LAKEPORT – Victoria, proprietress at the new and wonderful Cafe Victoria in Lakeport, smiled as she wrote Poetry Interlude on her calendar for Sunday, August 26, at 1 p.m.

The Interlude will feature its usual poetry and music open mike format where all forms of expressive art are encouraged. Yes, there is a piano on site. There is a tiny stage with microphones and jacks available.

All acts will be expected to set up and break down quickly. Please limit performances to six minutes. We can always do a second round if there is time.

Other events this month at Cafe Victoria will include an open mike on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 18, emceed by Phil Mathewson and an appearance by Little Deer on Saturday, Aug. 25. Both of events run from 4 to 6 p.m.

At Cafe Victoria, friendly staff custom make sandwiches, wraps, coffee drinks, shakes and fruity drinks. (My personal favorite is the Vegetarian sandwich and a mango Juice Squeeze.) They also serve fountain drinks, pizza, baked goods, ice cream, yogurts, etc. While you are there, be sure to check out the cafe's quirky decor.

Cafe Victoria is located on Main Street at the courthouse corner next door to Watershed Books.

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Bill Noteman and the Rockets will be the headliner at Friday's concert in Library Park. The group, pictured above, is shown at Kelseyville's Kickin' in the Country street dance in July. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

LAKEPORT – This year's successful series of concerts in Lakeport's Library Park continues tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Week nine features local legends Bill Noteman and the Rockets.

As usual, there will be great goofy giveaways at halftime and plenty of groovy music that will get folks out of their chairs and onto the dance lawn.

Forcasters are calling for showtime temperatures around 82 degrees with a nice 12 mile-per-hour breeze from the west.

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CLEARLAKE – Second Sunday Cinema will screen “The Ground Truth” for its free film on Aug. 12.

This documentary, short-listed for the 2007 Academy Awards, focuses on young soldiers sent to Iraq to serve their country, only to return home to indifference.

One young soldier who lost his hand was asked by a young man at home how it happened. "Iraq," he replied. "Whoa," was the response. “Is that still going on?"

The 12 service people seen in the film, male and female, black and white, are thoughtful and articulate as they tell us what they experienced both in Iraq and after their return home. For some, the war is still going on as they try to keep their families together and deal with ongoing physical and psychological problems.

Of course the issue of "Support Our Troops" comes up. Magnetic stickers on the back of SUVs aren’t bad, these soldiers say – but what good do they really do? They say, "If you really want to support us, come and see this film and hear what we have to say."

If you are considering enlisting, or if you love someone who wants to enlist, please get more information by coming to see this free film. It’s 60 minutes long, and will be preceded by a 15-minute film called, "Before You Enlist."

"The Ground Truth" is neither cynical, depressing nor partisan. We need to hear what these young people experienced, and what they’re feeling.

Second Sunday Cinema screens free films on the second Sunday of every month for the people of Lake County.

The films are shown at the Clearlake United Methodist Church at 14521 Pearl St. near Mullen in Clearlake.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m. for snacks, socializing and seating: the film starts at 6 p.m. There is an optional discussion following the movie.

Come on in – the vibes are friendly, the seats comfortable, the air is cool and, as always, the film is free.

For more information, call Shannon Tolson at 279-2957, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKEPORT – “Cafe Victoria Presents” will have a two-hour music interlude Saturday August 18 and 25 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Phil Mathewson and Friends will be on stage on Saturday, Aug. 18 and Little Deer will perform Saturday, Aug. 25.

Admission is free and food and beverages are available for sale.

Cafe Victoria is on the corner of Main St. and Third, Lakeport. Call 263-1212 for information or to sign up to perform.

Scheduling may change so please check with Cafe Victoria when making your plans.

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The talented young classical guitarist Travis Austin was the featured performer at Friday's concert at Tuscan Village. Photo by Joanne Bateni.

LOWER LAKE – Listeners enjoyed another perfect Friday evening at the Tuscan Village in Lower Lake as Travis Austin played classical guitar.

Austin is only 22 years old and has been playing since high school. He also teaches guitar and has at least one CD at his credit which he was selling at the concert.

