EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 20, 2020 Page 5
Entertainment
Tesla is Not the Biopic
That You’d Expect It To Be
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
Based on the film’s logline, Tesla may
sound like a standard historical biopic about
the engineer, scientist, and inventor credited
with devising the first practical application
of alternating current (AC) to generate and
distribute light and power. And while yes,
I’ll admit that does sound rather dry, Tesla is
anything but a bore. Writer/director Michael
Almereyda (Marjorie Prime) takes full creative
control and presents a whimsical, vibrant
retelling of the life and accomplishments
of Nikola Tesla through humor, electronic
music, and breaking the 4th wall with Ethan
Hawke singing karaoke to the Tears for Fears
song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
Hawke shines (pun intended) as Nikola
Tesla, the iconic inventor whose big ideas and
projections for the future left him entangled
with fellow inventor Thomas Edison (Kyle
MacLachlan). The film follows their shaky
partnership and Tesla‘s eventual success, as
well as his complicated relationship with
Anne (Eve Hewson), daughter of financial
titan J.P. Morgan (Donnie Keshawarz).
Rollerskating scenes and self-aware
one-liners are sprinkled throughout factual
narration and serious moments, a clear indication
that Almereyda did not want Tesla
(which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film
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Lucky from page 3
During their school’s choir concert visit to New York, Lucky Schwarz and fellow choir member Amanda Thoman were all smiles on the
outdoor ice rink
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Festival) to be perceived as a typical biopic.
The freewheeling and neon-soaked nature
of the film is the main draw, and it plays
much like an extended episode of Comedy
Central’s ‘Drunk History.’ However, there
are scenes that seem disassociated with this
otherwise unique style which throws off the
balance of the film. Had the surreal moments
carried consistently throughout, there’s no
doubt that Tesla would have made big sparks
on its release day.
Distributed by IFC Films, Tesla is available
to rent on VOD this Friday. •
Tesla courtesy IFC Films.
Morgan Rojas
With no prior running experience, he became
one of the program’s fastest runners with his
athletic ability. He competed in the CIF Southern
Section Finals last fall and helped the Eagles
advance to the CIF California State Cross Country
Championship race. Lucky’s cross country
coach, Marcos Bolanos, has been a big influence
on him. “Coach B taught me to put everything
I have into everything I do no matter what it
is. He pushes me in running, and I know that
he cares about me and everyone on the team.”
With a full schedule, Lucky still finds a way
to make time for another passion in his life,
Boy Scouts. Scouting has helped teach him
many aspects of life and he says that has made
him grow as a person and help him for the
future. He has spent many years in Boy Scouts
and has reached the rank of Life Scout, one
rank below Eagle Scout. His dedication to the
journey through scouting has him knocking on
the door to the pinnacle of Boy Scouts when
he earns Eagle Scout.
To fully understand the challenges of earning
Eagle rank since 1912, when the first Eagle
Scout was earned by Arthur Eldred, just three
percent completed all of Eagle’s rank advancements.
While Lucky continues his goal of
becoming an Eagle Scout from Troop 762, he
says his Eagle Project idea is to build a “My
Little Library” project for his neighborhood.
The concept promotes reading via a small
container set on a homeowner’s property with
the motto, “Take a book share a book.”
So, where does Lucky see himself in ten years?
He’s hoping to be an architect and a good one
at that but knows it’ll take hard work. “I want
to be an architect when I am older. I want to
design homes that blend with nature and bring
lots of different elements into them.” He added
that he’s always had the dream to design his
own home as well. He also sees himself playing
and maybe even teaching tennis.
When Lucky talks about how fortunate he is
and who he’d like to thank, the first ones on
his list are his mother, Claudia and his father,
Paul. “I have my parents to thank for where I
am right now in life. They supported my tennis
interests and made sure I got to practices.”
They also took him to tournaments or wherever
he needed to be. “With their help, they’ve set
me up to be successful in life.” Another family
member Lucky has been influenced by is his
brother Nick. “I look up to him and strive to
be just like him because he’s so positive about
things in life.”
Lucky is looking forward to his senior
year and hopes that he gets to attend school
in person. He says his teachers have always
pushed him to try his hardest and step out
of his comfort zone. That, he says, will help
motivate him throughout his life. “I’m very
grateful for all my teachers.”
Lucky has a bright future ahead of him and
he’s encouraged and inspired to make it work.
His brilliance in the classroom will help, his
competitive athleticism and drive will motivate
him and his Eagle Scout rank will open the
doors. Yes, it’s good to be Lucky! •
Lucky Schwarz (L) led the Eagles to an Ocean League cross country title. He finished first overall while Cooper Huas finished fifth.
Film Review