EL SEGUNDO HERALD July 30, 2020 Page 5
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Entertainment
Dave Franco’s The Rental Will Make
You Rethink Booking Your Next Airbnb
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
Dave Franco wants you to rethink your
summer vacation plans. Or at least, prepare
you for the worst: your rental is not as safe
as you think it is. In his impressive directorial
debut, The Rental, Franco and his co-writer Joe
Swanberg have not so subtly planted the seed
that privacy is not guaranteed. Using classic
horror tropes to tell a modern story, this unsettling
thriller is a paranoid traveler’s nightmare
and perhaps a much needed cautionary tale
that we should all be double-checking our next
Airbnb for cameras and wire-taps.
What was supposed to be a celebratory
weekend getaway to the Oregon coast turns into
the trip from hell when two couples make a
sinister discovery in their house rental. A couple
of red flags appear when married couple Charlie
(Dan Stevens) and Michelle (Alison Brie),
Charlie’s brother Josh (Jeremey Allen White),
and Josh’s girlfriend Mina (Sheila Vand) first
arrive at the house but things just seem odd
rather than illegal. Charlie and Mina also have
a business relationship that, not surprisingly,
has led to some sexual tension and predictable
mishaps. Their one-time indiscretion risks getting
exposed when Mina discovers a camera in
the house, threatening their secret and ruining
the lives of their partner’s and themselves. Unfortunately
for them, this discovery is just the
tip of the iceberg, as the “oh shoot” moments
grow bigger, more invasive, and even deadly.
A fantastic ensemble cast and a clever script
gave me the chills, although I initially felt
unsatisfied with some of the film’s ambiguity.
It seemed like an easy way out of an otherwise
well-executed and sticky plot. But as the
credits rolled, something clicked. Ambiguity
and anonymity are just as much of a threat -if
not more so- than an “obvious” villain. Feeling
on-edge without the ability to grasp hold of
something tangible is an awful feeling, as seen
in the mental unraveling of the protagonists.
The psychological effects from The Rental will
fall outlast the instant gratification of shock and
awe horror films, making Franco’s first foray
into the director’s chair a success.
Distributed by IFC Films, The Rental is
available on VOD and over 250 drive-ins and
theaters. •
The-Rental, courtesy of IFC Films.
Morgan Rojas
questions from parents and community members
about how ESUSD educational services
will look this school year.
The District received more than 450
queries from interested stakeholders, and
Superintendent Dr. Melissa Moore noted
that around 800 people had tapped-in to
the 100+ plus minute meeting that was
hosted on the Cisco-WebEx platform. School
board president Dr. Jeanie Nishime participated
in the gathering, as did school board
vice-president Tracey Miller-Zarnecke, and
multiple ESUSD administrators.
Scenarios for restarting the school year
were discussed, but the reality of this time is
that everything that will occur in the District
is still evolving.
The District had drafted a hybrid learning
option, in which in-class teaching would occur
two days a week, but Newsom recently
kyboshed that plan. So that left ESUSD administrators
and staff scrambling to strengthen
their distance-learning program that was
rolled-out in mid-March. Administrators
were confident, they said on Monday night’s
Webcast, that the distance learning program,
however long it need be implemented, would
be successful.
One of the main points stressed by District
participants was that parents need to decide by
11:59 p.m. on July 30 whether their children
will participate in a fully distance-learning
program for the first school semester, or
whether they will opt for the hybrid option
if/when students are allowed to return to
the classrooms. No turning back, they said.
Once a decision is made, it will be in place
for the full first semester.
ESUSD parents have been emailed a
Goggle doc in which they can sign-up for
full distance learning. They do not need to
respond if they select the hybrid option.
Said Moore: “The real issue, as a parent,
is if you feel comfortable with your child
returning to in-person instruction.”
As the participants answered parent
inquiries, it was revealed by Moore that,
although all plans are still tentative, that
the CIF has set a start date to resume high
school sports, including football and volleyball
in December, with a spring sports
season commencing in late February or early
March, featuring baseball, softball, basketball,
and soccer.
Kim Linz, the ESUSD’s Chief Business
Official, informed those viewing virtually that
the Food Service Department would restart
meal service for students on August 26, using
a Grab and Go model. Students eligible
for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program
will receive breakfast and lunch daily at no
charge. Other students will be able to purchase
meals. Information and a schedule will be
forthcoming from the District.
Miller-Zarneke, the school board vice
president, emailed some of her thoughts
that she would share with the viewers: “During
these pandemic times, I feel like we are
all navigating a constantly shifting geography
where scientific and data-based analyses
continue to chart us on a previously uncharted
path. But while ever-evolving information
can seem overwhelming and unsettling at
times, I am grateful as a Board Member
that we have an engaged and caring team of
teachers, administration, and district personnel
who are extremely capable of working
with many moving parts and preferences
and priorities on many levels. I am pleased
that planning what the Fall reopening of
ESUSD schools will look like has been
a truly collaborative effort involving all
levels of staff as well as board members,
parents and students. I am especially appreciative
of all our school families who stay
up-to-date on the latest State and County
mandates to understand this is the reality in
which our way to “do school” must continue
to evolve to continue to exist. Finding the
right balance among academic standards,
educational goals, social/emotional well-being,
and public health/safety has never been more
complicated than it is at this moment. Still,
I continue to read everything I can, listen to
everyone involved, rely on my institutional
knowledge and experience in ESUSD, and
use rational thinking to make the best choices
I can as a Board Member in service to
our community.”
Director of Operations Ali Rabiei added
his thoughts via email prior to the meeting.
“These are, without a doubt, unique, challenging,
and uncertain times for schools. Even
though the latest direction from Governor
Newsom has extended the physical closure
of schools to students, we are still moving
forward in preparing our schools for reopening
in a hybrid when conditions permit,
once Los Angeles County is removed from
the state’s monitoring list. This situation is
two-fold:” he added, “the instructional plan
for students and the health and safety of all.
ESUSD staff has worked hard this summer
and will continue to do so to have this all
covered. We are prepared for both a virtual
opening this Fall and the eventual physical
reopening, coupled with a hybrid/distance
learning approach.”
Dr. Dylan Farris, district Executive Director
of Human Resources and Marisa Janicek, Assistant
Superintendent, also fielded questions
on Monday evening. Farris gave updates
dealing with the possibility of cameras in the
classroom, as well as staffing protocols, and
the validity of, once the students return to
the campuses, holding outdoor instructional
sessions.
Janicek noted that, with the start-up being
fully distance learning, all minimum school
day requirements would be met, with the
teachers taking roll each day and consistently
interacting virtually with the students
to “set them up for success” for the school
year. “It is going to be amazing,” she said.
“Our teachers have worked so hard,” she
said, developing effective strategies to foster
student engagement.
In her wrap-up remarks, Moore said that
she understood parents’ frustration as the new
school year looms, citing the one-of-a-kind
disruption in education. She vowed that the
ESUSD would open successfully on August
26 with the distance-learning protocols in
place, saying that “we can’t wait to have
our students back with us.”
“The pandemic has tremendously disrupted
public education,” Moore emailed after the
town hall. “What once was a somewhat
predictable and comfortable system is turned
upside down. This disruption is felt by our
students first and foremost, our employees
and our parents. In ESUSD, we are diligently
striving to offer a high-quality distance learning
and hybrid instructional model. We look
forward to returning to classrooms when
deemed safe to do so.”
The video of the town hall has been posted
on the ESUSD website. The next ESUSD
school board meeting will take place virtually
on Tuesday, August 4. •
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