Austin produces his own CDs in his recording studio and has a Web site, www.travisaustin.net, which lists his upcoming performances.

He has played many venues around Lake County including some charity events. His next big gig is the California State Fair.

A visitor from San Francisco, who happened to see the concert sign on the highway, stopped in, not knowing what to expect and was very impressed with the venue and the entertainment. She said she will definitely be coming back.

Phil Mathewson and Friends will be playing on Aug. 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Call Rick at 2 Goombas for more information, 994-DELI (3354).

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Though the action is nowhere near Asia this time, “The Bourne Ultimatum” seems to be channeling the spirit of Hong Kong Cinema, where a film auteur like John Woo cranked out high-octane action thrillers in which fists and bullets would fly fast and furious.

This third film in the “Bourne” trilogy could reasonably be described as a mixture of martial arts fury, James Bond coolness and “Die Hard” mayhem. It’s a spectacular achievement of immeasurably thrilling nonstop action in which a well-trained secret operative with amnesia and a hair-trigger temperament goes on a globe-trotting journey of self-discovery with frequent stops in foreign lands.

With a minimal amount of understanding of basic plot points, “The Bourne Ultimatum” stands on its own for delivering excitement, though greater appreciation of the film is gained by familiarity with both “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy.”

As rogue agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) gives an even tougher portrait of a spy than Daniel Craig could bring to the last James Bond film. That’s no insignificant achievement. One would suspect that a trained assassin has an impenetrable toughness, but Bourne’s rough edge may come from not knowing with any clarity how to distinguish between friends and foes. The “Bourne” trilogy revels in its hero’s murky past, made all the more mystifying by his amnesia.

Much of Bourne’s hardened, brutal behavior comes from his distress at not knowing his own true identity and his unquenchable thirst for revenge for the death of his girlfriend. When the film begins, Bourne is getting chased once again by agents in Moscow, and as usual he makes a narrow escape, only to end up in London.

His desire to disappear without a trace is rudely upended when a front-page story in a London newspaper speculates about his existence as an operative in a covert program named Blackbriar. Arranging a meeting with British newsman Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) turns into a deadly affair at the busy London Waterloo train station.

It becomes quickly clear that Bourne, once trained as a super-assassin by top secret CIA black-ops program, has some Agency types gunning for his termination with prejudice. Shadowy conspiracies are ginned up from the defunct Treadstone operation, and Bourne is caught in the middle of a turf battle that soon rages between the deceitful black-ops chief Noah Vosen (David Straithairn) and CIA internal investigator Pamela Lundy (Joan Allen).

Vosen and his crew are only interested in killing Bourne as a final solution to covering up the errant Treadstone program, while Lundy is more intent on getting Bourne to come in from the shadows, where he may cast a bright light on corrupt Agency behavior.

Bourne’s instinct for survival is well-honed by his past training, and as a result he is stronger and smarter than his pursuers, which happen to be secret operatives, federal agents and the local police in every city he visits in a desperate quest to find answers to questions that still haunt him.

While even the CIA director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn) conspires against him, Bourne picks up a few friends in the field, including conflicted CIA agent Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who once before endangered her career to help him. Her assistance is invaluable in Madrid, where Bourne engages two agents in deadly hand-to-hand combat. Then they slip off to Tangier, hot on the trail of the Madrid CIA chief who’s transporting secret documents.

The chase sequence in Tangier is particularly spectacular, involving a motorcycle chase up and down narrow streets as well as steep sidewalk steps. But the action is most impressively stunning as Bourne leaps dangerously from rooftop to rooftop to evade a Moroccan assassin.

As with the previous films, there are several exciting car chases, with none more amazing than the one in New York City when Bourne comes home to confront the bad guys. Each “Bourne” film strives to top the previous one for the level of excitement in its car chases.

The action is relentlessly breathless and there is no respite from the thrills until the end credits roll. “The Bourne Ultimatum” is the biggest rollercoaster ride of the summer.

Tim Riley writes film reviews for Lake County News.

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