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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘THE WATERFRONT’ ON NETFLIX
Screenwriter, director, and producer Kevin Williamson, known for the screenplay for the slasher film “Scream” and TV drama series “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Vampire Diaries,” finds his life story to be inspiration for his creation of the Netflix streaming series “The Waterfront.”
The coast of North Carolina, where Williamson spent his high school years, is the setting for the story of the fictional Buckley family trying to hold on to their fishing empire through dangerously illegal means.
The parallel to the creator of “The Waterfront” is that his family’s patriarch, similar to the head of the Buckley clan, had to keep the family fishing business afloat by using his trawler to smuggle drugs to make ends meet.
In the fictional town of Havenport, Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) is the big fish in the community, running the largest fishery and an upscale restaurant that has been owned by the prominent family for generations.
Understanding the pivotal character of Harlan’s desperate return to illegal activity is rooted in the story of Williamson’s own father who found himself handling a financial predicament that resulted in being arrested and serving time.
Whether Williamson’s father was as complex as the flawed Harlan Buckley would probably make for a good story on its own, but that’s something for the show creator to contemplate if he ever thinks of doing a documentary that would likely be even more fascinating than fiction.
The opening scene takes place on a dark night when a boat is hijacked by gunmen who throw two men running the vessel into the sea in order to steal the $10 million in drugs waiting for pickup.
Harlan’s son Cane (Jake Weary) happens to find the boat washed up on shore, while police and DEA agents are on the scene. A bit of quick thinking has Cane scurrying over to the town clerk to backdate a transfer of the boat’s title to one of the missing crew members.
Meanwhile, Harlan the philanderer wakes up next to a girlfriend gripping his chest in pain as he suffers yet another heart attack. Harlan also has a penchant for whiskey any time of the day, much to the dismay of his wife Belle (Maria Bello).
The matriarch of the Buckley family appears to be the glue holding the family together in spite of their reckless behavior. While cunning in many ways, Belle can also fall prey to a shrewd developer taking advantage of her willingness to sell the family’s prime oceanfront land against Harlan’s wishes.
The most dysfunctional family member has to be Cane’s troubled sister Bree (Melissa Benoist), struggling with addiction that has caused her to lose custody of her teenage son Diller (Brady Hepner) that she’s not allowed to see without a court-appointed chaperone.
Bree’s bad decisions don’t just involve drugs and alcohol. She becomes romantically involved with DEA Special Agent Marcus Sanchez (Gerardo Celasco), who runs with his gut instinct that something is rotten in Havenport and it points to the Buckleys.
While Belle runs the restaurant business, Harlan and Cane stick to the seafood empire that slips back into drug-running. But the relationship between father and son is fraught with tension that even boils over into physical confrontations.
Central to the essence of the series’ drama is the turbulent relationship between a father who thinks his son is too soft and feckless and a son who feels his father, despite his tough demeanor, has lost a step in dealing with the family business.
As the episodes unfold, interesting characters come into the mix. Sheriff Clyde Porter (Michael Gaston) runs the town like a personal fiefdom, though mindful of Harlan’s influence. Topher Grace’s Grady is a shady character, and the less said about him the better lest spoilers ruin a surprising turn.
The eight episodes of “The Waterfront” are very tempting to binge-watch. A bit of patience is required in the early going as the story unfolds slowly while the introduction of essential characters carefully lays the foundation for a lot of twists and turns.
The series is a curious blend of soap opera drama and thrilling suspense. The drama can be compelling but also formulaic given how the Buckleys are tormented by betrayals, greed, dark secrets, and festering psychic wounds common to the genre.
“The Waterfront” is not unlike a soap opera like the long-running “Dallas,” where backstabbing, lust and greed create an emotional rollercoaster ride, except the oil empire drama largely avoided violence aside from J.R. Ewing being shot.
Indeed, the Buckley family is a dysfunctional mess as the result of simmering tensions between the parents themselves and with the offspring often untethered from responsibility and family bonds.
“The Waterfront” benefits from charismatic performances across the board, intriguing dialogue, a bevy of surprising twists, and proving to be far more entertaining than most of the current crop of streaming series.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
A painting by John N. Harris of Groveland, Fla. has been chosen as the winner of the 2025 California Duck Stamp Art Contest.
The painting, which depicts a cinnamon teal, will be the official design for the 2025-2026 stamp.
The judging was held at the end of June. The judges were immediately struck by the realism of the painting, almost as if the bird were alive. They noted the spot-on dimensions, specifically the shape of the head, and the perfect, finely detailed feathers.
This attention to detail was also seen in little additions throughout the painting, such as the faint reflection of the teal’s eye in the water, its indistinct leg visible beneath the surface, and the patches of bubbles in the swells.
The watery background, with enough detail to provide an interesting visual element in itself, put the teal center stage, highlighting its cinnamon color and making it pop for a stamp.
Harris, who is now a three-time winner of California’s Duck Stamp Art Contest, was excited for this year’s stamp. He had never painted a cinnamon teal before, though they had been on his radar for some time.
“Over the last few years, we've had a few cinnamon teal overwinter at our local Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so I was able to observe a couple individuals and take some beautiful photographs of them,” he said. One particular bird, however, caught his eye. “The color was amazing when the sun hit it right and it just glowed. How can an artist have any better inspiration than that? He was an absolute jewel to watch, feeding and jousting with all the local blue wings.”
Harris’s first goal was to make the setting and water as realistic as possible. “I really wanted to make it look like you could just dip your hand right into it,” he said.
Once that was done, he started on the bird. He began with the eye to bring life to the painting and inspire him moving forward. It took a few tries, but he eventually created an eye that looked natural and alive, and the rest of the painting fell into place.
“I knew it was one of my most outstanding waterfowl paintings yet. It will be a great honor to have my artwork help conservation work and protect waterfowl and habitat in the great state of California once again.”
Artists from around the country submitted entries for the contest, sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW.
Frank Dolphens of Omaha, Neb., placed second, Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Ind., placed third and Brian Murillo of Norwalk, Iowa, received honorable mention.
The top four paintings will be displayed at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s Annual Classic Wildlife Art Festival in Sacramento July 12-13.
Since 1971, the California Duck Stamp Program’s annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country. The contest is open to artists from all 50 states in order to ensure a wide pool of submissions. All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects within California.
In the past, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting licenses. Today, hunters are no longer required to carry the stamps because California’s modern licensing system prints proof of additional fees paid directly onto the license.
However, CDFW still produces the stamps, which can be requested on CDFW’s website at wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/collector-stamps.
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- Written by: Middletown Art Center
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown Art Center, or MAC, is hosting a retrospective of Alana Clearlake’s art work.
Alongside the solo exhibit in the larger gallery space is a group show Intimate in the smaller gallery at MAC.
The exhibition opens Saturday, July 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free to the public.
Clearlake is an artistic gem hidden in the slopes of Cobb Mountain. She is a prolific artist — a painter, sculptor, jeweler, enamel worker and felt maker. Her work has been published in Craft in America Magazine, and has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the US and internationally. Clearlake has contributed work to every MAC exhibit since it opened in 2015.
Among works featured in the show is Clearlake’s opus work “Hard Rain“ comprising 16 felt painting panels that are a progression of climate conditions and intensity. Spanning just over 17 ft. the piece is a masterful labor of deep concern, and of love of family, and the planet that took her about a year to complete. Her execution of rain, storm, and sea are brilliant, sensitive, and dramatic. The rendering of light and transparency in the opaque medium of felt is striking.
The exhibit also features needle and wet-felted sculptures that integrate natural materials like devils claw, horns, shells, and manzanita. Some hang from the ceiling, while others float on the wall or sit on flat surfaces. Earlier works include colorful enamel sculptures, vessels, and jewelry, as well as watercolors.
The works span 1970 to 2025. The colors are vivid, and the shapes, textures, and organic materials used are a unique synthesis of her consciousness, artistry, and temperament.
The exhibit will be on view through Sept 8, Thursday to Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment.
A conversation with artist Alana Clearlake will take place in mid-August, with the date to be announced.
The Middletown Art Center is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the public in art-making, art education, and art appreciation. It provides a platform for the expression of a plurality of voices and perspectives, fostering an inclusive and accessible space for all.
MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Hwy 29 in Middletown.
To learn more about MAC’s programs, events, and ways to support their efforts to weave arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County, visit middletownartcenter.org, text or call 707-355-4465.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Merchants Association will present the next in this summer’s series of free movies in Middletown Square Park on Saturday, July 12.
The featured movie is the hit family favorite, “Inside Out 2.”
The movie will be shown beginning at sundown.
Come early to enjoy an evening in Middletown.
Bring chairs, blankets and a picnic to the park at the library and senior center at 21266 Calistoga Road.
Snacks, popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase.
The July movie is sponsored by Star Gardens Nursery and Harbin Hot Springs, and hosted by Lake County Jazzercise.