Page 4 December 17, 2020 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
The Vast of Night is a
Low-Budget, Sci-Fi Sensation
By Kailee Andrews for cinemacy.com
The UFO genre has always had a divided
soul, split evenly between bleak body horror
and wholesome tributes to connection. With
his invigorating period piece, The Vast of
Night, first-time feature director Andrew Patterson
parachutes into this divide and sets up
camp by offering a story that invokes both the
light and dark potential of the genre. The film’s
brilliant title sets the mood just right. Depending
on the reading and intonation, The Vast of
Night, now streaming on Amazon Prime, could
sound hopeful, full of starlight and promise, or
intimidating, tinged with unknowable threat.
Set in 1950s New Mexico, this Twilight
Zone inflected story recounts the events of
one dizzying evening, in which a young
switchboard operator, Fay (Sierra McCormick),
hears a radio signal of unknown origin.
She ropes in local radio host, Everett
(Jake Horowitz), to investigate and they
soon find themselves fielding calls from
impassioned strangers who claim to know
something about the classified history of these
signals, and the lights in the sky that accompany
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them.
The most winning element of The Vast of
Night is the way it infuses you with wonder.
It captures that breathless, fantastic emotion
so well, from the way it shocks us into stilled
awe to the way it animates our curiosity. Much
credit for this infectious energy also goes to
the camerawork. The first act is stacked with
ambitious long takes that establish the small
town and roving characters with verve. The
film’s most complex take runs from Fay’s
office to the high school where the town
is gathered to watch a big game (if they
could only fix the mysterious electric issues),
and beyond.
As you may have surmised from the
film’s stylized poster of a radio tower, radio
is a major influence on this narrative. And
it’s radio that creates the film’s treasured pauses,
where 10-minute monologues breathe in near
absolute stillness. Several times, the screen goes
black to allow complete engagement with sound
and imagination. It’s a confident and assured
maneuver. It’s also aggressively out of line with
most trends in genre filmmaking (today, most
action and sci-fi blockbusters hold shots for an
average of 3 seconds, constantly refreshing
the visual field).
The Vast of Night is a film of complex
moods and messages. It’s enamored with the
restorative joy of Fay’s hope for the future,
but also full of reminders that the connected
world she longs for isn’t guaranteed to be
just. That connection, whether made through
radio waves or small-town sports, is just as
capable of fostering division as progress.
But, as the film insistently repeats through its
sound design and style, no matter what era,
face to face and voice to voice storytelling
will always offer some of our best hopes for
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Vast of Night, courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.
Designed by myriammira / Freepik
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Thursday, December 31 and Friday, January 1
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Police Reports
City Council from front page
basing the new, higher rates on accurate
figures. Burgoyne sought to reassure Councilman
Giroux and the rest of the council that
the 91 percent rate increase to El Segundo
could end up being lower than that figure.
“The bills are based on estimated costs,
which are based on our capital program. And,
then they’re reconciled later on,” Burgoyne
said. The effect of COVID-19 is expected to
reduce the capital spending at the Hyperion
by $320 million to $387 million, in which
case El Segundo would receive a sizable
credit from the city of Los Angeles, he said.
The rate-setting process occurs every five
years and is governed by Proposition 218.
The law requires cities to obtain a simple
majority of customers to raise taxes and fees.
Court rulings have expanded the taxpayerprotection
measure to include city utility rates
and any increases in utility fees. El Segundo
tentatively plans a public hearing about the
proposed rate increases for wastewater and
water bills for February 16.
The proposed increase for water service,
bought from West Basin Municipal Water
District, is a modest 3 percent per year. The
West Basin MWD board voted in June to pass
along a 2.4 percent increase to member cities,
including El Segundo, on January 1 and a 3.5
percent water-rate increase for 2022. Division
4 Director Scott Houston, who represents El
Segundo, opposed the pass-along increases,
citing the economic uncertainty created by
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the law, El Segundo can ask its
customers to pay the higher charges for
wastewater and water services. These so-called
“pass-along charges” are limited, though,
and cannot be used to fund non-related
city services. Under Proposition 218, utility
customers can protest a rate hike, in which
case, El Segundo would be forced to pay the
additional Hyperion and West Basin charges
for water services. Information about the
proposed rate increases and the protest ballots
will be mailed out with city water bills.
