Page 2 December 12, 2019
Entertainment
Marriage Story: When a Relationship
Meets Its Expiration Date
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
A bittersweet story about reaching the expiration
date of a relationship, writer-director
Noah Baumbach’s latest film Marriage Story,
now streaming on Netflix, opens the floodgates
to romantic emotional catharsis through its
exploration of one of the most complex emotions
humans experience: love (and love lost).
When we first meet Charlie (Adam Driver)
and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), it is at the
end of a short-lived “happily ever after.”
While on paper they seem like compatible
life partners who adore each other, underneath
the surface lies change, growth and resentment
that can’t be suppressed any longer.
Stuck at a crossroads in their personal and
professional lives, they decide to separate.
Charlie, a director at a local theatre company,
will remain in the couple’s Brooklyn apartment
while Nicole temporarily moves back
into her mother’s house in Los Angeles with
their young son, Henry (Azhy Robertson),
as she stars in a new TV pilot. The assumed
agreement is to finalize their split once work
commitments lighten up. But as the couple
grows, and then physically moves, further
apart from each other, the seemingly uncomplicated
untangling of the relationship
starts to get messy.
Nicole’s feelings of shrinking into invisibility
and feeling like nothing more than a
vessel for Charlie’s artistic expression is at
the root of her unhappiness. She admits to
getting caught up in his spark, but has come
to discover over time that the facade was
nothing more than narcissism and control
disguised as the charisma of a tortured artist.
Charlie, whose own selfishness has blinded
him to the realities of his personal life, feels
gaslighted by Nicole’s sudden decision to
involve lawyers (Laura Dern, Ray Liotta) and
overcomplicate already complicated matters.
But people are complicated, and Marriage
Story is sensitive to the fact that people
evolve over time, and not always together.
Marriage Story is a master class in acting,
with Driver and Johansson delivering a
pair of performances that rank amongst the
best of the year. Driver, who has collaborated
with writer/director Noah Baumbach
three times prior, plays both sympathetic
and arrogant in a way that we want to slap
him and hug him simultaneously. From the
subtle lip quivers to the heartfelt rendition
of Company’s “Being Alive” at the piano
bar, he is the embodiment of a man who,
with nothing left to lose, begins to wear his
heart on his sleeve. Johansson as Nicole,
a woman finally in charge of her own life
after sitting in the passenger’s seat for too
long, has a boldness and bravery that serve
as inspiration for those struggling to feel
seen that this reviewer can attest to as well.
Relationships like Charlie and Nicole’s are
never black and white – never truly all bad,
or all good – which is what makes the decision
to leave such a monumental one and one
that is sure to keep Marriage Story in the
minds and hearts of all who experience it. •
Marriage Story, Courtesy of Netflix
Morgan Rojas
CLASSIFIED ADS – ONLY $40
for twenty words or less.
Email class@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1830 for more information.
Reviewed by Desiree De La Cruz-Miller,
Library Assistant
My most recent read, I’ll Never Tell by
Catherine McKenzie, is a riveting mystery
revolving around the bludgeoning of a 17-yearold
girl 20 years earlier. This thriller is a
whodunit, challenging the readers to solve
the crime as clues are laid out.
The MacAllister family owns a lakeside
camp for youth. After the unexpected death
of the MacAllister matriarch and patriarch,
their children are reunited at the camp they
helped run as teens. Most of the MacAllister
children fled the camp with no desire
to return…but with the sudden death of
their parents, they all head home to hold a
memorial with all the past families that once
attended their camp. While home, the lies and
secrets these now-grown adult children thought
they left behind have come to resurface. It
is the duty of the children to find out what
really happened the night Amanda, the best
friend to the eldest daughter, Margaux,
was hit over the head with a canoe paddle
and left for dead. Timelines are revealed
pointing in different directions as to who
was where the night it happened. They know
for a fact it was one of them. They must
figure this out as required in their father’s
last will. This will be the deciding factor as
to how the inheritance will be distributed
amongst them.
