NEIGHBORS (Rated R)

The plot of “Neighbors” is succinctly stated in the tag line of the film’s billboard advertising. Simply put, “Family vs. Frat” sums it up nicely, with generational conflict spawned when a rowdy fraternity house takes up residence in a peaceful neighborhood.

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are young adult professionals Mac and Kelly Radner with a cute newborn baby. Mortgaged to the hilt, they buy a dream house in a leafy suburban community.

The transition to mature adulthood with the attendant responsibilities of creating a nice family life is challenging. Spontaneity in their sex life and desire to party is inhibited by the ever-watchful smiling baby (one of the cutest infants in memory).

When the large house next door goes up for sale, the Radners are hopeful for friendly new residents. Instead, they get the neighbors from hell when the Delta Psi Beta fraternity moves in with the sole mission of designing party central complete with all-night drinking bouts.

The vacuous, party-boy frat president Teddy (Zac Efron), apparently aimless in his scholastic career, has the single-minded goal of putting his class into the annals of frat history with the most epic party ever held.

At first, Mac and Kelly, rightly concerned about the presence of party animals, don’t want to appear to be “uncool” old fogies, so they join a frat party one night and indulge too much in some hallucinogenic activities.

Of course, trying to fit in with the adolescent college types is not really a wise move, and Mac and Kelly quickly realize that, though they are far from being old, they are not going to recapture the wild abandon of their not-so-distant partying days.

As a result, an understanding is reached with Teddy that he’ll tone down the frat’s activities if their parties become too loud and raucous. All that Mac and Kelly need to do is call with a request to “keep it down.”

The inevitable sleepless night of coping with too much loud music from the neighbors soon arrives, and multiple calls to Teddy go unheeded. The only choice for Mac and Kelly is to report the rowdy party to the police for what turns out not to be an anonymous tip.

At this point, Teddy expresses his disappointment that Mac and Kelly went nuclear, and backed up by his wingman Pete (Dave Franco) and the entire fraternity, including a group of humiliated pledges, he decides to launch all-out war on the family next door.

The young couple takes their concerns about the fraternity to the college dean (Lisa Kudrow), who seems worried only about newspaper headlines that would shame the school. Still, they discover that Delta Psi Beta is already on probation and facing possible disbandment.

Some strategic thinking goes into a plot to turn the frat house into an unsustainable financial burden so that the boys would be forced to sell and relocate. Flooding the frat house basement is a good start.

And yet, the frat boys prove to be ingenious by raising money on campus by selling to willing, adoring female students sex toys that have been molded by using the frat members as models. The actual production of such tools is just one of the weirdly funny scenes.

Indeed, if the above is not sufficient warning, filmgoers should be aware that there are crude penis jokes, and not surprisingly, much like a Judd Apatow movie, lewd and salacious humor drives much of the comedic action.

The ongoing escalation of war between the neighbors is unavoidable. Even the frat’s Robert De Niro costume party offers many taunts to the Radners, with Teddy doing an impression of an unhinged Travis Bickle from “Taxi Driver” as an awkward method of intimidation.

Director Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) has an Apatow-like taste for scandalous idiocy, but also taps into some resourceful ingenuity. The clever use of pilfered air bags from the Radner station wagon is a prime example.   

A frequently shirtless Zac Efron shows off his chiseled torso, but the best comic use of his physique comes near the end during his summer job as an outdoor model for Abercrombie & Fitch, where he’s hilariously upstaged when the flabby Seth Rogen decides to go shirtless as well in an impromptu competition.

“Neighbors” is crude, profane, rude and even scatological in its humor, which is what one would expect in a movie that stirs memories of “Animal House” and “Old School.” Still, there’s a measure of sweet sentimentality that mutes the otherwise dark edges of comedy.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” screens at the Soper Reese Theatre as part of its Classic Cinema Series on Tuesday, May 13, with show times at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

This suspenseful film, made in 1963, is set in Bodega Bay and made the tiny coastal California town famous worldwide.

