Sarah A. Chavez is a California poet, and here she writes about the yearning of children to find, amidst the clutter of adult life, places they can call their own.
In Childhood
In childhood Christy and I played in the dumpster across the street from Pickett & Sons Construction. When we found bricks, it was best. Bricks were most useful. We drug them to our empty backyard and stacked them in the shape of a room. For months we collected bricks, one on top another. When the walls reached as high as my younger sister’s head, we laid down. Hiding in the middle of our room, we watched the cycle of the sun, gazed at the stars, clutched hands and felt at home.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a silk painting class with local artist and Serendipity Boutique owner Diana Liebe on Sunday, March 18, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Liebe will demonstrate the process and each participant will paint and take home a hand-painted silk scarf.
Liebe is a former art teacher at both the high school and college levels, and actively teaches art workshops around the county.
Cost of class is a $20 materials fee and space is limited to 12 persons.
For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-275-8030, 707-293-8752 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Lake County Wine Studio is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake.
The centennial anniversary of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character John Carter is honored in a grand fashion by the Walt Disney Studios extravagant delivery of a blockbuster adventure film.
As envisioned by Burroughs’ classic novel, “A Princess of Mars,” the notion of the heroic John Carter had a very modern sensibility, for this space hero was the evident precursor of contemporary action adventurers.
It would probably be fair to say that films like “Star Wars” and “Dune” owe much to the vision of Burroughs, rather than to claim that “John Carter” is inspired by so many science-fiction films that preceded it.
“John Carter” may assume that the film audience is well aware of Burroughs’ fictional work, where a world known as “Barsoom” is the author’s name for the planet Mars.
Indeed, as directed by Andrew Stanton (best known for his animated films), “John Carter” bothers very little with any meaningful exposition, relying on viewers to catch on quickly to the premise of the bizarre alien world.
The initial action takes place in the immediate post-Civil War period, where the titular character (Taylor Kitsch) is a war veteran and officer of the Confederate Army in Virginia.
Searching for gold in the caves of the Arizona Territory, Carter resists the efforts of the U.S. Cavalry to enlist his services in the fight against Indian tribes.
Though not a pacifist, Carter bears too many scars from the Civil War to sign up to fight for any cause, no matter how just.
Flashbacks inform that Carter was deeply wounded by his inability to save his wife during the war.
Meanwhile, Barsoom is a dying planet, devastated by conflicts that have raged for thousands of years. The Zodangans, lead by Sab Than (Dominic West), battle the Heliumites, whose beautiful Princess Dejah (Lynn Collins) strives to find a peaceful solution.
When war-weary Carter is unexpectedly transported to the red planet, the balance of power is tipped. The low gravity of Mars gives Carter extraordinary abilities.
Amusingly, Carter discovers that he is able to leap, figuratively, over tall buildings. This super power will prove unsettling to the warring tribes.
On the barren planet’s surface, Carter is initially found and enslaved by the Tharks, but he wins the respect of their leader, Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe), who eventually helps him escape the fearsome tribe.
The Tharks are an interesting breed of a green-skinned alien creature, standing nine feet tall with four arms and huge tusks. More problematic is their bad attitude.
The heroic Carter manages to rescue Princess Dejah from the evil clutches of the Zodangans. For her part, the princess is tough, smart and beautiful, and far sexier than Princess Leia. Though the Zodangans and Heliumites are inhabitants of Mars, they look like humans.
Trouble is brewing because Sab Than has convinced Dejah’s father, the King of Helium (Ciaran Hands), to agree to arranged marriage of convenience between himself and the princess in order to unite the warring entities.
Greater danger lurks in the subterfuge of Sab’s allegiance to the all-powerful Matai Shang (Mark Strong), villainous leader of the shape-shifting Therns.
Keeping track of the palace intrigues is hardly necessary to enjoy “John Carter” for what it is. The action and the special effects are stunning.
There’s a unique visual appeal to “John Carter,” from floating cities and shifting platforms to the large warrior spaceships that resemble dragonflies.
The primary characters are also intriguing. The muscular, but lean John Carter runs around in a loincloth and breastplate, looking oddly enough very much like Tarzan (a nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs, no doubt).
Even more fascinating is the lovely Princess Dejah, a captivating presence who is likely to become the new pin-up girl for science-fiction fanboys.
“John Carter” is refreshingly exciting and thoroughly enjoyable, even if the 3D effects are minimal. It’s also worth noting the comic relief that comes from Woola, a weirdly huge lizard-like dog that is Carter’s faithful companion.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I have just learned that Facebook is good for something other than posting photos of your drunken revelry at a Vegas bachelor party.
Apparently, polls were conducted on Facebook for fans of various TV series to select their favorite episodes, allowing the winning episodes to be released in DVD collections.
The result of this enterprise is the release of treasured episodes of seven great TV series in a DVD collection entitled “Fan Favorites: The Best Of.”
For vintage TV lovers, “Fan Favorites: The Best of The Honeymooners” and “Fan Favorites: The Best of Hogan’s Heroes” will offer classic laughs.
Fans who want to take a trip down memory lane with celebrated sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s will enjoy the DVD collection for “Happy Days,” “Cheers” and “The Odd Couple.”
Not to be overlooked are the episodes bundled for “MacGyver” and one of the best spinoff series ever, which would be “Frasier.”
Personally, I don’t think TV gets much better than “The Odd Couple,” where Tony Randall’s neat freak Felix Unger is a thorn in the side of Jack Klugman’s ultra-slob Oscar Madison.
The “Fan Favorites: The Best Of” collection offers great fun for a wide range of interests.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
In the early days of the FOX TV network, “21 Jump Street” was a hip TV drama about undercover cops, with a novice Johnny Depp in a starring role.