For more exciting mysteries like this one
come visit us at the Adult Reference Desk at
the El Segundo Public Library. We are happy
to show you the wide selection of mysteries
we have on our shelves. •
Check It Out
I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie
I’ll Never Tell
by Catherine McKenzie
Desiree De La Cruz-Miller
“Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth, for the touch
of a friendly hand and for a talk beside
the fire: it is the time for home.”
– Edith Sitwell
Film Review
Classifieds
The deadline for Classified Ad submission and payment is Noon on Tuesday to appear in Thursday’s paper. Advertisements must be
submitted in writing by mail, fax or email. You may pay by cash, check, or credit card (Visa or M/C over the phone).
Errors: Please check your advertisements immediately. Any corrections and/or changes in an ad must be requested prior to the following
Tuesday deadline in order to receive a credit. A credit will be issued for only the first time the error appears. Multiple runs will only
be credited for the first time the error appears. No credit will be issued for an amount greater than the cost of the advertisement.
Beware: Employment offers that suggest guaranteed out-of-state or overseas positions may be deceptive or unethical in nature. If
you have any doubts about the nature of a company, contact the local office of the Better Business Bureau, (213) 251-9696. Herald
Publications does not guarantee that the advertiser’s claims are true nor does it take responsibility for those claims.
Apartment For Rent
1 BEDROOM 1 BATHROOM
APARTMENT FOR RENT. 1718 E.
MARIPOSA - $2,195.00/MONTH – 1
CAR GARAGE – AVAILABLE JAN.
1, 2020. CALL 310-877-2374 FOR
MORE DETAILS
For Rent
Private room for rent. Utilities, W/D,
stove, living room privileges. $800.
Available now. Room for Rent; private
room. Kitchen, living room privileges.
$1100. Available now. 310.365.1481
or 310.641.2148.
Employment
Part-time Sales. Looking for motivated
part-time workers. Inside sales:
work from home and make sales
calls. 15% commission on all
sales. Outside sales: territories are
Torrance and El Segundo. Includes
walking and interacting with business
owners. 20% commission on all
sales. Seniors and students welcome.
Send resume to management@
heraldpublications.com.
For Rent
Beautiful Newly Remodeled Studio /
european style building in DT Gundo /
all utilities paid / $300 security deposit
/ furnished with cable tv / shared
bathrooms & kitchenettes / 5min
from the beach / walkability factor /
Must See!! $1,025. Call Vanessa @
310-322-6116 or email 221concord@
gmail.com for more info. Mention
this ad and receive $100 off first
month’s rent.
Wanted
WANTED. Vinyl, vinyl, vinyl records,
anything musical. Collectibles/
antiques. Typewriters, sewing
machines, military, silver, Japan,
records, stamps, coins, jewelry,
Chinese, ANYTHING. Buy/Sell/
Trade. We sell for you on EBAY. Studio
Antiques, El Segundo. 310.322.3895.
Employment
Developer: Develop/suppor t
software applications for in-house tech.
Requires Master’s in CS/CIS or eq. w/
2 yrs. (or Bachelor’s + 5 yrs.) exp. as
a s/w dev., prog./analyst, syst. analyst
or eq. incl. 2 yrs. C#, JavaScript;
SQL Server; design/dev. web UI &
apps. Must be authorized to work
F/T without employer sponsor. Send
resume: Apollo Insurance Solutions
Group, Attn: Human Resources (D1),
2121 Rosecrans Ave, Ste 5300, El
Segundo CA 90245
Retail/Office Space
MAIN ST. OFFICE/RETAIL SPACE
FOR RENT $3,000.00 NNN –
APPROX. 1,000 SF – AVAILABLE
DEC. 20, 2019. CALL 310-877-2374
FOR MORE DETAILS.
To appear in next week’s paper, submit
your Classifed Ad by Noon on Tuesday.
Late Ads will incur a $20.00 late fee.