LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport's Main Street Gallery has announced that judging for their June juried show, “The Lake County Landscape,” will be in the talented and capable hands of artist Gail Salituri of Kelseyville.
Salituri's judging skills come by having served as a judge for the California County Fair System over a period of 10 years.
Her art career started with studies at San Jose City College and many seminars with internationally known artists including Leonard Wren, Bill Schnider, Rom Villa and Edgard Garcia.
Since that time she has received many accolades for her work, which is done exclusively in oils.
Working from her Lake County home studio she superbly depicts from her artistic vision the Golden State's missions, courtyards, vineyards and wineries, which all reflect her talented use of vibrant color and composition to produce canvases of serenity, peacefulness and appreciation for her subject matter.
Her work has appeared in “Steppin' Out,” “Southwest Art” and “Art of the West” magazines.
Her work currently is featured in the Lee Youngman Gallery, Calistoga and her own Inspirations Gallery in Lakeport.
Lake County artists wishing to submit their work for jury can pickup entry information from the Main Street Gallery, located at 325 N. Main St., Lakeport.
Work for jury process will be received at the gallery on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by special appointment by calling the show coordinator Ray Farrow at 707-278-0323.
Work juried into the show will hang in the Linda Carpenter Gallery for the month of June.
There will be two awards, the “Judges Award” and the “People's Choice Award,” both of which will be presented during the First Friday Fling on June 3.
The argument that Hollywood is running out of ideas and relies too much on remakes and sequels is bolstered mightily by the pointless restructuring of the 1981 “Arthur,” which starred Dudley Moore as the perfect fit for a drunken playboy billionaire incapable of growing up and taking on his inherited corporate responsibilities.
Far from being an improved version, the creative innovation in the new “Arthur,” consisting of fresh dialogue and altered situations, is hardly original or convincing.
In short, the 2011 “Arthur” is a mostly senseless, unnecessary and futile exercise in recreating a classic comedy. Comparing the new “Arthur” to the original is like measuring a bottle of cheap wine against the value of an exquisite vintage.
Aside from his British accent, Russell Brand, who proved he can be funny in short bursts in a film like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” has very little of the wit and charm that made Dudley Moore’s cuddly man-child so endearing.
Brand’s Arthur Bach, the perennially inebriated and irresponsible lout, wears thin after a short time. One can only wonder how his lifelong nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren), the patrician caretaker, has managed to remain a loyal servant through endless years of turmoil.
At least, the new “Arthur” came up with the novel twist of turning Arthur’s minder into a female; the original job fell to John Gielgud, who performed the role of Hobson so admirably that he won an Oscar.
As good as Helen Mirren invariably is, even in this film, there won’t be any Oscar talk associated with the new “Arthur.”
For one thing, the characters are pretty much what we expect them to be.
The fun-loving Arthur spends every day in the heedless pursuit of amusement. Our first glimpse of Arthur is to see him dressed as Batman, while his faithful chauffeur Bitterman (Luis Guzman) plays the part of Robin, as the dynamic duo head off into the night in the actual Batmobile.
Untold riches have allowed Arthur to amass a collection of well-known cinematic vehicles, including the General Lee and Scooby-Doo’s van.
Arthur’s antics draw unwanted notice by the NYPD, and once again a brush with the law proves too embarrassing for Arthur’s stern mother (Geraldine James).
As a result, she issues an ultimatum that Arthur must marry the beautiful but decidedly unlovable Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner), an ambitious corporate executive who wants to rise above her station in high society.
Failure to follow through on the matrimonial plans would require Arthur to forfeit his billion-dollar inheritance and all the playthings that go with the only way of life he knows.
The trouble, of course, is that the free-spirited Arthur has just fallen for Naomi (Greta Gerwig), a working-class girl from Queens who conducts unauthorized guided tours of Grand Central Station for a living.
At first, Naomi has no idea that Arthur is a man of considerable wealth; she’s fascinated by his spirit of idealism and spontaneity as well as his complete lack of artifice. Since Arthur is prone to indulging every conceivable juvenile whim, it’s almost a wonder that he manages to charm the very pleasant and genuine proletarian girl with his silly indulgences.
Faced with his controlling mother’s ultimatum, Arthur eventually has to cope with the notion of losing all his money, his exotic toys and his nanny so that he can risk everything for the true love of a kind-hearted ordinary girl who dreams of publishing a children’s book.
So as he takes the ultimate gamble, Arthur proves to be the funniest when he decides to interview for office jobs for which he is clearly unqualified in many respects. In fact, the job interview scene is one of the few truly funny scenes in “Arthur,” the new but not improved remake.
However, those who think Russell Brand is somehow adorable or even cuddly may find more amusement in “Arthur” than I could find conceivable.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
“Dallas,” the highly popular prime time television soap opera, ran for so many seasons that acquiring the complete DVD collection would be a daunting task.
Instead, if you’re a fan of J.R. Ewing and his wealthy Texas family, you may consider the alternative of the “Dallas: The Movie Collection,” a DVD collector’s set, which includes a prequel, two cast reunion telefilms and retrospective TV special.
This collection contains “The Early Years,” which set the stage for the drama to come, while reunion movies “J.R. Returns” and “The War of the Ewings” plunged Larry Hagman’s wheeling-dealing J.R. into plots to take over Ewing Oil.
The fascinating retrospective “Return to Southfork” is brimming with clips, outtakes and reminiscences from your favorite “Dallas” stars.
