MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The public is invited to dance to songs of love, lust and loss this Valentine’s Day, Friday, Feb. 14, at the Middletown Art Center from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Let the beats penetrate your heart and move your soles into past, present, and future loves. Come with a partner or come alone.

DJ’s Shape Shift, Blue and Nic will provide something for everyone including Soul, Funk, R&B, House, World and Disco.

Admission is $12 and includes a warm gooey chocolate Love Bite from Goddess of the Mountain, or $2 credit towards another Goddess of the Mountain delicacy.

Children’s movies will be screened in the studio, supervision in the studio provided (donations appreciated) but parents must supervise their kids outdoors. Beer or wine available for purchase.

Celebrate love of all kinds at MAC this Valentine’s Friday.

The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in the heart of Middletown.

Gallery hours are Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; or by appointment by calling 707-809-8118.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org to learn more about upcoming classes, exhibitions, events and ways to support the MAC’s efforts to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of Lake County communities.

Last week I said that I planned to publish two beautiful poems of grief and loss by David Baker, from his new and selected poems, “Swift,” published last year by W. W. Norton.

This is the second of those poems.

Baker teaches at Denison University in Ohio and is the poetry editor of Kenyon Review, one of our most distinguished literary journals.

Mercy

Small flames afloat in blue duskfall, beneath trees
anonymous and hooded, the solemn trees--by ones
and twos and threes we go down to the water's level edge
with our candles cupped and melted into little pie-tins
to set our newest loss free. Everyone is here.

Everyone is wholly quiet in the river's hush and appropriate dark.
The tenuous fires slip from our palms and seem to settle
in the stilling water, but then float, ever so slowly,
in a loose string like a necklace's pearls spilled,
down the river barely as wide as a dusty road.

No one is singing, and no one leaves--we stand back
beneath the grieving trees on both banks, bowed but watching,
as our tiny boats pass like a long history of moons
reflected, or like notes in an elder's hymn, or like us,
death after death, around the far, awakening bend.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It 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 ©2019 by David Baker, "Mercy," from Swift, (W. W. Norton, 2019). Poem reprinted by permission of David Baker and the publisher. Introduction copyright @2020 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.

‘THE GENTLEMEN’ (Rated R)

British film director Guy Ritchie first made a name for himself with the gangster films “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch,” establishing his own unique brand of the caper comedy.

Then it all went downhill when he married superstar Madonna in 2000 and lost his cinematic mojo as evidenced in the disastrous remake of “Swept Away,” a critical and box office flop, starring his then pop-star wife.

The good news is that Ritchie has regained his form with the direction of “The Gentlemen,” a cool British crime drama with a cheeky tone infused by good dialogue that is abetted by a stellar cast in great shape.

Matthew McConaughey’s Mickey Pearson, an American expatriate who has built a marijuana empire in England, is looking to cash out of his profitable business to enjoy his attraction to the upper-crust way of life.

Mickey would like to spend more time with his loving wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery), a tough partner in crime with an independent streak and a head for business running her own auto body shop.

That Mickey wants to sell his lucrative empire for $400 million attracts the attention of enterprising criminals seeking to gain the upper hand in negotiations, leading of course to nasty confrontations.

The effete American billionaire Matthew (Jeremy Strong) has the financial wherewithal to buy out Mickey, but the thuggish Dry Eye (Henry Golding), a young hotheaded Asian gangster with a propensity for extreme violence, is looking to snag the business at a cutthroat price.

The criminal machinations get even more muddied when a bunch of wayward delinquents pull off a heist at one of Mickey’s weed farms, thereby putting their mentor Coach (Colin Farrell), a boxing instructor, on the hot seat to repay a debt for their misdeeds.

Holding the story together in a clever way is the de facto narration that comes with Hugh Grant’s sleazy private eye Fletcher pitching a true crime script to Mickey’s right-hand counselor, Ray (Charlie Hunnam).

Employing flashbacks that spans the entire film, Fletcher and Ray engage in a back-and-forth that reveals the private eye’s motivation is to extract the princely sum of $20 million from Mickey in order to kill the sale of his tell-all to an eager tabloid paper.

Throughout the unfolding events, Mickey is locked into his persona of the charming rogue and self-made criminal genius who seems to be always a few steps ahead of rivals that include murderous Russian oligarchs and a garden variety of homegrown thugs.

Various plot threads running throughout the entire film result in curious interactions among the competing criminal factions, leading to a lot of snappy, boastful humorous chatter and plenty of boisterous action.

“The Gentlemen” offers proof that Guy Ritchie maintains a natural flair for an entertaining, humorous caper even if the film might be considered an outlier in certain circles of modern culture.

‘CABLE TV WINTER PREVIEW – PART TWO’

During the winter TV press tour, Hulu’s executive in charge of original programs, Craig Erwich, explained the cable network’s expanding relationship with the Walt Disney Co. as a pipeline for “deeper access to the most sought-after talent” to produce more original programs.

Premiering on Feb. 14 is the 10-episode series “High Fidelity,” which departs from Nick Hornsby’s 1995 novel and beloved 2000 film to center on Rob Brooks (Zoe Kravitz), a female record store owner in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights.

The series proposes to adhere to the core conflict of the central character who at once is a kind of hopeless romantic which is fueled by obsession with pop music and, at the same time, cynical about whether things will work out.

As executive producer Veronica West observed during a panel discussion, “High Fidelity” has a link between the series and the other properties but this new program is “something new and different” and not intended to be “predictable.”

Acorn TV is an American subscription streaming service offering television programming from the United Kingdom but also other countries such as Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Spain.

During the press tour, Matthew Graham, General Manager of Acorn TV, noted that the cable channel, as part of the AMC Networks family, is “finding exciting opportunities and synergies that open up entirely new avenues for growth.”

Acorn TV has not yet established the level of reach of Amazon Prime or Netflix, but it has a very popular offering in the British comedic mystery series “Agatha Raisin,” returning for its third season on February 10th.

Based on the novels of M.C. Beaton, “Agatha Raisin” stars Ashley Jensen in the titular role of a former high-powered London PR executive who retired early to a small village in the Cotswolds and found a second calling as a sassy detective.

Investigating mayhem and murder, Agatha resorts to unorthodox and amusing methods to help solve crimes, like staying all night in a haunted house, pretending to work on a reality TV show and donning disguises.

“Agatha Raisin” should be worth a look.

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

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center is opening its first exhibit of 2020, entitled “Dreams,” on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. with a free public reception.

Join them to see a variety of work in many mediums that speak to the breadth of expression that only a dream state can produce.

Light refreshments and beverages will be available.

“Dreams marks the beginning of our fifth year of operation,” said Director Lisa Kaplan. “We have hosted over 34 exhibits featuring the work of more than 85 amazing artists, most of whom live in Lake County. The MAC itself is a dream come true as we continue to nurture local culture and provide a place for the arts to flourish.”

MAC’s opening receptions and exhibits are well attended and always free.

Dreams will be on view through the end of April. Gallery hours are Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment by calling 707-809-8118.

Artists wishing to learn more about exhibiting at MAC can visit www.middletownartcenter.org/calls-for-work . Calls for the 2020 EcoArts Sculpture Walk and June exhibit AIR will be posted soon.

The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in the heart of Middletown.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org to stay up to date on all that is happening at MAC and learn more about upcoming calls for work, exhibitions, classes, events, and ways to help support and sustain MAC and its work weaving the arts into daily life in Lake County.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1979 legal drama, “And Justice For All,” starring Al Pacino, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

Pacino plays a scruffy rebel, strong but vulnerable, low-key but easily ignited, fighting in a slick society for simple rights and a fair shake.

His high voltage performance as a Baltimore lawyer earned him a Best Actor nomination, with a nomination also going to Valerie Curtain and Barry Levinson for best screenplay.

The film stands out for its strong direction, bright performances, stinging script, ace camera work and a jaunty music score.

The movie is sponsored by Tomkins Tax Consultants. Rated R for language. Run time is 1 hour and 59 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Quietly, Lake County has recently become a hub for outstanding jazz. In January, the Soper-Reese Theatre hosted Grammy winner Paul McCandless, and 2020’s programming will include extraordinary jazz talent from Northern California and beyond.

Just two-tenths of a mile from the Soper-Reese on South Forbes Street sits Lakeport Christian Center, home to a vibrant and dynamic faith community whose sanctuary happens to offer pristine, warm acoustics perfectly suited to small ensemble music.

“It is the ideal venue to experiment and workshop new material,” exudes LCC Worship Leader and jazz saxophonist, Matt Rothstein. “In January, we brought one of the finest percussionists in the North Bay Area up to be part of a unique concert blending jazz and Indian ragas, and he was truly blown away by the space.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m., Rothstein will present his trio, RAY3, with very special guest, Tom Aiken.

“RAY3 is unapologetically a jazz group, in the tradition of the robust and searching trios of Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and Joshua Redman,” notes Rothstein. “There will be plenty of space in this program for each of the musicians to stretch, and this is an incredible collection of regional talent!”

Providing the harmonic foundation is virtuoso bassist Pierre Archain, who anchored some of the most engaging jazz groups in San Francisco for decades.

“Pierre’s playing is at once muscular and poetic,” remarks Rothstein, “and it is always astounding to stand in proximity and feel the sheer force of his creativity.”

Mendocino’s Gabriel Yañez is a percussionist of uncommon insight, drawing on all aspects of the jazz tradition and the fertile tributaries of mathematics.

“There is a reason Gabe is one of the busiest musicians on the North Coast right now,” notes Rothstein. “He is growing by leaps and bounds and constantly challenging himself to new heights. Gabe is one of the most remarkable musicians in Northern California, in any genre!”

“Tom Aiken is the perfect musician to complement this group,” continues Rothstein. “He frames melodies, improvised and pre-composed, with a clarity and logic that is unique. Lake County knows Tom is equally likely to bring rocking, blues-drenched sensibilities and classical elegance, and that is a fantastic world of possibilities to add to RAY3.”

Rothstein’s own unique blend of jazz, folk and gospel music has brought recognition from the Grammy Foundation and Down Beat Magazine, and performances at the world-renowned Healdsburg Jazz Festival and the Sequoia Room in Fort Bragg, and he is very excited to bring this outstanding group to Lakeport.

“This promises to be a rewarding evening of thoughtful music from a collective of musicians with the tools and sense of adventure to uncover the extraordinary,” states Rothstein.

All ages are encouraged to attend, and admission is free. Donations will be appreciated.

Lakeport Christian Center is located on 455 S Forbes St. near the old Lakeport DMV building.