KICK-ASS 2 (Rated R)

Just in case it wasn’t obvious in the original, the R rating achieved by the comical superhero franchise “Kick-Ass” has been attached for a purpose.

Notwithstanding the lead characters being teens, this is not a family film.

Arguably, the thrust of “Kick-Ass 2” appears even more intense and over-the-top than the first, though there was something completely shocking about a foul-mouthed pre-teen vigilante superhero in Hit Girl the first time around.

Chloe Grace Moretz’s Hit Girl is now in high school, watched over by her guardian, a police officer (Morris Chestnut), who insists that she hang up her uniform to be a normal teenager, known only by her given name of Mindy Macready. Of course, that’s not part of her plan.

Meanwhile, Hit Girl’s partner in crime-fighting, Kick- Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), now a high school senior, has also put away his green and yellow spandex uniform. But Kick-Ass inspired a motley crew of masked vigilantes to continue the efforts to battle the bad guys.

Mindy tries to fit in with the school’s clique of popular girls, even trying out for the cheerleader squad. Her acrobatic moves, inspired by Hit Girl’s martial arts skills, make the other contestants look inferior.

Of course, the cool kids are, in fact, the mean girls, and they are just like the obnoxious students in Lindsay Lohan’s “Mean Girls,” and to a lesser extent, “Clueless.”

At school, Kick-Ass is Dave Lizewski, a rather nerdy fellow who’s bored by his mundane life, so he starts patrolling the streets with Justice Forever, a fearless group of urban watchdogs fronted by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey).

Members of the colonel’s squad of masked crime-fighters include Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison) and Night Bitch (Lindy Booth), an ordinary girl by day and a Catwoman-like sexy figure by night.

For a movie that contains some very graphic violence and brutality, the comic element springs, in part, from the transition of Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s Red Mist character of the first film into a full-blown super villain who goes by a moniker not printable in a family newspaper.

For the sake of clean language, we’ll go with Red Mist’s given name of Chris D’Amico, who still nurses a desire for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of Kick-Ass. After the accidental death of his mother, Chris inherits a fortune.

With seemingly limitless funds, Chris acts like a spoiled rich kid as he hatches an evil scheme to recruit the scum of the earth into a super villain’s army. His best conscript is Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina), a truly frightening psychopath.

As to be expected, there is climactic showdown between the Justice Forever good guys and the villains. The best thing about “Kick-Ass 2” remains the sweet yet tough appeal of Hit Girl.

TV UPDATE – STARZ ORIGINAL PROGRAMS GROW AS LOSSES MOUNT

During the recent national TV press tour, Chris Albrecht, CEO of the Starz cable channel, announced a goal for 2014 to air more than 50 hours of original programs.

Starz has had critical, if not financial, success with several original series, including “Boss,” starring Kelsey Grammar as a ruthless Chicago mayor, and “Magic City,” starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the owner of a ritzy Miami Beach hotel during the early 1960’s.

At a press conference on July 26, Albrecht answered a question about a possible third season for “Magic City” only by saying that there many “surprises left in the last three episodes” and that Starz is “evaluating all the options” with “Magic City.”

Little more than a week later, Starz announced that they would not order a third season of “Magic City.” Listening to TV executives is a lot like trying to figure out what politicians are really saying.

Albrecht dropped another clue on the TV critics when he said in his answer about the fate of “Magic City” that they had a couple of surprises in store “so I can’t reveal too much other than you’ll have the answer to your question soon.”

OK, he was at least right about the last part, knowing soon, that is. So while we may never be able to check into the Miramar Playa again, there will be other new programs.

Interestingly, Albrecht also revealed a second season pick up for “Black Sails,” based in part on fan reaction at Comic-Con to a viewing of the first episode. And in 2014 there will be a second season of “Da Vinci’s Demons.”

Palace intrigue is always good for TV programs. Just ask Showtime about “The Tudors.” Launched this month, “The White Queen” is a limited ten-hour series based on Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel “The Cousins’ War.”

“The White Queen” is set against the backdrop of England’s War of the Roses, but it is told through the eyes of three main female characters as they manipulate behind the scenes for the throne of England.

The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

There may not be a sequel to “The White Queen,” but Philippa Gregory continues to be a prolific writer about medieval British royal history, so the source material will be available for several new series.

I know little about the finances of cable networks, but it is obvious that programs like “Magic City” and “The White Queen” have tremendous production costs, which must be recouped.

If the audience for a Starz original series does not grow over time, the financial losses continue to mount, which has factored into whether series stay or go. Starz is committed to keep searching for the right balance.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two young fiddlers represented Lake County at the Ukiah Fiddle Contest.

Taran Dutra and Rafael Contreras both won blue ribbons and prize money for playing three tunes on stage in the junior-junior class.

Rafael also entered the open class, competing with adults, and came in second place, winning even more prize money.

These fiddlers are both members of the Konocti Fiddle Club, which will be performing at the Kelseyville Pear Festival in September.