“Dallas: The Movie Collection” allows fans to enjoy the compulsively watchable tales of greed, scheming and sex – mostly masterminded by the double-dealing oilman (that would be J.R. Ewing) folks love to hate.
TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL
Watch this space in the next week or so for updates on the second annual TCM Classic Film Festival to take place in Los Angeles from April 28 to May 1.
Just like last year, there’s a great lineup of films with special guests participating in panel discussions. The biggest attraction will likely be Kirk Douglas discussing the presentation of “Spartacus.”
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Recall, if you will, “Groundhog Day” in which Bill Murray was forced to relive the same day over and over again until he got it right. That film is one of the classics of American comedy.
The same will never be said for “Source Code,” which relies on a person repeating, ad nauseam, the same activity on a morning commute to Chicago.
For one thing, “Source Code,” as a sci-fi thriller, is deadly serious and far too repetitive to sustain a sense of foreboding. Besides, Jake Gyllenhaal, whose character is doomed to recurring time travel, is too one-dimensional and has no deft comic touch.
Decorated U.S. Army Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man on a commuter train heading to Chicago.
His last memory is that of being shot down in Afghanistan. Now he’s seated across from pretty Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who keeps calling him Sean.
Disoriented and dressed like the teacher he is now supposed to be, Colter heads to the bathroom and discovers his reflection is the face of another man. Before he can figure out what is happening, the train blows up and he is hurtled back into a contraption that looks like a space capsule.
Locked into a confined space, Colter discovers he’s on a special mission and is debriefed by his handlers, Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and the mysterious Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright).
Colter finds out that he’s been drafted into an experimental program to time travel as a passenger on the train in order to uncover the terrorist plot that involves more than just blowing up a commuter train. His mission is to find the bomb and unmask the perpetrators.
“Source Code” may feel a bit claustrophobic because almost all action takes place on a train headed for Chicago filled with commuters who make this daily trip.
The government experiment called the “Source Code” enables Colter to cross over into another man’s identity in the last eight minutes of his life. Since he’s catapulted from the future, Colter gets to relive the incident on a continuous loop, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.
Naturally, Colter stumbles on plenty of false leads. What’s up with the surly commuter who may be moonlighting as a stand-up comedian? The kid with a backpack spends too much time on his cell phone. Is he communicating with fellow plotters?
The guy with a swarthy complexion and carrying a briefcase is acting oddly and even his sweating suggests nervous behavior of one up to no good. The tough guy with a laptop seems too preoccupied.
Of course, there are seemingly endless red herrings, otherwise the train wouldn’t blow up every eight minutes, over and over again.
After awhile, it appears that Colter may not mind so much the endless replay since a budding romance develops with Christina. The astute observer will note that any potential relationship is doomed from a practical standpoint, but this, being a Hollywood movie, demands a more satisfying ending.
Racing against the clock should offer an abundance of suspense and thrills. To some extent, the obstacles placed in Colter’s way often result in unexpected excitement.
In the end, however, “Source Code” is too mechanical and repetitive in arriving at a conclusion that is predictable and bordering on the slightly monotonous.
The film also lacks conviction and credibility in settling upon the identity of the guilty party. I’ll hold back from saying more about this for fear of spoiling any surprises.
TELEVISION UPDATE
On the occasion of a trip last December to visit family in New York City, I happened to catch the one-man Broadway show of veteran comedian and actor Colin Quinn.
He’s been a regular on the comedy show circuit, and his Comedy Central series “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” allowed his comedic rants to shine.
“Colin Quinn Long Story Short,” taped before a live audience for airing on HBO, showcases the comedian’s keen observations in an uproarious history of the world, juxtaposing modern-day human behavior with the rise and fall of empires.
From his personification of Caesar as the original Italian mobster to his complaints about ancient Greece and Antigone giving way to Costco and Snooki, Quinn is at his satirical best, taking on the attitudes, appetites and bad habits that have toppled the world’s most powerful nations.
Only someone like Quinn can contrast grocery shopping with territorial disputes and Plato’s cave allegory with the World Economic Forum. This is a program not to be missed.
“Colin Quinn Long Story Short” premieres on HBO in April.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.
I’ve mentioned before how much I like poems that take the time to carefully observe people at work. Here David St. John, who lives in California, gives us a snapshot of workers protecting an orchard.
Peach Fires
Out in the orchards the dogs stood
Almost frozen in the bleak spring night
& Mister dragged out into the rows
Between his peach trees the old dry limbs
Building at regular intervals careful pyres
While the teeth of the dogs chattered & snapped
& the ice began to hang long as whiskers
From the globes along the branches
& at his signal we set the piles of branches ablaze
Tending each carefully so as not to scorch
The trees as we steadily fed those flames
Just enough to send a rippling glow along
Those acres of orchard where that body—
Sister Winter – had been held so wisely to the fire
Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.
We who teach creative writing have been known to tell our students that there is no subject so common and ordinary that it can’t be addressed in a poem, and this one, by Michael McFee, who lives in North Carolina, is a good example of that.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Konocti Films group will hold a meetup to discuss networking and filmmaking on Friday, April 22.
The group will meet for pizza at 8 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St., Lakeport.
If you have a business card it would be a good idea to bring them. If you don't and have access to a computer you can use a template and design one and print for a very low cost. If you do not have a business card, no worries. Come out for fun, networking, learning about the group and filmmaking.
If you need a ride or are willing to drive others without transportation please post on the discussion board and call Laura at 323-540-3982.
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