With “Superbad” comedian Jonah Hill in one of the starring roles for the reinvention of an almost-forgotten TV series, it’s clear the cinematic “21 Jump Street” is a different breed of cool cat.
To be kind, Jonah Hill is no Johnny Depp, but then neither is Hill’s co-star and partner on the police force, Channing Tatum, even though he’s a force of nature that exudes a certain amount of charisma.
As the film opens in 2005, Tatum and Hill, respectively playing Jenko and Schmidt, are the polar opposites during their senior year of high school.
The good-looking jock type, Jenko is an amiable lug who coasts through the school on his charm and sense of entitlement that comes from being tight with the popular crowd.
Copying the style of Eminem’s Slim Shady, complete with the bleached hair, the academically brilliant Schmidt is a walking disaster who hangs out with the perennial losers and outsiders.
Fast forward seven years, and we find Jenko and Schmidt enrolled in the police academy, where Schmidt is pressed into service to help Jenko improve his dismal written test scores.
After graduation, the duo is assigned to bike patrol duty in the local park, where one day they nab a drug dealer in an arrest that they exuberantly celebrate with unprofessional behavior.
The fallout from this arrest lands the pair in the special Jump Street unit where youthful-looking officers are assigned to undercover duty in the local schools.
Posing as brothers and living with Schmidt’s parents, Jenko and Schmidt return to their old high school to bust a drug dealing ring that’s run by a snotty rich kid who’s into recycling and expects to go to Berkeley.
Not unexpectedly, Jenko and Schmidt start to relive their high school days with a greater sense of purpose, thinking incorrectly that they have all the right answers this time around.
When their identities become mixed up, the results are hilarious.
Jenko, the former campus stud, falls in with the nerds, while the socially awkward Schmidt finds acceptance from the cool crowd.
While their Jump Street colleagues keep solving cases, the hapless pair spends more time trying to adjust to new rules of behavior and fitting in with the school scene.
Schmidt enrolls in a drama class, determined to become Peter Pan in the school production, probably for no better reason than his forbidden crush on Molly (Brie Larson).
Oddly enough, Molly is in a semi-open but unfulfilling relationship with Eric (Dave Franco), the big man on campus who just happens to enjoy talking about composting as much as he likes being the major drug supplier.
Meanwhile, Jenko struggles through his science class, but gets teamed up with the bright kids who enjoy blowing up things and teaching him how to do the same.
As Jenko and Schmidt try to ingratiate themselves with Eric, the drug dealer requires them to consume his product in order to prove that they are ordinary students and not undercover narcs.
Fueled by the powerful drugs, Jenko nearly destroys his classroom in a crazed attempt to diagram a scientific experiment in a burst manic energy.
This being a comedy, though one full of action, “21 Jump Street” is bursting with hilarious surprises as Jenko and Schmidt trip over themselves in their charade to fool fellow students and teachers.
“21 Jump Street” may be the first movie to have a serious car chase that involves stretch limos with the cops and bad guys shooting at each other from the sun roofs.
The perceived plot of the two officers trying to do convincing undercover work is secondary to the free flowing type of mayhem that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum bring to their roles.
Indeed, there’s complete excess of wacky craziness in this enjoyable comedy. The best humor is not from the wild stunts, chases and party scenes, but from the comedic chemistry of the odd couple of the two lead characters.
TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL
The place for film buffs to gather next month will be at the third annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, from April 12 to April 15.
Once again, the classic old-time theater palaces of Graumann’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian, in addition to the modern Arclight and the venerable Cinerama Dome, will host special screenings.
A three-film tribute to legendary filmmaker Stanley Donen will include an appearance by Audrey Hepburn, who starred in the Donen films to be screened, including “Charade,” “Two for the Road,” and “Funny Face.”
Dick Van Dyke, who needs no introduction, will introduce a retrospective of Laurel and Hardy film shorts and discuss the influence of these comedians on his life and career.
A slew of old horror films will be offered, including “The Wolf Man” (1941), starring Lon Chaney, Jr., and “Frankenstein” (1931), with Boris Karloff in the titular role.
Keep an eye on this space leading up to the TCM Classic Film Festival for more information on a great lineup of classic films.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Psychologists must have a word for it, the phenomenon of shifting the focus of sadness from the source of that sadness to something else. Here’s a fine poem on this subject by Penelope Scambly Schott, who lives in Oregon.
Second Tour
While my husband packed to fly back to Vietnam, this time as a tourist instead of a soldier,
I drove to the zoo to say goodbye to the musk oxen who were being shipped out early next morning
to Tacoma. We were getting lions instead. When I got there, it was too easy to park.
The zoo was closing early so they wouldn’t let me in. I went back to my car and slid into the driver’s seat.
Sobs tore from deep in my chest, I who had never seen a musk ox and never cared until now.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – In 2011, KZYX brought the StoryCorps Mobile Recording Studio to Ukiah, Calif.
In the space of about four weeks, more than 100 recording sessions took place in downtown Ukiah. In each and every case, local people, friends, neighbors, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandfathers and grandmothers stepped into the studio.
They talked about life, death, wellness, illness, family, friends, jobs, hobbies and so much more.
On Saturday, March 10, KZYX will bring you an hour of short stories, vignettes really, excerpted from the complete StoryCorps interviews.
These are stories from all over the United States, and will serve as an introduction to the StoryCorps experience.
Then at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 17, KZYX will begin sharing stories recorded in Ukiah in 2011.
For one hour each Saturday these people will share part of their lives with each other and with each of you.
Their stories run the gamut from complex to simple, from thoroughly happy to sad or poignant. They are all worth listening to. And you can at www.kzyx.org .
KZYX wishes to thank Ukiah Valley Conference Center, Sanford House Bed & Breakfast, Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, Ukiah Valley Medical Center and StoryCorps for their support.
