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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fridays openings II: Life and times in L.A.

Dan Webster

We've covered the mainstream openings below. Now let's tackle the Magic Lantern, which opens only a single new movie. But that movie is something special. It's titled "Tangerine" and may be like nothing you've ever seen.

And that's not just because it was shot entirely on a pair of iPhone 5s.

Set in Los Angeles on a typical Southern California Christmas Eve, amid the flow of traffic mostly along Sunset Boulevard, "Tangerine" follows a transgender prostitute, just out of jail, as she prowls the night in search of her two-timing pimp. Along the way, writer-director Sean Baker introduces us to a cast of characters whose desires and dreams are no less real than any mainstream American.

Here are some of the critical shout-outs.

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: "As one character observes in 'Tangerine,' Los Angeles is 'a beautifully wrapped lie.' Baker has created a fitting homage to artifice and the often tawdry, tender realities that lie beneath."

Christy Lemire: " 'Tangerine' is a great Los Angeles movie and a great indie and a great reminder of the possibilities of creativity during a time when everything is a sequel or a reboot or a comic-book spectacle."

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: "Little is as it seems in 'Tangerine,' a fast, raucously funny comedy about love and other misadventures."

Caution: Click on the embed below only if you aren't easily offended.