How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (Rated PG-13)
You can’t go too far wrong pairing the hulking, powerful Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the diminutive funnyman Kevin Hart as mismatched partners in a buddy action comedy, and “Central Intelligence” has enough smarts, in dialogue and action, to deliver the goods.
Johnson and Hart, who for lack of a better definition could be called the Mutt and Jeff of action comedy, develop into the bickering partners that bring to mind the “Rush Hour” franchise and “Midnight Run.”
I suspect that the former reference is more familiar to most than the oddball comic road trip of “Midnight Run” in which Robert DeNiro’s taciturn bounty hunter has to lug a talkative mob accountant Charles Grodin cross country. If you haven’t seen this film, it’s a must-see.
OK, back to “Central Intelligence,” where the essential premise rests on life twenty years after high school, during which Johnson was, it would seem so improbably, an extremely chubby geek with the unfortunate name of Robbie Weirdicht.
As the hopelessly uncool high school senior, Robbie, the supersized kid with a gentle soul, was an easy prey to campus bullies and suffered the ultimate humiliation when he was hurled, naked, into center court at a school pep rally.
Hart’s character, Calvin Joyner, also known by the impressive nickname, the Golden Jet, was the Big Man on Campus, the King of the Prom and voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Despite all that, Calvin displayed an act of kindness to the sad sack Robbie that was never forgotten.
Jump to the present day, Robbie has been transformed by six hours a day of training into the physical specimen for which Dwayne Johnson became known as “The Rock” during his early career in the WWE world of wrestling.
Fittingly, Robbie has jettisoned his old name for that of Bob Stone, a moniker that suits his new role as a confident charmer with a rock-hard physique and a daring, skilled CIA operative with an exciting life that Calvin can only imagine.
Sadly, Calvin has become a risk-averse accountant stuck on the middle rung of the corporate ladder and commanding zero respect from his colleagues. His marriage to high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet) has hit a rough patch.
As the high school reunion looms, Calvin takes stock of his life and ponders what might have been. Suddenly, Bob shows up and invites Calvin for a beer a couple of days prior to the big reunion.
Maybe he’s a tough guy, but Bob still has a few quirks. He wears a unicorn T-shirt and an unfashionable fanny pack. His love for “Sixteen Candles” serves as a reference point apropos of nothing of significance, but provides a soft edge to his gruff exterior.
Within hours, Bob’s seemingly casual request for Calvin to analyze some financial data takes a suspicious turn, leading to a shaky path of underground transactions and high-stakes plot over stolen encryption codes that pose a threat to national security.
Bob’s superiors, including a tenacious Agent Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan) with a sadistic streak abetted by her own goon squad, believe Bob is behind a scheme to sell state secrets, while Bob claims to be tracking the real villain, code-named Black Badger.
Meanwhile, the funny part of the cloak-and-dagger mischief is that Calvin, despite his vigorous denials of involvement with Bob, is suspected by the government spooks of being in cahoots with a rogue agent, such that his home and office are invaded by gun-wielding agents.
“Central Intelligence” sets a nice rhythm to the action by exposing Bob and Calvin as polar opposites. Bob thrives on action and brute force, a trait demonstrated on the first night at the local tavern when Bob takes down four bullies with hardly a sweat.
Meanwhile, Calvin hates action and violence. When Bob reminds Calvin that “he’s in” on the caper to clear his name, Calvin insists that he’s not a part of it. The difference between these two is a classic set-up for a buddy, action comedy.
There’s more to it when Bob reveals that he still has a real affection in a hero-worship way toward Calvin. While Bob has become the strong, powerful dude, he still looks at Calvin like he’s the big hero from high school days, reminding him that he’s still the Golden Jet.
At some point, and not too surprisingly, Calvin may have to summon his dormant inner-hero to come to the rescue. The script has some good zingers, with one of them being Bob saying to Calvin, “You’re like a black Will Smith.”
For the most part, “Central Intelligence” thrives and succeeds on two central points. First is the dynamic chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart; they need to reunite in another adventure. Second is the breezy pace of the action itself.
Don’t expect any big deal with “Central Intelligence.” Go along for the ride, giving little thought to the plot itself, and enjoy the entertainment value provided by the very likable lead characters.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Services announced that the Eastlake Landfill and the Lakeport Public Services office will be closed Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.
Residential and commercial collection for Monday will be on Tuesday.
Normal collection schedules will resume the week following the holiday.
The Eastlake Landfill and the Public Services office will reopen on Tuesday, July 5.
Normal operating hours at the landfill are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The Public Services office is normally open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information visit the county Web site at www.recycling.co.ca.us or call 707-262-1618.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild will hold the hold 15th annual Falling Leaves Quilt Show on Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2.
Hours for the show are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 pm. Sunday at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.
The featured quilter for this year's show is Tami Graeber, who grew up in Lakeport and continues to have family ties in Lake County.
Graeber, an art quilter, this year took second in the Best of Show Category at Road to California and has been accepted to the Houston Show.
She will be giving one of her lectures on the textile painting technique for which she is known. Graeber’s award-winning painted quilt “Moroccan Moonfire” is the best known of that type and is on the cover for the HMQS catalog show this year.
This is a judged, open-entry show of 200-plus quilts. Download entry forms and get entry information from the Web site, http://www.llqg.org/quilt-show.html . Mail forms and show entries to: LLQG, P.O. Box 875, Kelseyville CA, 95451.
The entry deadline is Aug. 13. Quilts must be ready to hang on Thursday, Sept. 29.
The show also will feature a vendor mall with quilt fabric, books, patterns and notions; a Country Store; the opportunity quilt raffle; challenge, baby quilts and round robin exhibits; door prizes; a silent auction; demonstrations; and food by the Martinez family will be available at Barty’s.
The admission price is $10 for adults, $2 for children under age 12.
For more information visit the guild's Web site at www.llqg.org .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library will host a conversation and poetry reading featuring Dana Gioia, California’s State Poet Laureate, on Wednesday, July 6.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeport branch, located at 1425 N. High St.
This internationally known poet, editor and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts will read from his newest book “99 Poems: New and Selected” and share his love of poetry and literacy.
The program is free and open to the public.
Gioia is a native Californian with diverse interests whose work has earned many honors and his poems, translations, essays, and reviews have appeared in many magazines.
Before becoming a full-time professional writer in 1992, he worked for General Foods for 15 years.
Gioia served two terms as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts where he initiated a number of outreach programs such as Shakespeare in American Communities, Poetry Out Loud and Operation Homecoming.
Since 2011 he has been the Judge Winey Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. In 2015 he was appointed California’s State Poet Laureate.
Gioia’s Web site is http://danagioia.com .
The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .
Jan Cook is a library technician at the Lakeport Library.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County is included in a portion of interior Northern California which the National Weather Service has placed under a red flag warning.
The warning, which took effect at 11 p.m. Friday, remains active until 6 p.m. Saturday.
The National Weather Service said that a red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly.
In this case, the agency is warning of a combination of mostly northerly winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures that can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
The winds are forecast to continue on Saturday before gradually decreasing Saturday night and into Sunday morning, the National Weather Service reported.
The areas of highest threat are the mid to upper slopes and ridges below 4,500 feet in Lake, Butte, Glenn, Shasta and Tehama counties, and the west side of the Sacramento Valley, according to the forecast.
In the specific Lake County forecast, daytime temperatures on Saturday are expected to be into the mid 90s, with winds of up to 5 miles per hour that are expected to calm in the evening.
Beyond the red flag warning, from Sunday through Wednesday daytime temperatures are expected to climb into the mid 90s in much of the county and the high 90s in the Middletown area, before dropping to the low 90s on Thursday and the high 80s on Friday, according to the forecast.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Drivers traveling along Highway 20 on the Northshore will be encountering delays on weeknights due to road work meant to improve safety on several curves on the highway.
The work is taking place between Sayre Avenue in Nice and the Paradise Cove subdivision east of Lucerne, Caltrans said.
That area was included in a major repaving project that began last year, with some of the work continuing this year.
Earlier this month Caltrans reported that its contractor was starting nighttime paving between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday, with one-way traffic control in place.
Caltrans District 1 spokesman Phil Frisbie told Lake County News that the latest round of night work on Highway 20 is to install a high-friction surface to seven curves.
“It is basically an epoxy that is applied to the roadway and then a grit is applied to the top. It makes the surface look like a very course sandpaper and it helps vehicles that are traveling too fast to stay on the road,” said Frisbie.
Caltrans' contractor also is continuing with daytime work in the area from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Frisbie said that during the day workers are still raising some utility covers and repairing guardrail.
“All work is anticipated to be completed by the end of July,” he said.
Motorists are told to expect up to 10-minute delays both for the daytime and nighttime work, according to Caltrans.
Email Elizabeth Larson at