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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA’ Rated R
The “Mad Max” universe, launched more than 40 years ago, has spawned a string of wildly successful action pictures based upon the exploits of the protagonist in a post-apocalyptic world filled with violence and mayhem.
The fifth film, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a prequel to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” where Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was joined by Tom Hardy’s Max for a road battle with warlord Immortan Joe.
As an origin story, the titular character in “Furiosa” is first seen as a spunky young girl (Alyla Browne), torn from her idyllic homeland called the “Green Place” by biker thugs under the command of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
After the abduction from the sanctuary, Furiosa’s mother (Charlee Fraser), bravely wielding a machete gives chase, taking out many bikers before suffering a grisly fate that drives her daughter’s relentless quest for revenge.
What follows for Furiosa, now captive in a dystopian world where survival of the fittest is not just some Darwinian theory, is avenging the brutal murder of her mother with a target on Dementus, that she carries into adulthood (Anya Taylor-Joy, filling the part for the balance of the film).
Having in mind to subjugate other criminal enclaves, Dementus launches an assault on the Citadel, ruled by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), that fails, and then ultimately delivers Furiosa to Joe. To avoid sexual advances, Furiosa cuts her hair and pretends to be male.
Coming into her own as a warrior, Furiosa escapes by hiding in a huge rig driven by Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), which allows for her to prove her worth as an ally in fending off endless attacks from vicious, heavily armed bikers.
As this film is a prequel, there is no Max in this “Mad Max Saga,” a role played by Mel Gibson for the first three films, but a future awaits where renegade warrior Furiosa will team up with Tom Hardy’s Max.
In reality, suspense is lacking to a certain extent with the knowledge that, no matter the dire situations in which Furiosa may fall, the heroine of the story will live to fight another day in her revenge quest.
Fans of the franchise will likely not be disappointed in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” because what matters for writer and director George Miller is the sheer spectacle of protracted chases and amazing stunts.
‘THE VEIL’ ON FX NETWORK
In the international spy game, it often seems that the protagonists are plagued either by personal demons or conflicts in the workplace, or just maybe a combination of the two. But this was never an issue for James Bond.
In any case, FX Network’s spy thriller series “The Veil” explores the fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of cat and mouse where the threat of a nuclear attack on American shores must be averted.
Elisabeth Moss’ British MI6 agent Imogen Salter is on a mission that begins at a refugee camp on the border of Syria and Turkey where Yumna Marwan’s Adilah El Idrissi has been hiding out while holding on to a secret that could reveal the plans of a dangerous terrorist organization.
In the shadows, mission controllers at the CIA and the French intelligence service DGSE must work together, albeit with a lot of territorial conflict, to avert a potential disaster threatening untold number of lives on the East Coast.
During the winter press tour, FX’s panel discussion included Steve Knight, the executive producer and writer of the show, who made it known the idea came from a colleague who suggested the friction between allied intelligence agencies was fertile ground for a story.
In doing research for the series, Knight went to Paris, noting that in meeting three people in French intelligence” he found that “the true stories are much more compelling.”
Knight discovered that what appealed to him most is “when big, big international conflicts, events, boil down to individuals,” and that’s how “The Veil” is focused on “two people in a car driving through snow, and the nature of the conversations affects the outcome for thousands of people.”
We learn a lot about Imogen haunted by her past but doing great at her job, which is to figure out on the way back to Paris as to whether Adilah is someone who just wants to get home to her young daughter or is a pivotal member of a group planning a terror attack.
With Imogen and Adilah, the essence of their interaction is purely psychological. It’s only when CIA agent Max Peterson (Josh Charles) is on the scene to spar with French agent Malik Amar (Dali Benssalah) that the action expected in a spy thriller really takes hold.
Elisabeth Moss delivers a gripping performance and the exotic locales from Istanbul to Paris and London are stunning. “The Veil” demands an attentiveness on the part of the audience to follow the twists and turns of a relationship between two women on the edge.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The concert series will start on June 14, with country artist Dylan Schneider.
Schneider has opened for such artists as Kane Brown and Florida Georgia Line.
The complete concert schedule is as follows:
June 14: Dylan Schneider (The Fiddling Brothers will be the openers).
July 6: Rock with You (a Michael Jackson Tribute Band).
July 13: Boys of Summer (an Eagles Tribute Band).
July 20: Township (mix of country songs) and The Ultimate Aldean (Jason Aldean Tribute Band).
July 27: Aquanet (playing the hits of the 80s).
Aug. 10: Journey Revisited (Journey Tribute Band).
For more information on concerts or other upcoming Clearlake events, please follow the Clearlake Recreation and Events page on Facebook or the Recreation and Events page on the city of Clearlake website, email
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘THE FALL GUY’ Rated PG-13
About four decades ago, the ABC television series “The Fall Guy” starred Lee Majors as Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers who was moonlighting as a bounty hunter, using his physical skills to capture fugitives.
Fast forward to today, the film “The Fall Guy” can only charitably be referenced as loosely-based on the 1980s series, and now Ryan Gosling is stuntman Colt Seavers, but no longer a bounty hunter.
The original Colt’s sidekick Howie Munson (Douglas Barr in the series) and fellow stuntwoman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas) no longer exist. The new Colt is on his own unless you count stunt coordinator and friend Dan Tucker (Winston Duke).
Suffering from a broken back in a precipitous fall, Colt retired from show business and took a job as a valet parking attendant. After 18 months, he gets summoned by director Gail Meyer (Hannah Washington) for an assignment on a film shoot in Australia.
Coincidentally, Colt’s former flame Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), the cinematographer on his last film, is making her directing debut on the space Western “Metalstorm.” After a falling out, they are uneasily reunited and yet a palpable sense of a rekindled romance may be in the air.
Colt’s job is to replace the stuntman for the film’s arrogant star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but it becomes more than that when the actor pulls a disappearing act and Colt is tasked with employing his previous moonlighting skills to track him down.
Now the action kicks into high gear with fights and extended chases, one involving a runaway trash truck. Poking around the actor’s place, Colt is ambushed by Iggy Starr (Teresa Palmer) who plays an alien in the film.
Discovering a dead body in a bathtub, Colt ends up being framed for murder and goes on the lam not just from the police but also a ruthless gang leader named Drexler (Ben Knight) and his thugs.
What about the relationship between Colt and Jody? Will they end up together in the end? Take a guess.
The story of “The Fall Guy” is basically immaterial as the plot is driven primarily by action-fueled spectacle lacking much in the way of substance.
Delivering crowd-pleasing thrills, a wild ride is to be had with a surfeit of over-the-top, daring stunts as well as chases on land and sea.
‘NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT’ ON PBS
Honoring the service of our men and women in uniform, the 35th anniversary live broadcast of “National Memorial Day Concert” will air on PBS and stream nationwide on Sunday, May 26th from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a repeat following immediately.
America’s national night of remembrance, the PBS special returns from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for a tradition unlike anything else of television to honor service members and their families through a unique blend of dramatic storytelling and uplifting music.
The program will be hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise, both steadfast champions of veterans’ causes and active service members, with the latter having an eponymous charitable foundation helping wounded veterans and their loved ones.
The 2024 “National Memorial Day Concert” will feature several segments. The “World War II Tribute,” featuring actor Bryan Cranston, is a salute to the millions of Americans who served the nation in uniform and the home front.
On the 80th anniversary of 1944, a pivotal year in the war, the tribute will commemorate hard fought battles in the Pacific and European theaters that secured the allied path to victory.
As part of this special segment, the concert will share the story of U.S. Army Veteran John T. “Jack” Moran, a soldier in the Battle of the Bulge, and his remembrance of friends who fought alongside of him. Members of this Greatest Generation will be honored on stage at the Capitol.
“Gold Star Families Remembrance,” hosted by actor and director BD Wong, will be a concert to remember our fallen heroes and Gold Star families with the story of Vietnam Veteran and Gold Star father Allen Hoe, who followed generations of his proud warrior family into military service.
Hoe’s two sons continued the family legacy serving honorably in the Army. First Lieutenant Nainoa K. Hoe was tragically killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is a story of honor and remembrance and the search for peace after his son’s death.
Following 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Honoring a Generation’s Service,” featuring actress Jena Malone, the concert will explore the challenges faced by a generation of wounded and ill veterans who carry visible and invisible wounds of war.
The moving story of Marine Corps Veteran and amputee Kirstie Ennis, an inspiring adaptive athlete who carries with her the memory of her fallen brothers and sisters in arms, shares through the concert her journey after a life-changing injury on deployment.
