Page 2 December 14, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
Entertainment
Check It Out Film Review
Gingerbread Man, Latkes Picture
Books Make Ideal Holiday Reads
Reviewed by Katrena Woodson,
Teen and Young Reader Librarian,
El Segundo Public Library
This week, I’m reviewing two holiday picture
books--one focusing on Christmas and the
other on Hanukkah.
The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas
by Laura Murray and illustrated by Mike
Lowery is the third installment of Murray’s
series featuring the Gingerbread Man as the
main character. In this book the Gingerbread
Man is back at school assisting children in
the preparation of cards, cookies and carols
for various people throughout the town. The
children and their teacher are going to head
into the town to deliver their gifts as well as
help any community members in need. The
Gingerbread Man makes a special delivery
to the baker who created him and she makes
him new boots. This story shows that giving a
gift can be a rewarding experience. The story
is well-written and Murray’s use of rhyme is
much appreciated. The story is also full of
action and humor, both of which are nicely
supported by the illustrations. This is a fun
holiday read perfect for kids three to seven years
of age, and is guaranteed to get them excited
about giving gifts and not just receiving them.
The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman
and illustrated by Paul Yalowitz is a delightful
read! It is reminiscent of a Jewish version of
the Gingerbread Man story. For those who
don’t know, latkes are a sort of potato pancake
served for Hanukkah. In this story, Rebecca’s
latkes have a bit of an attitude problem: they
have absolutely no intention of being eaten.
They run off saying that they’re going to “see
the town, and YOU can’t catch us!” Rebecca
chases the latkes all through town, they pass
the rabbi, the cantor, police officers and even
the mayor! As they run away, the latkes continue
chanting their song until they reach the
Applesauce River. The illustrations are soft
and all the figures are sort of rounded, which
The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman.
is a reflection of the latkes. At the end of the
story there is a beautiful, hand-painted recipe
for latkes--and a reminder that if you want to
try and make some latkes for yourself to have
a grown-up help. This book is written for fourto
eight-year-olds, but it is fun for all ages.
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 The Gingerbread
Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray and
illustrated by Mike Lowery and The Runaway
Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman and illustrated
by Paul Yalowitz, 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. •
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
Herald Publications Holiday Schedule
Our offices will be closed the following days for the holidays.
Thursday, December 21 | Friday, December 22 | Monday, December 25
Thursday, December 28 | Friday, December 29 | Monday, January 1
Let Yourself Be Swept Away in the
Romance of The Shape of Water
By Ryan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com
Imagine the timeless love story Beauty and
the Beast set in 1960s Cold War America,
and the beast is an amphibian-man desired
by the U.S. and Russia for weapon-utilizing
purposes. Here you have director Guillermo Del
Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water, or the
basic outline, at least. The special ingredient
in this affectingly heart-filled film is its achingly
dutiful ode to classic romantic movies
of the past. The Shape of Water feels like the
ever-magisterial Del Toro was swept up in the
same intoxicating aroma as spellbound director
Damien Chazelle with the Hollywood backlot
homage, La La Land. This holiday season, let
the feel-good, achingly beautiful The Shape of
Water color your heart anew--even if that color
is a seafoam green like our fin-covered friend.
Audiences should know (and not mind) that
in the classical tradition, this period piece does
away with an intricate storyline for a more
classic, familiar one. And why should it be
anything but a simple tale of two star-crossed
lovers? Anything more would weigh down this
otherwise beautifully buoyant film, whose best
quality is a lightness that keeps the fireplace
warm. This tone and spirit stem directly from
the performance of Sally Hawkins, who plays
Elisa--a mute janitor who works at an underground
facility in 1960s Baltimore. Meek in
demeanor, she works alongside her co-worker,
Zelda (Octavia Spencer)--with whom she has
clearly gotten comfortable.
Elisa’s routine and unassuming lifestyle, which
includes waking up in her one-bedroom apartment,
enjoying herself in the tub and clocking
in for work suddenly becomes upended when
she actually meets “the asset”--the Amphibian
Man resembling the creature from the Black
Lagoon. A timid courting begins between both
silent creatures. She teaches him to sign simple
phrases to communicate while the Amphibian
is chained in his iron-cast tank. The two also
enjoy late-night indulgences of hard-boiled
eggs and jazz records.
But as we all know, the kindred-spirits-finding-
companionship story needs its villain, which
Michael Shannon deliciously delivers as
Strickland--a hell-bent overseer of the facility
and self-appointed torturer of the asset. The film
plays to its expected path: Elisa sets in motion a
plan to break the creature free with help from her
similarly sheepish illustrator neighbor (played
by a wonderful Richard Jenkins--seriously, this
whole cast rocks!). Conventional and comforting,
but also adventurous and erotic (sensual
scenes between Elisa and the Amphibian Man
are not shied away from), The Shape of Water is
everything we wish the film would be.
Del Toro has shown with his previous work
that he can create some of the best fantasycreature
movies ever made, like the modern=day
masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth, which portrayed
his dark extraction of children’s fantasy, as well
as comic book shoot-‘em-ups like Hellboy.
But where those films were considerably more
action-filled, The Shape of Water is decidedly
affection-filled and sure to imprint a soft smile
on doting audience’s faces. For a film about
two creatures who won’t let anything--politics,
danger, or the fact that they’re two different
species--stand in their way, that’s something
that audiences should let themselves snuggle
up to this season.
119 min. The Shape of Water is rated R for
sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, and
language. Now playing at the Landmark and
ArcLight Hollywood. •
The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray.
Katrena Woodson.
Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
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