Page 6 August 31, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment
Film Review Check It Out
Hip-Hop Heart-Warmer Patti
Cake$ Is Stylish and Sweet
By Ryan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
What if 8 Mile starred a girl? This is
essentially Patti Cake$, a Cinderella story of
an overweight underdog who tries to upend
herself from a dead end life in her New
Jersey hometown by following her dream of
becoming a rap superstar. Premiering at this
year’s Sundance Film Festival and acquired
by Fox Searchlight, the rap musical is now
playing in theaters, including the Landmark
and ArcLight Hollywood.
Patti Cake$ is a certain kind of wonderful--a
refreshing breeze into your life that only indie
cinema can offer. The movie is essentially
another follow-your-dreams journey, but is
made all the better and worthwhile by its
stylish, street-savviness and fresh flair. Patti
Cake$ will delight and reignite you to be
your baddest self.
Our lead hero Danielle Macdonald is a
beautiful new star to fill the screen. As Patricia
Dombrowski, aka Patti, she smirks and stunts
through the streets with her gangsta exterior,
but balances her toughness with sensitivity,
flinching when she’s shamed by others over
her appearance. Macdonald’s star is one that
alternates between shimmering and shining,
and really owns this movie.
This is the work of the film’s writer and
director Geremy Jasper (a music video
director who wrote all of the rap lyrics to
the film). And, oh boy, do these songs kick-
-especially when it comes time for Patti to
do her thing. These well-written moments,
whether it’s a freestyle rap-off in a gas station
or in the makeshift studio, give the lo-fi rap
tracks a hard rock swagger of a Sleigh Bells
metal meets the MC-queen authority style
of Nicki Minaj. Half the reason I enjoyed
Patti Cake$ so much is because the tunes
transport you to this concert world. In fact,
if you want to get a flavor of the music now,
the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is
available to stream on Spotify. While “PBNJ”
may be the film’s single, “Hunger Gamez”
is a real fun one as well.
Of course, you can’t have a party without
pathos--or in this case, some sort of story that
fuels Patti to strive for this dream (which she
takes seriously) without a few real motivating
forces that try to inhibit her at every turn.
For each brash in-your-face moment of riled
energy, there are equal balances of tender
and affecting human moments. These include
watching her washed-up alcoholic mother
sing a karaoke tune, an intimate moment
with a mysterious anarchist, and being
hospital-bound with her sickly but snappy
grandmother. These are all instances that
make Patti Cake$ more than just a fun time,
but one of deeper insight and understanding.
While it ultimately follows a more
conventional story arc than I thought it would,
if you’re looking for a movie to shake you
out of your more familiar viewing patterns,
Patti Cake$ will do just that. It offers music
that rocks and moments that connect. It’s a
bad girl story that will reinspire audiences
of all ages to follow their dreams no matter
the odds.
Patti Cake$ is rated R for language
throughout, crude sexual references, some
drug use and a brief nude image. 108 min.
Now playing at select ArcLight theaters. •
Danielle Macdonald in Patti Cake$. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
Survivors Club: The True Story of a
Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz
By Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat
Reviewed by Katrena Woodson,
Teen and Young Reader Librarian,
El Segundo Public Library
This week’s review is a new non-fiction
book called Survivors Club: the True Story
of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz by
Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein
Holinstat. The story focuses on the lives of
Michael Bornstein and a few members of his
extended family during one of the darkest
times in history, the Holocaust. This book and
miraculous story might never have been told
if Michael had not seen an image of himself
from the day Auschwitz was liberated on a
Holocaust-denial website. He knew then that
he needed to tell his story and he enlisted
the help of his daughter, a TV journalist, to
help him find the information that he needed
to write this book. In the preface Michael
explains that all of the event in this book
are factual, but that there is an aspect of fiction.
Michael was only four years old when
Auschwitz was liberated in 1945, so the duo
found documents, diaries and survivors’ essays
to supplement the memories of a very
young child and keep the book as honest as
possible. The result of all their hard work
is a thought-provoking and personal look at
terrible time in history.
The book is written as a first person narrative
that begins before Michael’s birth in
September 1939 and goes on to explore the
first 11 years of his life. You might think that
the time in Auschwitz would be the main
focus of the story, but it comprises only a
few chapters and a small part of Michael’s
journey. Over the course of this book, we
follow Michael as he moves from living in
an open ghetto, to a forced-labor camp, to
the extermination camp, and then back home
and finally to the United States. The hardships
and prejudices the Jews continued to face
after their liberation from the death camps
and the end of World War II are not often
discussed, but Bornstein does an excellent
job showing the continued struggles of the
survivors. The experiences of the Bornstein
family parallel those of many other survivors
of the Holocaust. Even though this book is
aimed at young readers ages 11-14, it will
resonate with older readers as well. In today’s
world, it remains more important than ever
to remember these survivors and learn from
the mistakes of the past.
