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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘THE BEAUTY’ on FX
Writer, director and producer Ryan Murphy (“Glee” and “American Horror Story”) looms large as a cultural force in the world of film, television and streaming, creating controversial shows with a distinct style that sets him apart in the entertainment world.
The Ryan Murphy universe, seeing how it often dwells on the grotesque, the bizarre, or weirdly campy, is an acquired taste, and yet, whatever his newest endeavor may bring, the result is rarely boring.
Along with co-creator Matthew Hodgson, Murphy’s latest oeuvre finds “The Beauty” tapped into the dark world of high fashion when supermodels begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways with their bodies exploding like stepping on a landmine.
As the FX series opens, little time is wasted when a model (Bella Hadid) strutting down a runway at the Paris fashion show goes bonkers, assaulting some audience members to steal their water bottles and causing bodily harm to another.
Next, after a getaway on a motorcycle and a brutal crash with another vehicle, she manages to walk away as if unharmed, only to end up being shot by a detective and then facing a squad of police in riot gear on a street before something strange happens.
Meanwhile, FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) are not just partners, but friends with benefits enjoying a sexual tryst at a Paris hotel. They are on assignment to investigate the demise of the model who ran amok.
Elsewhere, a man named Jeremy (Jeremy Pope) suffering from involuntary celibacy, what one might call an “incel,” is frustrated that he’s so unappealing to women that he submits to cosmetic surgery that makes him unrecognizable to his former self.
Of course, there’s a sinister force behind genetic engineering, and that would be the richest man on the planet known as “The Corporation” (Ashton Kutcher), who will do anything to protect his growing business empire.
During an FX press conference for TV critics, Kutcher talked about pervasive medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, where some drugs are “for health complications, others are just for aesthetic outcome.”
Here, the evil billionaire is marketing injections that alter one’s DNA to create flawlessly youthful beauty, but the catch with this transformation is a person’s ultimately combustible demise.
The shots also result in a virus being sexually transmitted, which is so problematic for The Corporation that a man known as “The Assassin” (Anthony Ramos), looking like he may have been cast in “The Matrix,” is a lethal killer protecting the secrets of the conglomerate.
“The Beauty” poses questions for one to contemplate. After all, what is “beauty?” At the press conference, Ashton Kutcher noted the series is about what one is willing to sacrifice, and “what risks are you willing to take?”
There’s an ugly side to the physical transformation to beauty that could be unsettling, to say the least. Ryan Murphy fans will take it in stride, because nothing is truly startling in his fictional world.
‘THE LINCOLN LAWYER’ on Netflix
Season 4 of “The Lincoln Lawyer” on Netflix picks up after Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) was stopped at night while driving his vintage Lincoln Continental convertible for having a missing rear license plate in the previous season.
Despite a protest of illegal search by the lawyer, the police officer pops the trunk only to find the bullet-riddled dead body of con artist Sam Scales (Christoper Thornton).
A former client, Sam owed substantial legal fees to Haller, thereby leading to the district attorney’s office filing a murder charge in a case that the rest of us know is nothing more than a frame. The quandary is how Haller can defend himself from jail and hold his law firm together.
Haller’s predicament means that he’s no longer the dominant character. His associates must step up. Lorna Crane (Becki Newton), feeling overwhelmed on caseload, struggles to convince current clients not to abandon the firm.
Office manager Izzy (Jazz Raycole), engaged with a new love interest, is working with Lorna’s husband, investigator Cisco (Angus Sampson), to spend time trying to figure out who has a turbulent history with Haller to set him up for a murder rap.
In the preliminary hearing, Haller and Lorna discover that the prosecutor is going to be Dana Berg (Constance Zimmer), a grim-faced lawyer who is known as “Death Row Dana” for her fearsome track record and playing games in the courtroom.
Haller’s ex-wife, prosecutor Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell) and mother to their freshman college student daughter Hayley (Krista Warner), plays a key role in helping her former husband.
A fair criticism, while not detracting from a very positive assessment of this season, is that the trial of Mickey Haller could have easily been concluded in about four episodes, which would leave the remaining episodes to chart his career rehabilitation.
Fans of “The Lincoln Lawyer” franchise will not be disappointed with this thrillingly tense, dramatic season. The fifth season is already in development, a validation that the series has strong legs.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The call is going out for Lake County performers who wish to be part of a new original musical.
Auditions will be held on Saturdays, March 21 and March 28, at 2 p.m. at Friendship Hall of the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, 5340 Third St., for the original musical “Even In Shadow.”
Those who wish to audition must be 18 years of age or older.
The production team is seeking to cast eight principal roles: two females and two males in their late teens, and three females and one male in their forties.
While a full staging of the musical has not yet been confirmed, the creators are interested in meeting performers and crew members who are curious about the work and would like to be part of a possible future production.
Those interested are encouraged to visit EIS-auditions.com for detailed character descriptions and audition preparation materials, and to learn more about the musical.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘THE RIP’ RATED R on NETFLIX
A solid action thriller with a strong cast is a great recipe for the Netflix film “The Rip” that rests in the capable direction of Joe Carnahan whose resume includes films like “Narc,” “Smokin’ Aces” and “Copshop.”
The title refers to police jargon for the seizure of cash, drugs and contraband from criminals. As the film opens, an elite Miami Police task force loses one of its members, Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), to an ambush from masked gunmen.
