B-Movie Bingo: Traxx
Your monthly opportunity to literally check off a bingo card full of B-movie clichĂŠs! This month, get your mind boggled by the cinematic refuse that is 1988âs Traxx, starring â80s pop-culture flotsam Shadoe Stevens as an ex-cop whoâs retired from murdering international drug dealers to focus on baking cookies. As you watch Stevens blow shit up in all his sweaty, hairy glory, keep in mind his day job was introducing Roxette records on Los Angeles Top 40 radio. And yet heâs still more convincing in this role than anything Adam Carollaâs ever done outside of Loveline. Go figure. BOBBY ROBERTS Hollywood Theatre.
Beware the Slenderman
See review, this issue. HBO.
The Comedian
Oh good: a Robert De Niro movie dribbling out in early February after going through three different directors over the course of six years, each trying to bring to life a script credited to four different writers (one of whom is âRoastmaster Generalâ Jeff Ross) about a salty old shithead comedian who gets community service for assaulting an audience member, where he meets a young woman and god-fucking-dammit what happened to you, Bobby D? Various Theaters.
Ghost in the Shell
Of the many films that followed in Blade Runnerâs wake, Mamoru Oshiiâs 1995 adaptation of Masamune Shirowâs manga Ghost in the Shell gets closest to usurping that cyberpunk throne, with a similarly mesmerizing blend of visuals and music in service of a similarly frustrating and awkwardly ponderous story that muses on the meaning of humanity in a future where robots and cyborgs are better people than actual people. Catch up with its slow-motion delights now, before the live-action remake starring Scarlett Johansson drops later this year. BOBBY ROBERTS Hollywood Theatre.
Lion
The incredible true story of why you should never have children in India. Based on Saroo Brierleyâs memoir A Long Way Home, the film, an inspiring drama that earns tears without jerking them, begins with five-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) becoming separated from his mother and brother and ending up a thousand miles away in Calcutta. First-time feature director Garth Davis jangles the nerves with these early scenes, but donât fret: Saroo is rescued soon enough, adopted by a saintly Australian couple, John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman), who raise him up lovingly to become Dev Patel. Grown-up Saroo, tortured by the knowledge that his family never knew what happened to him, sets out to find them, with only his distant memories and Google Earth to assist him. ERIC D. SNIDER Various Theaters.
Paterson
Those who go to movies merely to consume piles of plot will likely be disappointed by Paterson, which finds Jim Jarmusch in one of his quieter moods, rambling alongside his characters, tagging along rather than nudging them in any direction. But those willing to adopt the filmâs routine as their own will find something profound and beautiful in the filmâs focus. ERIK HENRIKSEN Various Theaters.
Portland Black Film Festival
Runs Thurs Feb 9 through Wed Feb 22. See next weekâs Mercury for more info. Hollywood Theatre.
Portland International Film Festival
Runs Thurs Feb 9 through Sat Feb 25. See next weekâs Mercury for more info. NW Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Ostensibly the final entry in the action/horror/video game series. Not screened for critics. See âResident Evil Actor Ryan McCluskey: The Resident Evinterview,â Film, Jan 25. Various Theaters.
Rings
See review, this issue. Various Theaters.
Say Anything
âI donât want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I donât want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I donât want to do that.â Academy Theater.
The Space Between Us
See review, this issue. Various Theaters.
Spaceballs
âSo, Lone Star! Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.â Laurelhurst Theater.
Split
Everyone rags on director M. Night Shyamalan for being a one-trick pony. But guys, heâs so much more than that! His films can be pretty great (2000âs Unbreakable) or they can be embarrassing garbage (2015âs adult-diaper-filled The Visit). Thatâs two whole tricks! With Split, heâs back to vintage ShyamasurpriseÂŽ Time, and the result is a fairly solid thriller with only a few missteps. Not bad, sir, not bad. COURTNEY FERGUSON Various Theaters.
Throne of Blood
Hidden in the long and amazing filmography of legendary director Akira Kurosawa is a trilogy of Shakespeare adaptations that arenât really adaptations of the Bard, but more like cover versions using the original melody to spin off intricate and powerful compositions. The trilogy includes 1985âs Ran (adapting King Lear) and 1960âs The Bad Sleep Well (adapting Hamlet), but the first of theseâ1957âs Throne of Bloodânot only takes Macbeth and drops it feudal Japan, but easily improves it in the telling. Of course, you put ToshirĂ´ Mifune in anything and youâve improved whatever youâre watching twofold at minimum. BOBBY ROBERTS Screens as part of the Hollywoodâs new Samurai Sunday series. Hollywood Theatre.
Toni Erdmann
A movie you should see. Itâs funny, heartwarming, and wise, except for when itâs being dark and existential. It features a pair of rich, subtle performances, and it marks the emergence, with her third feature, of director Maren Ade as an important international filmmaker. Also, thereâs a scene where a guy ejaculates onto a petit four. So, pretty much something for everyone. MARC MOHAN Cinema 21.
MEANS WE RECOMMEND IT. Theater locations are accurate Friday, February 3-Thursday, February 9, unless otherwise noted. Movie times are updated daily and are available here.
