Movies

The English (9/10): Six-part TV miniseries. Prime. TVMA. Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer star in this western about an English woman who comes alone to the wild American West to avenge the death of her son in 1890. There she meets Spencer, a Native American U.S. Army veteran with problems of his own. It starts with a violent bang and slows down a little in the middle until the denouement. This is a well-satisfying Western with terrific performances and exceptional evocative cinematography topped off by a superb script.

Avatar: The Way of Water (8/10): 190 minutes. PG-13. For $400 million, one would think a movie should be perfect and wonderful. This one isn’t. Oh, one can appreciate the amount of money spent to make it because the special effects are fabulous and worth the price of admission. And that’s good because the story isn’t just weak, it is absurd.

I know this is fantasy, but to have a Stone Age people with bows and arrows taking on an advanced, sophisticated society with post-modern weapons makes one wonder who is kidding whom?

Character development? Forget it. These are puppets on a string. You see one; you’ve seen them all.

Let’s get back to the special effects. This is the best 3D I’ve ever seen. Unlike other 3D films, it does not weaken the color impression of the film, and the 3D is real 3D, not just the stuff that came out in the earlier part of the century. This leaves a very positive impression on the viewer.

The story, as I said, is silly beyond words so I won’t waste any more words on that. It makes me wonder why director James Cameron would waste the money hiring stars like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney

Marlborough

(Continued from page 26) portunity to apply those skills to some passion of theirs.”

The school has a great infrastructure in place to set up opportunities for students to explore their passions out in the real world. “We have connections at lots of the hospitals, research areas, nonprofits and in the [entertainment] industry. This is a fantastic, world-class city and we’re right in the middle of it.” Ciccarelli marvels at the students’ exciting endeavors. “That’s something that Marlborough is already doing quite well, and I want to continue to build on that.”

The head of school also is mother to daughter, Perry, a new seventh-grade student at the school. “When I started to meet Marlborough girls, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, this is Perry’s school.’ Because they are kids who love learning, they are deeply engaged in what they’re doing, they care passionately about what they care about and that is Perry to a T.”

Now that she’s taken some time to listen, observe and ask questions, Ciccarelli is starting to think more about goals. In particular, she’s thinking about the partnership with Los Angeles and how Marlborough students can take the incredible skills they’ve learned and work on thinking about some of the problems that exist in Los Angeles and how to help solve them — mostly through nonprofit work and some of their capstone research programs.

“I’m also always thinking about access to a Marlborough education.” She believes in the really talented girls in Los Angeles having access to the school. Ciccarelli wants to make sure that these girls are finding out about the school and can find a way to come. “Marlborough has worked hard to keep socio-economic diversity as a part of the school. So, a lot of our families are middle-class families who you would assume would never qualify for any financial aid. But they do qualify for it… We offer scholarship and financial assistance all the way across the financial spectrum.”

The relationship with the town the school is part of is also important to Ciccarelli. Twice a year, the school has a meeting with immediate neighbors — inviting them to the school and giving a state of the school update. Marlborough informs the neighbors about all the on-campus events, especially if the events are going to affect parking. The school also is a venue for Windsor Square Association board meetings, and the school makes its facilities available in other ways.

“We expect our students to be great neighbors. When they are here and out on Larchmont Boulevard, they are representing Marlborough all the time, and we expect them to be respectful. Girls’ schools in general trust the students to do the right thing… And they do.”

At the Movies

with Tony Medley

Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet when they disguise themselves in motion capture costumes that make them look totally different. These films are basically cartoons, and three hours plus is far too long. Even in the realm of whatever this is, the only thing this has to offer is visual.

RRR (8/10): 197 minutes. R. Over the top, violent, singing and dancing, absurd battles and fights, attractive stars, totally ridiculous story based upon India’s fight for independence in the 1920s — this has it all. It’s entertaining and tense. It’s a buddy movie but they aren’t Hope and Crosby. They are Komaran Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao, Jr. aka N.T.R.), a Gond man looking for a girl who was stolen from her village by the evil British overlords, and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), a lieutenant in a local regiment of the British Army. Theirs is an amorphous relationship, to say the least. It’s long with innumerable twists and turns; little of what you will see is even the slightest bit believable or realistic but, hey, it’s a movie! Relax and enjoy it. Stay for the credits that contain lively singing and dancing.

Living (8/10): 102 minutes. PG-13. William (Bill Nighy) is an old man who works as a supervisor in a Kafkaesque bureaucratic office where the modus operandi seems to be to stall every application that is submitted. He is soft-spoken but feared by the people who work for him, including relatively new hire Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), who is a free-spirited young woman, the only female employee in an office of three other male workers. As he gets to know her by observing her, he comes to realize that there is a different way to live. This starts out slowly and doesn’t seem to make much sense until it really picks up.

Babylon (3/10): 190 minutes. R. The first hour is, in a word, atrocious. It’s convoluted, meaningless (except to show rampant debauchery and to flash some bare breasts), if not ridiculous. Worse, the sound is horrendous. It’s not only far too loud (the opening approximately half hour is almost enough to deafen hapless viewers) but also muffled and difficult to comprehend the dialogue, although maybe that’s a blessing.

Apparently director Damien Chazelle is trying to tell a story of depravity in early Hollywood and the change in Hollywood from silent to sound (Gadzooks; what a novel idea! It’s only been done countless times).