Setting the pace for a violent evening for a “rip” of a stash house is the notion that Jackie’s murder may have been the result of corruption inside the ranks, and unknown parties wanted her sidelined. After all, Captain Jackie was leading the elite unit hunting down drug cartels.
Stepping into breach for the task force is Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon), assisted by his colleague and friend Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck), a hothead turning more erratic even before the raid begins.
Miami P.D. has identified a suburban home on a cul-de-sac in neighboring Hialeah as the target. Dane and J.D. are joined by Miami detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) for the bust.
Before they even leave the police station, the belligerent J.D. gets into fisticuffs with FBI Agent Del Byrne (Scott Adkins), who just happens to be his brother. Territorial boundaries are apparently more important than family ties.
The Feds intervene in the investigation into Jackie’s murder, but they are more interested in possible corruption in the force confiscating illicit cash for themselves. Dane gets agitated with his superior officer (Nestor Campbell) holding back their task force.
Dane and his crew operate without regard to rules, showing up at the house where the only occupant is a young woman named Desi (Sasha Calle), who seemingly has no clue as to why they want to search her deceased grandmother’s house.
A stash of $20 million is found behind a fake wall in the attic, and that’s when things get interesting. Rumors have been floating around that corrupt cops keep the loot for themselves.
Now suspicion falls on everyone, and red herrings pop up as expected. Which cops might be dirty? Who’s working with clean hands and wants to be sure the money gets back to the evidence locker?
When a pair of Hialeah police officers show up, what’s their angle? An anonymous caller warns the police to get out of the house. The team members even start questioning their colleagues. The action blasts off full throttle when criminals assault the stash house with machine guns.
“The Rip” may not quite be on the same level as Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” with Matt Damon or “The Town” with Ben Affleck, but like these two crime thrillers a big screen release would have been optimal. Nevertheless, the bigger the TV at home, the more enjoyable for this riveting action thriller.
‘STEAL’ ON AMAZON PRIME
A crime thriller about a British pension fund being robbed of billions, the six-episode “Steal” set in London is certainly bingeable entertainment on Amazon Prime, which suggests it could just as well be trimmed down to a two-hour heist movie.
Remarkably talented, Sophie Turner (“Game of Thrones”) is one of the key players as a trade processor at Lochmill Capital, an investment firm managing portfolios for retirement funds. Her Zara Dunne toils in a midlevel job.
Zara works closely with friend and colleague Luke (Archie Madekwe) at the trading desk. All hell breaks loose when a gang of thieves in prosthetic disguises storms the office, locking management in a meeting room and separating the rest of the staff into a conference room.
To make the point that they mean business, a couple of employees are brutally beaten to a bloody pulp for talking out of turn. The leader, London (Jonathan Slinger), forces Zara and Luke at gunpoint to drain the pension funds of four billion in British pounds.
It’s not too soon in the first episode to wonder if there is an inside man or woman involved with the heist. The police arrive on the scene not long after the thieves scrammed to their hideout.
What makes the heist particularly distasteful is that the pension funds being purloined belong to working stiffs who can ill-afford losing their retirements. Moreover, the thugs are just horribly malevolent.
Leading the police investigation is sharp-minded DCI Rhys Kovac (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), who happens to be hiding his own secret of a gambling addiction and owing a large sum to ruthless loan sharks.
Other players are drawn into the plot, including corrupt billionaire Sir Toby Gould (Peter Mullan), and for some inexplicable reason spooks from the MI5 espionage agency. The aptly named Sniper (Andrew Howard) may be the most unhinged member of the heist crew.
“Steal” delights with plenty of twists and a few surprises. The survival instincts of Zara make her the pivotal player that ensures the series remains interesting to the end.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Middletown Art Center
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The public is invited to enjoy the Be My Valentine Dance this Saturday, Feb. 14, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the Middletown Art Center, or MAC.
DJs Nick and Scarab deliver an energized dance party, with reggae, deep house, and UK garage beats, rhythms and mixes.
Come with your sweetheart, friends, family, or solo and enjoy uplifting energized music, and community. There will be bass!
Suggested donation is $10; no one turned away for lack of funds. Beverages, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, will be available for purchase. Multiple generations and families are welcome.
Movies and art supplies in the back for kids will also be available (supervision is not provided).
Nicholas Hay is a veteran DJ who specialized in reggae mixes in LA during the ’90s. Lately, he has been exposing locals to UK garage, a mashup of house and bass music borrowing heavily from jungle and incorporating elements of R&B, disco, and reggae.
DJ Scarab (Matthew Barash) came up in San Francisco’s underground scene and started spinning vinyl around 1994 as the rave movement was emerging. More than 30 years later, he still enjoys sharing those influences with community members who love music and dance.
Experience uplifting sounds, rhythms, and beats that are getting people up and dancing across the world, right here in the heart of Middletown.
Middletown Art Center is a nonprofit dedicated to engaging the public in art making, art education, and art appreciation, and providing a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, striving to create an inclusive and accessible space for all.
To learn more and donate to support this or other MAC arts and cultural programs, visit www.middletownartcenter.org.
For inquiries or further information, please contact the Middletown Art Center at 707-355-4465 or email
The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 in Middletown.