Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 30, 2015

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 30, 2015 

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEW

‘GOOD KILL’ IS A GOOD FILM

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown


By Sean Kayden


THE WRIGHT BROTHERS 

by David McCullough

 Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize 
David McCullough tells the dramatic 
story-behind-the-story about the 
courageous brothers who taught the 
world how to fly: Wilbur and Orville 
Wright.On a winter day in 1903, in 
the Outer Banks of North Carolina, 
two unknown brothers from Ohio 
changed history. But it would take the 
world some time to believe what had 
happened: the age of flight had begun, 
with the first heavier-than-air, powered 
machine carrying a pilot.Who were 
these men and how was it that they 
achieved what they did?Far more than 
a couple of unschooled Dayton bicycle 
mechanics who happened to hit on success, they were 
men of exceptional courage and determination, and of 
far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity, 
much of which they attributed to their upbringing. 
The house they lived in had no electricity or indoor 
plumbing, but there were books aplenty, supplied mainly 
by their preacher father, and they never stopped reading.
When they worked together, no problem seemed to be 
insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. 
Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever 
seen. That they had no more than a public high school 
education, little money and no contacts in high places, 
never stopped them in their “mission” to take to the air. 
Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every 
time they took off in one of their contrivances, they risked 
being killed.In this thrilling book, master historian David 
McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright 
Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, 
and more than a thousand letters from private family 
correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright 
Brothers’ story, including the little-known contributions 
of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might 
well have gone differently for them.


THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO 
CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND 
DISAPPEARED by Jonas Jonasson

The international publishing sensation--over six million 
copies sold worldwide!A reluctant centenarian much like 
Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with 
a fondness for vodka) decides it’s not 
too late to start over . . .After a long and 
eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a 
nursing home, believing it to be his last 
stop. The only problem is that he’s still 
in good health, and in one day, he turns 
100. A big celebration is in the works, 
but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d 
like a bit more control over his vodka 
consumption). So he decides to escape. 
He climbs out the window in his slippers 
and embarks on a hilarious and entirely 
unexpected journey, involving, among 
other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with 
cash, some unpleasant criminals, a 
friendly hot-dog stand operator, and 
an elephant (not to mention a death by 
elephant).It would be the adventure of a 
lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a 
larger-than-life backstory: Not only has 
he witnessed some of the most important events of the 
twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role 
in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow 
finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the 
twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and 
more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman 
to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, 
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window 
and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world. 


YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER 
by F. Batmanghelidj and M.D.

This is the third edition of Dr. F. Batmanghelidj’ classic 
water book! This book, based on a pioneering physician’s 
twenty years of clinical and scientific research into the role 
of water in the body, explains a breakthrough discovery 
that Unintentional Chronic Dehydration(UCD) produces 
stress, chronic pains and many painful degenerational 
diseases. Dry mouth is not the only sign of dehydration; 
waiting to get thirsty is wrong. You will learn the different 
signals of thirst when your body is calling for water. 
Simply adjusting your water intake - yes, water! Natural, 
pure water!- can help you to live a healthier, pain-free life. 
Lean: How to naturally prevent and reverse conditions 
such as asthma, allergies How to naturally eliminate 
pains including heartburn, back pain, arthritis, colitis 
pain, migrant headches How to use water to prevent and 
combat premature aging How to lose weight effortlessly, 
without strict dieting.

In Andrew Niccol’s 
Good Kill, Ethan 
Hawke stars an Air 
Force drone pilot who 
begins to question the 
morals of dropping 
bombs on Afghanistan from the safety of his 
secluded post in Las Vegas. Every day is the same 
for Hawke’s character, Major Thomas Egan as he 
drives to the military station merely a few miles 
away from his suburban home. One minute he’s 
bombing a terrorist group the next he’s back home 
barbequing with his family. Itching to get back 
into the skies as the pilot he once was, he puts in 
a request with his superior, Lt. Colonel Jack Johns 
(Bruce Greenwood) to get out of this humdrum 
existence he’s fallen into it. With his chances of 
ever flying again looking slimmer and slimmer by 
the day, Egan becomes despondent and turns to 
the bottle, vodka being his go to choice. Despite 
his beautiful wife played by January Jones and 
having two young children, Egan is not fulfilled 
in the ways you’re suppose to be when living 
relatively comfortably. Good Kill reminded me 
a lot of American Sniper, the more well-known 
war film as well as obviously being the most 
financially successful one. The two men featured 
here share many qualities. While one character 
was based on a real life soldier (Chris Kyle for 
American Sniper) and Good Kill’s protagonist 
was only inspired by actual events, both men 
desired combat, questioned ethical decisions, and 
were never truly “in the present” when back home 
attempting to adjust to family life. 

