June 14, 2017 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Summer Fun Begins
June 16 at North
Portland Library
By: Kirby McCurtis
North Portland Library
Administrator
T
he arrival — at last
— of sunny weath-
er means we can fi-
nally start thinking
about endless summer
days.
At Multnomah County
Library, we’re celebrat-
ing summer with our
annual Summer Read-
ing program. Starting
June 16, North Portland
Library (and all other
Multnomah Library lo-
cations) will encourage
reading throughout the
summer by offering
young people an op-
portunity to win prizes
and participate in free
library activities. Learn
more at multcolib.org/
summer-reading.
Reading during the
summer is a great way
for kids to build a hab-
it of reading while also
maintaining
achieve-
ment gains they made in
the previous school year.
This year’s Summer
Reading program offers
kids prizes for partici-
pating, including tick-
ets to a Portland Thorns
game and a Trail Blazers
preseason game. Partici-
pants who finish the pro-
gram will be entered into
the Grand Prize draw-
ing for a trip for four to
Great Wolf Lodge water-
park!
Babies, kids, and teens
are all welcome to par-
ticipate in Summer Read-
ing. Come into any Mult-
nomah County Library
branch to sign up.
If getting your child
into the library for vol-
untary reading during
the summer sounds like
a challenge, here are
some ways to encourage
a child to participate:
Start small. Read aloud
to your child or try one
of the suggested learning
activities on the Summer
Reading game board.
Keep the reading fun
by letting kids choose
their own books.
Encourage an hour of
“unplugged” time (with-
out an electronic device)
each day.
Help your child to find
a “reading nook.” For me
as a kid, it was a tiny cor-
ner of my neighborhood
library away from the
chaos of my house. Now
it’s a window seat in my
living room with my pit-
bull curled up next to me.
Schedule trips to the
library. Library staff
love to offer suggestions,
and we can help even
the most reluctant read-
er find something good.
Plus, during the summer
all library locations offer
free summer program-
ming for babies, kids and
teens.
Check out some ac-
tivities happening this
month and we look for-
ward to seeing you soon!
• Juneteenth: 6 p.m. June
19, North Portland Li-
brary.•
B u g s
make the world a bet-
ter place: 2 p.m., June
21, Kenton Library.
• Face painting with
friends: 3:30 p.m., June
26, Midland Library.
• Create and design your
own skateboard camp
(for teens): June 26-30,
Rockwood
Library.
There will be sever-
al workshops; visit
https://multcolib.org/
events/create-and-de-
sign-your-own-skate-
board-camp-teens for
times.
For more information
about the library’s sum-
mer reading program
and activities, come into
your local branch, vis-
it multcolib.org or call
(503) 988-5123.
Summer Reading is
supported by gifts to The
Library Foundation, a
local nonprofit dedicat-
ed to our library’s lead-
ership, innovation and
reach through private
support.
Movies cont’d from pg 6
beloved pet pooch from
a ruthless gang. Featur-
ing Famke Janssen, Jason
Momoa, John Goodman,
Kal Penn and Wood Har-
ris.
The Recall (R for vi-
olence, profanity and
some nudity) Sci-fi thrill-
er about five friends
whose vacation at a cabin
in the woods is ruined
by an invasion of aliens
bent on abducting hu-
mans. Co-starring Wes-
ley Snipes, Jedidiah Goo-
dacre and Laura Bilgeri.
Score (Unrated) Mu-
sical documentary af-
fording an inside look
at the challenges asso-
ciated with composing
a Hollywood film score.
Featuring commentary
by Quincy Jones, John
Williams, Hans Zimmer,
Danny Elfman, and Ran-
dy and David Newman.
FILM REVIEW: Marine
Bonds with Combat
Dog in ‘Megan Leavey’
by Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
F
ive years ago, Mike Dowling
published “Sergeant Rex,” a
memoir about the unbreak-
able bond he’d forged with a
bomb-sniffing dog while conduct-
ing over 35 missions on the front
lines of Iraq. Now, another Ma-
rine, Corporal Megan Leavey, is
the subject of a docudrama “based
on a true story” chronicling her
suspiciously-similar relationship
with the very same German shep-
herd.
Directed by Gabriela Cowperth-
waite, the film stars Kate Mara as
the title character, with veteran
thespians Edie Falco and Will
Patton in support roles. At the
point of departure, we find the
rudderless protagonist enlisting
in the service more out of a lack
of direction
than a sense
of patriotism.
But
after
completing
basic train-
ing on Parris
Kate Mara as Corporal Megan Leavey with Seargeant Rex
Island,
she
finally finds
necessary to tame Rex. The two
her true calling upon being as- soon become inseparable and,
signed to the K-9 unit. Uncontrol- the next thing you know, they’re
lable Rex is on the verge of being shipped overseas to search for
declared unfit for active duty by IEDs buried in the dangerous des-
the base’s impatient veterinar- ert sands of Iraq’s Anbar Prov-
ian,.Dr. Turbeville (Geraldine ince.
James), when an intrepid dog
The deployment initially proves
whisperer begs for an opportuni- uneventful other than Megan’s
ty to soothe the savage beast with crossing paths with potential love
a little TLC.
interest, Corporal Matt Morales
Drill Sergeant Martin (Com- (Ramon Rodriguez). Too bad he
mon) intervenes on her and the likes the Mets while she’s a rabid
hound’s behalf. Then, exhibiting Yankees fan.
the patience of Job, Megan is the
Unfortunately, before love has
first soldier with the tender touch
See FILM on page 11