Mayor Drew Boyles asked what would
happen if water-service rates were increased
by nine percent for next year and 2022, and
to 9.5 percent through 2025, as proposed,
and the Hyperion credited El Segundo for
overcharges after the rates were approved.
Finance Director Joe Lillio said that while the
customer rates could be lowered, the city’s
wastewater fund is depleted and will need
the revenue from higher customer bills for
several years to replenish the fund.
The council approved the staff report,
including the recommended Hyperion and
West Basin water rate increases, but final
approval won’t come until the public hearing.
In other actions, the council approved
opening recruitment for upcoming vacancies
on city committees, commissions and boards.
There are currently two vacant seats on the
Economic Development Advisory Council and
two members’ appointments will expire in
January. Seats will become available in May
on the Recreation & Parks Commission, and
in June, appointments will be made to the
Planning Commission, the Library Board
of Trustees, the Environmental Committee,
and the Senior Housing Corporation Board.
The Technology Committee also will have
an opening in the summer, according to the
list, which will remain posted year-round at
City Hall and on the elsegundo.org web site.
The window-replacement project at City
Hall will need an additional $14,300 to design.
City staff, with the council’s approval
Tuesday, will put out bids for the installation
of the energy-efficient windows, which will
replace existing ones that are decades old.
The city plans to spend $1.25 million in
2021 to repair and resurface streets. According
to the Public Works Department,
proceeds from the SB 1 fuel tax will cover
$750,000 of the road repair costs next year.
The parking lot at the city water tower also
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Monday, Dec 7th
A burglary (residential) report was taken
at 1030 hours from the 700 block of West
Imperial Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) broke
into a storage unit and took miscellaneous
property.
A burglary report was taken at 1115 hours
from the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) stole the victim’s packages
from the mailroom.
Tuesday, Dec 8th
A grand theft report was taken at 1842 hours
from the 700 block of South Pacific Coast
Highway. The suspects stole merchandise
and left the store.
One male adult was arrested at 2303 hours
from Imperial Avenue and McCarthy Court
for possession of a controlled substance,
possession of drug paraphernalia and driving
without a license.
One male adult was arrested at 0205 hours
Aviation Boulevard and Imperial Highway
for misdemeanor DUI.
Wednesday, Dec 9th
One male adult was arrested at 0854 hours
from the 900 block of North Pacific Coast
Highway for driving a stolen vehicle, resisting
arrest, and felony evading.
An identity theft report was taken from
the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) fraudulently cashed a
check in the victim’s name.
One male adult was arrested at 1622 hours
from the 700 block of North Pacific Coast
Highway for identity theft and possession
of a knife.
An identity theft report was taken at 1632
hours from the 700 block of West Imperial
Avenue.
One male adult was arrested at 2304 hours
from California Street and imperial Avenue
for driving a stolen vehicle and possession
of a controlled substance.
An identity theft report was taken at 0450
hours from the 400 block of Standard Street.
Unknown suspect(s) fraudulently obtained
the victim’s personal information.
Thursday, Dec 10th
A missing person was located at 0524
hours in the 1800 block of East Sycamore
Avenue. Located was a male adult reported
missing out of LBPD.
A found property report was taken at
0717 hours from the 300 block of Maryland
Street. Bicycle parts were found and booked
for safekeeping.
A grand theft report was taken at 0827
hours from the 600 block of Center Street.
Unknown suspect(s) stole the catalytic converter
from the victim’s vehicle.
A vandalism report was taken at 0852 hours
from the 1300 block of East Grand Avenue.
Unknown suspect broke the tail light of the
See Police Reports, page 7
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