 Good Kill is a terrific character study despite 
already seeing this sort of examination explored 
in other war films. The difference here is the 
evident because our character is adjusting to the 
new type of combat. You can’t possibly get hurt 
or killed in your station. You’re basically playing 
a videogame when commanding the drones. 
Hawke’s character is the one pushing the button, 
the one that drops the bombs. Any mistakes be 
had, it’s on him despite his superior saying they’re 
all responsible. While the prime objective is to 
always take down a possible threat, causalities are 
just a part of the process. When Lt. Colonel Johns 
gets orders from the CIA for a confidential, off 
the books mission, things become real tense for 
Egan and his fellow Airman, Vera Suarez (played 
by Zoe Kravitz). They start doing things they’ve 
never done before such as bomb the same site 
twice (which will kill those assisting those in the 
previous bombing just right before it). They’ve 
also killed young boys because CIA considers 
them a potential threat since they possess AK-
47s. This only fuels the fire in Egan ever more 
so before he hits his own breaking point one 
night in a scene with his wife, who comes home 
a bit tipsy. As their relationship becomes further 
tumultuous, home life is becoming worse than 
the war “over there.”

 There’s a lot to life about Good Kill, but 
it suffers with an uneventful ending. While 
there’s nothing egregious about the conclusion, 
it was fairly conventional (and predictable) in 
the way it wrapped up. Ethan Hawke gives a 
strong, but rather straightforward performance 
as a withdrawn drone pilot seeking more or 
at least more of what he once knew. Good Kill 
is just another reminder of how soldiers, no 
matter which military branch they’re from can 
be affected by acts of war. The film was also a 
reminder in informing us we can never stop 
bombing or coming after those who put the 
United States in jeopardy or in direct threat. On 
the other hand, if we ever did stop, the enemy 
would never stop coming after us. The endless 
war as Good Kill puts it. Makes one think, what 
will conclude first, the war itself or films about 
modern day war? Nonetheless, seek out Good 
Kill if you dig military themed films, but just 
don’t expect anything all too different or fresh in 
the inventive department. 

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Written and directed by: Andrew Niccol

Rated R for violent content including a rape, 
language, and some sexuality

Release Date: May 15th, 2015 (limited; 
expanding to more cities)

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

On the Marquee: 

Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

PARENTS FEAR 
INHERITANCE WILL DO 
MORE HARM THAN 
GOOD

 

A survey recently released by Merrill Lynch’s Private 
Banking and Investment Group -- How Much Should 
I Give to My Family? -- shows that the #1 concern of 
wealthy parents is that the inheritances they plan to 
leave their children will do more harm than good.

 Of the 206 high net worth parents surveyed, 91% 
said they plan to leave the lion’s share of their estate 
to their children. However, they expressed fear that 
giving too much would thwart their children from 
reaching their full potential.

 Almost two-thirds of the parents surveyed said they 
were somewhat concerned that an inheritance would 
have a negative impact on their children, especially 
when large sums were distributed without guidance 
or accountability. Yet only 29% said they have had a 
conversation with their children about their future 
inheritances.

 You don’t have to be uber-wealthy to share these 
concerns. I have them for my own children regarding 
what my wife and I are planning to leave them. If 
you share some of these concerns too, I’d be happy 
to speak to you about when and how to leave your 
whole family wealth (not just your money) as part of 
a comprehensive legacy 
plan for your family so it 
doesn’t create trouble for 
your children.

 Also consider that in 
some cases, the best time 
to leave an inheritance 
to the next generation may be while you are living - 
instead of waiting until death - because you can guide 
your children through the pitfalls of the inheritance.

