CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Poet Laureate Casey Carney and poets Sandy Stillwell and Margaret Rawson be reading at the Third Friday Gala at The Art House Gallery on Friday, Aug. 15.

The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 15210 Lakeshore Drive Clearlake.

Enjoy spoken word, light refreshments, and the work of local artists in mediums including wood, pastels, acrylics, oil, pastels, mosaics, gourds, watercolor, jewelry and more.

Admission is free.

For more information contact the Art House Gallery, telephone 707-994-1716.

Jonathan Greene, who lives in Kentucky, is a master of the short poem, but while he prunes them down to their essentials he never cuts out the wonder and delight.

Here’s a good example from his most recent book. Can you feel the exclamation point that’s suggested at the end? You can’t see it, but it’s there.

One Light to Another

The storm
turns off
the lights.

The lightning
lights the whereabouts
of the flashlight.

The flashlight
takes us to matches
and candles, the oil lamp.

Now we’re back,
revisiting
the 19th century.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Introduction copyright 2014 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Rated PG-13)

Just when it seemed like, at least to this relatively uninitiated consumer of the Marvel Comics cinematic universe, the superhero genre from “Thor” to “Captain America” had become too solemn or stolid, along comes an intergalactic adventure that doesn’t take itself seriously.

That’s the great fun of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” where the leading character is a swaggering contrarian, an earthling who had been snatched at a young age by aliens piloting the galaxy in an enormous spaceship and is now a brash adventurer in the cosmos.

It all began in 1988 when the blue-skinned Yondu (Michael Rooker) and a gang of outlaws known as the Ravagers, seemingly on a whim, abducted a young American boy who had just lost his beloved mother to cancer.

Twenty-six years later, the now adult Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is an interstellar buccaneer who has adapted to life in outer space.

Raised by Yondu, Quill has become a fortune hunter pillaging his way through the galaxy with a constant eye towards personal enrichment.

Quill’s cocksure attitude and often frivolous nature readily bring to mind a knockoff version of Han Solo in the original “Star Wars,” which had plenty of humor.

He goes so far as to introduce himself as “Star Lord,” producing snickers of derision from the other aliens.

Though a self-assured, weapons-toting swashbuckler, Quill has a deep, sentimental attachment to his vintage Walkman that contains great classic rock songs from the 1970s, loaded on an “awesome mix” tape that he got from his mother before she died. This allows the film to have an awesome soundtrack.

The latest object of Quill’s treasure hunt is a mysterious silver orb that is coveted by an assortment of really bad guys.

One such sinister villain, a complete and utter sociopath, is Ronan (Lee Pace) who has struck a deal with Thanos (Josh Brolin) to retrieve the orb in exchange for a deadly favor.

Ronan has a grudge against the peaceful planet of Xandar, a place much like Earth because it has water, plant life and blue skies.

The future of Xandar becomes a central point to the action later in the story, and military leader Nova Prime (Glenn Close) and her trusted officer Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly) are put to the test to stop the planet’s annihilation.

Getting himself arrested and tossed into a real hell-hole of a prison, as well as having the orb taken from him, Quill ends up bonding with an assortment of misfits.

Most threatening of them is the green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a professional assassin and the adopted daughter of the villainous Thanos.

Then there’s the bad-tempered and foul-mouthed raccoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), a gun-toting maniac, and his sidekick Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a giant walking tree with communication skills so limited that his only words are “I am Groot.”

The one person with a personal grudge against Ronan is the hulking, massive Drax the Destroyer (former WWE champion Dave Bautista).

Drax seeks vengeance on the person that murdered his wife, daughter, ruined his life and took everything from him.

Covered in tattoos, Drax has an imposing physique that will prove helpful in fights to come.

A daring prison break results in Quill, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora, the snarling Rocket, the tree-like humanoid Groot, and the revenge-driven Drax forming an uneasy alliance of bickering, blundering misfits that reluctantly put aside their self-interests to evade the ever-persistent Ronan until it becomes obvious that the true power of the orb is a menace to the cosmos and Ronan must be defeated.

It’s up to Quill, who can be charming when he’s not too cocky, to do his best to rally his motley, ragtag crew of eccentric mercenaries, thieves and thugs to chase after Ronan and to stay on mission, even when Yondu and the Ravagers inconveniently appear on the scene intent on possessing the orb for their own nefarious reasons.

At times, there’s such a mixed bag of aliens getting into the act that one feels the need to have a scorecard of the players.

One standout oddball is The Collector (Benicio Del Toro), an obsessive keeper of interstellar fauna and relics, who apparently wants the orb just to add to his collection.

I don’t know if Marvel Comics fans will take issue with the unorthodox pleasures of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but I confidently predict this rousing, pleasing comedic action adventure film is a box-office winner now and for the inevitable future installments.

Chris Pratt, who’s had great supporting roles in a number of films, really shines as the wacky fortune hunter moving to his own beat(or at least to that of his favorite mix tape).

Having made her mark in “Avatar,” Zoe Saldana is the perfect rebellious intergalactic badass. The rest of the quintet is equally good for bringing absurdity and hilarity into this weird space adventure.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” has the delightfully playful tone that ordinarily is an afterthought for the pantheon of Marvel Comics superhero films.

Here’s hoping that the film’s success will result in the emergence of a new franchise that dwells on humor and fun even as it delivers great action sequences.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Second Sunday Cinema will host a showing of the documentary “Which Way Home on Aug. 10.

The showing will take place at the Clearlake United Methodist Church, 14521 Pearl Ave. in Clearlake.

Doors open at 5:45 p.m., with the film starting at 6 p.m.

“Which Way Home” won an Emmy and was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary.

It follows a group of Central American children heading to the United States border on a train called La Bestia – “The Beast” – as it heads north through Mexico, covered in children.