 
COBB, Calif. – Local food advocate and spiritual life coach, JoAnn Saccato, MA released her first Kindle book in July of this year.

The book, “Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice,” is the combined wisdom of self-awareness tools, mindfulness meditation, recovery principles, and energy work as learned and taught by Saccato in her local consulting practice.

Saccato said in a recent interview, “I have learned these incredibly valuable tools that lead to a deepened sense of awareness and a more authentic and meaningful life. I've learned some ways that help provide for healing from past abuses (both self and other inflicted!) and paint a path to a deeply profound way of being and living.”
 
Saccato shares some of this journey in her book. Having lived 10 years off the grid in a “chop wood, carry water” fashion in the oak woodlands of Lake County with her dog and spiritual companion Shyla, she credits this time and experience as giving her the opportunity to delve deeper into her spiritual practices.

“Journaling, mindfulness meditation, affirmations, Xi Gong and Yoga are at the core of my practice, but the book offers a wide array of tools suitable for any religious background and invites the reader to create their own 'container' for a compassionate spiritual practice,” Saccato said.
 
“Compassion towards ourselves is one of the most vital ingredients for our path,” she furthered. “When we come from a culture that asks us to seek life's answers outside ourselves – in the marketplace, or through mind-altering substances – the unknown journey inward can seem scary, especially to go it alone. Creating this 'compassionate container' to help us navigate this journey becomes imperative.”
 
A native of Lake County and a founding member of the Lake County Community Co-op, Saccato traveled part of her spiritual journey with Walter Robinson, the longtime executive director of the Highlands Senior Service Center in Clearlake.

“If there is anyone who taught me how to live through example, it was Walter,” she said. “His presence alone was enough to wake me up out of any mindlessness!”
 
While very little in Saccato's first book reflects on their friendship, she plans to write more about her experiences with Robinson and life on the land where she lived in a voluntary simplicity lifestyle in a single room cabin.

“This first book – not to sound cliché here – really wrote itself,” she said.

She professes that when Shyla, her canine companion of more than 15 years passed this last winter, the writing just poured out.

“There was such a profoundness in our relationship! I had lost my life companion, best friend and spiritual partner in just a few months during a huge transition in my living circumstances,” she said. “The writing was one way to deal with her passing and served as the catalyst for sharing these profundities I'd learned with a wider audience. I found again and again with my clients that the tools I offered in our one-on-one consultations were universally important and I realized through Shyla's passing how most of these came during the time of being with her and Walter on the land.”

Saccato is in conversation with several publishers for the soft-bound production of the book, which she hopes to have available in the very near future.

“While the Kindle book shot to No. 1 in its categories on Amazon during a recent promotion, I have a lot of friends and readers that like holding a book. (Me included!) Given that the book is a guide and not intended as a quick read, this makes sense,” she noted.

There is talk of a companion journal for the book to help the reader establish their own practice and reflect upon the questions peppered throughout “Companioning the Sacred Journey.” “It's really something that can be referred to again and again as a person's practice develops and deepens.”
 
The book begins with the individual journey with ideas for creating a compassionate practice. It then expands to include the journey in relationship and with the larger community.

“The book,” Saccatp said, “is really geared for the beginner who has very little knowledge of where to start with a spiritual practice.

“But,” she added, “it also has practical applications for those already in an established practice who want to deepen their experience or add an element of compassion to it.”
 
Saccato, who holds a master's in co-creating sustainable futures (which was the foundational work for the Lake County Community Co-op) is a Reiki master/teacher and a consultant who works with groups and individuals seeking out a more authentic, deep and meaningful life for themselves, their relationships and their work. She is available for private consultations and group workshops at her office in Cobb.

Saccato also is available for public speaking engagements and interviews on her book, Reiki (a form of energy healing), voluntary simplicity and her life at the cabin.
 
To purchase a Kindle version of “Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice,” visit www.amazon.com .

For more information on Saccato, the book, her consulting business or to reserve a soft-cover copy, visit her Web site at www.companioningthesacredjourney.com .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Author Alton Pryor announces a reprint of “Classic Tales in California History,” a history of some of California’s most memorable events.

The story of outlaw Black Bart, who robbed 28 Wells Fargo stagecoaches, is among the 36 chapters on California’s historical events.

Each chapter in Pryor’s books comprises a standalone incident in California’s history.

Reader’s will learn where California’s last “dry” town was located, and be able to read about “Emperor Norton,” one of California’s most colorful and revered characters.

In this book, James Marshall relates the incidents surrounding his discovery of Gold at Coloma, an event that changed the landscape of California.

Readers can also learn about “Wheelbarrow Johnny” who came west to look for gold and ended up making wheelbarrows. He later went on to become one of the nation’s most noted automobile magnates.   

The book retails for $11.95. It is also available as an ebook at www.amazon.com .

Readers can learn more about the author and his 50-plus books at www.stagecoachpublishing.com .

