EL SEGUNDO HERALD October 6, 2016 Page 7 Entertainment Check It Out Film Review How Do You Know It’s Fall El Segundo Library Staff Book Reviews and Recommendations This week’s review is looking at some great non-fiction books about autumn. First off is a wonderful book called How Do You Know It’s Fall? by Lisa Herrington. This is a Rookie Read-About Science book that is jam-packed with fun and facts. Herrington covers a wide range of topics from weather patterns to animal behavior to seasonal activities. The little book is filled with vivid photos and engaging non-fiction text that will give your little one an introduction to autumn. Next up is a book called Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell. If you and your family can’t get enough of pumpkins then this is the book for you. It provides the answers to questions such as how big can pumpkins grow? Why do pumpkins have very big leaves? And what can we make with pumpkins? Fridell uses bright, full color images and large simple text to illustrate the life cycle of a pumpkin from seed to harvest. A perfect read aloud book before heading off to the pumpkin patch! Lastly, Valerie Bodden wrote a beautiful book about one of the animals often associated with the autumn called Owls. This book is part of the Amazing Animals series. It pairs gorgeous photographs with easily accessible text to make it appropriate for children ages 5-8. Bodden covers topics including the physical appearance, habitat, behaviors and the life cycle of owls. At the end of the book Bodden offers suggestions for further reading as well as a few websites to check out for more information on Owls. The El Segundo Public Library offers access to its collection of titles in a variety of formats, including traditional hardback, e-books and books on CD. To check out How Do You Know It’s Fall by Lisa Herrington, Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell, Owls by Valerie Bodden or any other title on your to-read list, please visit the library to apply for your library card, or please contact the reference staff for further assistance. Reviewed by Katrena Woodson, Teen and Young Reader Librarian, El Segundo Public Library. • Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt in “The Magnificent Seven.” Courtesy of Sony Pictures. The Jewelry Source 337 Main St. El Segundo. 310-322-7110 www.jewelrysourceUSA.com ©2007 The lure that gets more than a nibble Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litiga tion 310-540-6000 Lifetime El Segundo Residents *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Brian R. Brandlin • Bruce R. Brandlin • Christopher P. Brandlin “The Magnificent Seven” Defies Expectations as a Summer Standout By Jared Anderson for www.cinemacy.com The 21st-century take on “The Magnificent Seven” comes at a time when the Western has been subsidized by Hollywood though not quite at the level it once was. Numerous DiCaprio and/or Tarantino vehicles have made stabs at bringing it back to life, each with critical success but to varying degrees of the commercial kind. This remake, then, is exactly what the genre needs right now: a muscular yet accessible action adventure that might be more palatable to a general audience than the exhausting tension offered by last winter’s double feature of “The Hateful Eight” and “The Revenant.” To those unfamiliar with the general story (it is, after all, a remake of a remake), this is an entertaining introduction to these tropes by a man who knows his way around an action movie, Antoine Fuqua. The story unfolds when the villagers of a small town enlist the help of outsiders to repel the forces of corruption and oppression, and they do so by biting the bullets of a hundred triggers. Fuqua sheds the extraneous silliness that marred “Olympus Has Fallen” and “The Equalizer,” which yields a leaner action film that nonetheless retains the fun catharsis of his previous shoot ‘em ups. The premise demands an excellent ensemble cast, to which this Seven certainly answers the call. Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, the two leads from Fuqua’s most acclaimed film, “Training Day,” are reunited on screen and their subdued, world-weary performances are the glue that holds this gang together. Arguably, though, the biggest scene-stealers are Chris Pratt and Vincent D’Onofrio (this pair reunited from last year’s “Jurassic World”). Pratt is comfortable playing variations of the same character between his biggest films, which is the endearingly cocky persona that always suits the environment of the picture - a virtue matched by big names such as Will Smith or Harrison Ford that he continues to ascend towards. D’Onofrio contributes an unhinged, oddball performance that one could quite confidently say only he could do. He’s given roughly the same amount of screen time as the rest of the protagonists, which include a bandito, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, a dagger-happy Byung-hun Lee, a bow-happy Martin Sensmeier, and the de-facto town leader played by Haley Bennet. This completes a diverse and welcome roster in the theatrical climate of 2016. Not only are these performances impressive in and of themselves, but there’s a rich chemistry between each that makes good use of the time in between the massive-scale battle sequences. If you are familiar with the 1960 original (famously starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, among others) or perhaps Akira Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai” which preceded it, this new version does not reinvent the wheel - nor does it aim to. Fuqua’s M7 is exactly what it should be: a rousing, old-fashioned good time. “The Magnificent Seven” is rated PG-13 for extended and intense sequences of Western violence, and for historical smoking, some language, and suggestive material. 133 minutes. Now playing in theaters nationwide.• Katrena Woodson. How Do You Know It’s Fall by Lisa Herrington. By Lisa Herrington, Life Cycle of a Pumpkin By Ron Fridell, and Owls By Valerie Bodden Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell. Owls by Valerie Bodden.
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