TORRANCE TRIBUNE March 5, 2015 Page 3 Film Review A Look at ‘71 By Jasper Bernbaum for CINEMACY If you look closely, 2014 was a banner year for the war movie: Bradley Cooper single-handedly turned American Sniper into a national phenomenon to (eventually) become the highest grossing film of the year (coincidentally, the first nonfranchise film to do so since Saving Private Ryan). Other 2014 war movies, as well as early Oscar contenders, saw the Brad Pitt-starring Fury and Angelina Jolie directorial feature Unbroken rally in a cool sum for ‘prestige’ pictures behind “Brangelina’s” collective star power. The Imitation Game found pathos in Benedict Cumberbatch’s unsung genius of Alan Turing to find well-deserved critical and audience success. Even the daffy The Monuments Men found its box office legs in the early months of the year. However, the more intimately made war story ’71, which debuted at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival, found its way into American theaters last weekend, and stands as a riveting independent counterpart to its studio companions– a showcase for a war story both simple but effective during a conflict that doubtfully finds itself in international history books. ‘71 follows a young soldier, Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell, of the previously mentioned Unbroken) who is left disoriented and abandoned by his unit during a violent Belfast Riot in the titular year of 1971. The riot occurs during the early years of the Troubles, a three decade era of violence between Northern Ireland’s Irish nationalists and the country’s unionists, which included British and Protestant citizens. Taking place over the course of 24 hours, the film follows Hook’s interactions with civilians and soldiers from both sides of the conflict and the violence that surrounds them. Twenty-four year-old leading male Jack O’Connell is going to be a big star, and you can feel it in ’71. He carried the weight of Jolie’s heavy-handed Unbroken direction on his shoulders, and his little-seen turn in the prison drama Starred Up showed a ruggedness reminiscent of a British Ryan Gosling. He’s the broody everyman– somebody who observes the cinematic environment as opposed to eating it up. He can build drama just through his presence and that is showcased here. He has the understanding to simply guide the film– never stealing the show or demanding the center of the conflict. The film itself is quite visually impressive as well. It is rather vibrant for a war film; rich color contrasts its dark subject matter. The realism is both rewarding and brutal – very opposite of the studio-movie war zone O’Connell inhabited in Unbroken. It’s also swift in its pace which makes for a very tense, involving watch. The momentum from the film’s beginning won’t rock you, TREMOR: How to Shake the Shakes Patients and families are invited to a FREE seminar to learn about essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease and the therapies that can dramatically improve your quality of life. Saturday, March 14, 2015 Registration: 8:30 am Seminar: 9:00 am – Noon Beach Cities Health District “Beach Cities Room” 514 N. Prospect Ave., Bottom Level Redondo Beach, CA 90277 Nader Pouratian, MD, PhD Director, Neurosurgical Movement Disorders Program Yvette Bordelon, MD, PhD Neurology Movement Disorders Specialist RSVP (310) 571-5741 or ucla.tremor@gmail.com Refreshments provided. Free parking. Please register by March 12, 2015 neurosurgery.ucla.edu dbs.ucla.edu Support for this program was provided, in part, by Medtronic. Topics include: • Coping strategies • Surgical therapies – deep brain stimulation (DBS) • Medical treatments • Noninvasive treatments – focused radiation & ultrasound UCLA1221 Tremor Ad-3112-Torrance Tribune(PRS)ms.indd 1 2/18/15 6:28 PM Community Briefs Torrance Police Department Awards Luncheon The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the Torrance Police Department’s Annual Awards and Appreciation Luncheon. The Luncheon will be held on March 26, 2015 from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the Torrance Marriott, 3635 Fashion Way, Torrance. The cost is $40.00 per person. This event is to honor the brave officers of the Torrance Police Department who, while serving in an official or unofficial capacity, have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance above and beyond the call of duty and/or job performance. This event is open to all Torrance businesses and residents. To reserve your seat, please call 310-540-5858 or go to torrancechamber.com. Choura Events Grand Opening Several Torrance city and chamber folks came out to celebrate a grand opening ribbon cutting on February 26 at Choura Events, located at 540 Hawaii Avenue in Torrance. Choura Events is a creative agency specializing in high-end tenting, furniture and rentals and manages 4,000-plus events a year while employing over 100 event planners. Getting ready to cut the ribbon is CEO Ryan J. Choura. Several Torrance city and chamber dignitaries were also present including Mayor Patrick J. Furey, Councilwoman Heidi Ashcraft, Councilman Mike Griffiths, Councilman Geoff Rizzo and TACC CEO Donna Duperron. Photo Provided by Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Black History Celebration Luncheon The 18th Annual Black History Celebration ‘Inspiring the Next Generation’ was held on February 26 at the Torrance Marriott South Bay. This long running event is presented by the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce and recognizes leaders who are an inspiration to the community. Pictured (L to R) are Jennifer Frew from Green Hills Memorial Park; Heidi Cunningham, Chairwoman of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce; Ted Lange who received the Excellence in Theater Award; Torrance Fire Dept. Asst. Fire Chief Martin Serna who is also a 2012 Humanitarian Award recipient; Mark Waronek from Ek & Ek, who served on the 2015 Black History Celebration Team. Photo Provided by Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce. Marketing Workshop Free Workshop from 10:00am to 11:30am on Creating Effective Event Marketing. This workshop will help you create a stronger event by learning to set goals, promote, set up effective registration & deliver better results while teaching you the important step of follow up. At APICS Los Angeles Chapter – 370 Amapola Avenue, Suite 204, Torrance 90501. For more information and to register, visit: http://bit.ly/torrevent or call 310-791-6300 Local Resident Wins Video Games Masters Division Last weekend, local Torrance resident Alberto Lara won first place in the Masters Division video game Tournament at the Pokémon Winter Regional Championships. Along with the tile of Pokémon Winter Regional video game Champion, Alberto also received Championship Points that count toward a potential invitation to compete at the 2015 Pokémon World Championships taking place in Boston this summer. Spirit of America Viewing We¹re inviting the community out to see the Goodyear Blimp Spirit of America up close during two public grounds tour days on March 4 – 5 from 11am to 5pm on 19200 South Main Street, Carson. The airship will not fly on those dates but will be on display with pilots and crew on hand to provide guided tours, demonstrate the science behind the blimp and share their blimp tales along with Goodyear’s aviation history. • Jack O’Connell as Gary Hook in ’71. Photo courtesy of Crab Apple Films/Protagonist Pictures/Warp Films. See Film Review, page 10
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