APRIL 23–29
MOVIES
= WW Pick. Highly recommended.
Small Tab
R E L AT I V I T Y M E D I A
Editor: REBECCA JACOBSON. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, send screening information at least two weeks in advance to Screen, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: rjacobson@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115.
BRICK MANSIONS
9 Full Moons
[ONE NIGHT ONLY] A damaged party girl and a shy musician navigate a stormy romance. Clinton Street Theater. 7 pm Thursday, April 24.
300: Rise of an Empire
D+ Say what you will about Zack Snyder’s ultraviolent, exceedingly homoerotic 2006 film 300, but the comic-book adaptation delivered exactly what it promised: It was big and dumb, with visual verve of unprecedented elegance (plus a lot of shouting). Eight years later, nobody was exactly clamoring for a sequel to a film that saw its main characters beheaded, yet here we have Noam Murro’s 300: Rise of an Empire, a film that expands the battlefield to the ocean but unfolds as a cacophony of severed limbs, exploding bodies and CGI boats that look like they were pulled from an outdated 300 video game. R. AP KRYZA. Academy, Valley.
American Hustle
A From the sincerely insincere,
David O. Russell’s American Hustle builds genuine characters. The film’s establishing shot is brilliant in this regard: a humorously long sequence of Christian Bale’s potbellied con man, Irving Rosenfeld, gluing a toupee to his head. When meticulously permed federal agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) makes a move on Rosenfeld’s girl almost immediately thereafter, it’s an insult. When he musses his rug, it’s an unforgivable violation. It’s a wild pretzel of a plot, and halfway through the film, it’s unclear who’s conning whom, but it’s clear everybody’s conning themselves. This is the high wire that makes American Hustle so exhilarating, with the quick turns of a David Mamet or Howard Hawks fast-talkie. R. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. Laurelhurst, Valley.
Approved for Adoption
[ONE NIGHT ONLY, DIRECTOR ATTENDING] In this sepia-toned animated documentary, director Jung Henin recounts his memories as a South Korean adoptee growing up in Belgium. As the story moves into the present, a live-action Jung enters the film to try to make sense of his past. NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium. 8 pm Saturday, April 26.
Bad Words
B- In Bad Words, Jason Bateman plays a 40-year-old named Guy exploiting a loophole in the rules that allows him to enter a prestigious spelling bee. Guy spends his downtime begrudgingly befriending a precocious boy whose hotel room is just a few doors down from his. The interactions between the two are the film’s highlight: Guy’s vulgar cynicism colliding with the kid’s bright-eyed innocence may
be low-hanging fruit, but Bateman still does a fine job of picking every ripe piece. R. MICHAEL NORDINE. Academy, Edgefield, Kennedy School, Laurelhurst, Movies on TV, St. Johns.
Bears
A nature documentary about an Alaskan family of the titular large fuzzy creatures. G. Cedar Hills, Eastport, Clackamas, Mill Plain, Cornelius, Hilltop, Lloyd Center, Movies on TV, Sherwood, Sandy.
The Black Sea
[ONE NIGHT ONLY, DIRECTOR ATTENDING] Portland director Brian Padian holds a free public screening of his new narrative feature, the story of what happens to five friends when one of them disappears on a trip to the Oregon Coast. World Trade Center Auditorium, 26 SE Salmon St. 7 pm Sunday, April 27.
Brick Mansions
Sigh. Paul Walker. This film, a remake of French thriller District B13, was the last movie Walker completed before his death in a high-speed car crash. In it, he plays an undercover cop trying to protect Detroit from corruption and crime. The film screened after WW press deadlines, but look for AP Kryza’s review at wweek.com. PG-13. Cedar Hills, Eastport, Clackamas, Mill Plain, Cornelius, Oak Grove, Bridgeport, City Center, Division, Hilltop, Lloyd Center, Movies on TV, Sherwood, Tigard, Sandy.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
C+ Of all the four-color icons, Captain America should be the least open to interpretation. Ol’ Winghead seemed a charming anachronism from the time Stan Lee assembled the uncanny freaks and amazing geeks of the Marvel Universe 50-some years ago, and the sheer strangeness of past generations’ uncomplicated ideals fueled the unexpected delights of Captain America: The First Avenger. Alas, where the 2011 film found a dreamily compelling momentum, Captain America: The Winter Soldier wades through thankless cameos and interminable exposition. Once again, star Chris Evans’ unaffected certitude and boyish self-regard suggest why a mortal might one day command the Marvel gods and monsters. But now his appealing mix of officer and gentleman has been reduced to frat-house moralizing. PG-13. JAY HORTON. 99W Drive-In, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, Eastport, Clackamas, Mill Plain, Cornelius, Oak Grove, Hilltop, Lloyd Center, Movies on TV, Pioneer Place, Sherwood, Sandy, St. Johns.
market GUIDe
WW’s market Guide returns with a look at Portland’s specialty markets. We’ll visit farmers markets, world markets, bakeries and greengrocers, and tell you where to get the best meats, spices, and coffee. We’ll even include a few recipes from notable chefs to inspire the home cook to explore the boutiques and purveyors that enrich our culinary community. Circulation: 70,000
Publishes: May 7th, 2014 Space Reservation & Materials Deadline: Thursday, April 24th at 4 pm
503.243.2122 • advertising@wweek.com CONT. on page 48 Willamette Week APRIL 23, 2014 wweek.com
47