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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘AIR’ Rated R
There was a time when Adidas and Converse were all the rage for their sneakers, and Nike did not have the cachet of being cool or hip, given that athletes did not flock to the brand established by Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight.
Then along came 1984 and a rookie by the name of Michael Jordan, destined to become the greatest of all time star of the basketball court, became, albeit unknowingly, the catalyst for transforming sports marketing.
“Air,” based on the players behind the scenes from Jordan’s parents to the sports agent and the Nike executives, is a fable about capitalism, publicity, and marketing, with the rise of a superstar player more incidental to the overall picture.
Going into the movie theater, no surprise is in store for the outcome of determined Nike’s basketball expert Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) putting his career and even the fortunes of his company on the line in a bold move to sign a deal with a player who was sold on Adidas.
How do you go about creating tension, let alone any suspense, in behind-the-scenes plotting and negotiations with the ultimate result already known? Leave it to Ben Affleck’s dual role as director and playing the Zen-like corporate honcho Phil Knight.
Early scenes depict Sonny as an inveterate gambler at the craps tables in Las Vegas, acting with reckless abandon in high-stakes play. Sonny takes the same rash attitude with his conviction that he can recruit an untested rookie into a lucrative deal.
Obstacles are in Sonny’s path as his colleagues, Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), the VP of Marketing, and Howard White (Chris Tucker), a former college player and NBA draft pick, are somewhat dubious of securing Jordan, even though they recognize his potential greatness.
With absolute confidence, Sonny confronts his boss with a daring call to take a huge financial risk on Jordan. Phil Knight apparently needed some reminding of the 10 principles from a wild Nike memo, most of which get flashed at one point or another during the film.
Sonny also flagrantly ignores the protocol of dealing directly with a player’s agent when he jets off to North Caroline to make a direct pitch to Jordan’s mother Deloris (Viola Davis).
The upshot of that breach of professional decorum is when Sonny becomes the target of a barrage of profane abuse from fast-talking agent David Falk (Chris Messina). This scene alone earns an R rating, but it is brutally and outrageously hilarious.
Sonny is fully on his game when in a meeting with the Jordan family at the Nike offices he delivers an eloquent, if somewhat maudlin, extemporaneous pitch that seals the deal that results in a shoe designed around a single player.
Sports is mostly a backdrop for “Air” as most of the action takes place in boardrooms and meetings. It succeeds as a fascinating tale, which may “grow on you” as Phil Knight might say.
‘APPLES NEVER FALL’ COMING TO PEACOCK
Australian author Liane Moriarty has already seen two of her New York Times bestseller list books, “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers” turned into limited drama series on streamers HBO and Hulu, respectively.
“Big Little Lies” was snapped up by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon for the film and television rights, and they proceeded to star in a series that went on to win multiple Emmy Awards.
Nicole Kidman returned to a star-studded cast for the series adaptation of “Nine Perfect Strangers,” which included Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, and Michael Shannon.
Her latest novel “Apples Never Fall,” another bestseller on the New York Times list, has been picked up by Peacock for a drama series now in the works.
Annette Bening and Sam Neill star as Joy and Stan Delaney, former tennis coaches that are still winning tournaments with an enviably contented family by all appearances.
Now that they have sold the family business, Joy and Stan have all the time in the world to relax, as their four adult children are busy living their own lives.
However, Joy Delaney has disappeared and her children are re-examining their parents’ marriage and their family history with fresh eyes.
Is her disappearance related to their mysterious house guest from last year? Or were things never as rosy as they seemed in the Delaney household.
Alison Brie (AMC’s “Mad Men”) plays the role of Amy, the oldest Delaney child and the black sheep of the family. Still renting a room in student housing and jumping from one career path to another, Amy is a mess.
Jake Lacy (HBO’s “The White Lotus”) plays the role of Troy, the second-oldest offspring whose competitive edge he developed as a young tennis player is now his greatest asset as a venture capitalist.
Set against the milieu of competitive tennis, “Apples Never Fall” takes us into a family’s darkest secrets and asks, “Can we ever really know the people closest to us?”
With the author’s track record, this adaptation could turn out to be interesting.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN’ ON NETFLIX
Idris Elba is a terrific actor, and anything on television or the movies in which he’s got a key role is almost always worth watching. Case in point would be his British detective in the TV series “Luther.”
I still feel strongly that he would make a great James Bond. Some say he may be getting too old, but he’s eight years younger than Keanu Reeves, who’s proving in the “John Wick” series that age is not determinative for action chops.
After five seasons as a series, now comes the feature film “Luther: The Fallen Sun” on Netflix, with Idris Elba in the role of DCI John Luther, now disgraced for having committed illegal acts as a London police officer.
“Luther: The Fallen Sun,” a psychological crime thriller, is a continuation of the TV series, albeit with some new characters, most notably with Andy Serkis, brilliantly creepy as wealthy serial killer David Robey.
Luther inhabits a world so dark and grim that in his pursuit of the scum of the earth he often bends or breaks the rules. This proves to be his Achilles heals when he’s assigned the kidnap case of young janitor Callum Aldrich (James Bamford).
As the kidnapper, Robey is a psychopath who collects individuals against their will that he either manipulates into self-destructive acts or imprisons at a remote mansion where they are tortured and brutally murdered.
Knowing that Luther has been assigned the case of Callum’s disappearance, Robey orchestrates the detective into being fired and jailed for breaking the law, but not before Luther promises Callum’s mother Corinne (Hattie Morahan) to find her son’s killer.
Once in prison, Luther is taunted by Robey delivering recordings of the murder of Callum. Now a pariah with the police force, Luther is unable to persuade DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo), now heading the investigation, that he could lend a hand.
Helped by a former associate and an inmate riot, Luther escapes prison, because he’ll let nothing stand in the way of taking down Robey, even if DCI Raine hunts down Luther with as much zeal as chasing the serial killer.
Making the deranged Robey even more despicable is that he operates the dark website “Red Bunker” for sick voyeurs who are drawn to the gore and brutality of watching murder online.
Steeped in violent action and psychological warfare, “Luther: The Fallen Sun” works for the most part as a standalone film. Idris Elba’s Luther is charismatic, and the other key players are equally good. Andy Serkis’ Robey is beyond chilling as the villain.
Apparently, Idris Elba has taken himself out of contention to be the next Agent 007. That’s our loss. But if he cranks out a franchise of “Luther” movies, this will be our compensation, an obvious win for dedicated fans.
TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULING
The TCM Classic Film Festival’s starting date of April 13 is fast approaching, and the scheduling of films for the four-day extravaganza looks to be fairly complete with only a few open slots.
Exclusively for passholders, Club TCM is a private locale in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where movie fans have the opportunity to attend special presentations and events with many of the celebrity guests.
Given the celebration on hand for Warner Bros. 100th anniversary, the “Warner Bros.: Hollywood’s Ultimate Backlot – A Trip Through the Iron Gates” will provide an insider’s look at the soundstages and outdoor sets where the studio produced its most famous films.
Presenters of this special event include the studio’s archivist and author Steven Bingen and filmmaker and author Cass Warner, the granddaughter of the studio’s co-founder and original president, Harry Warner. They will discuss anecdotes about filmmaking on the Warner Bros. lot.
Who doesn’t love movie trailers? “You Gotta Have a Gimmick: The Warner Bros. Trailers Show” will celebrate the studio’s advertising wizards who packed theaters with clever early glimpses of some favorite films.
Passholders at Club TCM will join Randy Haberkamp of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to experience “42nd Street” (1933), “Mildred Pierce” (1945), “House of Wax” (1953), “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), and more as you’ve never seen them before.
Open to all in a theater will be “Bless This Mess: Laurel & Hardy Shorts,” a program of Stan and Ollie’s cherished short comedies. In “Going Bye-Bye!” (1934), the pair testify against a dangerous criminal, who breaks out of prison to seek revenge but becomes a victim of hijinks.
“Them Thar Hills” (1934) find Laurel and Hardy going to the mountains for a rest and accidentally get high on moonshine dumped into a well by locals trying to evade the law.
In “Tit for Tat” (1935), an Oscar nominee for Best Comedy Short, the duo known for their slapstick comedy run into trouble when opening an electrical repair shop next to a grocery run by their old nemesis from “Them Thar Hills.”
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The state of California is making an unprecedented investment in the arts. The “California Creative Corps” program will award 60 million dollars in grants statewide to implement media, outreach, and engagement campaigns.
The goal is to increase awareness related to issues such as public health, water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief, and recovery.
The Nevada County Arts Council is the administering organization for the upstate region, which covers 19 counties in the northern part of the state. It will award more than $3 million in grants for artists, as well as for arts and social service organizations that will employ artists between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024.
Supporting local outreach with local knowledge, as well as technical assistance for artists, and program development and evaluation, are multiple county arts agencies serving what amounts to the largest, most diverse, geographic area in California.
“We are identifying issues that are specific to communities across our service region, and inviting artists to position themselves to create awareness around them and get paid for it,” says Eliza Tudor, executive director at Nevada County Arts Council. “We want our process to be as inclusive and accessible as possible and to draw upon creative processes that spur conversation around how to create lasting change that our diverse populations can take pride in.”
The launch of a statewide Creative Corps pilot program is the result of a recommendation from the governor’s economic and jobs recovery task force and is the first of its kind in the nation. Grant applications are now open and will run until 11:49 p.m. April 28, 2023.
There are multiple mechanisms in place for support in the grant application process, both regionally through Upstate Creative Corps, and locally, through county arts partners. These include informational webinars, grant writing workshops, training and panel discussions. To learn more visit www.upstatecreativecorps.org.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Visionary artists Doug Volz, Mark Henson, Marie de la Paz and Nan Sea Love will be featured.
“‘Visionary Art’ is, in its purest sense, the expression of true ‘Self’ for the visionary artist,” said Volz, the Main Street Gallery’s creative coordinator. “They each define what is the path we take, and different artists might take decidedly different roads, on their Journey of Discovery. We descend from the highest of heights, true witnesses of the Divine in us all, to the extreme depths of the true Nature of Life on this Earth, always with an inspiration, a way out. Into the Dark, and up to the Light.”
What matters to a true visionary artist is to be a clear path of inspiration, for the viewer, and for themselves.
The community is invited to the April 7 “First Friday Fling” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to meet the artists and discuss this innovative concept in art.
The Lake County Arts Council is excited to bring a show of this magnitude to Lake County.
The Main Street Gallery is located at 325 N. Main St., Lakeport. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., telephone 707-263-6658.