300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (Rated R)

If the swords-and-sandals epic saga “300: Rise of an Empire” were to be considered a sequel to the blockbuster “300,” then maybe it should have been titled “300: Revenge of the Spartans.”

Unfortunately, the 300 Spartans, including beloved King Leonidas (Gerard Butler, appearing here only in snippets from the first film), were wiped out during a brave last stand against the invading Persian forces.

In essence, “300: Rise of an Empire” is not a sequel, because Leonidas perished, leaving behind his widow Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), a tough cookie nevertheless skeptical about joining the Greeks against Persian God-King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).

I don’t know how anyone takes Xerxes seriously. Decked out in gold briefs and pierced with lots of jewelry, Xerxes looks like he belongs in a Las Vegas floorshow surrounded by half-naked women with feather boas.

This could be why Persian naval commander Artemisia (Eva Green), a hardened, vicious warrior extremely motivated for bloodthirsty vengeance, eclipses the vain, strutting Xerxes as the story’s centerpiece villain.

The battle of Thermopylae, where Leonidas and his soldiers made a valiant last stand, was just one fight in a war with the Persians that lasted many years. So this non-sequel is more of a parallel story to the ongoing wars.

Absent the leadership of Leonidas, an Athenian soldier politician named Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) steps in to command a Greek naval force that is badly outnumbered by the Persian vessels under the command of the scheming Artemisia.

Themistocles, much like Leonidas, turns out to be a fierce and clever tactician and adversary. Though exuding a rough-hewn charisma, Sullivan Stapleton is no Gerard Butler, falling short of the brash, wild abandon with which the big guy in the sandals made his overtly physical mark.

Arguably, this hardcore action film, where swordplay is graphically realized with much spilling of blood and severing of body parts, belongs to the strong-willed Artemisia, the biggest, pardon the expression, badass, who would be a serious challenge even for Leonidas.

One of the many problems for Themistocles is the thorny political objective of uniting the various Greek city-states to volunteer their soldiers for a battle that looks pretty much like a suicide mission.

The Athenian general also ventures up to Sparta to try to enlist the naval support of the Spartan fleet, though Queen Gorgo is not easily persuaded to forge an alliance that could effectively engage the overwhelming Persian armada.

Fittingly, considering her towering presence, Artemisia, though Greek-born, has an interesting backstory to explain her hatred of her native land. As a child, she witnessed the brutal murder of her family by Greek soldiers, and she was saved by Xerxes’ father.

Cunning and ruthless, Artemisia is an exceptional military officer, which is why she is entrusted to command the entire Persian naval fleet. She also likes a superior challenge, which is what Themistocles represents.

Though she appears to have no use for diplomacy, one of the fascinating moments during the heat of battle is when Artemisia invites Themistocles to a summit meeting aboard her ship.

The shipboard encounter between two powerful enemies turns into a night of rough sex, with Themistocles eventually rejecting her entreaties for surrender. One cannot imagine this happening today, but to be safe, I’d be careful not to send a high-ranking female diplomat to meet with Vladimir Putin.

Unlike the Spartans, the Greeks are not career soldiers. The toll of war on fathers and sons is personified through two warriors, Scyllias and his son Calisto (Callan Mulvey and Jack O’Connell, respectively), who risk it all behind enemy lines, though both are loyal to a fault to Themistocles.
   
On a larger scale, the soldiers on both sides are merely anonymous fighters ending up in the meat grinder of countless battles on land and sea. On the Greek side, with their buffed torsos exposed, most soldiers look like regulars at Gold’s Gym.
 
One particular stunning naval battle occurs on the storm-tossed waters of the Aegean Sea, where Themistocles devises a clever battle plan to encircle the larger Persian armada so as to sink so many ships they are forced to an ignominious retreat.
   
The bottom line for “300: Rise of an Empire” is that if you enjoyed the original film, then this battleground festival of bloody carnage and destruction will not disappoint fans of the genre.

Even though Zack Snyder did not direct this time, his graphic novel style is clearly present. Even the slow-motion scenes of blood spurting from various body parts, skewered or severed, efficiently serve the Zack Snyder method.
   
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A broad range of musical styles on the keyboard will be presented at the Soper Reese Theatre on Sunday, March 16, by seven well-known pianists from the region.

