Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography. Is it worse to live in a city where you can't see a big storm coming until it's right on top of you, or to be out on the plains where you can see it coming for almost too long?
I like this long look at an approaching and then passing storm by Max Garland, who lives in Wisconsin. It's from his fine book, The Word We Used For It, from the University of Wisconsin Press.
Happiness
The storm was headed in our direction— big loom of gray like the absolute West leaned over us. Reports of damage in the neighboring counties—a silo unfurled and took wing, a house trailer twisted loose. On the Doppler screen the storm looked alive, yellow and green at the fringes, with a fierce red heart trending to violet. Sirens swept over to scare it away, like songbirds grow strident, circle and bluff at the sight of an owl. When the rain came in sheets, I regretted my sins. When lightning cracked the red pine's half-rotted heart, I wished the world more joy in general. When the worst was over and the grass lay flat, but alive, and the sky was a waning bruise, I thought of that silo, how it wasn't mine, and all that grain cast back into the world's wind, maybe some of it still flying.
Jordan Peele, the writer and director behind the surprise hit thriller “Get Out,” follows up with his sophomore outing in the unnerving “Us,” an identity crisis story steeped in bloody horror and plot twists.
Having first established himself as a comedian teamed with Keegan-Michael Key, Peele is uniquely positioned to weave comedic elements for bright spots of levity into work that might otherwise be too mind-bending.
Nevertheless, Peele is seemingly obsessed with symbolism, some of which takes time to be revealed as meaningful. After all, you may ask yourself what’s up with all the white rabbits in cages stacked high in an underground room?
Significant imagery takes hold in the opening flashback to 1986 when advertising for the Hands Across America event to fight poverty flashes on a television screen, which makes sense only later on.
This 1986 prologue finds young African-American girl Adelaide (Madison Curry) vacationing with her parents in Santa Cruz, where the summer fun of the boardwalk amusement park beckons.
Wandering off the beach into a hall of mirrors funhouse named “Find Yourself,” Adelaide gets lost and during a frantic search for an exit comes face to face with another young girl that looks like an evil twin.
In the present day, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), along with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), teen daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and young son Jason (Evan Alex), return to her summer childhood vacation home on a lake near Santa Cruz.
When Gabe insists that the family take an outing to the same Santa Cruz beach to join their friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker), Adelaide is filled with dread as the childhood trauma of seeing her scary doppelganger has not faded.
Later that night, a power outage leads to the discovery of the ominous presence of two adults and two children standing voiceless in the Wilson’s driveway, not responding to Gabe’s repeated inquiries about their intentions.
What happens next is a home invasion where the four intruders turn out to be nearly identical to each Wilson family member, all of them mute except for Adelaide’s double who speaks with a hoarse voice barely rising above an ominous whisper.
The scissor-wielding “shadow” figures are dressed in red jumpsuits which suggest an allegorical reference to prisoners heretofore tethered in the thousands of miles of underground tunnels in America noted in the title card in the film’s opening credits.
Of course, things become weirdly violent and chilling as the strange creatures pull no punches to stake their claim to the world aboveground. Only death awaits those unwilling or unable to fight back or flee.
Flight from danger for the Wilson family is fraught with intense terror and suspense, but escape from the imposters is not any easier than the encounters with evil in typical slasher films.
“Us” packs an interesting punch of audacious horror but any serious thought about the sociopolitical context Jordan Peele leads to passionate debate.
2019 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
The TCM Classic Film Festival’s website is now complete with its scheduling for its tenth anniversary return to Hollywood from April 11th to the 14th for a movie lover’s orgy of cinematic pleasures.
Most appropriate for this year’s theme entitled “Follow Your Heart: Love at the Movies,” the opening night presentation is the 30th anniversary of “When Harry Met Sally…,” with stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal and director Rob Reiner participating in a discussion.
Should opening night tickets not be available, “Dark Passage,” the third film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall together, is a great alternative. Wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, Bogart escapes to clear his name with the help of Bacall.
As if it’s not difficult enough to choose a film on the first night, the original “Ocean’s 11,” which captured the essence of “cool” in this 1960 heist film that brought together The Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra masterminding an ingenious plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos.
The Rat Pack members, also including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, may be long gone, but Angie Dickinson, having played the spouse to Danny Ocean, is still around to participate in a discussion.
Dickinson is also on hand for a presentation of Don Siegel’s direction of the 1964 version of “The Killers,” notable for the fact she was the femme fatale slapped around by Ronald Reagan, the perennial good guy, in his last and only film in which he played a vicious mob boss.
Fans of the “Star Wars” franchise should rejoice in the Saturday viewing of the 1977 original “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” in an IMAX presentation. Many would argue that this is the ultimate masterpiece of science-fiction.
TCM unearths the gems of a bygone era. “Blood Money” is the ultimate pre-Code film, with a leading lady who’s a masochistic kleptomaniac, jokes about hemorrhoids, and wall-to-wall civic corruption.
No matter the genre or the era, the Film Festival has offerings that appeal to a wide range of taste.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Northern California quintet, SonoMusette, recaptures the moody, melancholic sound and spirit of mid 20th-century Paris in a concert at the Soper Reese Theatre on Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m.
French chanteuse, musette accordion, gypsy-jazz guitar, upright bass, and drum kit combine to revive the enchanting songs of the Parisian Café era.
This music has retained its power to charm and transport listeners, and SonoMusette taps that nostalgia with artistry in both vocals and instrumentation.
Inspired by the great performers of the era, such as Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, and Django Reinhardt, along with contemporary artists such as Zaz, SonoMusette brings bal-musette to the “moderne” era.
Tickets are $20, open seating, and are now on sale online at www.soperreesetheatre.com; at the theater box office at 275 So. Main St., Lakeport up to two hours before show time on the day of the performance; and at The Travel Center, 1265 So. Main St., Lakeport, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
Restore Project participants Mary Daly and Stan Archacki at work on the Vertical Pathways project. Photo by the Middletown Art Center staff.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center studio classroom is bustling with creative activity most days of the week.
From the ongoing Restore Project, to Woodland Community College classes in drawing and art appreciation, to homeschool classes in art and drumming.
This Sunday, March 31, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Restore Project’s focus is on the collaborative art piece “Vertical Pathways for Rabbit Hill,” a working title.
Taught by sculptor Emily Sheibal, the class involves woodworking and additive sculpting in concrete using hardware cloth and burlap.
“I am overjoyed to see the Rabbit Hill project coming to fruition after a series of classes and collaborative brainstorming with Restore Project participants”, said Sheibal. “Members of our community have been given an opportunity to take ownership and contribute to local revitalization after the 2015 fires. They are collectively giving back hope through art.”
Adults of all ages and children age 11 up are encouraged to participate in this unique opportunity to collaboratively create and engage with the natural environment.
The cost is $5 per session. There is no requirement to attend every class and no previous art making experience is necessary.
Vertical Pathways is comprised of "totem pole" like sculptures. Participants are invited to select a fallen tree to carve and add form and shape to.
The “poles” will be installed in an undulating serpentine fashion to create a rhythmic visual pathway on the hillside. The “pathway” will provide a sense of protection, and visual contrast and harmony, while honoring remaining trees and offering additional habitat for birds and pollinators.
Earlier this year Restore participants who attended a field trip to Rabbit Hill with Lake County Land Trust members were inspired by both the totem like quality of remaining burned trees on the hillside and by stories they were told about the flutes that the former Rabbit Hill owners, “Huck” and “Skee” Hamann used to teach neighborhood children how to make and play.
In the 1970s the Hamanns donated the property to the Madrone Audubon Society. Rabbit Hill was transferred to the Lake County Land Trust after its inception in the 1990s. This project is a partnership between MAC and the Land Trust.
Additional Restore sessions focused on Vertical Pathways will be held April 14 and 28 with other creative and installation activities announced during April and May. Community members interested in helping with landscaping and installation can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call MAC at 707-809-8118.
Restore classes in sculpture, mixed media, printmaking or creative writing are offered most weekends through May from 1 to 5 p.m.
Upcoming classes include block printmaking with John Jennings on April 6, 3D Mixed Media with Laura Kennedy on April 7. Pre-registration is required for all classes at www.middletownartcenter.org/restore as space is limited.
The Restore project was made possible with support from the California Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from the Lake County Land Trust and other local organizations, businesses, and individuals.
Visit www.ca.arts.gov to learn more about the California Arts Council’s work in communities and schools throughout California. Learn more about the Lake County Land Trust at www.lakecountylandtrust.org.
The MAC Gallery currently features “Living Color” and vibrant exhibit open to the public Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Be a part of the growing arts and cultural scene in South Lake County by becoming a MAC member, by participating in Restore classes, or by attending one of the many events or classes at MAC.
“Once Upon A Mattress” is running at the Mendocino College Theatre Department through Sunday, March 31, 2019. Courtesy image. UKIAH, Calif. – The Mendocino College Theatre Department’s current production, “Once Upon a Mattress” is a raucous, entertaining re-envisioning of the “Princess and the Pea” with a heroine who, unlike the original, takes the bull by the horns and fashions her own Happily Ever After.
In the realm of fairy tale retellings, the play itself may not have the most inventive of plot twists, but who can resist a princess who swims a moat to catch her prince? Or story characters who answer to the names of Princess Winnifred Woebegone, Prince Dauntless the Drab and King Sextimus the Silent?
From the over-the-top antics of the Wizard (Shannon Sawyer), the chirrupy Queen Aggravain (Denise Doering), to the mostly silent (due to a curse that has rendered him mute), but very expressive King Sextimus, the large ensemble cast enthusiastically embraces roles that range from the slightly absurd to the downright comedic.
The result is a highly energetic production that’s sure to amuse and delight audiences of all ages.
It’s the 15th century in a faraway Kingdom, and Lady Larkin (Lindsey Chapman) is in a bit of a pickle.
She is pregnant but is unable to marry her gallant knight, Sir Harry (Eddie Haehl) because Queen Aggravain has decreed that no one in her land shall marry until her precious son, Prince Dauntless (August Kaster), has found a wife.
This, however, is turning out to be an impossible task as every potential bride has to prove herself to be a true princess by passing a test designed by the shrewish Queen.
“A princess is a delicate thing, delicate and dainty as a dragonfly’s wing. You can recognize a lady by her elegant air, but a genuine princess is exceedingly rare,” sings the Minstrel (Maria A. Monte) who also helps narrate the story.
At the play’s opening, 12 princesses have already tried and failed to win Queen Aggravaine’s approval, prompting Sir Harry to travel beyond the kingdom into the marshlands in search of a proper princess.
However, who shows up at the castle door – or over the wall, rather – is Princess Woebegone, wet and bedraggled after having just swum across the moat in her eagerness to meet the Prince, spunky and boisterous, and as undainty and indelicate as she can possibly be.
Much to Queen Aggravain’s chagrin, Prince Dauntless falls hopelessly in love with her. But of course, she must pass the test. In this case, a pea under a pile of twenty mattresses.
If Princess Woebegone sleeps undisturbed through the night, she’s not a true princess at all, and Prince Dauntless must remain haplessly single.
Lady Larkin runs away in “Once Upon A Mattress.” Courtesy image. To aid the dastardly plot along, Queen Aggravaine throws a ball and demands that everyone dances the Spanish Panic (to tire Woebegone out) and spikes the princess’ drink with a sedative.
The ensuing dance numbers are a hilarious whirlwind of quick steps and mad cavorting as Woebegone alternately wields a weight over her head to showcase her strength, and drinks goblet after goblet of wine.
The cast exuberantly leads the audience through rompy, toe tapping tunes such as “Song of Love”, the amusing “Man to Man Talk”, and a rousing “Once Upon a Mattress” finale.
Most notable in their roles are Blare Elliot whose strong vocals and bouncy performance charmingly embodies the ever-jaunty and buoyant Princess Woebegone and Schuyler Marcier as the mute King Sextimus, humorously pantomiming his way through most of the show.
This being a fairy tale, the princess triumphs and wins her prince, but getting there is all the fun in this production.
“Once upon a Mattress” runs through March 31 in the Center Theatre at the Mendocino College Ukiah campus. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday March 31 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Mendocino College Bookstore on the college campus, at the Mendocino Book Co. in downtown Ukiah and also online at www.artsmendocino.org . Prices are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors, and ASMC cardholders.
From left, Paula Kelly, Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera in “Sweet Charity.” Courtesy photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1969 musical, “Sweet Charity,” starring Shirley MacLaine, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, April 9, at 1 and 6 p.m.
Entry to the film is by donation.
Bob Fosse’s first film was nominated for three Oscars and adapted to the screen from the hugely successful stage version.
Standout numbers include “Hey, Big Spender” with MacLaine, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly, as well as “The Rhythm of Life,” sung with relish by Sammy Davis Jr.
Fosse’s exuberant direction keeps things interesting, with glimmers of ideas and techniques which he would apply with perfection in his final opus, “Cabaret.”
The movie is sponsored by Karen Weston and Nancy Rhoades. Rated G. Run time is 2 hours and 28 minutes.
The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.
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