Why do they head north? Honduras, for example, endures an annual murder rate of 90 per 100,000 people, while the US rate is only 4.8.

For more information about Second Sunday Cinema, call 707-889-7355.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County (UUCLC) will host a Pete Seeger Songfest at the UUCLC/Methodist Church in Kelseyville at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The UUCLC/Methodist Church is located at 3810 Main St. in Kelseyville (across from the Saw Shop).

The songfest will honor Pete Seeger, singing many of his well-loved songs, including “If I Had a Hammer,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and many others.

All interested singers are welcome, with no experience necessary. Led by composer/guitarist Jim Scott, who knew Seeger well and collaborated on many projects with the folk legend, participants will raise their voices for the causes Seeger championed, remembering the great contributions to our American heritage Seeger made in his 94 years of life.

The legacy of Seeger’s poetry and song will guide and inspire the evening.

Written music which Scott has arranged will be provided, and all will be able to join in by ear and on-the-spot teaching.

Scott brings a warmth and authenticity that turns any size audience into an intimate gathering. With lyrical melodies, well-crafted words, guitar mastery and humorous surprises, he invites all to get involved with the songs and ideals he raises.

Known to many as guitarist with the Paul Winter Consort and co-composer of their celebrated “Missa Gaia / Earth Mass,” Scott is a prolific composer in his own right.

Scott has visited more than 600 UU churches over three decades of travels. His much loved “Gather the Spirit” and other songs are in the UU hymnbooks.

He also has become a student of the movement for peace and justice in song, compiling and arranging the “Earth and Spirit Songbook,” a collection of more than 100 songs of earth and peace by many contemporary composers, including Seeger.

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale donation between $12-$18.

Purchase discounted early bird advanced tickets from Eventbrite at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pete-seeger-songfest-with-jim-scott-tickets-12311172047 .

For further information about this event, call the UUCLC at 707-587-4243.

LUCY (Rated R)

What looks like an action thriller, with a tough female lead, from Luc Besson is promising.

The French director’s hits include “The Fifth Element,” “Leon: The Professional,” and “La Femme Nikita,” each one starring a memorable female action hero.

Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson, a sexy, tough cookie in her own right, in “Lucy,” an action that examines the possibility of what one human could truly do if 100 percent of brain capacity is unlocked.

More accurately, the film is surreal and infused with the supernatural and science fiction elements.

Theories abound that human beings use only a small percentage of their cerebral capacity at any given time.

If true, this is probably a good thing for Hollywood otherwise audiences probably wouldn’t sit still for two hours or more watching what often passes for popular entertainment.

In any case, “Lucy” employs the mellow, authentic and compelling voice of Morgan Freeman in his role of Professor Norman to deliver a lecture about the human brain’s potential.

His decades of research in this field become a central focus to understanding where things are going.

Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy is an American student and party girl living in Taiwan who is tricked by her sleazy boyfriend into delivering a briefcase to a business contact. It’s more accurate to say she was coerced once the briefcase is handcuffed to her wrist.

Before she can even comprehend the situation in which she’s involuntarily become ensnared, Lucy is grabbed by a bunch of thugs and held hostage by the merciless Mr. Jang (Choi Min Sik), who cares not at all that’s she an innocent bystander.

Lucy is offered a job she cannot refuse, that of a drug mule. In a scene disturbing to the squeamish, Mr. Jang’s thugs surgically implant a package loaded with the powerful synthetic substance CPH4 into Lucy’s stomach.

Alongside a handful of fellow unwilling hosts, Lucy is sent to the airport with the objective of flying to one of Europe’s major cities as a transport vessel for material that is priceless to her kidnappers.

Unfortunately, as the result of a savage beating with kicks to the groin, the package breaks and the powerful crystals leak into her system, resulting in her cerebral capacity being unlocked to startling and previously hypothetical levels.

As she attempts to comprehend the rapid changes occurring within her mind and body, Lucy begins to feel everything around her, such as space and gravity, and develops superhuman traits including telepathy, telekinesis, expanding knowledge and breathtaking control over matter.

The countdown to the 100 percent level of brain capacity is accelerating, and Lucy rushes to find Professor Norman at a conference in Paris, the one person she feels may actually understand the logical conclusion of where her expanded mental abilities could end up.

The capital of France hosts the showdown between Mr. Jang, who understands that the fully-empowered Lucy represents more than existential threat to his drug empire, and the French authorities, under the capable leadership of Captain Del Rio (Amr Waked), who’s dispassionate yet sympathetic to Lucy’s plight.

The marketing of “Lucy” suggests that our protagonist is a relentless killing machine with superhero powers, against the backdrop of a surfeit of shootouts, explosions, car chases and the kinds of exploits one would find in a thrilling action picture that is straightforward in its depiction of violence.

To be sure, Besson brings his natural talents to the screen with serious gunplay between the French police and the Asian thugs, and there is an incredible chase scene through the streets of Paris which result in plenty of mayhem and destruction of vehicles.

But on the whole, “Lucy” goes far too deep into the realm of science fiction. Besson seems as intent on transforming his storyline into something as odd and strange as the physical and mental makeover that is occurring at a rapid pace to his leading lady.

My expectations going into “Lucy” were not realized, expecting an action-driven thriller. To his credit, Luc Besson wanted to imagine what it would be like if humans could access the furthest reaches of their brains, and so his film engages in flights of fancy.

Many members of the audience may be puzzled at the quirky nature of “Lucy,” while others could be dazzled by its willingness to push some boundaries.

At the very least, “Lucy” could provoke some interesting discussions about Luc Besson’s apparent obsession with the potential of human intellect.

On the plus side, the ever-attractive Scarlett Johansson delivers a solid performance as one who starts off vulnerable and ordinary before becoming exceeding tough and smart.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.