Page 6 July 6, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Entertainment Check It Out Film Review The Gargoyle Hunters By John Freeman Gill Rom-Com Dram The Big Sick is Timely Commentary on Modern Love By Kailee Andrews for www.cinemacy.com There’s a scene in The Big Sick when the lead character, Kumail, gets in an argument with his Pakistani Muslim immigrant family at a diner. As things get heated he takes a moment to swivel his head around, repeatedly shouting to other customers, “It’s okay, we hate terrorists! We hate terrorists!” So yeah, The Big Sick may just be too good for this world--too pure. A phrase that has become a Tumblr fallback for describing shapely cinnamon rolls and likable characters… but in the case, of this kind-hearted, uproarious romantic comedy, it’s all too apt. This rom-com-dram goes down like a hot toddy, leaving you warm and giggly, yet at times emotionally raw. The Sundance hype for The Big Sick was enormous from two perspectives. On the one hand, there was the usual festival crowd-pleaser discovered and bought for a hefty sum (in this case, The Big Sick was scooped up by Amazon for $12 million). On the other hand, there’s the film’s context. In today’s climate, the story of a Pakistani-born comedian from a Muslim family falling for a white American grad student plays with a heightened sweetness and urgency. Like so many movies these days, The Big Sick will be received in a world that can feel jarringly different from the one in which it was produced. It’s impossible to describe how precious and joyous and muchneeded Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan in The Big Sick. Courtesy of Sundance. this film seemed at that moment sitting in the Sundance theater. So clearly, The Big Sick is a film America needs. It offers a universally appealing, yet insightfully specific look at finding the person with whom you belong--in a country you are trying to belong to, despite that country’s tenuous welcome. As such, it would be easy to simply discuss the joy and necessity of seeing a brown man as the romantic lead in a commercial American rom-com. And that is deeply wonderful. But of course, the power of the film comes not merely from its welcome focus on the Pakistani-American experience, but from the particular experiences of its lead characters, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) portrays himself in the film, which is an autobiographical chronicle of his relationship with his now-wife Emily V. Gordon (Zoe Kazan). The couple scripted the film together, and it covers their meeting, dating, breakup and the illness that placed Emily in a coma. Much of the film takes place with Emily unconscious and chances of survival wavering as Kumail becomes acquainted with her stressed and fierce parents (played pitch-perfect by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano). Full of both heaviness and light, the film has a lot of ground to cover, which explains its unusualfor a-comedy runtime of two hours. Despite the length and the generic elements of the film (a sudden illness, a forbidden connection and a meet-the-parents arc), the movie never tires. It’s entirely absorbing, with a fully-realized cast of characters, a lived-in world of black box theaters, homey Chicago apartments and Pakistani parents intent on having their son settle down with an appropriate Muslim girl. I love this movie so dearly. I love that it gives us an intimate, open look at a love story that is both ordinary and extraordinarily eventful. I love that it has a scene in which Kumail tries to test a knowing, wise-cracking Emily’s taste by insisting she watch some of his favorite B horror movies. As so many in society continue to fight for acceptance, these images are helpful, and this normalcy is everything. The Big Sick is rated R for language, including some sexual references. 119 minutes. Now playing at ArcLight Hollywood, The Landmark, and AMC Century City with additional cities to follow on July 14. • accents in forms animal, human, botanical, etc. Passages describe the artworks’ origins and details of methods to heal the injuries from age and neglect. Narrated by the author, the story came alive for me and the subject matter sparked my interest in Old New York and its historic wonders, past and those still present. I investigated and found websites dedicated to New York City architecture, like Untapped Cities and NYC Architecture. There were also some great interviews with Mr. Gill, where I discovered that there are elements from the author’s life that shaped the story. In a piece from the Los Angeles Review of Books, he tells that a major plot line of the book is taken from reality. An entire New York City landmark building was stolen in the 1970s. To this day, no one knows what became of it, so he says “…. I decided to solve the mystery by placing 13-year-old Griffin and his obsessive, manic father at the center of the action. I wanted to know the end of that story, so I sat down and wrote it.” Please stop by the Reference Desk and ask our helpful staff to share their picks of the many new items available in our library this summer season. • Reviewed by Roz Templin, Library Assistant, El Segundo Public Library This is the author’s debut novel, who is a contributor to many New York publications, including the New York Times. His specialties are architecture and real estate, which are a big part of this story. Set in New York City, 1974-75, 13-year-old Griffin and his older sister Quigley wrestle with their parents’ divorce. Quig tries to reunite her parents while Griffin tries to protect his mother from his father, simultaneously attempting to The Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill. Woolworth Buidling, NYC. forge a closer relationship with his distant father. The Watts parents are both artists. His mother seems to be more of a dabbler, but Griffin’s father, an antiques dealer, uses his artistic skills in renovating salvageable items. Griffin’s mother takes in odd boarders in their Brownstone home. Her ex-husband is now her landlord. The story is told from Griffin’s point of view and includes humorous sketches of his school, friends, chaotic home life, snapshot profiles of the “strays” (boarders) and surprisingly fleshedout characters of the men that work with his father in his business. The City is on the verge of bankruptcy and descriptions of riots that resulted from President Ford’s rejection of a federal bailout are vividly recounted. Griffin learns about the historic architecture of New York from his bitter father, who resents the way New York citizens have discarded the majestic buildings--mostly which resulted from urban renewal projects that ultimately went awry. Mr. Watts seems to be on a one-man crusade to save these buildings and their ornate details. Hoping to bond closer to his father, Griffin starts working for him. His education in the antique salvage trade begins as he has heart-stopping adventures assisting the crew in acquiring forgotten works of art. Gargoyles becomes a catch-all term for any sculptural Roz Templin. Every Visit our Website www.heraldpublications.com issue always available online! New Issues/Old Issues • Out-of-town? Read the Herald newspapers online • Interested in an article from a prior date? See it online • Excited about an ad, photo, or article? 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