How to resolve AdBlock issue? Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘THE NIGHT AGENT’ ON NETFLIX
There is so much original programming on streaming services, with Netflix churning out a lion’s share of domestic and foreign TV series and films, that it is easy to overlook what proves to be captivating entertainment.
The spy thriller series “The Night Agent” had its first season run two years ago, and now it’s back with the second season. Better late than never to catch up on the first season with a binge-watch.
Even with a shift in the tone and underlying mission of the second season, “The Night Agent” requires being immersed in the totality of its origin series, so as to have the full flavor of the main characters who return. Fortunately, both seasons can be found on Netflix.
Some may wish to compare “The Night Agent” to Showtime’s long-running espionage thriller “Homeland,” in which Claire Danes’ CIA officer with a bipolar disorder suspects Damian Lewis’ Marine held in captivity for eight years to be connected to a terror plot.
The connection between the two series rests with the broader concept of dangerous cat-and-mouse games that threaten national security along with a heavy dose of political intrigue and domestic terrorism. “The Night Agent” is definitely tuned into an overall conspiratorial theme.
To understand the appeal as well as premise of this political thriller, we must start with knowing that FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), fairly new to the job, becomes what should be at least an unsung hero for saving riders on a Washington, D.C. metro subway from a bombing attack.
Regardless of Peter’s heroics in finding the bomb and getting passengers safely off the train, he’s inexplicably under suspicion and relegated to a desk job in the basement of the White House with the sole responsibility of answering a phone at the Night Action desk.
The phone serves as a line for field agents to call when something goes horribly wrong, which happens rarely. His first call eventually comes from cybersecurity expert Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), getting the number from her aunt and uncle who turnout not to be an ordinary elderly couple.
While Rose was visiting her relatives, a pair of assassins, Dale (Phoenix Raei) and Ellen (Eve Harlow) arrive at their house, and Rose is dispatched to use a phone down the street to call for help on the Night Action line.
Not wanting to leave any loose ends, the ruthlessly mysterious hired killers, apparent foreign actors, realize that they need to track down Rose as the only possible witness to the murder of her relatives.
Finally, Peter’s boring routine of idly waiting for a call has been interrupted as he must spring into action to help Rose, a frantic civilian suddenly embroiled in a plot where she desperately needs protection.
Peter brings her in from the cold, setting up a meeting with his ally in the White House, Diane Farr (Hong Chau), the chief of staff to President Michelle Travers (Kari Matchett), who faces her own share of political intrigue.
Jockeying for position inside the White House leads to its own scheming and deception. Peter ends up answering to two masters. Besides the president’s right-hand in Diane Farr, he’s also answering to Jamie Hawkins (Robert Patrick), deputy director of the FBI.
Complicating matters for Peter’s untested agent are the fact he must navigate the treacherous waters of palace intrigue. His loyalty to the chief of staff creates tension with the FBI’s deputy director, but an interesting dynamic is that it looks like just about everyone has got something to hide.
Peter is gradually pulled into a political conspiracy that points to a foreign mole inside the White House. Worse of all is that Peter is thrown into dangerous situations that require dealing with malevolent actors.
A few episodes into the first season reveals a tangential subplot that involves Vice President Redfield’s (Christopher Shyer) daughter Maddie (Sarah Desjardins), a college student not fond of her father or his career.
The rebellious Maddie may be a target herself, which gets complicated when she ditches her Secret Service detail that consists of exacting agent Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola) and veteran agent Erik Monks (D.B. Woodside), returning to duty after a near-fatal on-the-job injury.
As the series moves to its conclusion, a wild conspiracy targeting the President puts Peter into another tight spot, but which allows him to prove his worth far beyond manning a nighttime phone.
The second season thrusts Peter into a foreign assignment in Bangkok, where he’s teamed up with seasoned operative Alice (Brittany Snow). Things get deadly when they are on the tail of a rogue agent selling top secret documents.
The mission goes wrong, and Peter goes off the grid, much to the alarm of his hard-nosed stateside handler Catherine Weaver (Amanda Warren). Hiding out in New York and dodging assassins, Peter is soon reunited with Rose.
Season 2 of “The Night Agent” is looking as promising as the origin series. If you enjoy conspiracy-related spy thrillers, this should be the series to check out.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Mendocino College
UKIAH, Calif. — As a lead-up to Earth Day and the Mendocino County Science Fair, the Mendocino College Gallery is inspired to present the upcoming three-person show featuring works by Heather Law, Evan Hobart and Kala Stein.
The show is on display from Feb. 13 to March 23.
Their collective artworks consider environmental awareness, the implications of our human imprint on nature, and sustainability.
Heather Law is passionate about art that creates a deeper awareness of the environmental impact of our actions and inspires a shift towards more sustainable living. Her artistic practice involves repurposing discarded materials into ceramic art.
“Environmental degradation, rampant consumerism, and waste management issues have reached a critical point in our contemporary world,” Law said. “We are inundated with plastic waste that pollutes our oceans and degrades our planet. These pressing concerns profoundly influence my artistic journey, centering on a visual narrative that addresses the global tragedy of consumer culture and its dire repercussions.”