In classic Hitchcock style, the tension builds slowly, beginning with a small, unexplained quirk in bird behavior until eventually the attacks become widespread, violent and life threatening.

The movie marks the screen debut of Tippi Hedren. It also stars Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy and Veronica Cartwright.

Entry to the film is by donation.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com .

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (Rated PG-13)

When it comes to superhero action films, a cloud has seemingly formed inside my brain, either fogging up my judgment or, as it seems more likely, making it more difficult to differentiate between recent entries in the genre.

I may have lost count, but “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is only the second installment in a reboot of the franchise that initially started with Sam Raimi as director of films which starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

Raimi’s last film in the series was “Spider-Man 3,” and so I, and perhaps many others, may be forgiven for thinking that this newest entry is really “Spider-Man 5” and that its reason for being is setting up the inevitable “Spider-Man 6,” or what would be current director Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 3.”

The fog rolling over my brain also has something to do with keeping track of all the superheroes running loose at the cinema, whether or not they originate from Marvel Comics.

We’ve got Captain America, Superman, Batman, the Green Hornet, the Hulk and Kick-Ass, just to name a few. Am I alone in feeling overwhelmed?

Now that we have partially cleared up the Spider-Man entries, let’s talk about Andrew Garfield and his fit as the eponymous character in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” He’s joined again by his love interest, Gwen Stacy (a terrific Emma Stone). The best part of the movie just might be their romantic chemistry.

Of course, this is a relationship fraught with peril, because hanging out with Spider-Man or his alter ego, Peter Parker, is almost a death wish, which is why Gwen’s late father pleaded with Spider-Man to keep his distance.

Father issues are very much front-and-center for Peter Parker. He still needs to resolve the fate of his late father, who worked at Oscorp (the corporate tech villain in this and other stories) and wanted to prevent turning biological cures into weapons.

Peter’s old childhood friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) has his own father issues, being the son of Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper), the founder of Oscorp. It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Osborn family has many bad intentions.

Early on, Spider-Man saves a troubled Oscorp employee, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), from a car accident. But Max is transformed into new villain Electro when he falls into a vat of mutant and once fortified with electrical powers he turns on Spider-Man.

Another character introduced in the universe of Sinister Six villains is the Rhino (Paul Giamatti). At the film’s beginning, Spider-Man swings into action to thwart a heist being masterminded by Giamatti’s Russian thug, who only later acquires his new merrily fanatic Rhino identity.

The primary villain subplot, though not completely dominating the action, revolves around Harry Osborn’s creepily deranged obsession with defeating Spider-Man. It’s only later that Harry is transformed into the Green Goblin, setting up some crucial scenes near the film’s end.

Actually, it is rather hard to swallow the idea that Harry and Peter were friends during their youth. After all, Peter lived modestly in Queens, while Harry was a privileged trust fund kid whose father ruled a corporate empire.

Thus, it is not that surprising when Harry takes over the reins of Oscorp and marshals the vast resources of the company in an effort to save his own life from the disease that plagues his family.

Through his discovery of Oscorp’s secret lair of Special Projects, Harry comes to believe that Spider-Man’s blood is the answer to his prayers – and that belief becomes an obsession that eventually leads Harry to his transformation as the Green Goblin.

Circling back to the Peter and Gwen relationship, it should be noted that their romance, though it has an ersatz Romeo and Juliet quality, is a complicated teen love story. Gwen is bright, the class valedictorian who has the opportunity to go to Oxford.

Gwen knows her father wanted her protected from an association with Spider-Man, but she really wants to be with Peter, even though he swore to stay away.

Regardless, Peter remains conflicted about the situation, and that creates a lot of tension between them throughout the movie.

Both Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield have grown into their roles. Aside from their chemistry, Garfield is also delivering plenty of cheesy one-liners, allowing a sense of humor to pervade the proceedings.

The younger audience is going to love all the action scenes, particularly the web-slinging that allows Spider-Man to sweep through the concrete canyons of Manhattan. For many of us, though, it all seems too familiar.

On the plus side, New York City landmarks appear in abundance, with the result that the Big Apple shines brightly. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” used actual locations rather than studio backlots.

Fans of the franchise may look forward to the evolution of the Sinister Six as the creation of the evil Oscorp. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” offers clues to the plots to come against Spider-Man. The wait probably won’t be long.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a benefit for the Soper Reese Theatre, several talented musicians will pay tribute to the life of Pete Seeger who died last January at the age of 94.

The “Celebrating Pete Seeger” concert takes place on the theater’s stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 24. All seats are $15.

Seeger, a three-time Grammy winner and political activist, was best known for such iconic American folk songs as “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

His hallmark instrument was emblazoned with the words, “this banjo surrounds hate and forces it to surrender,” and he always encouraged his audiences to sing along.

Seeger’s life and times will be honored by several well known musicians from the area including Don Coffin on guitar and mandolin.

Coffin plays with the blue grass group, “Uncorked,” and is one of the original members of Kate Wolf’s band, “Wildwood Flower.”

Also playing is Will Siegel, on guitar and banjo. He teaches guitar at Mendocino College and was a member of the “Wildwood Flower” band.

Peter Baird, who will play guitar at the concert, once played with Seeger when Baird was director of the Sacramento Labor Chorus. Baird also interviewed Seeger for his doctoral dissertation on children's musicians. Baird's brother, Steve, who will play bass, also has a degree in music.

Verne Morninglight has been a Pete Seeger fan since childhood, learning to play the 12 string guitar in the Elizabeth Cotton style of picking, as did Seeger. Verne has performed at such historic folk venues as the Hungry Eye in San Francisco.

Special guest for the evening, Mandy Feder, will share her reminiscences of time spent with Seeger, who had been a lifelong family friend.

And then there will be the voices of the audience, so essential to a Seeger concert. The Emandal Chorale, directed by Don Willis, will get things started as they sing from the seats and encourage the rest of the audience to join in.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com ; at the box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information please call 707-263-0577.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is holding a poster contest for its summer event, Hot August Nites, to be held Friday, Aug. 15.

Local artists are invited to submit their original artwork to the poster contest committee.

Entries will be accepted through Thursday, May 15.

Entries will be judged on Monday, May 19, at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, and winners will be announced Tuesday, May 20.

The contest is open to Lake County residents of all ages.

The first place poster will be reproduced for Hot August Nites. Other top submissions also will be showcased at the dinner-dance.

Judges will choose first through third place, plus honorable mention.

The poster must depict the theme of the event, “Cruisin’ to the 50s,” and be no larger than 11 inches by 17 inches.

The artist's name and phone number must be attached to the back. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

The design must be in full color, and must be the contestant’s original hand drawn creation.

The submission deadline is fast approaching. All artwork must be delivered to the Lakeport Senior Activity Center.

Entry forms/agreements are available at the center, Meals on Wheels Thrift Store or online at www.lcseniors.com/poster .

All submissions must be accompanied by the signed entry form/agreement.

For additional information, call 707-263-4218, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is located at 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.

The Meals on Wheels Thrift Store is located at 120 N. Main St., Lakeport.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sunday’s concert of the Lake County Symphony will feature classical music adopted for film and television programs, according to the orchestra’s conductor John Parkinson, who says he’s mined an even dozen of them from the works of such composers as Strauss, Rossini, Handel, Offenbach, Grieg and others.  

The concert will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at Lakeport’s Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St.

The Symphony Association Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Sue Condit, will open the show with challenging pieces from two contemporary movies.

Parkinson noted that motion pictures have been “borrowing” classical music almost since their invention.  “Movie makers knew good music when they heard it, and they used it as a way to enhance their films” he said.

Because the Mother’s Day program has proved so popular, seating may be limited, but they can still be obtained online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or by phone at 707-263-0577.  

Tickets are $20 each for Symphony Association (formerly Clear Lake Performing Arts) members and $25 for general admission.  

Young people under 18 are always admitted free to the 11 a.m. full rehearsal, while others may attend for only $5.