Page 2 August 30, 2018
Check It Out Film Review
The Matchstick Castle Curbs No
Ardor for the Unexplored
Reviewed by Tommy Vinh Bui,
MLIS, Associate Librarian,
Inglewood Public Library
School’s in full swing and the semester is
swiftly picking up steam. But before those
assignments and ably-researched papers start
to pile up precariously, here’s a bookly suggestion
to distract you from those studious school
subjects and damnable due dates.
The Matchstick Castle by Keir Graff is a
charming and oft times zany yarn that yanks
at the heartstrings with alarming regularity.
It’s a story of young Brian stranded at his
unforgivingly academic and overly pedantic
uncle’s house for the summer having to endure a
mind-numbing mixture of boredom and summer
school. But when he and his diametricallyopposed
in-demeanor cousin Nora discover
a whimsical property in the nearby woods,
their summer truly begins. It’s a summer of
shenanigans and high-adventuring with an eccentric
family occupying a dilapidated mansion
long-forgotten by society. They have to race
against the clock to prevent the mansion from
being demolished by the city whilst dodging
wild boars, Amazonian bees and prickly civil
servants. It’s an excellent ensemble of memorable
characters and age-appropriate hijinks.
Entertainment
The narrative employs a charismatic main
character who is funny and with whom can easily
be identified. And his odd couple chemistry
with his uptight cousin Nora makes for good
banter and character interaction. There’s always
conflict to keep the plot momentum galloping
forward. And the action beats and reveals imbue
the plot with aplenty of tension and intrigue.
The story is well-structured and does well to
sustain the readers’ interest throughout. We’re
all pins and needles and left holding our collective
breaths until the very last page.
There’s also a strong emotional core to the
book. It highlights positive themes such as
friendship and perseverance and the merits of
looking at things from angles slightly askew.
The book has a good number of lessons to
impart and it doesn’t ever take a sledgehammer
and bludgeon us to death with them. It’s subtle
and weaved craftily into the plot and pacing.
The nuance and strengths of the secondary
characters are stellar. The writer fully fleshes
out and develops these roles and vivifies a
wide motley crew of supporting characters.
Each voice is singular and unique and really
brings the character to life with brilliant verve
and idiosyncrasies. The writer thoughtfully
bolsters these protagonists with gusto and I’m
thoroughly convinced.
The book’s themes and general tone can be
likened to something like Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory with a dash of Swiss Family
Robinson and some echoes of J.D. Salinger’s
Glass family. There’s definitely a Royal Tenenbaums
vibe emitted from this story too.
Fans of eclectic family histories and Indiana
Jones-type derring-do will definitely gravitate
toward The Matchstick Castle.
All in all, fine fall required reading...
The Matchstick Castle by Keir Graff
Tommy Vinh Bui
“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.”
– Mary Schmich
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Searching Is a Thriller from the
P.O.V. of Your Computer Screen
even familiar with the latest social media
apps to enjoy the thrills in this movie. We
can all sympathize with the thought of a
parent’s worst nightmare -- that of waking up
to discover a child is missing, gone without a
trace. The format in which Searching is shot
and assembled only heightens the suspense
and, surprisingly, is never a distraction to
the story unfolding.
In another respect, it’s perhaps the
perfect time for the release of a movie
like Searching. Fresh off the heels of the box
office hit Crazy Rich Asians, Searching has
its own statistics that are quite impressive in
assisting the rise of Asian actors headlining
Hollywood projects. As the first mainstream,
contemporary thriller headlined by an Asian-
American actor, Cho balances humor, grief
and optimism in his layered performance as
a father looking for answers (fulfilling the
wishes of the people behind the fan-led social
movement, #StarringJohnCho).
Premiering at the 2018 Sundance Film
Festival, Searching is a small and contained
movie that would best be experienced on the
big screen. Hopefully, the success that comes
from this independent thriller won’t leave
audiences “searching” for Asian-American
representation in mainstream movies any
longer.
Searching is rated PG-13 for thematic
content, some drug, and sexual references,
and for language. 102 minutes. Now playing
at ArcLight Hollywood and Sherman Oaks,
and AMC Century City, in theaters everywhere
Friday, August 31. •
Morgan Rojas.
By Morgan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
If you’re looking for one of the most original
films to hit the big screen this year, search
no further. The fittingly-titled Searching is a
“screen movie,” -- meaning the entire movie
is told from the point of view of a variety
of screen-based media, cutting between
laptops, smartphones, webcams and more to
tell the story of a father’s desperate search
to find his missing daughter. Much like
how The Blair Witch Project revolutionized the
“found footage” genre, Searching elevates the
technology-based storytelling genre to
match how we as a culture have come to
communicate with each other across formats
in these times. Searching is both a visually
captivating feature film and an emotionally
riveting rollercoaster that will stay with you
long after watching.
David Kim (John Cho) is a father trying
to put the pieces of his life back together
after the unexpected death of his wife Pam
(Sara Sohn). Now a single father to their
16-year-old daughter Margot (Michelle La),
he struggles to connect with the quiet and
reserved high school junior. Aside from their
weekly TV nights watching The Voice, David
assumes Margot is acclimating to this “new
normal” on her own terms and at her own
pace. That is, until Margot fails to return home
from a study group one night, prompting
David to look for clues as to her whereabouts
through Margot’s past and online history.
This brings to light shocking information
that forces David to wonder whether he ever
really knew his daughter at all.
One woman attempting to help bring Margot
home is Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra
Messing), whose no-nonsense attitude clicks
with David’s unwavering parental protection
and determination. Together, they weed out
potential suspects, assemble search parties
and develop a platonic connection that is
based on their both being parents. David
also leans on his brother Peter (Joseph Lee)
during this difficult time… but as days pass
without any information, David becomes evermore
suspicious that things are not what
they appear to be.
The merging of technology and filmmaking
by first-time feature director Aneesh
Chaganty makes for a pure adrenaline rush.
One doesn’t have to be a millennial or
“Social media is not a media. The key is to
listen, engage, and build relationships.”
– David Alston
Searching, Courtesy of Sony Pictures