Kala Stein works at the intersection of craft, design and sustainability, exploring notions of beauty and loss in the natural world.
“My climate responsive ceramic installations and objects embody the fragility and power of extreme weather events as I work with found images of satellite imagery and my experiences living in Northern California,” Stein said. “Translating this data and my experiences into ceramic ideations, I am fossilizing an ephemeral moment in time into everlasting, but fragile material. By rendering the image of an ephemeral moment into a permanent embodiment, the work becomes a fossil record, a memorial, to devastating climate events that affect our environment and our communities.”
Evan Hobart describes his work as, “a platform to discuss the past, present and future, utilizing the intersection of humanity and nature to comment on modern day life”
He continued, “My work examines today’s world and elaborates on many of its facets such as global climate change, politics, war, religion, society, over-development and possibly the eventual extinction. Unpleasant as it is to confront some of these issues, it is the work (obligation) of the artist and teacher, now and in the past, to do so — in a creative and thought-provoking way.”
Ecology, archeology, and paleontology help inform his exploration of a wide range of social topics that provoke an internal reflection of humankind's fate.
All three artists work primarily in the medium of ceramics.
Regular gallery hours for “Reclaimed Visions: Art and Sustainability” will be from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is free and open to the p
The gallery also will be open for all performances of “Mendocino Stories: Journalistic Theatre Project,” March 13 to 23. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors. Pay what you wish preview is Thursday March 13. A special discount show will take place on Thursday, March 20, with all tickets $10.
Advance tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Co. in Ukiah and online at www.ArtsMendocino.org. For additional information, call 707-468-3172.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘BACK IN ACTION’ Rated PG-13
One thing to keep in mind is that we are in the middle of winter during the month of February, and our expectations for cinematic excellence must be kept in check until at least, hopefully, during the spring.
Meanwhile, Netflix makes it possible to stay in the comfort of home and indulge in either a guilty pleasure or mechanical popcorn entertainment that likely wouldn’t survive more than a week at the local multiplex.
That brings us to the espionage action comedy of “Back in Action,” starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz as a married couple with two kids who are retired CIA spies pulled back into action when their secret identities are exposed. One mystery here is how did Glenn Close end up in this film?
Like most spy films, the action kicks off quickly when Foxx’s Matt and Diaz’s Emily are CIA operatives who attend the birthday party thrown by an Eastern European terrorist to break into a safe.
Having to fight their way out of the mansion, the duo soon finds themselves on an MI6 plane when they are ambushed by the crew, leading to an incredible crash landing somewhere in the snow-covered alps.
Jump to fifteen years later, Matt and Emily are now suburban parents with 12-year-old Leo (Rylan Jackson) and 14-year-old Alice (McKenna Roberts). A family affair at a nightclub leads to a video that reveals them as former spies.
While the children remain in the dark about their parents’ identity, the family heads to London in search of a key that they hope to return to the CIA, but all sorts of bad people are anxious get their hands on it as well.
Once in England, the now-unretired spies show up at the estate of Emily’s British mother (Glenn Close), who is also a former spy. This long overdue family reunion results in having to overcome a strained relationship.
One thing going for B-movie pleasure of “Back in Action” is that it has plenty of stunts, spectacular vehicular crashes, awesome fight skills, a powerboat chase, and even turning a gas station hose into a deadly flamethrower.
Aside from leaning into the action, “Back in Action” allows Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz to engage in plenty of enjoyable banter. To be sure, the plot is sufficiently ludicrous but what else can you can expect. Just go with the preposterous action.
‘PUPPY BOWL XXI’ ON ANIMAL PLANET
On Sunday, Feb. 9th, Super Bowl LIX comes to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. As no California team will contend this year for the NFL’s coveted Lombardi Trophy, maybe it’s time to find an alternative game.
There is another Bowl game happening earlier in the day, and it won’t have any two-legged competitors on the gridiron. This television event will be “Puppy Bowl XXI” featuring 142 rescue puppies from 80 shelters across 40 states and two countries.
With more puppies than ever before, Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl XXI” will highlight their inspiring journeys from birth to adoption, as well as the tremendous dedication of the shelters that help animals find forever homes.
The game kicks off when Julep, the first-ever St. Bernard mix, and Smoosh, the only Pekingese to compete in the games, will head up Team Fluff, while Mr. Pickles, a Pug-Chihuahua, and Tuani, a Chihuahua-German Shepherd from Nicaragua, will look to bring Team Ruff to victory.
The two teams will meet on the gridiron in hopes of bringing home the Walmart “Lombarky” trophy and see which puppy player has what it takes to be named the MVP (Most Valuable Puppy) and win the Subaru of America Underdog Award.
Eleven inspiring special needs dogs, including Jolene, an American Pit Bull terrier-mix competing in a wheelchair, and Sprinkle, a blind and hearing-impaired Australian shepherd-mix, will take the field, giving it their all and not letting their disabilities slow them down.
Interspersed with extended puppy love, star matchups, and behind-the-scenes moments are the “Pup Close and Personal” segments, sharing the backstories of some of the all-star athletes.
