LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center will host its monthly open mic night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
The center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive.
Looking for an opportunity to perform? Got talent? Music, comedy, mime – any other activity that is family-oriented will be appreciated.
If you have no special talent, be audience member, come join the fun. Room is available for dancing and relaxing. There is no charge for attendance.
“We had a fabulous time last month and are looking forward to the great music,” said Executive Director Rae Eby-Carl.
For those wishing to have dinner, spaghetti with beverage, salad and garlic bread will be available for purchase at $7 per plate for adults and $5 for children under twelve.
This is a monthly event which will switch in September to the third Saturday of every month.
Bands are already signing up for August including house band FOGG. More signups will open at 5 p.m. Saturday night. You can call 707-245-4612 or 707-274-8779 to sign up or ask questions.
All proceeds from the meal benefit the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center. This nonprofit serves the senior populations on the Northshore with lunches on site and Meals on Wheels.
For more information call Lucerne Alpine Senior Center at 707-274-8779.
Hugh Jackman returns as the mutant hero, the titular character in “The Wolverine.” The movie raises two questions: Why is he in Japan? Why does he still sport mutton chops?
When he’s not baring his adamantium claws, Jackman’s Wolverine is known as Logan. In what is the sixth film (counting spinoffs) of the franchise, Logan is first spotted looking like a homeless mountain man in the Alaskan wild, or maybe it’s the Yukon. Whatever, it’s some place cold and uninviting.
Living like a recluse in a cave, Logan communes with nature, even managing a peaceful coexistence with a grizzly bear companion. His solitary existence is disturbed by the appearance of reckless hunters bent on snagging a large, shaggy-haired ursine trophy.
Confronting the repugnant hunters at the town saloon, Logan reverts to his old superpowers to ward off his foes, drawing attention from the enigmatic Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who entices him to Japan. So we have the answer to the first question.
Memories of World War II are fresh in Logan’s mind, as he remembers, while interned in a POW camp, saving the life of a young Japanese soldier during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and thereby revealing his miraculous self-healing powers.
Shifting to the present day, Logan has not aged, but the soldier he rescued, Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), is an elderly, extremely wealthy industrialist, now confined to his deathbed, wistfully hoping for immortality.
Logan’s Wolverine, who does not age, possibly holds the key to a life without end, hence the interest by Yashida and assorted shadowy, mysterious figures, obviously connected to the Yakuza, to Logan’s secret.
Lured by the curious Yukio to Tokyo, Logan ends up getting a scrubbing and makeover from geisha girls, but he keeps the mutton-chopped sideburns. The answer to the second question remains elusive and unknowable.
Dutifully paying his respects to the dying Yashida, Logan discovers that the industrialist’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Akamoto) stands to inherit his fortune, and as a result, her life is in serious danger.
For one thing, Mariko’s father is a ruthless tycoon who is apparently involved with sinister forces that seek to take control, by force if necessary, of the Yashida financial empire.
A spectacular fight sequence with ninja warriors at Yashida’s funeral service causes Logan and Mariko to go on the run, even hiding out for a time at a seedy hotel that caters to customers renting rooms by the hour.
Meanwhile, Logan is undergoing an existential crisis, evidenced by the frequent dream sequences in which his former lover, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), a fellow mutant that he had to kill, reminds him of misfortune and tragedy.
More than troubling dreams are at work. Logan is also consumed with thoughts that his immortality is a curse and a burden that hinder his ability to live a normal life, a thought more pressing now that his romantic feelings for Mariko have taken hold.
Due to other strange things going on, Wolverine finds his physical strength ebbing away, his superpowers gradually dwindling and his immediate ability to heal from all wounds no longer a given.
But before falling into a state of impaired faculties, Wolverine manages a spectacular fight to the death on top of a speeding bullet train with a Yakuza assassin.
With the train hurtling along the tracks and through tunnels at a speed of 300 miles per hour, the rooftop battle is skillfully staged and stunning for its heart-pounding suspense. This could be the film’s best action moment.
Not so fine is the climactic battle scene inside Yashida’s mountainous lair, where Wolverine must fight a giant robot. We’ve seen enough of this in films like “Pacific Rim,” and, well, others I have already forgotten.
“The Wolverine” is filled with plenty of faceless villains, mostly ninja types who are fairly well disguised in their black robes and masks.
The most interesting bad guy is actually a femme fatale (Svetlana Khodchenkova), the blonde nurse who tends to Yashida but has a secret agenda. Though she is attractive, one would be advised not to kiss her.
Though it may not be saying much, “The Wolverine,” even when it falters at the end, is one of the better superhero movies of the summer. That’s mostly a credit to Hugh Jackman’s nuanced performance.
A word to the wise: Be sure to stay for the credits. The future of the franchise hangs in the balance with a breathless teaser.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake Community Pride Foundation will present a concert by the duo “Flashback!” on Saturday, Aug. 10.
The concert will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lower Lake High School Little Theater, located at 9430 Lake St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
“Flashback!” is the duo of Moe Sampson and Hilarie Wilt, who play classic American music. Sampson performs on his 12-string guitar and Wilt plays a six-string guitar, with both doing vocals with harmonies.
All proceeds go to support youth performing arts in Lake County.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Arts Council's Main Street Gallery is featuring a window display of painted saw blades by artists from the Konocti Art Society.
These saw blades will be on display at the gallery through August and then the show will move to WestAmerica Bank in Kelseyville for the Kelseyville Pear Festival, where buyers can purchase a raffle ticket to win the blade of their choice. Proceeds will be donated to a local charity.
Also on display in August are interesting large canvas oils with a distinctive view by artist Jay Glimme.
The Linda Carpenter Gallery is featuring various photography entries depicting agriculture throughout Lake County.
The Main Street Gallery is located at 325 N. Main St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-6658.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – “The Hysterical History of the Trojan War” by D.M. Larson is The Lake County Theatre Co.’s summer offering and it promises to be a production full of surprises and promise.
The promise will be provided by a large cast of young people who are putting in long hours and a very professional work ethic to assure quality performances.
The surprise comes from the talent of the young people whose past theater experience is extensive considering their age.
The “Trojan War” is scheduled for Aug. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 18 at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Senior Activity Center. There will be a dinner show at 6 p.m. Aug. 17.
The “oldest” of the young women featured here is Natalya Fortino, age 16. She has performed numerous times since sixth grade when she made her theater performance in “Little Women,” another LCTC production.
Playing the part of Cassandra, she “enjoys the challenge of being someone who is not always sweet. Cassandra is much more interesting than that,” she said. She also hopes for a future in the performing arts.
Grace Ott is another veteran at age 14. “I have been in on play after another since second grade. I just love it! Of course being an evil character is the most fun, but being a strong female like Helen of Troy is also cool.”
In answer to questions about her professional future, Grace confesses a desire to be a forensic anthropologist. Knowing how to be a strong woman is probably going to help her with that role in the future.
The third young actress, Riley Ramirez, is only 8 years old but this is her third LCTC role. That makes her “a pro” in this production.
“The thing I like the best about acting is hanging out with all the fun people that are in the cast with me. I have met a lot of really nice people that way,” she explains with a very mature look. “I don’t have any trouble learning my lines because there is a part of my brain that is very good at that.”
And this play is special for another reason, according to Riley. “Being a girl, this is the first time I get to play a boy. That makes it a challenge. I just watch my brothers and do what they do,” said Riley, a true veteran at her young age.
Tickets will be available at the Senior Center, 707-263-4218, and at the door.
For additional information, feel free to call 707-279-2595.
