EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 23, 2020 Page 11
Entertainment
Film Review
What We’re Seeing at Sundance 2020
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
This year marks the fourth time these
Californians are packing up our parkas and
heading to the Sundance Film Festival. Every
year brings unique opportunities and different
experiences, and we’re looking forward
to reveling in it all. From directorial debuts
to special screenings and world premieres,
over half of which were directed by women,
here’s a list of films that we’ve secured
tickets to, and looking forward to seeing at
the Sundance Film Festival.
The Nowhere Inn
directed by Bill Benz
Why we’re excited: In perhaps the most
legendary duo of all time (in our opinion),
Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) and Carrie
Brownstein play themselves as they shed
their onstage personas and get real in The
Nowhere Inn. Boundary blurring and enticingly
self-aware, Bill Benz’s directorial debut
is one of our most anticipated films to watch.
Wendy directed by Benh Zeitlin
Why we’re excited: Director Benh Zeitlin
(best known for his four-time Academy
Award-nominated film Beasts of the Southern
Wild) returns to the festival with Wendy,
an imaginative adaptation of J. M. Barrie’s
Peter Pan. Youthfulness and freedom seem
to be the cornerstones of Zeitlan‘s vision,
with fantastical elements further aided by
composer and longtime collaborator Dan
Romer. Wendy has already been acquired
by Fox Searchlight.
Dick Johnson is Dead directed by
Kirsten Johnson
Why we’re excited: Kirsten Johnson is
a tour de force in the documentary sphere;
her last film Cameraperson was shortlisted
for an Academy Award in 2017. In one of
her most personal films to date, she’s turning
the lens on her father in Dick Johnson is
Dead, a poignant story about her desperate
attempt to keep her aging father alive through
filmmaking. We’re bringing the Kleenex to
this one.
Downhill directed
by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Why we’re excited: Perhaps the film with
the biggest commercial star power is the Nat
Faxon/Jim Rash drama Downhill. Based on
the 2014 Swedish film Force Majeure by
Ruben Östlund, Downhill tells the story of
how one split-second decision in a moment
of panic reveals an unsettling insight into
the patriarch of an otherwise happy go lucky
family. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will
Ferrell, we’re looking forward to seeing two
great comedic actors out of their comfort
zones in dramatic roles. Downhill has already
been acquired by Fox Searchlight. •
Morgan Rojas
Slice & Pint from front page
showcases the best of what creative growers
around the world have accomplished in the past
few decades. This means interesting hop varieties
like Citra, Mosaic, Nelson, Simcoe, along with
aromas like citrus, pine and tropical fruits.
“Flavor explodes out of the glass when the
beers are young,” says Croxall, and essentially,
“we wanted to get our beers direct-to-consumer
without relying on distribution channels, so
that was really the motivation behind opening
Slice & Pint.”
But Croxall didn’t make his restaurant dreams
happen alone. Behind the success of their craft
beers and pizza strategy is a creative team of
food industry pros who have helped turn S&P
into a community staple.
For starters, Pete Crowner—S&P’s General
Manager—comes from an impressive
background working previously for the wellknown
restaurant,Village Idiot, in Hollywood.
Then Crowner introduced chef Matt Ranney—a
classically-trained chef—to Croxall and a new
partnership began that led to designing their
own speciality pizza crust and developing an
atmosphere that values great food and good
company.
Admitting right off the bat, Croxall shares
that he’s “not a restaurateur by nature,” but he
knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like.
“I serve as the ‘yes or no’ guy and I like that.”
“With someone like Matt, he came in looking
for something new to do and he brought a whole
new dimension that just elevated the entire
menu,” says Croxall. “Then we have a GM
who’s a restaurant guy, we have a classicallytrained
chef, we have someone like me who
knows what taste’s good—it’s the input from
all of us that has given us a great run so far.”
Judging by how many repeat customers pop
in for a meal on any given day, Croxall is
excited about S&P’s growth and is confident
about its future.
“It’s been accepted by the community so
quickly and I think it’s become a gathering
place that carries over the theme from the
brewery—it’s all about community, you know?
Getting people together and giving back.”
For the past five years, the El Segundo
Brewing Company has been the sole beer
sponsor for the Ed! Gala hosted by the El
Segundo Education Foundation. They also
support the Moms’ Night Out gatherings, local
rotary events, they sponsor youth sports teams
and even the high school’s marching band.
“I grew up here and it’s also where I went
to high school,” says Croxall. “El Segundo
has had a huge impact on my life and the
way I approach things and where I ended up.
My parents have lived here since the 60s. My
dad is sort of a town elder. My wife grew up
here—I love this town. I really don’t want to
live anywhere else.”
It’s that same passion and sense of home
that drives S&P’s mission and identity in El
Segundo. They aspire to build a safe haven of
connection and small-town hospitality, and to
celebrate their one year milestone on Saturday,
January 25th, they are featuring a “special”
one-time-only pizza that they’ll reveal when
the party starts at 1 PM.
Along with good food and limited-time
beers like the Power Plant Triple IPA and the
Radioactive Fallout, there will also be live
magicians providing entertainment from 1
PM to 4 PM.
“Come in and try the new pizza—thanks for
being a customer,” says Croxall. •
The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
NO FAKE NEWS. ALL HOMEGROWN.
NO DATA SHARING OR SELLING.
NO TRACKING
WE ARE VIRUS-FREE AND HACK-FREE.
We Print
your business YOUR NAME
your dreams
we can help
DBAS PUBLISHED FOR ONLY $75.00
Email dba@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1830 for more information.
L-R: The Nowhere Inn, Downhill, Wendy, Dick Johnson is Dead. Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute.