RIO (Rated PG)

Failing to be a true connoisseur of the very best animation, I found myself thinking that “Rio,” with its brilliant color and attention to detail on the whole spectrum of avian inhabitants of the Brazilian jungle, could have been a product of the Walt Disney studios.

Well, I mentioned this to some critic colleagues, only to get a blank stare or a dismissive shrug in return. It appears I won’t be joining the Animation Critics Society any time soon.

But I say “Rio” is more than just adequate; it’s a perfectly fine entertainment geared to young kids that is not off-putting to adults.

“Rio” is the story of a rare blue macaw that was kidnapped as a baby bird in Brazil and ended up quite by accident being raised by a little girl in Minnesota. “Rio” represents a homecoming, of sorts, for the bird known as Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg).

The sheltered, pampered Blu grew up with Linda (Leslie Mann), now a meek young woman who runs a bookstore in Moose Lake, Minnesota.

Blu neither knows how to fly nor has any need to do that. His blissful life is ordinary and predictable, but of course we know that won’t last forever.

One day, an earnest Brazilian ornithologist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) arrives in Minnesota in search of the exceptional exotic bird. It appears that Blu is the last of the blue macaw male species. Tulio proposes a trip to Rio de Janeiro so that Blu may mate with the last remaining female of his kind.

Naturally, Linda is not keen on traveling to a distant land, fearing the worst for her beloved bird. Perhaps she read the State Department warnings about the slums of Rio. Or she’s heard of the high crime rates. Not unexpectedly, things don’t go swimmingly for various reasons.

First of all, the timid Blu is completely overpowered by his initial encounter with Jewel (Anne Hathaway), a bossy, feisty free-spirit who is unhappy about being confined to a bird sanctuary. She’s even less interested in mating with the Minnesota bird who fails to make a great first impression.

Things only get worse when the two putative lovebirds are shanghaied by some scummy bird smugglers looking to make a fast buck on the black market. However, Blu and Jewel, chained together, are forced to seek common ground, if only to put their wits together to escape.

A whole bunch of secondary animal characters come into play. On the one hand, there’s the delightfully villainous, grungy cockatoo Nigel (Jemaine Clement), who works for the bad guys and holds a grudge against all birds better looking than he.

Helping out the mismatched macaws to break free from the smugglers is a jolly toucan (George Lopez), who seems more interested in playing matchmaker.

To evade the criminals, Blu and Jewel also get help from a slobbering dog (Tracy Morgan) and a cardinal and canary comic duo (Jamie Foxx and will.i.am).

With the setting of Rio de Janeiro, it’s only fitting that Carnival is taking place, offering even more local color as well as colorful scenery to the inevitable chase sequences.

“Rio” may not prove to be the most memorable animation film, but it is a nice representation of all that is right for a family entertainment, even one directed more to young kids than to the entire age spectrum.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL

The second annual TCM Classic Film Festival is coming to Los Angeles for a four-day movie lovers’ binge that takes place from April 28 to May 1.

The primary action will be located in the heart of Hollywood, with screenings at the venerable Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre.

The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will be the home to Club TCM with exclusive special fan gatherings, receptions, panel discussions and much more for festival pass holders.

Of course, you don’t need to be a pass holder for many of the screenings. On Friday, April 29, there will be a special screening of “Spartacus” including a discussion with Kirk Douglas, still going strong at the age of 94.

On Saturday, April 30, Peter O’Toole gets a special footprints ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese.

As a James Bond fan, I am looking forward to the Sunday, May 1, screening of “Goldfinger,” which will be memorable for the discussion with the film’s director, Guy Hamilton.

One of the intriguing panel discussions will be “The Best Trailers Ever Made: The Art of Selling Movies.”

The TCM Classic Film Festival is fast becoming a “must” for cinema lovers.

Get more information by checking out the festival’s Web site at www.tcm.com/festival. More importantly, check into the magical world of Hollywood at the end of this month.

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

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Coyote Film Festival Presents ‘DIRT! The Movie,” on Saturday, April 23.

There will be a 1:30 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. screening at Cartwright (Calpine) Geothermal Visitors Center, 15500 Central Park Road, Middletown.

The cost is $10 at the door for adults, $5 for children age 16 and under.

If you bring in food of at least $5 in value to support the local food banks, you get in free.

Why dirt? Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth's climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth.

Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book “Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth,” “DIRT! The Movie” takes a humorous and substantial look into the history and current state of the living organic matter that we come from and will later return to.

“DIRT! the Movie” – narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis – brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.

“DIRT! the Movie” is simply a movie about dirt. The real change lies in our notion of what dirt is. The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action.

The movie is directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow. It takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility – from its miraculous beginning to its crippling

“Thought-provoking … welcome humor and visual pizzazz.” – Andrew Barker, Variety

“... an uplifting story about people from all walks of life who are striving to renew our relationship with the ground beneath our feet.” – Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter

The film is great plus there will be special surprises.

Let’s get dirty!

The Hired Guns at the Blue Wing. From left to right, Mike Wilhelm, Scott Slagle, Jim Leonardis, Jamie Webber and Randy Hare. Photo by Jim Warren.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Fans of Mike Wilhelm and Hired Guns should mark their calendars for Monday, May 2, when the popular Lake County band will play at the Blue Wing Saloon from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The band's recording of their reggae-ized version of Louie Louie was recently honored by the Louie Report (www.louielouie.net/blog) by being named the Louie of the Week. The Louie Report is the blog for all things Louie.

Wilhelm has recently welcomed bassist Jamie Webber to the lineup.

Webber has a wall full of gold records as souvenirs of a long career and played with and managed Lonnie Mack.

Previous Hired Guns bassist Randy Hare is now able to show off his considerable skills on guitar. Leader/guitarist Wilhelm, smooth tenor saxophonist Jim (Jimmy the Lion) Leonardis and drummer Slammin' Scott Slagle round out the group.

The Blue Wing Saloon & Cafe is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located at 9520 Main St., Upper Lake, CA 95485.

Reservations are recommended for parties of six or more, call 707-275-2233 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Further information can be found at www.bluewingsaloon.com.

Information on Mike Wilhelm is at www.mike-wilhelm.com.

Salituri's judging skills come by having served as a judge for the California County Fair System over a period of 10 years.

Her art career started with studies at San Jose City College and many seminars with internationally known artists including Leonard Wren, Bill Schnider, Rom Villa and Edgard Garcia.

Since that time she has received many accolades for her work, which is done exclusively in oils.

Working from her Lake County home studio she superbly depicts from her artistic vision the Golden State's missions, courtyards, vineyards and wineries, which all reflect her talented use of vibrant color and composition to produce canvases of serenity, peacefulness and appreciation for her subject matter.

Her work has appeared in “Steppin' Out,” “Southwest Art” and “Art of the West” magazines.

Her work currently is featured in the Lee Youngman Gallery, Calistoga and her own Inspirations Gallery in Lakeport.

Lake County artists wishing to submit their work for jury can pickup entry information from the Main Street Gallery, located at 325 N. Main St., Lakeport.

Work for jury process will be received at the gallery on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by special appointment by calling the show coordinator Ray Farrow at 707-278-0323.

Work juried into the show will hang in the Linda Carpenter Gallery for the month of June.

There will be two awards, the “Judges Award” and the “People's Choice Award,” both of which will be presented during the First Friday Fling on June 3.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

I’ve mentioned before how much I like poems that take the time to carefully observe people at work. Here David St. John, who lives in California, gives us a snapshot of workers protecting an orchard.

Peach Fires

Out in the orchards the dogs stood

Almost frozen in the bleak spring night

& Mister dragged out into the rows

Between his peach trees the old dry limbs

Building at regular intervals careful pyres

While the teeth of the dogs chattered & snapped

& the ice began to hang long as whiskers

From the globes along the branches

& at his signal we set the piles of branches ablaze

Tending each carefully so as not to scorch

The trees as we steadily fed those flames

Just enough to send a rippling glow along

Those acres of orchard where that body—

Sister Winter – had been held so wisely to the fire

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2002 by David St. John, whose most recent book of poetry is The Face: A Novella in Verse, Harper Collins, 2004. Poem reprinted from The Place That Inhabits Us, Sixteen Rivers Press, 2010, by permission of David St. John and the publishers. Introduction copyright © 2011 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.

ARTHUR (Rated PG-13)

The argument that Hollywood is running out of ideas and relies too much on remakes and sequels is bolstered mightily by the pointless restructuring of the 1981 “Arthur,” which starred Dudley Moore as the perfect fit for a drunken playboy billionaire incapable of growing up and taking on his inherited corporate responsibilities.