Dan Smyers, from superstar country duo Dan + Shay, will bring a rescue puppy from Wags & Walks Nashville backstage at one of his concerts for some socialization and to boost their chances of being adopted.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and his girlfriend, Nani, will visit the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, where they’ll meet Parsnip, a rescue Pit Bull-mix, and spend time training the dog to compete in the games.
In preparation of the big canine showdown, ten puppy prospects will engage in practice drills and show off their moves in the first ever Puppy Combine. Each pup will compete to be selected as the top pick in the Puppy Bowl Draft and join Team Ruff and Team Fluff rosters.
The popular annual event will be simulcast on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, TruTV, Max and Discovery+, with the kickoff set to air at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. May the best pooch team carry home the trophy.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
‘FLIGHT RISK’ RATED R
With a lean running time of ninety minutes, “Flight Risk” manages to deliver mindless popcorn entertainment, at the hands of director Mel Gibson, that provides thrills in a uniquely claustrophobic atmosphere.
Another interesting feature to this thriller is the focus almost exclusively on three characters riding on a single-engine Cessna through the Alaskan skies over snow-capped mountains with nary any other visible landscape in sight until the climactic end.
The film opens briefly on the ground at a seedy motel room where Topher Grace’s mob accountant Winston is apprehended by U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) and some cohorts. Fearing for his life, Winston is a reluctant witness for the upcoming trial of his mob boss.
Mark Wahlberg’s Daryl Booth is a bush pilot who has been hired to fly Madolyn and her prisoner to Anchorage to connect on a timely flight destined to New York in time for Winston’s testimony.
Shackled to the back seat of the Cessna, the garrulous, nervous Winston is a source of humor for his sarcastic wisecracks that soon begin to grate on the Marshal, while serving to lighten the mood in a turbulent ride, if that’s possible.
Not long into the flight, Daryl with his exaggerated Southern drawl turns out not to be the person he was supposed to be. That he’s not the good guy is obvious in the film’s trailer, so revealing this information is not a spoiler.
One question that everyone might consider is what is the deal with Daryl’s wig getting knocked off, revealing his balding pate that makes him look like a deranged Franciscan monk.
Aside from the trio of travelers on a possibly doomed flight and after tasing Daryl into submission, Madolyn connects by satellite phone with her superior (voiced by Leah Remini), which leads to another element of intrigue.
The other unseen player is the flirty Hassan (Monib Abhat), a pilot who’s engaged to help Madolyn land the plane once Daryl has been knocked unconscious even though the tension is palpable that he may rise once again as an immediate threat.
The confined space of a small plane created challenges for the storyline, but despite any of its flaws “Flight Risk” managed to keep the suspense afloat, mainly because Mark Wahlberg’s psychotic hitman was deliciously over-the-top with his maniacal turn.
As an actor with wide range, Wahlberg appears to have been directed to be just as outlandishly insane as possible, to the extreme point where to him having been the man of droll humor in films like “The Other Guys,” “Ted,” and Netflix’s “Spenser Confidential” seems improbable.
Coming most likely as a shock to very few, an overwhelming number of movie critics have savaged “Flight Risk” on Rotten Tomatoes for a variety of artistic reasons. They should know that films typically released in January are unlikely to garner any awards.
On the other hand, a giant step removed from film snobbery is the realization that “Flight Risk” is exactly what it obviously aspired to be, namely just fun that doesn’t tax the brain.
Quoted in the press notes, Mel Gibson explained that with the film’s claustrophobic setting, “We’ve played into everyone’s fear of flying, high altitudes, falling, and crashing.” Unless you are about to start flying lessons, this movie could be an entertaining outing.
‘GOING DUTCH’ ON FOX NETWORK
Denis Leary’s trademark angry rants are most fitting for his role in FOX’s “Going Dutch” of U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Quinn, who has run afoul of military brass and gets reassigned to a useless Army base in the Netherlands, hence the show’s title.
In the first episode, decorated combat veteran Colonel Quinn arrives at USAG Baumholder, Germany with his executive officer, Major Abraham Shah (Danny Pudi) in the belief he will be given command of the Army base.
General Davidson (Joe Morton), with good reason to hold a grudge, tells Quinn he’s being sent to command USAG Stroopsdorf, an insignificant service base that’s known for its laundry service, bowling and making cheese.
Arriving with Major Shah at the Dutch-based garrison, Colonel Quinn’s first encounter is with overweight, long-haired Corporal Elias Papadakis (Hal Cumpston), riding a bicycle, which prompts the Colonel to call him “a fat hippie on a bike.”
Sgt. Dana Conway (Luci Mosley) welcomes Quinn to the fromagerie and a tour of the other amenities, including a teen center on a base where there are no kids and which exists only because the budget allowed for a teen center.
The biggest surprise in store is when the Colonel meets the interim base commander, Capt. Maggie Quinn (Taylor Misiak), his estranged daughter, whose method of operation is the polar opposite of her father’s exacting style. That conflict between them is inevitable should be a source for humor.
With a military base full of misfits seemingly armed only with cue sticks and bowling pins, “Going Dutch” may yet find its footing as an entertaining off-beat comedy if the potential displayed in the early stage of the series is fully realized.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
