Page 6 March 28, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment
Check It Out Film Review
The Clockmaker’s Daughter
by Kate Morton
Reviewed by Kristina Kora-Beckman,
Librarian, El Segundo Public Library
Part ghost story, part mystery, Kate Morton’s
latest historical fiction book, The Clockmaker’s
Daughter, weaves multiple storylines through
time while touching on music, art, war and the
supernatural. At first glance, the various characters
and their tales don’t appear connected…
but by the end of the story, they have converged
in interesting and sometimes unexpected ways.
Similar to other Morton works, Clockmaker
features a house, Birchwood Manor, located in a
small English village. Throughout the 150-plus
years, the house is the setting for joy, grief, love
and even death, but, despite tragedy, endures
as a symbol of refuge for characters in need.
Morton excels at crafting tragic outcomes
where small decisions in series of events can
have far-reaching implications. While readers
wish the characters made different choices that
might have resulted in happier results, they
understand the complex human emotions and
complicating circumstances that can lead to the
imperfect human decisions. Morton’s writing
is beautiful, elegantly crafting rich characters
that draw you into lush descriptions of their
hopes, dreams, disappointments and fears.
To check out The Clockmaker’s Daughter,
or browse more historical fiction titles, stop
by the library to apply for your free library
card. While you’re there, stop by the Reference
Desk. We’d love to hear what you’re reading! •
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton. Kristina Kora-Beckman.
Us Review: A New, Essential
American Nightmare
By Ryan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
Last year’s Get Out ended up being
more than just one of the scariest and most
wildly original movies of recent times. Jordan
Peele’s horror flick, about a group of African
Americans who become enslaved through
mind control after getting hypnotized by
a family of wealthy Whites, became a pop
cultural lightning rod for people to discuss
the Black experience of living in America –
speaking to both its earliest historical roots
of enslavement through the modern anxiety
of Trump-era politics.
For such a stunning achievement of a
debut, it’s no wonder that audiences have
been looking forward to whatever Peele’s
follow-up film would be with feverish excitement.
And now, Peele is back with another
Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
suspense thriller – Us – which is equally
ambitious in its masterfully layered allegory
(this review is spoiler-free).
It/s this duality that makes Us work on two
operatic levels: a familiar yet pulse-pounding
set-up of a family trying to survive a home
invasion, as well as a wildly conceptual existential
dread-fest that ties in such gigantic
conversations as race in America. When an
African American family (a detail that isn’t
relevant to the story until you think about it
symbolically afterwards) vacations at their
beach house, haunting memories can’t help but
pop up for Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), who
remembers an experience she had when she,
as a little girl back in 1986, wandered away
from her family one night at the boardwalk
only to find herself face to face with another
girl – her exact self. It’s enough to make for
a traumatic childhood that makes her feel not
quite herself and sets the stage for years later
when her family becomes the targets of home
invaders – frighteningly and inconceivably
enough, being each of their actual selves.
A family of four staring back at their exact
opposites, they see these attackers all clad in
red jumpsuits, brandishing scissors as weapons
and noticeably all mute – except for Adelaide’s
doppelgänger, Red (also played by Nyong’o).
From there, it’s a story of the family trying to
outlive their attackers, who aim to do away
with them and take their place in this world.
Peele, a previous funnyman whose background
on the two iconic sketch shows
Mad TV and Key and Peele helped shape
him into the brilliant premise inventor that
he is, proves more amazingly here that it’s
his deep understanding of film history that
makes him such a gifted talent (the Hitchcock
comparisons have been flying his way
as of late). While this review could spend
even more time unpacking the visual references
that are everywhere in the film and
their significance (while still not touching on
everything), quite simply put, Us is everything
any audience could want in a movie.
And one of the best parts is Peele marries
his uncompromising vision with the mindset
of being big-screen popcorn entertainment,
giving Us the opportunity to be seen and
discussed by people of all types. And this
is what films – the best, paradigm-shifting
films – are supposed to do. We should not
only escape into something for 100 minutes
and return to modern life unchanged, but
come back from the experience more learned,
or at the very least willing to confront realworld
discomforts. So beyond being one of
the most unsettling films of this or any other
recent year, Us achieves an importance that
will be recognized, re-watched and discussed
for years to come.
