That pot ray vision

When will the Paris Hilton witch hunt stop? Las Vegas cocaine "bust" is more ofthe same

When Paris Hilton is really guilty she confesses. Read the book title.
There's nothing going else on The Strip on Friday night that demands moreattention than a mysterious "vapor trail."
On this issue, I'd listen to Snoop Dogg over ...
friend of The Man, Clifford Pugh.

All those people trying to pick apart Paris Hilton's story in the wake of her latest alleged drug trouble need to take a closer look at the tale of the Las Vegas police as well.

The Cadillac Escalade that Paris was a passenger in was pulled over after a Vegas motorcycle cop says that he followed "a vapor trail" of marijuana coming from the vehicle. OK, sure. Apparently, this cop has X-ray pot vision. And you think some of the cops on the original O.J. Simpson murder case had some credibility issues?

Please. Paris Hilton was pulled over because she's Paris Hilton. Do you think any other vehicle with a so-called mysterious "vapor trail" is getting pulled over on The Strip on a busy Friday night? You don't think the Vegas police have much more serious crimes to focus on?

Ever since that false pot arrest in South Africa at the World Cup (all the charges were quickly dropped and Paris was given an apology) — there's obviously been a near worldwide conspiracy to make Paris pay for the police embarrassment. When are the writers of Lost going to get on this?

If this very questionable stop never took place, the small packet of cocaine that allegedly tumbled out of a purse that Paris was holding when she reached in for some lip balm while in police custody never would have been discovered. And there would be no felony cocaine possession charge (one that almost everyone agrees will likely result in probation even if the charge sticks).

Yes, I'm still defending Paris Hilton. Proudly.

In the wake of this latest incident, many wondered if I was embarrassed for arguing that Paris Hilton deserved more than an apology for that erroneous World Cup pot bust. Among the curious was CultureMap editor-in-chief Clifford Pugh, who's apparently become an advocate for The Man in his old age.

Sorry, but brilliance can be checked by neither police conspiracies or sudden "liberal" fuddy duddies. My original argument is stronger than ever.

Paris — who is at least as smart as businessperson as Donald Trump — would never have smoked pot blatantly enough in public to get "caught" for it at the World Cup. And after that experience, she definitely wouldn't knowingly open up a purse with cocaine in it in police custody after a dubious-at-best traffic stop. Some argue that the repeated incidents equal guilt.

I say they drive home the reality of the Paris Hilton witch hunt. No rebel artist has been this persecuted since Salman Rushdie. I just hope that Paris stays strong.

There are already some reports that Paris has said the purse in question was not hers. (Which might explain why she'd open it in the presence of the police). In the World Cup incident, Paris also told the police that the pot was not hers. Jennifer Rovero — a former Playmate who works for Paris as a photographer — copped to the marijuana and paid a small fine.

You say this is awfully convenient and curious. I say it's damn consistent.

Paris' story — as with most people who are telling the truth — does not change. She's not the one seeing mysterious vapor in the air. There are no reports that any actual pot was even found.

Let's just hope that this morale crusade to "get" a likely innocent visionary entrepreneur does not result in Paris pulling a Johnny Depp and moving to Paris. This country needs her.

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Movie Review

Great directing and acting power The Christophers to artistic heights

Photo by Claudette Barius

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.

Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.

Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.

Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.

Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.

While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.

Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.

Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.

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The Christophers is now playing in theaters.

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