Page 6 June 21, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment
Check It Out Film Review
Soldiers Endure Trauma
of War in The Yellow Birds
By Ryan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
As American military presence in the Iraq
war has fallen out of the more day-to-day news
cycle, so too have war dramas that continue
to explore the traumatic effects war has on
those in the field. In The Yellow Birds, based
on the 2012 novel of the same name by Kevin
Powers and adapted by David Lowery (Pete’s
Dragon) and R.F.I. Porto, director Alexandre
Moors (Blue Caprice) explores the traumas
of war through the story of a disappeared
soldier and his fellow comrade who must
keep his mental health in check for the sake
of his own freedom.
The Yellow Birds opens with silhouetted
shadows of weapon brandishing soldiers
wading their way through a barren Iraqi
landscape. Voiceover monologue describes
how these young men may already be dead,
long before they could have been killed.
Such ghosts are what two young soldiers,
Brandon Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich), who is
all of 21 years old, and Daniel Murphy (Tye
Sheridan), even younger at 18, face as newly
enlisted soldiers in the Army. When these two
are deployed to Iraq under the command of
the progressively unhinged Sergeant Sterling
(Jack Huston), the more hard-shelled Bartle
takes to looking out for the more sensitive
Murph in this war-torn landscape.
Yet, as the stresses of war mount, with
combat and killing becoming a more prevalent
and consuming reality, cracks begin to show
in the fragility of Murph’s toughness. His
mental stronghold begins to wane, leading
to a physical and emotional instability that
worries Bartle and company. It eventually
becomes the root cause of Murph’s disappearance
in the field.
What starts out as a war drama, The Yellow
Birds cuts back and forth from flashback to
the present, as the wartime events in Iraq are
interspersed with Bartle’s return home. This
creates a vacuum of a story in which Murph
disappears, adding intrigue to the mysterious
circumstances. It certainly alarms Murph’s
mother, Maureen (Jennifer Aniston), who
pleads her case to the Army. And a rattled
Bartle is clearly shaken after returning home
to his mother, Amy (Tony Collette), who
tries to console him. Bartle’s depression soon
becomes inescapable and all-consuming,
leading him to a breaking point as he finally
addresses Murph’s mom with what actually
happened overseas.
One of the strengths and most defining
parts of The Yellow Birds is how it really
gets into the heads of its characters. While
it’s a bit stilted in its mechanics of cutting
back and forth, Ehrenreich gives a fine
performance and Sheridan adds a quietly
moving performance as well. The perspective
of The Yellow Birds is an emotionally
engaging one that offers a fresh, new look
at wartime films from the perspective of its
young and impressionable soldiers.
The Yellow Birds is rated R for war violence,
some grisly images, sexual material,
and language throughout. 110 minutes. Now
playing at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre. •
The Yellowbirds, Courtesy of Saban Films.
Author Spotlight: Daisy Goodwin
Reviewed by Kristina Kora-Beckman,
Librarian, El Segundo Public Library
This week I’m reviewing fiction author Daisy
Goodwin’s historical period dramas, which focus
on female characters and their struggles to
find love and acceptance in restrictive societies.
My favorites are American Heiress, in which
wealthy American Cora Cash travels to England
to find a titled husband and become part of elite
British society; and The Fortune Hunter, which
focuses partly on Sisi, Empress of Austria, who
comes to England hunting for an escape from
the stifling pressures of the Hapsburg empire.
Charlotte Baird, aspiring photographer and
heiress, is also struggling to find her place
within the constraints of the British upper crust.
Both women become entangled with Captain
Middleton -- a charming but conflicted cavalry
officer -- and power clashes ensue.
Great for Downton Abbey fans, Heiress
includes elements of upstairs versus downstairs
conflict, American versus English social
expectations and plenty of family drama, not
to mention romantic entanglements. Fortune
Hunter is also ripe with society scandals
caused by both men and women in the story.
I enjoyed the fictionalized account based on
the lives of three real people.
In addition to these novels, Goodwin wrote
Victoria, about the young queen’s rise to the
throne and tumultuous first years as monarch.
Goodwin is also the creator/writer of the PBS/
Masterpiece drama, Victoria.
To check out Goodwin’s titles, please visit
the library to apply for your free library card.
These books would also qualify for prizes in
our Adult Summer Reading program, going
The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin.
on now through September 1. The program
includes activities, raffles and events such as
our “Literary Tea Book Buzz” kickoff Saturday,
June 30. For more information, or to sign up
for either program, please stop by or call the
Adult Reference Desk, 310-524-2728. •
American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin.
Kristina Kora-Beckman.
Sports from page 5
Watching Osbourne run her all-star practice,
you see the passion she has for teaching and
mentoring her players. She explains, instructs
and demonstrates drills and methods to her players
-- and all are eager to learn. Osbourne says
that her goals for her players are simple: learn
the game, improve while having fun, and want
to return to play. She credits her understanding
and strengths in instructing and mentoring to the
coaches she has played for and the assistants
that have surrounded her. She says that John
Daly was a great all-around coach and person
who made it fun. Her assistants this season,
including Rob Croxall and Garrett Quaintance,
helped her immensely and she learned from
their baseball high IQs and their passion for
teaching. The all-star assistant coaches she
has helping her, including Jason Knupfer and
Mike Wagner. run practices while she instructs.
Osbourne doesn’t think she’s crossing any lines
where it has been a male dominated position in
the past. Initially when she first started coaching
and then went into managing, she would get
some odd looks from opposing coaches until
they realized she knew the game and her players
were learning. She said at first that she would
have to remind others that she was the coach.
Osbourne related that in one game, the
umpires called the managers to home plate
for the pre-game meeting. She said, “The
umpire said, ‘Sweetie, we need the manager,’
and I said, ‘Honey, I am the manager.’” She
was pleased to report that they both laughed
it off and that she has never taken offense to
any of the misunderstandings.
As she prepares her all-star team for tournament
play, Osbourne, who has a Masters in
Criminology, has high hopes and expectations
for this group. “We have a great bunch of boys
who play together,” she said. “They all work
hard in practice, have fun and they’ll make this
a memorable moment as we hope to advance
in each tournament.”
You can follow Coach Osbourne and the
9-10 all-star team when they open up their
District 36 Tournament schedule at Perry Park
in Redondo Beach on Saturday. For information
on all each all-star team, please visit https://
www.elsegundolittleleague.org.
Babe Ruth League
Crowns Its Champion
Bob Motta, the El Segundo Babe Ruth League
president, sat in the front row of the elimination
playoff game between the Oaks and Stars. He
expressed his happiness that there was parity in
the league and that three different teams won
a round resulting in three teams in the playoff
format. The Angels, Stars and Oaks each won
one of the three rounds and by virtue of wins
against other teams, the Angels advanced to
the championship game. The Stars and Oaks
played an elimination game and the Stars ran
over the Oaks 10-3 to advance.
The Stars met the Oaks in the first elimination
playoff championship game and ran their
The Angels pose after defeating the Stars in the championship game.
See Sports, page 12
Ryan Rojas.