Food goes to Jim Harlin Pantry, then to the needy

Every year, for as long as anyone can remember, the folks at Thunderbird Supply, 1907 W. Historic Highway 66, have put on a food drive to help out those in need during the Christmas Holidays.

This year, organizers thought the economic uncertainties of 2016 might mean a not-so-lengthy yield.

But what was collected in the store over a three-month period was more than what was expected.

“It’s something we do particularly during this time of year,” Leo Torrez, retail sales manager at Thunderbird, said. Torrez oversees the collection effort. “From what we get, we then give it to the Jim Harlin Community Pantry and they distribute it.”

Torrez, who’s been involved with the collection effort for several years, said the store collects canned and dry foods and “most anything else that people coming through the door want to give.” That amounts to more than 4,000 pounds of food, he said, adding, “It’s a good deed to do at this time of year.”

Alice Perez, the executive director at the Jim Harlin Community Pantry, said the collection effort is definitely appreciated. She said about once a week – sometimes more – Community Pantry trucks bring loads of the donated food across town from Thunderbird Supply.

“It’s something that’s done for people who need it,” Perez said. “If we have an excess at the end of December, then we continue our distribution effort.”

Thunderbird donates the large boxes necessary to hold the food items. When the sorting is complete on the other end, Torrez and Perez estimate that enough food is collected to feed more than 200 families around McKinley County – which is what collection efforts have averaged over the years, Torrez said.

A typical food box consist of macaroni and cheese, flour, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cornbread – everything needed to make a large holiday dinner.

“I think it a very nice thing what Thunderbird does,” Jeremy Yazzie, 35, of Gallup said. “For some people they can’t afford a lot during the holidays or anyday for that matter. I know I appreciate it.”

Torrez credits the store employees who volunteer their time to set up and man tables and who make the Thunderbird collection effort such a success.

“We do this to help people at Christmas time,” Tanya Begay of Gallup, a Thunderbird worker, said.

“It’s something that is very worthwhile to do,” added fellow Thunderbird employee Karen Shorty, also of Gallup. “We think everybody who is a part of this is so grateful,” the two said.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 117 min.

As a boy, my favorite author by a country mile was Roald Dahl. Obviously, his tales, which include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, among many others, were always incredibly imaginative. Still, I think that I most appreciated the author’s embrace of darker story elements (always peppered with a sense of humor). His young protagonists are often put through the ringer. Dahl had an amusing way of putting the screws to any character with traits that he found repellent or rude — it never mattered if it was a child or an adult. As a young reader, I always felt that he wasn’t patronizing me or sanitizing elements.

The latest Dahl adaptation comes from famed director Steven Spielberg in the form of The BFG. It’s an incredibly slick and well-produced effort that impresses visually and follows the original tale fairly closely (if memory serves, it only alters a couple of elements, mostly toward the close). Yet in a strange way, following several aspects so meticulously ultimately hobbles the movie. The end result is cute, with a couple of amusing moments, but also sluggishly paced and dramatically lifeless.

Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a lonely orphan whose life is turned upside down after witnessing a large and strange figure wandering the city streets in the dead of night. She’s quickly abducted by The BFG (Mark Rylance) a “big, friendly giant” with an odd, “squiggly” manner of speech. He takes Sophie to his home, where she learns that he collects dreams and delivers them at night to the sleeping citizens. Unfortunately, The BFG is bullied by his fellow giants, who are cannibals that will eat any human they can get their hands on. Together, the two new friends set out to stop the villains.

On a purely technical level, it’s flawless. There are incredibly choreographed and elaborate long shots that follow Sophie through various giant-world environments. The highlight includes her cross into the land of dreams, where the camera follows her through water, flips upside down, and continues with the girl as she enters the magical land. There are some very effective moments when The BFG slinks through city streets, and evades being seen by careful and creative lunges into the shadows.

Yet it’s all so ornate that it often feels flat. The performers are excellent, but The BFG CGI takes a bit of getting used to. Sophie’s lines are a little too smart-alecky at times, and there’s just a strange lack of chemistry between the two friends (even though they share plenty of annoyingly doe-eyed stares). The emotion comes across as forced. While impressive to look at, when the title character takes Sophie on a dream-collecting journey, it goes on and on to the point of tedium. And everything feels watered down, with grimmer elements described rather than shown.

