Milwaukee Post
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/537114
14 • Milwaukee County Post • July 3, 2015 ENTERTAINMENT East Side, Riverwest celebrations Saturday MILWAUKEE — The schedule of events for cele- brating the Fourth of July on Saturday on the city's East Side include: ■ 9 a.m. — Parades from Hartford Avenue School and Maryland Avenue School to Lake Park, fol- lowed by an ice cream social, games, activities and a picnic. For more informa- tion, call Mike DeWan at 414-550-8541. ■ 1 p.m. — A talent show, hosted by Milwaukee's John McGivern. The all- ages show will take place in the parking lot near Lake Park Bistro, 3133 E. Newberry Blvd. In-person registration will begin at 11 a.m. Acts should be no longer than 5 minutes. ■ 9:15 p.m. — Fireworks at the city's Lake Park, 3233 E. Kenwood Blvd., begin at dusk. The Riverwest schedule for Saturday includes: ■ 9 a.m. Parade prepara- tions and bike decorating begin at St. Casimir's and neighboring Our Lady of Divine Providence, 2600 N. Bremen St. ■ 11 a.m. — Parade leaves for Gordon Park, 2828 N. Humboldt Blvd. ■ 1 p.m. — Kickoff for an afternoon of music and entertainment as Riverwest residents celebrate their "Energy Independence Day." As in the past, the Riverwest Neighborhood Association will use 10 pedal-powered generators to provide electricity to run the entertainment stage and will have booths set up for residents who want to learn more about alterna- tive energy practices. ■ 9:15 p.m. — The city's Gordon Park fireworks dis- play begins at dusk. Other parks in Milwaukee with Fourth of July celebrations: ■ Alcott, 3751 S. 97th St. (ground-display fireworks) ■ Humboldt, 3000 S. Howell Ave. ■ Jackson, 3500 W. Forest Home Ave. ■ King, 1531 W. Vliet St. (no fireworks) ■ Lincoln, 1301 W. Hampton Ave. ■ Mitchell, 2200 W. Pierce St. ■ Noyes, 8235 W. Good Hope Road. ■ Sherman, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd. (no fire- works) ■ Washington, 1859 N. 40th St. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will perform at 2:30 p.m. at the band shell. ■ Wilson, 1601 W. Howard Ave. Programs vary from park to park. For more information, visit http://city.milwaukee.gov/ July4th#.VZFwgvlViko Getting an early start, the U.S. Bank fireworks extravaganza takes place at Veterans Park at about 9:25 p.m. Friday. Vendors and activities runs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday in Veterans Park. Domes to ring in 4th of July MILWAUKEE — The Mitchell Park Domes will celebrate the Fourth of July with a 9 a.m. parade called "America — Land That I Love." All children in the parade get a free flag and ice cream ticket. Awards will be given to participants 11 and older for "best patri- otic outfit." Judging will be at the flagpole after the flag- raising ceremony at 10 a.m. in front of the Domes. Children can also deco- rate their bicycle or tricy- cle; call Debra or Kevin Konieczka, 414-281-7720. For doll, coaster, stroller or cos- tume, call Joan Yets, 414- 545-7440. Advance registra- tion is required to be part of the judging. There will be games from 10:30 a.m. to noon in front of the bandstand. DJ Dan will play a variety of music at the bandstand from 6 p.m. until the fire- works at 9:15 p.m. County to fund Sheriff's Office jobs MILWAUKEE — The County Board last week overrode an executive veto denying personnel funding to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. The 2015 county budget included 262 deputy sheriff positions and at least 26 of those positions are vacant, 18th District Supervisor Deanna Alexander said. "We can debate spending levels all day and all night for food trucks and living wages, but we must focus on adequately staffing our Sheriff's Office and ensur- ing the deputies putting their own safety on the line for ours can make headway toward a reasonable bal- ance between duty and relief," she said. The board approved by a 17-1 vote to grant further funding to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. Garden District to host class on flower arranging MILWAUKEE — A Garden District flower arranging class will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The class uses garden flowers. The theme is: No time, no money, no problem! All arrangements made will be raffled off for free. The class meets on the third floor of the Water Tower, 4001 S. Sixth St. For more information, call Dawn at 414-379-2450. West Allis rain barrels sell for $15 WEST ALLIS — The city of West Allis is offering rain barrels for $15. The barrels must be kept in use in West Allis for five years. Property owners need to sign the rain barrel agreement. The barrels will be deliv- ered by the city to the prop- erty. The rain barrels for 2015 are a different design than 2014 and smaller. The bar- rels are paintable. For more information, call the the City Engineer's Office, 414-302-8373. COMMUNITY By TOM JOZWIK Post Film Critic I find myself wondering whether it's merely coinci- dental that "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," the movie based on Jesse Andrews' novel, takes place in Pittsburgh. "This is the story of my senior year in high school," the movie's "Me," Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann), states as voice- over narrator. The year is a difficult one and the young man negotiating it is described as "invisible" and "detached." If Willa Cather, rather than Andrews, had writ- ten the film's script she might've said Greg "in no way made himself con- spicuous," which is exact- ly what she said about the title character in her clas- sic 1905 story "Paul's Case," also set in the Steel City. As a prototypical por- trayal of a self-conscious, awkward adolescent male, "Paul's Case" is an obvi- ous "Me and Earl" antecedent. Said by amateur film- making sidekick Earl (RJ Cyler) to be "terrified of calling someone his friend," Greg decides it would make sense to hang as a 12th-grader with members of his school's various social groups: jocks, Goths, theater types. High school, after all, is about being able to "sur- vive without creating any mortal enemies." But Greg doesn't follow through, deciding he's "too weird to have friends." Still, Greg comes almost accidentally to make a new one. While continuing with Earl to alter movies' titles and shoot footage reflective of the new names, like "A Sockwork Orange" starring sock puppets, Greg reluctantly takes the suggestion of the mother he calls "the LeBron James of nagging" and visits a classmate he doesn't know well, Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke), suffering from leukemia. "I'm sick, but I'm not dying," Rachel tells Greg, who soon is making her laugh en route to their becoming best buds. Greg also, via voice-overs, insists Rachel will sur- vive. Will she? You'll have to see the movie to find out. Seeing "Me and Earl," a Grand Jury Prizewinner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is definitely worthwhile. The offbeat drama with generous doses of comedy offers a wonderfully restrained performance by Mann, a truly lifelike tete- a-tete, featuring Mann's Greg and the excellent Connie Britton as his mom and a disturbing disagree- ment between the Cooke and Mann characters over a decision Rachel makes regarding chemotherapy. To enact the disagree- ment, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has the actors positioned on oppo- site sides of the screen, both clearly in focus. Their eyes seldom meet; Cooke gazes away while explaining herself. Sadness and frustration are palpable. Comparatively minor players Molly Shannon as Rachel's mother and Jon Bernthal as Greg's teacher pleasantly surprise through the growth and ultimate wisdom their characters exhibit. Conversely, the static char- acter that is Greg's father (Nick Offerman) is laugh- able but unbelievable. Techniques on the inno- vative side include onscreen legends, resem- bling book chapter titles, that introduce segments from Greg's point of view: "The Part Where I Panic Out of Sheer Awkwardness"; "The Part Where Rachel and I Become Actual Friends." There are Claymation- style interludes, some pur- posely melodramatic music and a tolling bell replicated instrumentally. Affecting though it is, the movie's denouement drags a bit, but that does- n't mean viewers will lose interest. Nor should they, for "Me and Earl" will find a place on many 2015 best movies lists. At a glance "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" ★★★ 1/2 Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon Director: Alfonso Gomez- Rejon MPAA rating: PG-13 Running time: 105 minutes Showings: www.marcustheatres.com Offbeat 'Me and Earl' definitely worthwhile WAUKESHA — A suicide prevention awareness event that includes live music will be held again July 12. Think Through Your Life, created by three high school students, will include educational resources. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the 4 p.m show features Ryan Beatty, Christian Leave and Braiden Wood at Turner Hall, 1040 N. Fourth St. The concert is meant to educate, inform and inspire teens, event organizers said in a statement. Educational materials and resources will be available and counselors will be on hand to discuss the topic. For tickets, visit http://pabsttheater.org/ s h o w / t h i n k t h r o u g h y o u r life. Think Through Your Life includes concert July 12