Far from being an improved version, the creative innovation in the new “Arthur,” consisting of fresh dialogue and altered situations, is hardly original or convincing.

In short, the 2011 “Arthur” is a mostly senseless, unnecessary and futile exercise in recreating a classic comedy. Comparing the new “Arthur” to the original is like measuring a bottle of cheap wine against the value of an exquisite vintage.

Aside from his British accent, Russell Brand, who proved he can be funny in short bursts in a film like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” has very little of the wit and charm that made Dudley Moore’s cuddly man-child so endearing.

Brand’s Arthur Bach, the perennially inebriated and irresponsible lout, wears thin after a short time. One can only wonder how his lifelong nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren), the patrician caretaker, has managed to remain a loyal servant through endless years of turmoil.

At least, the new “Arthur” came up with the novel twist of turning Arthur’s minder into a female; the original job fell to John Gielgud, who performed the role of Hobson so admirably that he won an Oscar.

As good as Helen Mirren invariably is, even in this film, there won’t be any Oscar talk associated with the new “Arthur.”

For one thing, the characters are pretty much what we expect them to be.

The fun-loving Arthur spends every day in the heedless pursuit of amusement. Our first glimpse of Arthur is to see him dressed as Batman, while his faithful chauffeur Bitterman (Luis Guzman) plays the part of Robin, as the dynamic duo head off into the night in the actual Batmobile.

Untold riches have allowed Arthur to amass a collection of well-known cinematic vehicles, including the General Lee and Scooby-Doo’s van.

Arthur’s antics draw unwanted notice by the NYPD, and once again a brush with the law proves too embarrassing for Arthur’s stern mother (Geraldine James).

As a result, she issues an ultimatum that Arthur must marry the beautiful but decidedly unlovable Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner), an ambitious corporate executive who wants to rise above her station in high society.

Failure to follow through on the matrimonial plans would require Arthur to forfeit his billion-dollar inheritance and all the playthings that go with the only way of life he knows.

The trouble, of course, is that the free-spirited Arthur has just fallen for Naomi (Greta Gerwig), a working-class girl from Queens who conducts unauthorized guided tours of Grand Central Station for a living.

At first, Naomi has no idea that Arthur is a man of considerable wealth; she’s fascinated by his spirit of idealism and spontaneity as well as his complete lack of artifice. Since Arthur is prone to indulging every conceivable juvenile whim, it’s almost a wonder that he manages to charm the very pleasant and genuine proletarian girl with his silly indulgences.

Faced with his controlling mother’s ultimatum, Arthur eventually has to cope with the notion of losing all his money, his exotic toys and his nanny so that he can risk everything for the true love of a kind-hearted ordinary girl who dreams of publishing a children’s book.

So as he takes the ultimate gamble, Arthur proves to be the funniest when he decides to interview for office jobs for which he is clearly unqualified in many respects. In fact, the job interview scene is one of the few truly funny scenes in “Arthur,” the new but not improved remake.

However, those who think Russell Brand is somehow adorable or even cuddly may find more amusement in “Arthur” than I could find conceivable.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

“Dallas,” the highly popular prime time television soap opera, ran for so many seasons that acquiring the complete DVD collection would be a daunting task.

Instead, if you’re a fan of J.R. Ewing and his wealthy Texas family, you may consider the alternative of the “Dallas: The Movie Collection,” a DVD collector’s set, which includes a prequel, two cast reunion telefilms and retrospective TV special.

This collection contains “The Early Years,” which set the stage for the drama to come, while reunion movies “J.R. Returns” and “The War of the Ewings” plunged Larry Hagman’s wheeling-dealing J.R. into plots to take over Ewing Oil.

The fascinating retrospective “Return to Southfork” is brimming with clips, outtakes and reminiscences from your favorite “Dallas” stars.

“Dallas: The Movie Collection” allows fans to enjoy the compulsively watchable tales of greed, scheming and sex – mostly masterminded by the double-dealing oilman (that would be J.R. Ewing) folks love to hate.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL

Watch this space in the next week or so for updates on the second annual TCM Classic Film Festival to take place in Los Angeles from April 28 to May 1.

Just like last year, there’s a great lineup of films with special guests participating in panel discussions. The biggest attraction will likely be Kirk Douglas discussing the presentation of “Spartacus.”

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