In tribute to all members of our armed forces, the annual audience favorite “Salute to Service” features military bands and choruses of the various branches.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘UNFROSTED’ RATED PG-13
Jerry Seinfeld, best known for his eponymous long-running television series, is a man of many talents, including stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and producer. Now he can add director to his list of accomplishments with “Unfrosted.”
His popular series “Seinfeld,” which was a fictionalized version of himself and his personal relationship with three of his friends, was often described as “a show about nothing,” which the star and co-creator with Larry David presumably disagreed was an inaccurate depiction.
Netflix’s “Unfrosted,” written by Seinfeld and a team of collaborators, is also the directorial debut of a talented man who would like his film to be about something, which is a highly dramatized account of the phenomenon of a cereal war breaking out in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Longer than anyone can remember, the Midwest city has been the home of breakfast food titans Kellogg’s and Post. The year is 1963 and the two rivals are scrambling for a new product that could be considerably more revolutionary than just milk and corn flakes.
What possessed Jerry Seinfeld to come up with a project that is undeniably nostalgic for the early years of the 1960s when breakfast cereal reigned supreme and John F. Kennedy was president? Maybe it can be traced to his unabashed love for a bowl of processed grains shown regularly on his TV series.
Keep in mind that some of the characters are based on real persons, while others are fashioned out of whole cloth for comedic effect. Marjorie Post (portrayed by Amy Schumer) inherited the namesake company after the death of her father.
Jim Gaffigan’s Edsel Kellogg III is a buffoonish creation, which is apparent only minutes into the movie when seen in his office stumbling on an item in the newspaper and proclaiming, “Ooh. Vietnam. That sounds like a good idea.”
Seinfeld’s Bob Cabana is a Kellogg’s marketing executive who acquires inspiration from a pair of dumpster-diving kids that discover the tasty possibility of discarded test products. Hence, the concept of the Pop-Tart takes shape, and a full-blown race for a new breakfast pastry ensues.
That Kellogg’s is initially the top dog in the business is illustrated at the annual Bowl & Spoon Awards show, where Cedric the Entertainer’s ebullient host Stu Smiley hands out trophies for the winner of categories like “Easiest to Open Wax Bag” and “Best New Cereal Box Character.”
On a night that every single award is snagged by Kellogg’s, Marjorie Post and her table party are having a raucous good time, leading to the question of why they are smiling, and Cabana notes that they would “be happy if we were dragged through the streets like Mussolini.”
To feel how absurd the comedy is, look no further than Hugh Grant’s Thurl Ravenscroft, a Shakespearean actor relegated to being Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger in TV ads, and who leads other cartoon characters in a siege of the company headquarters as if it were a full-blown insurrection.
Melissa McCarthy’s Donna Stankowski is lured back to Kellogg’s from her job as a NASA scientist working on food products for astronauts after Bob Cabana dismisses the idea of a mission to the moon.
That the film plays loose on factual accuracy would be caught by a sharp eye of the smallest details in observing a Mustang convertible parked on a street. The first Mustang was the 1964-1/2 model, which according to anyone's math would be a year later than the setting of 1963.
Even more out of tune with the era is the soundtrack that includes singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum’s hit single “Spirit in the Sky,” that was released in an album of the same name in 1969, which brings it closer to the moon landing.
Doing double duty as Walter Cronkite and Johnny Carson, Kyle Dunnigan portrays the legendary anchor for CBS Evening News as a dimwit for comedic effect, but his impersonation of the late-night TV show host is amusingly uncanny.
Much funnier is when Jon Hamm and John Slattery of “Mad Men” fame, Madison Avenue ad men, pitch an inappropriately provocative “Jelle Jolie” brand illustrated by a sensual pinup girl.
Humor is attempted in the oddest places by dragging in political figures like Nikita Kruschev (Dean Norris) being pitched Borscht Loops cereal so that Post can get sugar from Cuba.
The Kellogg’s folks meet comedian Bill Burr’s JFK, who’s upset that Post is working with the Russians. The President suggests a cereal named Jackie O’s so that he may be out of the doghouse for Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday” to him.
Looking at the upside to “Unfrosted” is a calculated appraisal of its comedic value, which in large measure relies more on the supporting characters than what Jerry Seinfeld brings to the table.
“Unfrosted” arrives with a mixed bag of critical acclaim, but one should keep in mind that the story is a ridiculously unserious piece of business, and yet there’s plenty of humor to enjoy as long as you can indulge a nostalgic journey dipping into farcical nonsense.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.