Page 2 March 22 , 2018
Entertainment
Check It Out Film Review
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Remembering Stephen Hawking:
The Theory of Everything Revisit
By Morgan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
This week, we remember the late Stephen
Hawking as well as the late Oscar-winning
composer Jóhann Jóhannsson by running our
initial review for the 2014 biopic The Theory
of Everything. We will forever remember
these two profoundly influential, brilliant and
inspiring men. Rest in peace.
I am usually drawn to biopic films for a
number of reasons. I appreciate any actor’s
attempt to become another real-life figure.
I especially admire their willingness to be
overly critiqued for taking on that part when
the literal person to draw reference against can
be so easily accessed and therefore allow us
to easily pick out those flaws in the performance.
And what could be more daunting a
task than portraying one of the most brilliant
men to have ever lived, as Eddie Redmayne
does in the Stephen Hawking biopic The
Theory of Everything? Much to my surprise
– and delight – the powerhouse performances,
beautiful camerawork and emotional score
make this film nearly critique-less.
The Theory of Everything tells the true story
of how Hawing met and fell in love with his
first wife. The film begins with young Stephen
(Eddie Redmayne), who meets young Jane
(Felicity Jones) at a University gathering.
Wide-eyed and naive, the two quickly fall in
love. Jane, being an artistic and religious girl,
and Stephen, being the nerdy astrophysicist
and atheist, exemplify how “opposites attract”
and realize that their future will know no
bounds. But when 21-year-old Stephen is
suddenly hit with a diagnosis of the motor
neuron disease ALS (or, Lou Gehrig’s disease)
and a two-year life expectancy, the couple
doubles down on their commitment to each
other and are soon married with children on
the way. All the while, Hawking continues to
work towards his life’s grander purpose: to
discover an equation to explain the creation
of the universe as understood by time’s
mathematical properties. His motivation to
determine the relationship between space and
time keeps him distracted from his debilitating
disorder, but it’s easy to see that it is Jane’s
love and support that truly keeps him alive.
I was awestruck at the execution and total
mastery of Redmayne’s performance as Hawking,
portraying the mathematician throughout
his entire life in his ever-weakening condition
(Redmayne would go on to win the Academy
Award for Best Actor). Redmayne captures this
challenging period in time with real bravado:
he finds the humor in the grim, the joy in the
sadness, and the brilliance in the silence. Not
to be outdone is Felicity Jones, who grounds
the film with her selflessness and agitated,
yet calm demeanor. Jane is a woman to be
admired, and Felicity plays her with poignant
sensitivities and warmth.
Director James Marsh, whose previous
films include the documentary Man on Wire,
focuses on the lovely, yet complex, relationship
between Stephen and Jane. Marsh humanizes
the man we have all come to know as
a somewhat mythical figure in history and
paints him in a new, more vulnerable and
unseen light (and had the blessing from the
real Hawking). The accompanying score by
composer Jóhannsson is the threaded heartbeat
of the film -- cinematic enough to transport
us to another place and time, but not so apparent
that it takes away from the film itself.
The Theory of Everything isn’t a giant history
lesson meant to educate audiences about
the work of Stephen Hawking. Rather, it is a
purely heartfelt look into the romanticism of
his life. The film is emotional enough on its
own…but given the recent passing of both
Hawking and Jóhannsson, it plays with an
even heavier tone. If you haven’t seen The
Theory of Everything yet, now is the perfect
time to do so.
The Theory of Everything is rated PG-13
for some thematic elements and suggestive
material. 123 minutes. Now streaming on
Amazon, iTunes, and more. •
The Theory of Everything. Courtesy of Focus Features.
Dear Martin Dishes Discernment
Reviewed by Tommy Vinh Bui,
MLIS, Associate Librarian,
Inglewood Public Library
Inglewood Public Library’s shelves are
creaking from the weight of new books, with
hardbound profundity primed and ready for eager
hands. The young adult section is particularly
bountiful with the latest and greatest offerings
to rekindle that lifelong passion for reading.
The first book we’ll examine ably confounds
and astounds. The inimitable Dear Martin,
written by Nic Stone, was a trenchant and
incisive yarn that ran the gamut of emotional
peaks and valleys. From rib-grabbingly funny
to heartfelt and somber, Stone has managed
to wring a rich and textured story that should
keep young audiences captivated from word
one. It’s a narrative that befuddles expectations
and tackles admirably some of the pressing
issues that are but all too relevant today. It’s a
dazzling work that is sensitive to a multitude of
contemporary controversies and should spark
a windfall of thoughtful discussion among
teen readers.
The story follows Justyce McAllister, a
bright and clear-eyed senior trying his best to
navigate the slings and arrows of adolescence.
It’s hard enough for a teen to wrestle with
schoolwork, social life and the other difficulties
that are part and parcel with high school. He
also must struggle with some pretty profound
racial and societal questions. He becomes
deeply disoriented when he himself is the
victim of racial profiling and begins to falter
when it comes to understanding his own sense
of identity and class affiliation. He finds solace
and guidance in the teachings of his historical
mentor, Martin Luther King, Jr, desperately
trying to make sense of the racial tensions and
inequalities around him. Through a series of
epistolary missives, he writes to Dr. King and
undergoes a head-to-toe personal transformation.
He eventually emerges on the other side
of the novel as a changed person.
Dear Martin is certainly a page-turner. I
was hanging on each word and found myself
at the last page with alarming swiftness. It’s
structurally sound and has ample narrative
velocity. The characters are fully fleshed out
and nothing is rushed or under-developed.
The writer manages to capture a tone that is
exceedingly listenable and strikes the ear as
true. There’s a je ne sais quoi musicality to
the dialogue that is dulcet and alluring from
beginning to end.
The themes are certainly age-appropriate and
should provide a wealth of discussion points for
any current events class worth their salt. Themes
of racial inequality, affirmative action and tacit
discrimination are all subjects broached elegantly
and kneaded into the narrative masterfully.
These struggles and difficult questions really
coax the best out of the primary and secondary
characters and make them fully realized and
multi-layered figures by the novel’s culmination.
The character development is top-notch. We
sympathize and identify with these characters.
Very much so. We celebrate with them during
the highs and grieve together during the lows
-- and all arrive at a better understanding of
the issues chapter by chapter.
All said, Dear Martin is a doozy of a young
adult novel. It is inexplicably both by the
book and somehow also outside the box – a
wholehearted recommend...
So mosey on down to Inglewood Library.
We’ll keep a cozy corner of the stacks set aside
just for you. Well-lit and respite aplenty. Where
newfound literary insights await. •
Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
Tommy Vinh Bui.
Morgan Rojas.