Page 6 November 16, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment
Film Review Check It Out
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore.
Highlights from AFI Film Festival
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
The 2017 AFI Film Festival kicked off
last week, taking over the Egyptian and
TCL Chinese theaters in the heart of Hollywood.
Spanning seven days, the festival has
become infamous for showcasing heartfelt
indie films, groundbreaking foreign features,
and highly anticipated future Academy
Award contenders. Despite the late lineup
change (the Kevin Spacey-starring flick All
the Money in the World was pulled from
its slot as the closing night film due
to the actor’s sexual misconduct allegations),
AFI Fest provided another
electrifying run as a mecca for film fans
to explore the wonderful world of cinema.
Below, the Cinemacy team shares their
personal highlights from this year’s festival.
Morgan-Mr. Roosevelt
First-time writer/director Noël Wells
brought her crowd-pleaser, Mr. Roosevelt,
to the big screen after a successful premiere
during this year’s SXSW Film Festival.
The indie centers around Emily (Wells),
a struggling comedian who is forced to
return home to Austin, Texas and face her
ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend after a
death unites them. Cue the awkward boundary
issues, uncomfortable situations and
(L-R) The Shape of Water, Mr. Roosevelt, Sweet Country, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.
Thoughtful Reincarnation Blues
Explores Time Travel What Ifs
Reviewed by Kristina Kora-Beckman,
Librarian I, El Segundo Public Library
I love time travel books, especially ones
that explore the infinite “what if” scenarios
that could possibly exist if we’d chosen a
different path. Amongst my favorites are Audrey
Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife,
Andrew Sean Greer’s The Impossible Lives
of Greta Wells and most recently, Michael
Poore’s Reincarnation Blues. This darkly
funny, inventive tale follows Milo, who has
lived nearly 10,000 lives trying to achieve
the ultimate goal of reaching “perfection.”
We see glimpses of some of Milo’s lives
past, present and future, as well as his
experiences in the afterlife between being
reincarnated--including his relationship with
a manifestation of Death, who prefers to be
called Suzie. Part dystopian science fiction,
part historical fantasy, Poore’s book also delves
into the philosophical, examining questions
of purpose and fate. The book also explores
social justice themes such as the powerful
exploiting the weak, and how best for humanity
to combat and overcome oppression.
To check out Reincarnation Blues, or
browse our extensive fiction collection, please
visit the library to apply for your free library
card. For more book suggestions please call
or stop by the Reference Desk, we’d love to
help you find your next great read! •
See Film, page 12
Kristina Kora-Beckman.