Page 2 May 3, 2018
Check It Out Film Review
Inspiring Undefeated Upends
History and Uplifts Underdogs
Reviewed by Tommy Vinh Bui,
MLIS, Associate Librarian,
Inglewood Public Library
Inglewood finds itself caught in the frantic
fervor of football fever with the groundbreaking
of a new nearby stadium. I thought it pertinent
to review a book that touts the early history
of the sport in this country and the long and
storied past that has helped mold football into
the powerhouse pastime it is today.
Forging history and drama, Steve Sheinkin
has served up an enthralling and well-researched
tome about the nascent days of football in his
acutely accurate and educationally edifying
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian
School Football Team. This is a tale of bruises,
blisters and broken collarbones. It’s a colorful
and proper dustup chronicling a team of ne’erdo
well and never-say-die football players who
went toe-to-toe with the athletic elites of the day
and held their own. The writer corrals all the
qualities of a good yarn: overwhelming obstacles,
a ragtag group of outsiders and a particular
moxie that coaxes them to go the distance.
It’s a story of triumphing over insurmountable
adversity via sheer grit, guts and unfathomable
depths of indefatigable doggedness.
At the epicenter of this swirling whirlwind
of courage and pluck are the two main subjects
of the book: Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner. The
former is a jocular and mild-mannered uberathlete
that broke every record imaginable. And
the latter is his brash and full-throated coach who
recalibrated gridiron football with innovative
Entertainment
and masterful plays of speed, strategy and
sapient insight into the evolving potential of the
modern game. Together they took the sport by
storm and redefined how football was played.
The writer scribes with a nimble-footed
virtuosity and a honed understanding of history
and narrative. Steve Sheinkin’s descriptions of
historically significant matches and the early
travails and institutional bigotry and inequalities
the Carlisle students experienced on and off the
field are featured in fully-flared technicolor here.
The book is steeped in little-known histories
as it chronicles the early evolution of football
and the industry of professional sports as it
comes of age. The writer incisively indites with
a deftness that jukes and jostles and performs
pugnacious pirouettes by way of paragraphs.
It’s a true-blue page-turner.
The most accurate description of the book is
that it’s a series of nontraditional love stories. A
love of football. A love of sportsmanship. And
an unwavering love of proving the naysayers
wrong. The students of the Carlisle School
found themselves in an untenable position. They
were shipped off to a school that was designed
to systematically suppress their culture and
family traditions. It was a tragic ordeal these
kids endured. But this huddle of disparate and
hard-done-by ragamuffins banded together and
proved they could rise above their situation
and accomplish something legendary. It’s an
inspirational underdog scrum of The Bad News
Bears, Hoosiers and Rudy.
It’s also noteworthy that an interest in football
isn’t a prerequisite for enjoyment of this book.
The raw human emotions and compelling tales
of overcoming trials and tribulations should be
enough to blindside you thoroughly. So fumble
on over to the Inglewood Library and embrace
this blitz of a book.
Hut, hut. •
Highlights from
the Tribeca Film Festival
Morgan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
Cinemacy returned from the Tribeca
Film Festival last week and after five red
carpets, one exclusive interview and countless
screenings, we are feeling a bit exhausted
but more excited than ever. The festival,
started by Robert De Niro in 2002, is a
showcase of eclectic independent films
and is held in the Tribeca neighborhood of
Manhattan, NY. I hope you enjoy some of
our highlights from this year’s festival! To
see more, including our red carpet interviews
with Zoe’s Matthew Gray Gubler and Drake
Doremus, visit www.cinemacy.com.
Songwriter
Ed Sheeran fans rejoice: the English singersongwriter
is getting candid by inviting viewers
to take an intimate look into his artistic process
in the documentary Songwriter. Directed by
his cousin Murray Cummings, the doc follows
Sheeran throughout the creation of his charttopping
album “÷” (divide) which, after just
one week on sale, became the biggest-selling
album of 2017. From early jam sessions in his
tour van to brainstorming lyrics and chords
with friends in Malibu, Songwriter plays like
a private acoustic concert for an hour and a
half. Sheeran’s talent is undeniable. his soothing
and uplifting voice is always on point
-- even when dressed in a green t-shirt, blue
plaid pajama pants and fuzzy moccasins -- a
juxtaposition that makes for some (perhaps
unintentionally) funny moments. Songwriter is
the ultimate film for Sheeran groupies, music
fans and anyone pursuing a creative passion.
It was acquired by Apple in a seven-figure
deal for worldwide distribution.
Maine
Fleeting love and missed connections are
all-too-familiar situations that happen in
everyday life, yet the number of films
that successfully tackle these complex and
heartbreaking feelings are very few. In
Maine, director Matthew Brown embraces
the romance of nature and creates a love
story that may be devoid of a stereotypical
happy ending, but does not shortchange
on emotional satisfaction. Laia Costa and
Thomas Mann play Bluebird and Lake,
two hikers on a journey -- both literally and
figuratively -- who cross paths while on the
Appalachian Trail. Each of them is saddled
with personal baggage. The intimacy of the
environment and their growing bond comes
to a head when, after getting caught up in
the moment, they kiss. Even though the affection
is mutual, Bluebird makes it clear
that she cannot continue to put herself in this
position with Lake. She is married, after all.
Understanding but obviously disappointed,
Lake does the best he can to get through the
next couple of days until Bluebird leaves the
trail for home. Under different circumstances,
it seems like this relationship could have
thrived, but the reality is that not everything
that seems meant to be will be. This makes
one question: Can the heart make a mistake?
Zoe
Drake Doremus has done it again. The
independent film director takes the familiar
theme of love in modern relationships and
adds an exciting new sci-fi element to his
latest romantic drama, Zoe. Starring Ewan
McGregor as an entrepreneur computer
scientist and Léa Seydoux as his research
assistant, Zoe is a beautiful and heartbreaking
look at the complexities of love and the
lengths one is willing to go to in order to
hold onto it. Set in an undisclosed time in the
future, Cole (McGregor) is at the forefront
of revolutionizing romantic relationships. He
has developed technology that determines
the compatibility and likelihood of longterm
success for couples looking to take
that next step in their relationship. Cole
has also been working on creating an ideal
physical partner for singletons unlucky in
love. “Synthetics,” as they’re called, are programmed
to be completely compatible with,
and never betray, their partner -- qualities that
real humans struggle with in reality. While
working closely with Cole, Zoe (Seydoux)
becomes increasingly overwhelmed with
romantic feelings for him. When no one is
looking, she runs a compatibility test with
him and finds shocking results that reflect
a 0.00 percent success rate. Dumbfounded,
Zoe can’t help but be honest with Cole
about her discovery and his explanation as
to why their relationship could never work
out despite their mutual attraction and it
leaves Zoe questioning her entire existence.
Zoe had been acquired by Amazon Prime
for a summer release. •
Tribeca Film Festival Hub at Spring Studios. Courtesy of CNET.
Morgan Rojas.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football
Team by Steve Sheinkin.
Tommy Vinh Bui.
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