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‘BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F’ RATED R
Sequels run the risk of ruining what was once a good thing. You could say “Beverly Hills Cop III” did a disservice to the budding franchise, but it has taken thirty years to get back on track, and that’s the good news.
“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” demonstrates that Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, a Detroit beat cop, has regained the spirit and enthusiasm of his witty, iconoclastic character that he showed us forty years ago.
That this film is streaming on Netflix and not running in theaters is a bit of a surprise. “Beverly Hills Cop IV,” to coin a reference for chronology, would be just right as a summer release at the multiplex.
The film opens with Axel Foley conning one of his colleagues into thinking they are at a Red Wings for the enjoyment of hockey, but there’s more to it than that when he drags Detective Moody (Kyle More) into breaking up a robbery.
What follows is typical Axel mischief as he hijacks a snowplow to chase the bad guys while mowing down an untold number of vehicles and property, which is his usual modus operandi that leads to trouble with the brass. Bucking for promotion, poor Moody is just collateral damage.
Axel’s former partner in the police department is Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser), now the Deputy Chief, who is turning in his retirement papers and won’t be able to shield his colleague from scrutiny from higher-ups.
This matters little as Axel is called back to Beverly Hills when his estranged daughter, lawyer Jane (Taylour Paige), is nearly killed for getting too close to a police corruption case.
Most of the old gang is still around. Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) is now a private detective after a fallout with his former cantankerous partner John Taggart (John Ashton), who became the police chief.
New to the scene is Joseph Gordon-Leavitt’s detective Bobby Abbott, the ex-boyfriend of Axel’s daughter who becomes a natural ally. Kevin Bacon’s Captain Cade Grant is an entirely different story, whose questionable motives are readily apparent to any sentient being.
“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is a lively and cheerfully resilient entertainment that finds Eddie Murphy in fine comedic form. The only complaint would be the repetitious arguments that Jane brings to bear on the estrangement with her father, when we can guess how this will end.
‘LEONARDO DA VINCI’ SET FOR THE FALL ON PBS
The word of the day is “polymath” because it has been applied to 15th century renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. Derived from Greek words, a polymath is basically a person of great and varied meaning.
For the first time, legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explores a non-American subject in the two-part, four-hour “Leonardo da Vinci” scheduled to air in mid-November on PBS.
Set against the rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy, at a time of skepticism and freethinking, regional war and religious upheaval, the film brings the artist’s achievements to life through his personal notebooks as well as primary and secondary accounts of his life.
“No single person can speak to our collective efforts to understand the world and ourselves,” said Ken Burns with his usual insight to a subject matter in the PBS news release.
“But Leonardo had a unique genius for inquiry, aided by his extraordinary skills as an artist and scientist, that helps us better understand the natural world that we are part of and to appreciate more fully what it means to be alive and human.”
The film weaves together an international group of experts, as well as others influenced by Leonardo who continue to find a connection between his artistic and scientific explorations and life today.
As the filmmaker and Leonardo admirer Guillermo del Toro says at the beginning of the film, “the modernity of Leonardo is that he understands that knowledge and imagination are intimately related.”
Born out of wedlock to a notary and a peasant woman, Leonardo distinguished himself as an apprentice to a leading Florentine painter and later served as a military architect, cartographer, sculptor, and muralist for hire.
His paintings and drawings, such as the “Mona Lisa,” “The Last Supper,” and the “Vitruvian Man,” are among the most celebrated works of all time and his art was often equaled by his pursuits in science and engineering.
“Leonard da Vinci” follows the artist’s evolution as a draftsman and painter, scientist and engineer, who used notebooks to explore an astonishing array of subjects including painting, philosophy, engineering, warfare, anatomy, and geography, among many others.
Though Leonardo intended to publish his writings, he never did, but the film delves into those he left behind to get inside his mind as he strove to master the laws of nature and apply them to his endeavors.
Leonardo’s personal story is shaped by the Italian Renaissance, and the Ken Burns documentary film will almost certainly bring true meaning to the word “polymath” as applied to the quintessential Renaissance man.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — California Humanities recently announced the June 2024 Humanities For All Project Grant awards.
The Middletown Art Center was awarded $25,000 for the “Harlem Voices” project, in partnership with distinguished cellist, composer, conductor and Unitarian Universalist minister Clovice Lewis.
Humanities For All Project Grant is a competitive grant program of California Humanities which supports locally-developed projects that respond to the needs, interests and concerns of Californians, provides accessible learning experiences for the public, and promotes understanding among our state’s diverse population.
“This was an extremely competitive round, with our seven new Project Grant recipients representing only 6% of the applications we received,” said California Humanities’ President and CEO Rick Noguchi. “These projects rose to the top, and collectively represent what the humanities are about in California: providing creative ways to tell stories that haven't been told, contributing to the mosaic that is California’s identity.”
The Harlem Voices project is an innovative initiative that blends musical performance and historical dialogue to address persistent racial justice issues in America.
Lewis' work is deeply influenced by his commitment to social justice, racial equality, and inclusive spirituality and informed by his rich background in music and activism.
The project will feature a series of five staged concert performances, derived from his musicals “Harlem Voices” and “Harlem Voices: Revisited,” focusing on selected characters' stories.
Lewis, portraying Maurice, the musical director of the segregated Black Jay Club speakeasy, will provide historical context throughout the performances.
At the conclusion of each show, he will engage the audience in discussions about the historical events highlighted in the musical and their relevance to ongoing racial justice challenges today.
Harlem Voices aims to spotlight Lake County's often overlooked African American community by showcasing local and regional black vocalists and musicians.
The project also invites high school and community college students to participate as chorus members, providing them with a unique and rare professional opportunity locally.
To increase access across Lake County, performances will be held at the Tallman Hotel, at Middletown Art Center and at Lake County Arts Council's Soper-Reese Theatre. Performances are scheduled for late winter and spring of 2025.
“Much of what I do is created in a kind of vacuum,” said Lewis about his life’s work. “As a 'classical' composer, I mainly compose for symphony orchestras. In the case of these two musicals, I wrote the plays, lyrics, and composed and orchestrated the music, then published them as books, knowing that they might never be performed. I even used AI to try to bring them to life! So I am shocked, delighted and truly honored that California Humanities saw the imperative for people to experience these works. I will not squander this rare opportunity in my life as an artist!"
Lewis's activism, along with the efforts of the Community Call to Action — a grassroots movement in Lake County formed in response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — led to the passing of a county proclamation and the establishment of the Lake County Community Visioning Forum Planning Committee.
This committee was tasked with assessing the landscape of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, in Lake County and providing recommendations to the county and its cities.
California Humanities promotes the humanities — focused on ideas, conversation and learning — as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more, visit calhum.org, or like and follow on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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, working to create an inclusive and accessible space for all.
Learn more about the MAC, follow this project's development, and find out more about ways to support their vital work at www.middletownartcenter.org or on Facebook/Instagram @mtownartcenter.
The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in Middletown. Call 707-809-8118 or email
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- Written by: Laura Wadhams