Musicians will combine their talent and years of experience to benefit fundraising efforts for the arts and education in Lake County.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College is partnering with the Soper Reese Theatre to sponsor the third annual Benefit Pianists Concert. The afternoon begins at 2 p.m. with a no-host reception, followed by the concert at 3 p.m.

Raffle tickets for baskets of Lake County products donated by businesses and individuals will be sold during the reception and intermission.

Lake County artists Tom Aiken, Tom Ganoung, and David Neft will be joined by performers Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova, Elizabeth MacDougall and Ed Reinhart from Mendocino County.

The concert will feature all the pianists on stage throughout the afternoon as they converse about their life experiences and play a variety of musical selections.
 
Tickets are $25 for regular reserved and $30 for premium reserved and may be purchased at the box office on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or by phone to 707-263-0577.

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

The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, also sells tickets, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

“The Lake County Friends, an affiliate of the Mendocino College Foundation, was created to benefit students and programs at the Lake Center. We are delighted that proceeds from this benefit concert will enable us to help equip the first Chemistry laboratory at the Lake Center campus in Lakeport,” said Wilda Shock, chairperson of Friends.

Proceeds from the past concerts have funded a $1,000 scholarship for a Lake County student and tutors at the Lake Center. More information about the Friends is available from Shock at 707-263-7575.

The Soper Reese Theatre is a restored performing arts venue operated by an all-volunteer management team under the auspices of the Lake County Arts Council.

“Concert proceeds will be dedicated to the next phases of renovation, including expansion of the lobby and new restrooms,” according to theater Executive Director Mike Adams.

NON-STOP (Rated PG-13)

The business of being an action hero is not the exclusive domain of younger actors.

The slogan “Old Guys Rule” is not just for baseball caps and T-shirts worn by card-carrying AARP members who are not necessarily physically fit specimens.

The “old guys” are now ruling as tough guys with a purpose, namely meting out justice or payback. Kevin Costner demonstrated his machismo in “3 Days to Kill,” and now Liam Neeson is acting out toughness in the airborne-thriller “Non-Stop.”

In recent years, with films like “Unknown” and the “Taken” franchise, Neeson has morphed into a kick-ass tough guy hell-bent on dishing out punishing vengeance to all sorts of malevolent players deserving a severe beat-down.

Another key element in evidence for the older action heroes is that typically they are essentially flawed characters, or at least they have lived long enough to have accumulated a fair share of emotional baggage.

That’s certainly the case for Liam Neeson’s tortured Bill Marks, a federal air marshal struggling with personal demons that seemingly have drained him of any passion for the heroic calling of his profession.

On a gloomy day at the airport parking lot in New York, we first glimpse Marks mustering the will, if not desire, to report for duty on a transatlantic flight. He takes a few swigs of scotch followed by squirts of breath freshener.

“Non-Stop” is pure suspense and action. It’s also the story of a man in need of redemption. By all appearances, Marks has given up on life. The alcoholic ex-NYPD cop is merely going through the motions, but for a routine flight, he’s definitely on edge.

During the check-in and boarding process, Marks, though bleary-eyed but still sharp, encounters some fellow passengers who will soon become quite familiar. Like him, we may find ourselves formulating some judgments about potential danger ahead.

Shortly into the flight to London, Marks begins receiving text messages over the plane’s secure network, demanding that he force the airline, a fictional British carrier, to transfer $150 million into a secret offshore account lest a passenger be killed every 20 minutes.

Clearly up against a clever yet psychotic adversary, Marks has to figure out the source of the taunting threats. Another air marshal (Anson Mount) on board is not helpful, as he dismisses Marks as a delusional drunk.

Not on friendly terms with the pilots, Marks finds his only trustworthy ally is flight attendant Nancy (Michelle Dockery). In addition, he initially believes his seatmate Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) above suspicion because at least she isn’t texting.

While most passengers appear to be ordinary folks, there are others that look shifty. One promising terrorist suspect is the Muslim doctor (Omar Metwally), but he’s an obvious diversion. Other shady-looking types sweat too profusely or twitch nervously.

The story’s puzzle elements evoke classic Hitchcock whodunits, which is all the more exciting and suspenseful due to the claustrophobic nature of the action being contained in a vessel traveling at the speed of 500 miles with no escape possible.

