THE WALK (Rated PG)

The Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center come to life again in “The Walk,” the story of a Frenchman’s surreal participation in an illegal activity that didn’t involve the worst strike on American soil since Pearl Harbor.

Apart from the horror of the 9/11 terror attack, let’s also not forget that World Trade Center was the target of terror bombings back in 1993.

Fortunately, “The Walk” is set in 1974, allowing director Robert Zemeckis to pen a love letter to the iconic buildings that then loomed large over the New York skyline.

On August 7, 1974, the day before President Nixon resigned from office, Philippe Petit, a French aerialist, surprised unwary passersby with a high-wire walk between the towers of the almost-completed and partially-occupied World Trade Center.

The story of daring wire walker Philippe Petit was documented in “Man on Wire,” a film released in 2008 and subsequently awarded the Oscar for best documentary film. Elsewhere, Petit’s act has been described, perhaps fittingly, as the “artistic crime of the century.”

An interesting take on why making a film about the seemingly impossible is director Zemeckis’ observation that when you watch a wire walker, “you always have to watch by looking up at him.”

“The Walk” affords viewers the point of view of Petit, wonderfully expressed here by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a role that requires him to have a French accent that proves to be only minimally distracting.

Though the 3D presentation of “The Walk” proves to be spectacular and emotional, Gordon-Levitt’s Petit fulfills the director’s primary objective of what it’s like to be on the wire, and to be sure, the actual stunt is breathtaking.

But before the film gets to the scene of the “artistic crime,” the story begins in Paris with Petit riding a unicycle and performing stunts in the public square acting the role of a struggling busker.

Performing his circus act of juggling and walking on a rope strung between two trees, Petit was basically in the minor leagues until he met up with street singer Annie (Charlotte Le Bon), who became his girlfriend and partner in the eventual planning of the New York caper.

In many respects, “The Walk” is a caper film, with the heist target being the illicit act of making it up to the 110th floor of the Twin Towers with the necessary equipment and the heavy cable wires.

At first, it appears that Petit’s ambition is beyond his talents. His attraction to the Twin Towers comes from a newspaper article about the architectural marvel of what would become at the time the world’s tallest buildings.

Petit began doodling on the newspaper photo a line connecting the two towers, dreaming of a feat that would require him to seek out the help of Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), a circus performer with a lifetime of experience walking on the high wire.

After mentoring sessions with Papa Rudy, which include walking the wire under the circus tent without a safety harness and practicing in open fields, Petit assembles a team of cohorts to plan the New York adventure.

As time moves along, Petit becomes more immersed in American culture and the English language, even though his accent remains unmistakably foreign.

Serving as a framing device to capture the Twin Towers in the background, Petit narrates his thought process on moving forward with an ambitious goal from a perch on the Statute of Liberty, a landmark which in itself is the welcoming point for entry into America.

Aside from Annie’s dedication to his visionary yet dangerous aspiration, Petit finds a primary accomplice in his friend Jean-Louis (Clement Sibony), who has the responsibility in the pre-Internet age to document the event with still photography.

While picking up supplies at an electronics store in Manhattan, Petit and his team gain another accomplice in J.P. (James Badge Dale), who gets in on the action because, unbeknownst at first to the crew, he speaks French and understands their secret mission.

Once in New York, the story focuses on the planning stages of the caper, with Petit and his gang conducting undercover surveillance and scouting their options.

Petit dons a number of disguises, from construction worker to an office drone complete with the appropriate business suit.

Interestingly, and completely riveting, is the notion that the preparation for the act itself is like a reverse heist film. The primary objective is not to steal anything, but to put the cables and equipment in a secure and hidden place.

In real life, Petit’s high-wire walk, without a safety harness, took about 45 minutes. In “The Walk,” the timeframe is more condensed, and yet it fully captures the extremely perilous nature of this performance.

Petit traverses the wire between the two buildings not just once but many times, pausing occasionally to kneel down and at one point to recline on the wire.

If you don’t feel the emotional punch of watching this hazardous stunt, check to see if you still have a pulse.

The high-wire walk creates gripping tension and suspense, and as such “The Walk” is a technical marvel that demands to be seen in 3D. You can’t watch the climactic daredevil act without a feeling of shear dread or panic.

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

THE MARTIAN (Rated PG-13)

With the exception of a tense rescue mission, “The Martian,” a science-fiction adventure insofar as the main action takes place on a distant planet millions of miles and several years in travel distance from Planet Earth, is engaging mainly for the titular character’s solitary test of survival skills.

Similar in some respects to Tom Hanks’ being stranded on a deserted island in “Cast Away,” Matt Damon’s American astronaut Mark Watney finds himself inadvertently abandoned on Mars after his crewmates are forced into an emergency evacuation as the result of a devastating windstorm.

The sense of isolation, to say nothing of abandonment on the hostile turf of a distant planet, is inescapable when there are no means to communicate with NASA.

Even worse, Watney doesn’t have a volleyball named Wilson with which to have companionship and daily conversation.

“The Martian” begins with Watney as part of a six-member crew on the Mars mission Ares III, occurring at some point in the near future, which is conducting experiments and collecting soil samples.

As a botanist and mechanical engineer, Watney is a vital member of a mission being led by Commander Lewis (Jessica Chastain), with an invaluable assist from pilot Rick Martinez (Michael Pena), a military veteran who enjoys bantering with Watney.

The rapid approach of a major storm catches the crew off-guard, most of them wandering on the surface of Mars, causing Commander Lewis to issue a command for an emergency evacuation, which will leave behind valuable equipment and the modular base camp.

Watney, hit by flying metal debris, is separated from his crewmates and becomes lost. His failure to return to the spacecraft results in the inevitable conclusion that he has been killed, leaving Lewis with no choice but to abort the mission and make a hasty retreat back to Earth.

No one on the Ares III wanted to leave a man behind, but the stark reality of facing obliteration a few years removed from home could leave no other solution. They had no idea that Watney was not dead after all.

Maybe not dead, but he was seriously injured. But Watney is extremely resourceful, making his way back to the modular campsite, known as HAB, where he performs tricky medical self-help before assessing his dire situation.

Locating an old Pathfinder probe abandoned on Mars in 1997, Watney is able to jerry-rig a crude form of communication back to Earth, but his dilemma is how he will manage to survive for about the four years it would take NASA to send another mission to Mars.

Watney finds there is little in the way of diversions in the HAB quarters other than to watch reruns of “Happy Days” or “Welcome Back, Kotter” (I am not sure which), but even worse is having to listen to Commander Lewis’ collection of disco music.

Assessing his supply of rations, Watney calculates that he’ll soon starve to death. But his smart thinking as a botanist allows him to put together a potato farm, involving his own creation of manure, which will stretch his food supply.

Meanwhile back on Earth, Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels), the Director of NASA, working with the best minds at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is leading an effort to not only find a quick solution but to avert a public relations disaster.

The Ares III mission turns into the media event of the century, and it falls to Annie Montrose (Kristen Wiig), NASA’s media relations director, to extract information from preoccupied NASA personnel as she is charged with facing down a gallery of frenzied press starved for newsworthy tidbits.

Back on Mars, Watney demonstrates a self-deprecating sense of humor that serves him well as a coping device, enabling him to stave off hopelessness and keep his mind from fixating on the dire circumstances.

That Watney remains upbeat and optimistic in the face of the most difficult circumstances is vital to the story. His entries into a video log document his ordeal and serve as a testimony to his heroic endeavor to stay alive.

At its most basic, “The Martian” is a testament to the human spirit, though there are occasions of self-doubt and even despair for Watney, but somehow he manages, usually with some humor, to pull through.

Donald Glover’s eccentric JPL orbital dynamicist Rich Purnell concocts a theory to bring Watney back, which is validated by NASA’s director of the Mars mission, Dr. Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

The theory is a risky proposition, but it requires Watney’s crewmates, making their way back to Earth, to put their lives at risk for a rescue mission. Will Watney’s original crew be up for the daring challenge? The answer to that question results in the most spectacularly climactic and thrilling action sequence of this space odyssey.

One may find an urge to compare Matt Damon’s role in “The Martian” to that of Sandra Bullock also cast adrift in “Gravity.”

Both performances are riveting and compelling, but Damon has truly excelled in arguably his best role to date, and as a result, “The Martian” is smart and engaging.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, the Soper Reese Theatre will host Classic Cinema Sponsor Night for those interested in learning more about how to support the theater's vintage film series in 2016.

Sponsorships are $150 per film and open to individuals and businesses.

The theater will show one film a month on the second Tuesday with a schedule as follows. Sponsors may select the show they most prefer.

– January: “Gone with the Wind”;
– February: “Annie Hall”;
– March: “After the Thin Man”;
– April: “Notorious”;
– May: “The Music Man”;
– June: “The Great Escape”;
– July: “Chinatown”;
– August: “Breakfast at Tiffany's”;
– September: “The Big Sleep”;
– October: “King Kong”;
– November: “Mutiny on the Bounty”;
– December: “Alice in Wonderland.”

Because of the success of the classic cinema series, the theater has added a second film series for 2016 which will screen every fourth Tuesday.

The schedule for this series has not been set and those who sponsor will be able to back the film of their choice, subject to availability.

For parties interested in sponsoring but who cannot attend the event on Oct. 15, please contact Carol Hays at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-263-0577.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Artist Anna Sabalone and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting a series of monthly art classes.

The next class will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at the studio, 9505 Main St., Upper Lake.

During the class, Sabalone will demonstrate painting with pastel chalks and participants will then draw the featured horse subject.
 
All supplies will be provided along with a glass of wine for sipping for $40 each class.

Each class in future months will focus specifically on a different art medium. The Nov. 15 class will focus on perspectives in pencil.

Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County Arts Council since her teen years.

She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology.

She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UCSB and has been teaching art, English, history and Academic Decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.

For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.
 
Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County.

Artists' shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
 
The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday; 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; and 1 to 8 p.m. Friday.

For more information call the Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Community Seventh-day Adventist Church is proud to present a free benefit concert for the victims of the Valley fire this Saturday, Oct. 3.

The concert will begin at 6 p.m. at the church, located at 1111 Park Way, at the corner of Park and Hill Road, right off Highway 29.

The event will feature Margie Salcedo Rice, concertmistress for the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra. 

There will be a free will offering taken for the victims of the fire.

Come out and hear this magnificent violinist.

For further questions please call the church at 707-263-6002.

The NBC television network has fared much better in the last year or so, as opposed to not long ago when it was floundering in last place among the four major TV networks.

Comedy shows have been a big part of the network’s resurgence. The success of “Undateable” was inspired programming that now anchors the Friday night slot.

The unique success of this ensemble comedy was the result of a launch more than a year ago during the summer doldrums, getting a jump on the fall season.

Speaking to the nation’s TV critics just last month, Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment, noted that “comedy is very important to us, and it’s no secret we only have two comedies on the fall schedule.”

The network chief observed that NBC has “been in a difficult transition in the last couple of years after the departure of ‘The Office,’ '30 Rock’ and now ‘Parks and Rec,’ and frankly, we struggled to find those classy new anchor shows.”

Recognizing the competitive nature of the Thursday lineup for all networks, NBC is shifting direction in a big way by deploying three event dramas on the coveted Thursday night with the return of the second season of “The Blacklist” and two new series.

“Heroes Reborn” follows the 2006 “Heroes” series with an epic 13-episode event program that chronicle the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary powers.

I must confess that I barely remember the origin show from years ago, and consequently, wonder if there was any clamoring to bring it back. Somehow, I never witnessed the petition drive outside Rite-Aid or Walmart.

In any case, Jack Coleman returns as Noah Bennet, who has gone off the grid, after a terrorist attack in Odessa, Texas has left the city decimated. This can only mean that some of the origin characters are no longer with us.

Meanwhile, conspiracy theorist Quentin Frady (Henry Zembrowski) finds Noah Bennet, aka HRG, and opens his eyes to the truth behind the Odessa tragedy.

New people on the scene include Zachary Levi’s Luke and Judith Shekoni’s Joanne, two vigilantes who are seeking to avenge a tragic loss. Other characters, while in hiding, have discovered newfound skills.

“Heroes Reborn” has its target audience with those who followed a series that ended five years ago, but there could be plenty of interest for Noah Bennet’s quest to find out what happened to his daughter (Hayden Panettiere).

Also on the tough Thursday night schedule is the new drama series “The Player,” set in the glittering world of Las Vegas, which represents a chancy roll of the dice for a new dramatic twist on the gaming world.

Wesley Snipes stars as mysterious casino pit boss Mr. Johnson, assisted by Charity Wakefield’s Cassandra King as his dealer for a high-stakes game where an organization of wealthy individuals gamble on one man’s ability to stop big crimes from happening.

The pawn in the action-packed deadly game is former military operative Alex Kane (Philip Winchester) turned security expert who is drawn into a perverse game of chance where the stakes are measured in thwarting criminal acts and saving human lives.

Coming off his stint as a commando in the high-stakes action series “Strike Back,” Philip Winchester is the right guy for this role. Oddly enough, his former co-star in that Cinemax series, Sullivan Stapleton, has a prime role in the new NBC series “Blindspot.”

Unless you have failed to notice the high-profile advertising campaign for “Blindspot” from TV commercials to billboards, the presence of a beautiful woman covered in hieroglyphic-style tattoos as the central character is unmistakable.

Jaimie Alexander’s Jane Doe is found naked in Times Square in a duffel bag. Sullivan Stapleton’s FBI agent Kurt Weller comes into the picture because his name is inexplicably tattooed on her back.

With no memory of her past, or why she should come to the attention of the FBI because of a luggage tag, Jane Doe’s body is a roadmap into a larger conspiracy of crime, which may lead to the discovery of her true identity.

At first blush, “Blindspot” offers a vast and complex mystery about the girl that should draw the attention of viewers and not just the government agents. Unlike some shows that are DOA from day one, this drama series seems to be worth a look to see how the early episodes unfold.

It wouldn’t be accurate to call “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris” a comedy show, even though the titular character has a knack for delivering laughs.

The multi-talented Harris, winner of five Emmys and a Tony Award, seems the right fit to bring back a one-hour variety show which will feature stunts, comedy skits, celebrity appearances, performances and mini-game shows.

More straight-forward comedy is in the offing for later in October in a time slot to follow “Undateable.”

Two married couples that are both neighbors and best friends supposedly engage in conversations on all topics, even ones considered taboo in a politically correct world.

Yet to be seen, this comedy series “Truth Be Told” could prove aptly-named, if Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Vanessa Lachey, as one couple, have frank discussions about life, sex and race that push the envelope, with the other couple, Tone Bell and Bresha Webb.

Rounding out the fall season in mid-November is another chapter in the Dick Wolf “Chicago” franchise. Joining the third season of “Chicago P.D.” and the fourth season of “Chicago Fire” is “Chicago Med.”

It should come as a surprise to no one that “Med” is a drama about doctors, nurses and staff holding it all together at a trauma center.

The ensemble cast for “Chicago Med” is headed by S. Epatha Merkerson’s Sharon Goodwin, the hospital head, and Oliver Platt’s Dr. Daniel Charles, the brilliant Chief of Psychiatry with a troubled personal life.

What’s next for Dick Wolf, “Chicago Medical Examiner?” Actually, what might prove dramatically disturbing and unsettling might be “Chicago School System.” This is just a thought for NBC executives to ponder.

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