financially de- pendent on. With Kiefer Sutherland, Babs Olusanmokun and Sam Robards. Wade (Tye Sheridan) and Aech (Lena Waithe) in ‘Ready Player one’ by Kam Williams For The Skanner News I t is 2045, a time when the planet has de- volved into a desolate dystopia marked by a combination of pollu- tion, overpopulation, poverty, corruption and global warming. Most of humanity lives in slums where they escape the misery by disappearing via virtual reality into the Oasis, a popular par- allel universe co-created by James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and Ogden Mor- row (Simon Pegg). The characters were ostensibly inspired by Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, since the former seized the reins of the compa- ny after the latter sold his stock citing concerns about its direction. Here, we have Halliday in con- trol of Oasis and a skep- tical Morrow no longer associated with the firm. The picture’s point of departure is an un- recognizable Columbus, Ohio, a now devastated metropolis whose sky- line has been reduced to a vast wasteland of vertical “stacks,” mobile homes piled high atop one another. That’s where we find Wade Watts (Tye Sheri- dan), an orphaned teen taken in by his Aunt Al- ice (Susan Lynch). Wade’s a gamer who goes by the avatar Par- zival whenever he’s online. His best friend is Aech (Lena Waithe), though they’ve never ac- tually met. That’s appar- ently par for the course, since everyone prefers escaping into the Oasis to facing the post-apocalyp- tic squalor that is reality. A glimmer of hope ar- rives in the will left be- hind by the recently-de- ceased Halliday. By way of video, he announces a treasure hunt for an Easter egg hidden in the Oasis. The finder will not only be awarded con- trol of his company but stands to inherit half a trillion dollars to boot. So, Wade forms the High Five, a rag-tag team composed of himself, Aech, Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and geeky sib- lings Sho (Philip Zhao) and Daito (Win Morisa- ki). Sure, millions of oth- er “Gunters” (egg hunt- ers) join in the search, but their chief compe- tition is a video game conglomerate run by the maniacal Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Given the mammoth army of indentured players at his disposal, it’s hard to see how the High Five might prevail. Not to worry. You can always trust Steven Spielberg to work his movie magic. And, after establishing that implau- sible premise, “Ready Player One” takes off at a dizzying pace, with the legendary director even carving out space for a little romance. You see, Wade has a big cyber crush on Art3mis, even though he has no idea what she looks like in real life. Can the High Five find the Easter egg first? Far be it from me to spoil this thrill-a-minute, virtu- al reality roller coaster ride riddled with allu- sions to pop culture and classic computer games. Vintage Spielberg! Excellent HHHH Rated PG-13