After 60 painful minutes it picks up a little. There is one good bit about reshooting a scene over and over before they can get the sound correct, but even that is overblown. Constant retakes are part of the biz.

Brad Pitt’s bland performance is less than tantalizing. Diego Calva gives a good performance, but the person who steals the picture is Margot Robbie. The film only shows life when she and Jean Smart, infra, are onscreen.

I’m not sure why they named 70-year-old Jean Smart’s character Elinor St. John. That must be some sort of reference to Adela Rogers St. John who was a screenwriter and reporter who wrote classic Hollywood interviews in the ‘20s and ‘30s, but was in her 30s during the period covered by this film.

As an aside not relevant to this movie, her fascinating biography of her Los Angeles attorney father, Earl Rogers, “Final Verdict,” is a book that captures a lot more accurately the life in early Los Angeles than does this bloated orgiastic phantasmagoria. Be that as it may, Smart’s performance is right up there with Robbie’s as the best parts of the film. Alas, too little to save this turkey that drones on for more than three hours.

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By Vivian Gueler

There’s a new pizza man in town! Already having won over local residents by participating at the recent Taste of Larchmont and Larchmont Family Fair, the affable Esco (Esteban Plutarco Gutierrez) recently opened Esco’s Pizza located next to Bludso’s Bar & Que on La Brea Ave. Esco brings East Coast flavor to Los Angeles with his New York style pizza, pastas, salads, chicken wings, and classic New York sandwiches; the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, the chopped cheese sandwich and the Parkside Cubano.

Menu items are a culmination of Esco’s New York upbringing and Mexican-German heritage.

Originally from Harlem, Esco worked at his father’s New York deli as a young child. Through his teenage years, he helped run the family pizzeria in Astoria. After having earned a degree from Buffalo State College, Esco worked as a social worker. In 2015, he sold his sneaker collection to finance a move from New York to Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles where Esco began his formal training as a restaurateur. His first gig was at Prime Pizza on Fairfax Avenue, followed by a stint at The Dime, where he was hired to curate a new menu. Hands-on training followed at Vito’s Pizza, Joe’s on Sunset, Osteria La Buca (where he mastered the onerous skill of making a Neapolitan pizza) and South End in Venice.

In 2021, Esco was contacted by rapper Biggie Smalls’ daughter, Tyanna Wallace, and Tyra Myricks, daughter of fellow late hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C., to help open Juicy’s Pizza. In March of 2022, Juicy’s was taken over by business impresarios Everett Smith and John Zapp, who partnered with Esco to open Esco’s New York-themed pizzeria, which features a New York subway car and a decked out lounge used for private events, Sunday football viewing parties and local hip-hop fêtes.

Eager to become involved with the local community, Esco outlines (in his heavy Harlem accent), “I’m a people person. I love people and that’s a big part of having an eatery for me.” An avid graffiti artist, Esco further notes, “To tie in art, social work and pizza, I’m in heaven… It’s the ultimate platform for me.” Always smiling and happy to chat with his customers, Esco is clearly passionate about gratifying his patrons.

Esco plans to expand the menu once he has an established team in place. In the meantime, he heeds his father’s advice, “Everything’s going to work out just fine.”

Esco’s Pizza is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. to Thurs., and 11 a.m. to midnight, Fri. and Sat.

Esco’s Pizza, 615 N. La Brea Ave.

LOCAL RESIDENTS have had a taste of Esco’s pizza at the Larchmont Family Fair, above, in October, and the Taste of Larchmont in September. ESCO worked at several pizzerias before opening his own.

PILGRIM SCHOOL By Allison Pak 9th Grade

Decem -

ber was a busy month at Pilgrim celebrating many successes. We had the fall sports banquet for high school and middle school girls’ volleyball, high school and boys middle school flag football and high school and middle school cross country. Pilgrim won two championships: girls’ volleyball and boys’ flag football!

We had our seventh winter festival at which we had dance and band performances, games and food. We also raised money for different charities Pilgrim students are passionate about: The Sasha Project LA (thesashaprojectla.org), Friends of the LA River (folar.org), Extraordinary Families Foster Care and Adoption (extraordinaryfamilies. org) and also for 2023 Class Trip Associated Student Body Activities.

The high school students will go on a snow trip in January and we look forward to it. We will go to Big Bear for two nights, a Pilgrim tradition. Students will be able to choose to either go snowboarding, skiing or just spend time with people.

Strawberry Hotcakes topped with Whipped Cream and Sprinkles!

For more information about Pilgrim School, please visit us our website at: pilgrim-school. org.

THE OAKS SCHOOL

By Amelia Goldberg 6th Grade

December was a seriously festive month for The Oaks. The first two events we had, which took place on Dec. 2, were interconnected. The craft fair had student entrepreneurs selling their crafts at school. This year, I sewed bags and scrunchies to sell. The holiday bazaar had small businesses (including some of our parents) come to the Oaks and sell their products.

The craft fair committee is so dedicated. This year, my teacher sold her ceramics for the first time. Both the holiday bazaar and the craft fair donate a portion of the sales to local nonprofits chosen by the 6th- grade class. This year’s choices included Alex’s Lemonade Stand, My Friend’s Place and LA Suicide Prevention Network.

We also had the Winter Sing. The students performed songs they had been practicing for almost a month! This year, I sang, “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles and “Mister Blue Sky” by ELO. These traditions made December an amazing month at the Oaks.

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