Page 2 January 30, 2020
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli Sundance 2020: The Assistant
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
A day in the life of an overworked and
under-appreciated production assistant plays
like a silent horror film as she becomes increasingly
aware of her boss’s inappropriate
transgressions – and the company’s feigned
ignorance – in Kitty Green’s third Sundanceselected
feature, The Assistant.
The film’s protagonist, Jane (Julia Garner),
is a reserved yet whip-smart young woman
who endures verbal and emotional abuse within
the culture of an unnamed NYC production
company. As the film opens, it’s immediately
clear that she is the backbone of the company,
keeping the office running in a timely and
orderly fashion. Despite her dedication to her
position, the office environment is very much
a “Boy’s Club.” She deals with the disparity
by keeping to herself and excelling where she
can, usually in solo office projects and menial
tasks. But when water cooler gossip circulates
that the boss is engaging in inappropriate acts
with the company’s newest intern (Kristine
Froseth), Jane is faced with the reality that
speaking up for what’s right could risk her
dreams of “making it” in the film industry.
Julia Garner (Ozark) quietly commands
the film as Jane, her performance is steadily
impressive and authentic. Co-star Matthew
Macfadyen (Succession) plays the intentionally
ignorant HR representative with his signature
“nice guy” demeanor despite sneaky intentions.
In a unique display (and much to my delight),
The Assistant is very ASMR heavy. It’s a fairly
quiet picture and largely dependent on setting
up scenes with ambient sound and sound effects
during Jane’s solitary moments. The deep
cleaning, office equipment, and buzzing of
florescent lights all add to the hyper-realistic
nature of the story, really placing the audience
in the office with Jane. Bare and constrained,
the film’s soundtrack is also delicate, much
like our protagonist. Composer Tamar-kali uses
sparse piano sequences and strings to convey
a sense of fragility. Director Kitty Green’s
dedication to the ASMR aspect and absence
of a large orchestral score is subtle and the
perfect choice for this type of film.
The takeaway from The Assistant is a subtly
gripping and timely portrait of power in the
#MeToo/Harvey Weinstein exposé era. But
as the workplace culture of The Assistant
shows, there is still a long way to go before
toxic masculinity and improper balances of
power are halted and support is given to those
brave enough to bring powerful predators to
conviction. Kitty Green’s defiant drama is
the encouragement we need right now. The
Assistant opens in select theaters this Friday. •
lover’s paradise, the library! Book Hog meets
Miss Olive, the kind libarian who invites him
to Storytime. He becomes inspired by Miss
Olive and her willingness to read with him
and soon learns how to read on his own. The
Book Hog is an inspiring story and would be
great to share with early readers. This story
is written by Greg Pizzoli, author of another
great picture book, The Watermelon Seed. To
check out Book Hog or to browse more fun
picture books for kids, please visit the library
to apply for your free library card. For more
young reader picks and staff favorites, stop by
our Youth Services Desk. Our friendly Youth
Services Librarians would love to help you
find your next great read. •
Review by Kristen Morell,
Youth Services Librarian
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli tells the
story of Book Hog, a lover of books but not
necessarily a fan of reading. Book Hog loves
the smell and feel of books, in fact, he collects
them. Book Hog gets his hooves on books a
number of ways including purchasing them at
local yard sales, independent book stores and
even hunts for them in the trash can. Despite
his love for books, Book Hog didn’t know
how to read, he never learned how to. All of
the books Book Hog collected went unread,
and he ended each night without a bedtime
story. One day he stumbles across a book The Assistant, Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Morgan Rojas
Entertainment
Check It Out
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
Kristen Morell
Film Review
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is a Gripping Thriller for the
Harvey Weinstein Era
Lucky from front page
“With a small business like this,” says Fou,
“you have to be here all the time. Especially
with food—you can’t trust other people to be
as dedicated, so it’s a big job that I handle,
but I love it. My husband and I have to be
here all the time.”
Funny enough, when Fou came to Los
Angeles, she met and married Than who
was already a baker. With her roots extending
from China, her parents fled the rise of
Communism only to wind up in Cambodia
during the reign of Pol Pot and the Khmer
Rouge. Luckily, Fou’s older brother moved
to California first in 1983 and set up his
own donut shop before she arrived five years
later. When she settled in, her brother gave
her a job. Who knew that she would one day
carry on that tradition with her own family?
“First, I learned from my brother, and he
put me straight to work. Then I married a
guy who was a baker—we started looking
for our own donut shop and landed here,”
says Fou.
When asked if she would continue to carry
on the family tradition, Brenda smiles and
shakes her head.
“I’m not sure because I have plans of my
own. I want to go into the FBI—I can’t work
like my mom. My mom is a very hard worker,
but I’ll still come in and enjoy the food.”
Not only does the family crank out fresh
donuts on a daily basis, but they even manage
to give back to the community by partnering
with local restaurants, like Britt’s BBQ, supplying
them with desserts for their patrons.
“They always order Bavarian cream donut
holes from us to serve as desserts,” Brenda
explains. “And we also donate lots of baked
goods to the high school whenever they have
breakfast events or community gatherings.”
Before heading out, Fou goes on to share
that she never took her husband’s last name,
clearing out the confusion about their Fou
and Chau namesakes.
“I kept my last name because I didn’t like
my husband’s,” Fou laughs. “But we both
agree on Lucky’s—it’s something we both
feel being here.”
Lucky’s is open seven days a week, 24
hours a day with baking times at 8 AM
and 8 PM—those are the windows to try it
for yourself. •