The greatest twist, of course, is that suspicion is eventually cast upon the air marshal, and it is up to Marks to use his wits to fight an unseen enemy and to combat the false impressions that have come to the attention of the authorities.

Without giving away any of the surprises in store, suffice it to say that a few people are killed early on, mostly as a device to throw more suspicion upon Marks as the culprit.

The killer is somewhere on the plane and the audience is just as unaware of the person’s identity as the air marshal. Indeed, although there are a number of red herrings, the discovery of who is behind the crimes is left to the very end.

“Non-Stop,” though often preposterous, is a heart-pounding ride and a visual spectacle that puts the audience on the edge of its seat. Not knowing who to trust, you are left suspecting everyone.

You wonder about the surly Austin (Corey Stoll), who identifies himself as a NYPD cop but comes across as too anxious. What about the nerdy Tom Bowen (Scott McNairy), a true oddball? Zack (Nate Parker) may be too handy with his computer expertise.

A compelling presence, Liam Neeson gets a decent share of physical confrontations that reveal his dogged resilience as a credible action figure, but much of the battle is fought on a psychological front where wits are more vital than brawn.

“Non-Stop” is a thrill ride, pure and simple, with plenty of nerve-racking suspense. If you enjoyed Liam Neeson’s relentless quest for vengeance in “Taken,” you will find comfort here in his serious pursuit of justice.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Take 1 Jazz comes to the Soper Reese Theatre Friday, March 21.

The show will take place beginning at 7 p.m. at the theater, located at 275 S. Main St.

Take 1 Jazz features George Husaruk on flute and Christian Foley-Beining on guitar.

In a change-up from the usual country and rock music for which Third Friday Live is known, the March 21 show focuses on pure jazz, sometimes driving, sometimes relaxing, with Wes Montgomery, Cal Tjader, Will Siegel and Elena Casanova influences.

All seats for Third Friday Live are $10 each.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the Theatre Box Office, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; or by phone at 707-263-0577.

Tickets also are available at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Soper Reese Theatre is a restored, historic, performing and motion picture arts venue established in 1949. It operates under the guidance of the nonprofit Lake County Arts Council.

The 300-seat theater brings dance, music, film, plays and poetry to all members of the Lake County community.

Check out the theater's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soper-Reese-Theatre/117392951610902 for updates on events and other theater news.

Here’s another lovely poem to honor the caregivers among us. Amy Fleury lives and teaches in Louisiana.

Ablution

Because one must be naked to get clean,
my dad shrugs out of his pajama shirt,
steps from his boxers and into the tub
as I brace him, whose long illness
has made him shed modesty too.
Seated on the plastic bench, he holds
the soap like a caught fish in his lap,
waiting for me to test the water’s heat
on my wrist before turning the nozzle
toward his pale skin. He leans over
to be doused, then hands me the soap
so I might scrub his shoulders and neck,
suds sluicing from spine to buttock cleft.
Like a child he wants a washcloth
to cover his eyes while I lather
a palmful of pearlescent shampoo
into his craniotomy-scarred scalp
and then rinse clear whatever soft hair
is left. Our voices echo in the spray
and steam of this room where once,
long ago, he knelt at the tub’s edge
to pour cups of bathwater over my head.
He reminds me to wash behind his ears,
and when he judges himself to be clean,
I turn off the tap. He grips the safety bar,
steadies himself, and stands. Turning to me,
his body is dripping and frail and pink.
And although I am nearly forty,
he has this one last thing to teach me.
I hold open the towel to receive him.

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 Amy Fleury from her most recent book of poems, Sympathetic Magic, Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 2013. Poem reprinted by permission of Amy Fleury and the publisher. 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. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Peter Shandera was the recent winner of the People's Choice Award for the Main Street Gallery's first theme show of the year, “Winter in Lake County.”

In March the Linda Carpenter Gallery section of the Main Street Gallery is featuring photos of winter in the county.

The public is invited to view and vote for favorite photos for the People's Choice Award.

The winner will be premiered this Friday at the First Friday Fling and throughout the month of March.

Come see all this new show has to offer. Among this month's art they have some distinguished paintings and very reasonably priced pieces that are a part of the Thompson and Sietz estates.