The result is a leisurely paced film that never develops a whole lot of tension, and frankly, it feels a bit dull. Thankfully, when the pair meets up with The Queen and her consortium late in the film, events liven up briefly. It actually results in the most amusing sequence in the movie. However, it all comes too late to really make a big difference to the picture.

Overall, The BFG is too slick, polished, and sanitized for its own good. Kids will certainly enjoy sections of it, but it never quite finds its footing and doesn’t even provide the sense of awe and wonder you’d expect from a Spielberg production. If you want to see a Roald Dahl adaptation that really captures the spirit of the author, I’d highly recommend Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches (1990), Danny DeVito’s Matilda (1996) or Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). They keep both the general feel and biting edge of Dahl’s work fully intact.

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Sheep Springs, N. M. pleaded guilty June 3 to committing second degree murder in Indian Country in July 2015.

In its release June 9, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said 21-year-old Mathias Neal and an accomplice got into a physical altercation with John Doe while at a chapter house in San Juan County on the Navajo Nation.

In the plea agreement it said Neal punched and kicked the victim, while he was on the ground, and hit him with brass knuckles and rocks to his head and throat, causing fatal injuries.

Neal admitted he was aware that Doe tried to run and was not fighting back.

As a result of the beating, Doe died at the scene and was dragged to a windmill area by Neal and his accomplice.

Neal is currently in custody awaiting sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.

He faces life in prison.

This case was investigated by the Farmington Office of the FBI and the Navajo Division of Public Safety.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson.

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 87 min.

If you’re going surfing, remember to always do so with a friend. Rip currents and sharp coral are dangerous, not to mention the stinging jellyfish and, well, sharks that make the Great White from Jaws look like a mild-mannered aquarium pet. At least, that’s what The Shallows seems to want you to take away from the experience. This movie throws in just about every ocean-related malady it can think of in less than 90 minutes.

The story involves a young woman named Nancy (Blake Lively). Reeling from the recent death of her mother, she has taken a break from medical school to travel to a remote Mexican beach (the location was a favorite spot of her late guardian). But after surfing too close to a feeding area, she is suddenly targeted by a very aggressive shark. Wounded and alone, Nancy takes refuge on a raised rock in the ocean that is 200 yards away from the shoreline.

It’s difficult for any young star to carry an entire picture on their shoulders. While the character isn’t remotely complex, star Lively is at least likable enough to keep us watching. And it’s a good thing, considering the awkward situations the screenplay puts her in. Clearly, a cast of one makes exposition difficult. The script often uses Nancy’s medical schooling as an excuse to have her speak out loud to herself and explicitly state what she’s doing (as if she’s in an emergency room). It’s quite a strain and isn’t the most believable way to convey information.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Run All Night, Non-Stop, Unknown) is more familiar with action than terror, and it often shows. Given the filmmaker’s previous credits, it’s hard not to wonder what movie tough-guy Liam Neeson might have done in the same situation (I believe he probably would have dived headfirst back into the sea, insulted the fish, and then punched it in the nose). At least this director knows how to shoot and cut suspenseful chases, with Nancy struggling to reach safely while the shark is in pursuit... he often extends skirmishes by having the character get caught in coral or other sharp objects as the attacker closes in. The moviemaker also succeeds in generating a couple of decent jumps in which the aquatic beast pops into frame unexpectedly.

Yet while the events depicted are often tense, they are rarely scary. We end up seeing a lot of the fish; in fact, far more than we should. It’s obviously a digital creation, and the more we’re shown, the less of an impact it has. The most impressive images in the film are suggestive, including some nifty overhead shots of the shallow reef and silhouettes of the shark moving within the water.

This isn’t a particularly realistic tale, either. As the battle escalates, events become increasingly exaggerated until they border on ridiculous. There are a series of misadventures in the final third that really strain credibility. And a couple of decisions are highly questionable; in the case of one choice, this character must have had an incredible sense of foresight.

Overall, The Shallows doesn’t swim anywhere close to the likes of Jaws (or even Deep Blue Sea). Yet while it is nowhere near as frightening as the ads have promised, as a goofy popcorn flick, it still offers an engaging lead and a couple of fun, if silly, shark sequences. If your expectations aren’t too high, you might have a reasonable time wading in.

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun