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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Ted Kooser
I love poems with sudden surprises, and here’s one by Jennifer Gray, a Nebraskan.
Will you ever see depressions puddled with rain without thinking of the image at her conclusion?
Horses
The neighbor’s horses idle
under the roof
of their three-sided shelter,
looking out at the rain.
Sometimes
one or another
will fade into the shadows
in the corner, maybe
to eat, or drink.
Still, the others stand,
blowing out their warm
breaths. Rain rattles
on the metal roof.
Their hoof prints
in the corral
open gray eyes to the sky,
and wink each time
another drop falls in.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2013 by Jennifer Gray. Reprinted by permission of Jennifer Gray. Introduction copyright 2014 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
Zombies may not have actually descended on the annual American Film Market (AFM) gathering of the global film industry at the idyllic setting of Santa Monica, but producer P. Frank Williams found an ingenious way to promote the presale of his “Miami Zombie” film.
Scores of young people, dressed like “newsies” from the heyday of print journalism around the turn of the 20th century, stormed the lobby of the Santa Monica Loews Hotel, shouted news alerts and handed out bulletins to herald the upcoming “Miami Zombie.”
Given the global appetite for zombie films, it was refreshing, if not surprising, that no one costumed as the walking dead roamed the halls of the hotel, where buyers and sellers from around the world congregate for a week-long indulgence of deal-making on films in all stages of development and production.
Unlike many films offered for sale in various territories of the global market, “Miami Zombie,” as Mr. Williams explained, does not yet have a cast, let alone a shooting schedule.
The film is being presold on the strength of it being based on the shockingly true story of a crazed Miami petty criminal who wantonly attacked a homeless man and bit off most of his face.
In today’s cinematic world, gimmicks are not just useful, but increasingly necessary in an environment where the good old days of selling a variety of film genres, from horror and splatter to high-octane action and B-movies, simply involved just having product available.
Even the shark attack movies, most effectively realized in the “Sharknado” franchise, may have run their course.
What seems to be an ongoing ritual in the global film market is the disparity of an American Film Market continuing to draw record numbers of participants, exhibitors, and buying companies while the small and medium-sized independent film companies that lack the deep pockets of major studios are shrinking in numbers.
As an example, AFM announced that this year’s market welcomed over 70 new exhibiting companies. Jonathan Wolf, managing director of the AFM, commented that “the evolving marketplace is creating opportunities for new distributors and entrepreneurs in Asia and around the world. We look forward to welcoming this diverse group of first-time participants.”
Left unsaid is that there could be a nearly equal number of exhibitors that did not return from last year.
A conversation with one exhibitor, whose identity needs to be concealed, revealed that his frustration causes him to question his continued participation in the AFM since he sells most of his product before even setting up shop at this event.
Part of the fun of the AFM is to marvel at the creativity of poster art. Last year, it was hard to top “FDR American Badass,” which portrayed the 32nd president of the United States in a wheelchair outfitted with blazing rocket launchers.
Getting into the spirit of paying tribute to the most amusing and over-the-top promotional materials is the venerable industry trade publication “The Hollywood Reporter,” which selected for honorable mention the film “Cowboys vs. Zombies,” serving to validate that the zombie craze is still a potent cinematic force.
The best poster identified by “The Hollywood Reporter” may belong to “Treasures of Lake Kaban,” where the tag line of “no time to explain” still leaves one wondering how the images that evoke James Bond, Lara Croft and Leeloo from “The Fifth Element” haven’t stirred copyright infringement legal action.
The notion that the fascination with predatory sharks may have exhausted its welcome at the cinema seems to be contradicted by plenty of films on offer.
“Raiders of the Lost Shark” is a horror film about a weaponized shark that escapes a top secret military lab and terrorizes tourists on a private, remote island.
Where has Dolph Lundgren been hiding? AFM provides the answer with the announcement of his anticipated 2015 film “Shark Lake,” in which an old black market exotic species dealer has let loose a family of sharks that hunt down swimmers and land-lovers alike in a quiet town on Lake Tahoe.
Best of all could be the teaming of Traci Lords and Dominique Swain in the action adventure film “Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre.”
Giant prehistoric sharks find their way to the heart of the Arkansas Bayou where a group of female prisoners on a work detail in the swamp are attacked without warning and stranded in a deserted cabin in the heart of the wetlands.
On the subject of horror, the Nazis always remain good fodder.
“Soldiers of the Damned” finds the war-weary commander of an elite troop of German soldiers ordered to escort a female scientist behind enemy lines on the Eastern Front to retrieve an ancient relic.
As his men begin to disappear, the commander discovers something in the forest is far more deadly than the Russians.
An uplifting World War II story is “Walking with the Enemy,” inspired by a true story.
With Ben Kingsley in a starring role, this could be something more than the usual Nazi-era fare.
Set in Budapest in 1944, a young university student brazenly steals a uniform and poses as a Gestapo officer to save his family and countrymen from the concentration camps.
HBO’s wildly successful “Game of Thrones” may rub off on Myriad Pictures’ push to sell “In the Lost Lands,” based on three fantasy stories by bestselling author George R.R. Martin, the creator of “Game of Thrones.” The George R.R. Martin connection may be all that is needed to get this film off the ground.
The exhibitors at AFM often look to hype a certain angle.
The horror film “Rage” is being touted as Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” meets “Halloween.”
I am more intrigued by “Kill the Dictator,” based on a true story, which leaves one guessing about the dictator in question, though the setting appears to be Central or Latin America.
After more than three decades, the American Film Market remains an interesting place to get the full flavor of films in the global marketplace.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Editor
UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino College will be hosting combined auditions for two spring musical theater productions: “Legally Blonde,” to be performed at Mendocino College and “Spamalot,” to be performed at Ukiah Players Theatre.
Any actors, singers and dancers over the age of sixteen are invited to participate in this open call audition.
Those who wish to audition are encouraged to come prepared to sing a song of their choice from a contemporary Broadway musical (approximately one minute long), also bringing sheet music if necessary.
For those who are unable to prepare a song ahead of time, a song will be taught at the audition to be performed.
Wear comfortable clothing, as all those auditioning will be asked to learn a dance combination and perform it as part of the audition.
Auditions will be held on Monday, Dec. 1, beginning at 6 p.m. as well as Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m.
Those wishing to audition should arrive on time to the Mendocino College Center Theatre located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road in Ukiah.
For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/336521133194628/ or call 707-468-3172.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local author Heather McIntosh will read from her novel “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” at Lakeport Library at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22.
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon” tells the story of Kate O’Connell, happy in her world of family and high school friends in 1969 until the love of her life goes missing in action in Vietnam.
McIntosh is a Lake County native who started writing at the age of 6 and grew up writing in Lake County.
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon” is her first published book and she has two more books in progress.
Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m. The phone number is 707-263-8817.
The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .
More library events can be found on the library’s calendar online.