 For an example let’s look at the case of Norman and 
Stephen Brooks, father and son. Twenty years ago 
Stephen came to Norman and asked him to support 
him to build a business that would bring youth to 
Costa Rica, and together they created a tour business 
and multi-property development that is now thriving.

 Stephen couldn’t have done it on his own. And 
while Norman could have waited to pass Stephen’s 
inheritance to him until his death, Norman would 
have lost the opportunity to see that inheritance grow, 
not just financially, but on so many other levels as well.

 Today, Norman’s inheritance to Stephen is far 
bigger than anything he would have left at his death 
and both Stephen and Norman are benefiting from it 
greatly.

 The only thing I would have recommended that 
Norman do differently would be to have given Stephen 
his living inheritance through a trust, rather than 
outright.

 As things stand now, everything Stephen has created 
is in his own name remains at risk from creditors, 
predators, lawsuits, and divorce. If they could go back 
and change anything, I would recommend Norman 
set all that up for Stephen in a trust, providing airtight 
asset protection that Stephen cannot provide for 
himself.

 With inheritance, there is a fine line between 
enabling our children and providing them with 
opportunities. But with proper planning, you can 
absolutely make a safe, successful transfer of wealth to 
the next generation which will do them much more 
good than harm.

To your family’s health, wealth, and happiness,

A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer (Court 
Appointed Special Advocate for Children), Marc 
Garlett is on a mission to help parents protect what 
they love most. His office is located at 49 S. Baldwin 
Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an 
appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a 
legacy of love and financial security for your family by 
calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for 
more information.


MY SECRET IS OUT

By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

I miss being on stage. There I’ve said it. I’m 
finding the work I’m doing at the Playhouse 
incredibly interesting (if sometimes maddening) 
and I’m very proud of where we are headed and 
our growth. But I miss being on stage. I started 
my connection with SMP as an actor. I first 
worked here as the Stage Manager in Our Town. 
I was drawn here because of that role in what I 
think is one of the five great American plays. I 
was immediately struck by the magic of this little 
theater. There really is something very special 
about it – it’s a wonderful stage to play on as an 
actor and the audiences are warm and welcoming. 
That is a role and a play I would happily go back to.

I followed Our Town with To Kill a Mockingbird 
in which I played Atticus. That’s a role that I was 
very nervous about – who wouldn’t be with the 
specter of Gregory Peck looming over it. But with 
the collaboration of the director, Michael Cooper, 
I crafted my own take on the role and had one of 
the most exciting and satisfying experiences I’ve 
had on stage. That show was an enormous hit 
with our audiences and one that I would have been 
happy to keep playing for a long time, I wasn’t 
ready to see it end. 

 Finally, I played Jerry in God’s Man in Texas 
under Nancy Youngblut’s direction (she is a 
terrific actress as those of you who saw A Walk 
in the Woods this season will attest to and a fine 
director). That role was a big challenge – how 
many times are you called on to hear God speak 
to you? I was in that play. I was very proud of 
what I accomplished with that role – I think my 
final moments in that play are about as good as 
anything I’ve done. But that was the last time I’ve 
been on stage. 

 Becoming an Artistic Director was the 
fulfillment of a long-standing goal. I’ve enjoyed 
this past year and I look forward to many more 
– I’m thrilled to have such influence in shaping 
where the Playhouse is headed. I didn’t think 
it was wise to take on acting in a show while I 
was settling in to my new responsibilities. But 
now that a year has passed, I’m thinking that if 
I don’t soon, I will go mad! There is a play that 
I’m hoping we’ll produce in January that has a 
role in it that I long to play. We’ll be announcing 
next season soon and we’ll see if we can make it 
happen!

. . . . . .

The Odd Couple has gotten terrific reviews and 
our audiences are really enjoying it. Remember we 
give 20% discounts for groups of 10 or more who 
purchase their tickets ahead of their attendance 
date. Please call Mary Baville at 626.355.4318 to 
arrange your purchase. This is one play you won’t 
want to miss.

 As always we do it for you – our SMP family – 
whose support and loyalty mean so much to us 
and for whom we hope we bring pleasure and joy 
and moving experiences in the theater. Please let 
me know how you think we are doing. Reach me 
at ArtisticDirector@SierraMadrePlayhouse.org

 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com