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Page 2 November 9, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
Film Review
Thor: Ragnarok Brings Fresh
Perspective to Marvel Universe
By H. Nelson Tracey
for www.cinemacy.com
Covering the Marvel Cinematic Universe
from a critical perspective is always interesting:
the behemoth franchise never missteps
or whiffs, but often fails to leave us with an
individual film to be remembered. The most
inarguably flat film of the entire franchise
may be Thor: The Dark World. While we
all have our favorites (or least favorites), this
cold, heartless sequel is never brought up in
conversation since its release. With the first
outing of Thor, a compelling character arc
was put in place: our hero went from being
a brash, arrogant and clueless character to a
more grounded hero by the end of the film.
It’s a great journey, but it only lasts for one
film--so by the second Thor movie, there
was no place for him to go forward and the
writers didn’t even bother to attempt it. This,
more than any other reason, is what made
the second film so stale.
So where to go from there? If there is
ever proof that anything can be great under
the guidance of the right person, it is Thor:
Ragnarok. Entrusted in the hands of indie
favorite Taika Waititi--whose last two
films, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What
We Do in the Shadows, are some of the best
comedies of the decade--it was anyone’s
guess what a massive scale blockbuster
would look like under his influence. To our
delight, the film more closely resembles the
work of Waititi than a conventional Marvel
film, and we are all able to benefit from it.
From the very get-go when we see Thor in
action on some brooding, otherworldly setting,
there is a juxtaposition from the grandiose visuals
of the Thor universe met with the oddball
Waititi humor that never fails to deliver. For
the first time in a while, it feels like a director
has taken command of the reins of a Marvel
movie. Mind you, unlike most sequels to bad
movies where they attempt to revise history or
scrap previous entries, this film embraces all
the story points from the last film but chooses
to have a lot of fun with them.
The plot on its own could be a more straightforward
tale: An evil villain (Cate Blanchett)
who has a history at Asgard, enters into the
fray with the intention of ruling over the entire
galaxy. Thor (Chris Hemsworth), meanwhile,
is thrown off guard again and lands on a
junk-pile planet where, in order to escape,
he must serve as a gladiator. Borrowing cues
from throughout the decade, I’m struck with
how well employed this ‘80s homage is– by
setting it on a specific planet, it gives the
entire universe a more layered feeling where
certain places have different atmospheres than
others. The balance between the two planets,
the regal Asgard and the synthesized ‘80sinspired
second planet, is a great contrast
and the variety makes the whole adventure
a delightful romp.
Of the Marvel movies, the only one I
can actively recall re-watching is the original
Avengers. After viewing this film, I can
safely say I’d be thrilled to relish in Thor:
Ragnarok again. With its humor, vision and
sincerity, the bar has been raised for what
Marvel can accomplish, and I hope its look
continues to invite more brilliant directors
to jump into the fray.
Thor: Ragnarok is rated PG-13 for intense
sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and
brief suggestive material. 130 minutes. Now
playing in theaters everywhere. •
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in Thor: Ragnarok. Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Community Briefs
2019 Rose Float Design Contest
The Torrance Rose Float Association announced
the 2019 City of Torrance Rose
Parade Float design contest at the October
25, 2017 City Council meeting. “It’s not
too early to be creating a design for the
City of Torrance’s Rose Parade float entry
into the annual Pasadena Tournament of
Roses Parade,” said Bev Findley, President,
Torrance Rose Float Association. Any high
school student living in Torrance can submit
an entry. Membership in the Association is
not required.
Design ideas with a simple sketch must be
received by the Association by 8 p.m. PST
on Monday, January 8, 2018. Mail or deliver
designs to 3031 Torrance Boulvard, Torrance,
CA 90503. For more information, call the
Torrance Rose Float Association at (310)
618-2425 or e-mail info@torrancerosefloat.
org. Copies of the entry form can be found
at www.TorranceRoseFloat.org.
The judges, led by Tim Estes of Fiesta
Parade Floats, will select at least four designs
to present to the Board of Directors
of the Association who will then make the
final choice. The judging will be done on a
“blind” basis--the identity of the designer(s)
will not be known until after the final vote.
The winning designer(s), as accepted by
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association,
will receive a ride on the 2019 Rose Parade
Float. If there is more than one designer, the
prize will be shared between them.
Torrance Rose Float Association has
partnered with Fiesta Parade Floats since
1997. Torrance’s Rose Parade entries have
received trophies 75 percent of the time
under the leadership of Mr. Estes and Fiesta
Parade Floats.
The Torrance Rose Float Association
works closely with the Torrance Citizen
Development and Enrichment Committee
and thanks its chair and City Councilman
Mike Griffiths and his committee for their
guidance and support.
The Torrance Rose Parade Float will
make its way down Colorado Boulevard
and the streets of the Pasadena during the
128th Rose Parade presented by Honda on
Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at 8AM (PST).
For additional information on the Tournament
of Roses Parade, please visit www.
tournamentofroses.com.
The Mission of the Torrance Rose Float
Association (a non-profit organization) is to
preserve the tradition of delivering joy, beauty
and pageantry from our hometown to people
across the globe through participation in the
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on a
day when the world is full of the hope of
renewal. For more information about the
Torrance Rose Float Association, please visit
www.torrancerosefloat.org.
– Content: Torrance Rose Float Assocation
The ART2GO2 event is
Saturday 11/18/17 at 3 pm,
1815 W. 213th St., Torrance.
www.destination-art.net, (310) 742-3192.
Entertainment
2017 ART2GO2 Event
Destination: Art studio artist Dave Wolfram
greets gallery visitors at the 2016 Art2GO
show and sale of 8x10 and 12x12 paintings,
benefitting South Bay art classes & workshops.
Paid Editorial
HAVE A HAPPY VETERANS DAY.
From all of us at Herald Publications.
Health And Wellness
Benefits Of Volunteering
(BPT) - In the business world, we hear
a lot about the bottom line and quarterly
reports. For those in the nonprofit sector, it’s
often a matter of reaching fundraising goals
and achieving their mission statement. No
matter what kind of organization you work
for, there are big-picture goals, but of course
there are more.
Increasingly, companies are realizing
that part of this big picture is giving their
employees the opportunity to volunteer for
worthy causes, even paying them to do
so. These efforts can lead to some serious
collective gains. For example, according
to The Health of America - Community
Investment Report, employees from the 36
independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield
(BCBS) companies volunteered more than
400,000 hours and donated over $11 million
in 2016 alone.
Individual efforts really do add up. Whatever
program your employer has in place, here
are some of the enormous personal benefits
that come with volunteering.
Productivity. Many would like to volunteer
but just don’t have the time. Who doesn’t
want to take a little time off and get away
from their busy lifestyle and just relax? In
a way, volunteering can help you do just
that. According to a study in the Harvard
Business Review, helping or giving your time
to others can make you feel like you have
more time, and in turn, make you a more
Seniors
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