116 min. Us is rated R for violence/terror,
and language. Now playing in theaters. •
Ryan Rojas
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Calendar of Events from page 3
310-364-0117.
• Friends of the Library Book Sale, 12:00
PM. – 5:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library,
111 W. Mariposa Ave, Call: 310-524-2728.
• Friends of the El Segundo Public Library:
History Committee: Photo Print Sale, 11:00
AM. – 3:45 PM., All prices are extremely
reasonable, Sue Carter Community Room,
El Segundo Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa
Ave, Call Sari: 310-364-0117.
FRIDAY, APR. 5
• Bingo, 1:00 PM. - 3:00 PM., 50 Plus, $3.00
minimum, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon Street
• Friends of the Library Book Sale, 10:00
AM. – 5:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library,
111 W. Mariposa Ave, Call: 310-524-2728.
• Friends of the El Segundo Public Library:
History Committee: Photo Print Sale, 11:00
AM. – 3:45 PM., All prices are extremely
reasonable, Sue Carter Community Room,
El Segundo Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa
Ave, Call Sari: 310-364-0117.
• SPRING BREAK!!!! – NO SCHOOL FOR
ALL ESUSD Students
SATURDAY, APR. 6
• Community Meeting: EDCO –Solid Waste
and Recycle, 11:00 AM. – 12:00 PM., Joslyn
Center, 339 Sheldon St., For questions call:
310-540-2977.
• Saturday Night Dance, 7:00 PM. – 9:45 PM.,
Cost: $5.00 Per Person, Adults of all Ages
Welcome, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call: 310-524-2705.
• Heritage Room Open to the Public, 1:00 PM.
– 3:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library, 111
W. Mariposa Ave, Call Sari: 310-364-0117.
• Friends of the Library Book Sale, 10:00
AM. – 5:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library,
111 W. Mariposa Ave, Call: 310-524-2728.
• Friends of the El Segundo Public Library:
History Committee: Photo Print Sale, 11:00
AM. – 3:45 PM., All prices are extremely
reasonable, Sue Carter Community Room,
El Segundo Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa
Ave, Call Sari: 310-364-0117.
SUNDAY, APR. 7
• Bridge & Pinochle Groups, 11:30 AM. – 3:45
PM, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339 Sheldon
St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
MONDAY, APR. 8
• Canasta Group, 11:30 AM. – 3:00 PM., 50
Plus, Free, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
TUESDAY, APR. 9
• Pinochle, 11:30 AM. – 3:30 PM., Senior
Club of El Segundo, 339 Sheldon St., Call
Pam at: 310-318-2856.
• Teen Club: National Library Week Movie &
Snacks, 3:30 PM. – 4:30 PM., El Segundo
Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa Ave, Call:
310-524-2726.
WEDNESDAY, APR. 10
• Bowling, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 50 Plus,
Senior Club of El Segundo, Gable House
Bowl, 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance,
Cost: $8.50 for 3 games, Call Joyce at:
310-322-7621.
• Yoga in Library Park, 8:30 AM. – 9:30
AM., All levels of experience are welcome,
Gazebo in Library Park.
• Library Club: Movie & Popcorn, ages 5-10
yrs, El Segundo Public Library, 111 W.
Mariposa Ave, Call: 310-524-2726.
• National Library Week Program: How to
Write a Book and Get it Published, 6:30
PM. – 7:45 PM., El Segundo Public Library,
111 W. Mariposa Ave, Call: 310-524-2728.
• ESHS PTA Meeting, 7:00 PM., ESHS Library,
640 Main Street, Call: 310-615-2662.
THURSDAY, APR. 11
• El Segundo Certified Farmer’s Market, 3:00
PM. – 7:00 PM., located on Main Street,
Downtown El Segundo.
• UPCOMING: SPRING CLEANUP WEEK
STARTS APRIL 15-19TH •