The El Segundo Public Library offers access
to its collection of titles in a variety of formats,
including traditional hardback, e-books and
books on CD. To check out Survivors Club:
the True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of
Auschwitz by Michael Bornstein and Debbie
Bornstein Holinstat or any other title on your
to-read list, please visit the library to apply
for your library card, or please contact the
reference staff for further assistance. •
Survivors Club: the True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz
by Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat.
Katrena Woodson.
Solar Eclipse from page 2
in Shady Cove suggested we borrow their
spare Astro van (yes, they’re still around),
so we gladly exchanged my 2017 midsize
for his 1998 van.
Expecting extreme longer-than-normal
traffic, we made the 215-mile drive in
four hours and not the anticipated nine
hours. Winding our way through Madras,
we witnessed a number of pastures/turned
campsites and signs that read, “Camping
$60 per night.” Then at Kyle’s insistence,
we drove a short way outside of the
residential and business district and saw
acres and acres of pastures turned into
a mass of humanity campsites. It was estimated
to be 50,000 to 60,000 cars in these
pastures. The mass of humanity was supported
by tents, RVs and a long line of blue
port-a-potties.
Each of these pastures were sold out
thankfully, so we drove down a dirt road
next to a parachute school. There, off in
the distance, was another family renting out
space in their pasture. “One-hundred dollars
a night,” said a whimsical 10-year-old girl.
Her mother asked how many nights and I
responded, “I’m driving an old Astro van,
we have no camping gear, an ice chest with
four bottles of water and a bag of Kettle
corn for dinner.” I guess she felt sorry for
us and said, “Okay, don’t tell anyone else…
how about $60?” She knew she was the last
place available to stop overnight for the
eclipse that would occur the next morning.
We parked next to a Mercedes luxury RV
owned by Deborah and Sam Appel. Actually
it was a strategic ploy on my part since the
only portable restroom was nearby. We made
friends with the Appels instantly.
Kyle set up the cameras for the next morning
and explained the process of the eclipse to
our neighbors. Then the parachutist gave us
a show by making continuous jumps before
sundown. Finally nightfall engulfed our world
and we found ourselves settling in for what
would be a cold night. We had two pillows
from Costco and two moving blankets to
bundle up with and it wasn’t enough.
Morning and the big day for us solar eclipse
chasers were now upon us. What seemed like an
eternity of sleeping on a cramped bench
seat while Kyle was stretched out on the
floor was a welcome sight when daybreak
opened our eyes.
Sam and Deborah brought over a cornucopia
platter of fruit and homemade cinnamon
bread for breakfast. Deborah, being the
iconic mother that she is, felt sorry for us
underequipped campers and wanted to make
sure we were fed. In the meantime, Kyle
continued to educate our neighbors on the
dos and don’ts for viewing the eclipse.
It’s hard to describe the anticipation
leading up to one of God’s truly beautiful
moments. Then at precisely 9:06 a.m., it all
started. Our world of sunlight was on the
verge of being silenced by the passing of
the moon. Kyle would announce different
facts relating to the epic event. The entire
eclipse process going through all its phases
takes roughly two hours.
There are a few precious moments to
capture the beauty of this event. Just prior
to totality the Baily’s beads, or Diamond
ring effect, is prominent. Kyle reminded
our neighbors it is not safe to view this
without proper eye protection.
Then it happened at 10:18 a.m. PST--the
totality of the sun being completely blocked
by the moon. A roar of approval from the
throngs and mass of humanity filled the air.
The temperature dropped 15 degrees and
a 360-degree sunset was seen. Perhaps the
loudest and most vocal to voice his approval
was Kyle, who was so excited.
The eclipse lasted two minutes and three
seconds of totality and seemed to give everyone
a sense of gratitude. When the sun started
to peek around the moon as it passed by, a
number of cows in a nearby pasture started
mooing it up as if to say good morning.
As morning darkness became morning
sunshine, a mass of vehicles hit the road in
an attempt to beat the traffic. Traffic was at a
standstill and stayed that way for four hours.
The beauty and uniqueness of a darkened
world during the day made this experience
all the more memorable. It may have been
just two minutes and three seconds long, but
the memory will last a lifetime. •