The AMC TV network is a basic cable channel that got its start as “American Movie Classics,” airing films largely made before the 1950s and in their uncut and original color formats.

While still adhering to its primary mission to run classic movies, AMC initiated a major shift in programming in 2007 with the successful launch of the original series “Mad Men,” a period piece about the freewheeling advertising world of New York during the 1960's.

Soon after “Mad Men” made its mark as one of the best cable TV dramas, AMC struck gold for a second time with “Breaking Bad,” the explosive story of a high school chemistry teacher who adapted all too easily to a life of crime.

Speaking to a recent gathering of the nation’s TV critics, writer, producer and director Vince Gilligan explained that the main character of “Breaking Bad” was once glibly described as taking Mr. Chips and turning him into Scarface.

Devoted fans of “Breaking Bad” are well aware of this construct, that Bryan Cranston’s milquetoast Walter White, a teacher facing the worst mid-life crisis ever, turns bad. Dying of lung cancer, Walter exploits his knowledge of chemistry to embark on a volatile criminal enterprise.

The final eight episodes of “Breaking Bad” are just getting started during the month of August, leading to the inevitable conclusion that the sun is beginning to set on Walter’s tenuous drug empire as the world around him unravels.

Whatever is happening during the finale for “Breaking Bad” is not being revealed here, not only because we don’t know but it would spoil the fun. One can only sense that it may well end badly, which makes sense given the series twisted nature.

Meanwhile, AMC is launching a new series during August, which itself will be limited by a 10-episode run.

“Low Winter Sun” is based on the 2006 award-winning British two-part mini-series of the same name written by Simon Donald.

The premise of “Low Winter Sun” is incredibly compelling. A homicide detective, played by Mark Strong, is coerced by a fellow officer into killing another detective, albeit a corrupt individual.

Strong’s Frank Agnew is a Detroit investigator who becomes assigned to investigate the murder he committed. Looking over his shoulder is David Costabile’s Simon Boyd, a dogged Internal Affairs officer trying to root out police corruption.

Strong is the right man for the job of the conflicted cop, primarily because the British actor reprises the same role of the Detective Agnew from Scotland’s Edinburgh, a city of urban decay somewhat like Detroit.

“Low Winter Sun” makes great use of the rotting landscape of modern Detroit, where many neighborhoods in the urban core resemble a post-apocalyptic vision you might suspect came from a cheesy science-fiction movie.

Regrettably, decades of corruption and inept political leadership (the twin pillars of a failed metropolis) have rendered Detroit an unfortunate wasteland, which oddly enough makes the city attractive, at least, for filmmaking of crime stories.

Also starring with Mark Strong is Lennie James as Detective Joe Geddes. Together, these two mismatched officers are part of the big story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred.

Of course, bankruptcy notwithstanding, not everything is bad in Detroit. The Detroit Tigers inhabit a nice ballpark in the middle of downtown. But then, this didn’t stop Cleveland Indians fans from heckling the Tigers with a chant of “Detroit’s bankrupt.”

Maybe we can’t expect baseball fans, during the late innings after consuming one too many beers, to stay classy. Yet, “Low Winter Sun,” looks to be another class act in the dramatic series department for AMC.

As part of its past origins of a cable outlet for classic films, many of them Westerns, AMC was the natural fit for the series “Hell on Wheels,” the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad.

One thing we can say for sure about “Hell on Wheels,” now entering its third season during August, is that it tells the story of the changing American landscape following the Civil War with a lot more interest than the recent film “The Lone Ranger.”

The third season opens in 1867, the third year of railroad construction. Season three takes a new twist for star Anson Mount’s Cullen Bohannon, who leaves his vengeance-seeking behind as he explores new opportunities.

Bohannon must contend with racism, greed and murder as he single-mindedly leads the Union Pacific in its race across the country against the Central Pacific Railroad.

“Hell on Wheels” also stars Colm Meaney as Thomas “Doc” Durant, a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times, and Common as Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice.

During the recent TV critics press tour, Charlie Collier, the president of AMC, announced two new series in the works.

“Halt and Catch Fire” is set in the early 1980s against a backdrop of the early days of the personal computing revolution. “Turn,” inspired by the book “Washington’s Spies,” is about ordinary Americans turning the tide in the America’s fight for independence.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the horizon is the expected seventh and final season of “Mad Men.” What new tricks are in store for Don Draper?

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Watershed Books will host local author Dana G. DiRicco in a celebration of her special book, “And Then Came Hera,” on Friday, Sept. 6.

The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the bookstore, located at 304 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

DiRicco has woven together this exciting, colorful story about saving a draft horse from slaughter and developing her into a winner.

She is an internationally published author and lives with veterinarian husband on a ranch in Lake County.  

DiRicco spends her days working with her herd of Percheron draft horses and in her Sauvignon Blanc winegrape vineyard.

Join them for good conversation and refreshments.

For more information call 707-263-5787 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .