HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (Rated PG-13)

It’s time to pay homage to Harry Potter, one of the most popular characters of literature and film in the contemporary world.

For the past decade, ever since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” entered the global consciousness, the young wizard and his friends have cast a magical spell on filmgoers.

But all good things to come to an end, and now the eighth installment of the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” wraps up the franchise in a tidy package.

However, if you are coming late to the game and expect a neat summary of all that happened before, you are out of luck.

“Harry Potter 8,” as I shall call it, picks up immediately where the “Deathly Hallows Part 1” left off.

The good news is that “Harry Potter 8,” while packed with action, epic battles and tremendous energy, retains an emotional underpinning at its core that makes the young wizards amazingly engaging and compelling characters.

On the other hand, Ralph Fiennes’ evil Lord Voldemort kicks off the action with some grave-robbing of Albus Dumbledore’s tomb, searching for the Elder Wand that could make him invincible.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), and his pals Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), are desperately trying to track down the remaining Horcruxes in which Voldemort has embedded pieces of his soul in his quest for immortality.

This mission takes the gang of three to a goblin named Griphook (Warwick Davis) who works at Gringotts Bank, where the malevolent Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) keeps a magical sword in a vault.

Pulling off a bank heist is a daunting task, seeing how the vault is protected by a vicious dragon far below the earth’s surface.

The underground roller coaster ride to the bank vault is not only thrilling, but it just may be the signature piece of the “Harry Potter” franchise that could result in a theme park attraction.

You might say that the quest to find Horcruxes involves Harry, Ron and Hermione in a most dangerous scavenger hunt, one fraught with the greatest peril that requires incredible ingenuity to escape harm.

Harry Potter’s singular connection with Lord Voldemort has caused the young wizard fear and pain, but it has also provided him with a unique insight into the mind of the Dark Lord.

As Harry and his crew destroy each Horcrux, Voldemort appears inexplicably more emboldened than weakened, like a wounded ferocious animal that emerges all the more desperate and even more dangerous.

Inevitably, the quest takes the young wizard trio back to the Hogwarts School, which had once been a safe haven but is now enemy territory, with Death Eaters in control and Dementors patrolling the perimeter.

Returning to Hogwarts poses tremendous risk because the school, under the thumb of headmaster Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), is a grim place, more like a prison than a school of magic.

Fortunately, Harry is reunited with his old friend Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), a Gryffindor resident who has been subjected to the brutality of Snape’s reign of terror.

The Hogwarts School, a once stately edifice, becomes a fitting place for an epic battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world that escalates into an all-out war.

Spectacular in every way, the riveting battle scenes are visually realized in thrilling fashion when Voldemort’s legions storm the school.

As an aside, it should be noted that there is more to the story than pitched battles. Key flashbacks explain certain relationships that involve Harry’s mother, Dumbledore, Professor Snape and others.

Also satisfying is how “Harry Potter 8” works so many of the old favorites back into this final chapter, from Maggie Smith’s Professor McGonagall to Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid to Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black, to name a few.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” one of the best in the series, is an extremely satisfying and entertaining conclusion to J.K. Rowling’s vision. It is the summer’s must-see movie.

One final note: The screening I attended was a 2D presentation, for which I am thankful as too many 3D releases now seem calculated to maximize revenue rather than the viewing experience.

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

Blue Collar is (from left to right) Carl Steward, lead vocal and guitar; Clovice Lewis, cello; Bill Bordisso, accordion, banjo, percussion, vocals; Sue Condit, mandolin, violin, percussion and vocals; Bill McDougal, bass guitar. Courtesy photo.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Blue Collar, hosts of the Tuscan Music Fiesta in Lower Lake, will be celebrating the release of their new CD on July 30.

Blue Collar will open at 6 p.m. at The Tuscan Village at Terrill Vineyards in downtown Lower Lake.

Everyone is invited for the release of the new CD “On The Move.”

The audience will have the opportunity to hear Blue Collar’s new selections as well as the old favorites.

Most of Blue Collar’s original, innovative material is original songs written by the group’s lead singer and guitarist, Carl Stewart.

Everyone who has had the opportunity to catch Blue Collar in performance in and around Lake County agrees that this five-piece band presents fresh music that instantly captures their attention.

Part of the band’s mystique is that it is difficult to place them in any one category of music.

Their instrumental diversity utilizing acoustic guitar, bass, cello, violin, banjo, accordion and light percussion, along with strong lead and back-up vocals make Blue Collar a musical treat that have made audiences stand up and notice.

Most of the lyrics tell stories of the American experience. These lyrics, coupled with driving rhythms and powerful vocals not only bring pleasure to listeners’ ears; but also make them stand up and dance.

The group will thrill the audience with cuts from “On the Move”, and also present selections from their other three CD’s. These CD’s will be available for purchase at the event on July 30.

Also performing with Blue Collar will be the popular and talented Fargo Brothers promising to make this event an enjoyable experience for all who have the opportunity to attend.

Fantastic Mex-Tex cuisine will be available for purchase from the popular Cactus Grill. Also, superb wine will be offered by the Terrill Vineyards on this Wine Adventure weekend.

HORRIBLE BOSSES (Rated R)

As evidenced by the hilarity of “Bridesmaids” and “The Hangover Part II,” it’s been a good year so far for the kind of crude and raunchy comedy that habitually offends the sensibilities of snooty critics.

Adding to the hit parade of vulgar, yet hysterically funny comedies is “Horrible Bosses,” almost certain to rile those with an irrational fondness for good taste and political correctness.

Then again, comedy, of course, is an extremely subjective enterprise, as one person’s brand of humor may prove impertinent or odious to another.

“Horrible Bosses” turns an Alfred Hitchcock thriller conceit about murder plots into something wildly improbable and completely uproarious.

Three friends who are being harassed at separate places of employment find their frustration has reached the boiling point, or so it would appear while knocking back a few brewskis after work.

Corporate achiever Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) logs 12-hour days and weekend work to satisfy his executive supervisor Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey).

The boss from hell, Harken treats all of his middle managers with contempt, reserving his most humiliating taunts for upwardly mobile striver Nick.

Presumptive ladies man Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) has a great job at a chemical company owned by the gentle Jack Pellit (Donald Sutherland).

Unfortunately, Mr. Pellit dies of a heart attack, leaving the company in the hands of his psychotic son Bobby (Colin Farrell), who seeks to loot the family business to finance his hedonistic lifestyle.

Dental assistant Dale Arbus (Charlie Day), engaged to a sweet, innocent girl, struggles to maintain his self-respect against the relentless X-rated sexual advances of his employer, who holds the ace card because Dale is a registered sex offender and can’t find work elsewhere.

Almost defying logic, Dale is aghast that the sexy Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) comes on to him with an unbridled vengeance, even when patients are comatose in the dental chair.

The trio of beleaguered buddies ruminates after work and starts speculating that, much like in the plot of Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train, they could eliminate each other’s hateful employers.

Their cockeyed intentions turn into a fuzzy plan to secure the services of a hit man, whereupon they discover a hustling ex-con (Jamie Foxx) in a seedy tavern, which is located with the help of verbal directions from the GPS in a Prius.

On the strength of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from their new criminal ally, the guys devise a convoluted and foolhardy plan to rid the world of their respective horrible bosses.

We see enough of the despicable behavior of the targets that they are not sympathetic, though one would argue that the randy dentist is not even a close match for the other two as far as loathsome behavior is concerned.

Still, the coke-snorting Bobby is a cretin who only cares about funding his drug habit. The manipulative Harken, because he’s both smart and ruthless, is even more deplorably evil.

Many hijinks ensue as the trio fumbles through recon missions that require snooping through private residences, finding signs of Harken’s megalomania in the large portrait of his pose with a trophy wife.

The break-in at Bobby’s house is the most amusing. Kurt gleefully sticks Bobby’s toothbrush down the back of his pants. Meanwhile, Nick and Dale make a big mess of Bobby’s bowl of cocaine, vainly trying to scoop the soiled white powder back to its rightful place.

All the actors are quite funny in their respective roles of hapless victims and hopeless tools. Even minor actors deliver the goods, with comedian Ron White and Wendell Pierce sharply funny as incredulous cops.

“Horrible Bosses,” with its gleeful approach to getting rid of detestable workforce superiors, is an interesting comedy for our times, when the economy is so bad that seeking alternative employment is infeasible to most.

Nevertheless, as a sort of wish fulfillment revenge fantasy, this wacky comedy makes the workplace blues disappear for a brief but enjoyable timeout.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Inspired by a fake trailer in Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse,” the explosive, extremely gory thriller “Hobo With a Shotgun” has itself already become an online sensation for its own trailer.

Now you can own this instant classic gem of bad cinema on DVD. The grizzled Rutger Hauer stars in the titular role as the Hobo who jumps from a freight car, hoping for a fresh start in a new city.

Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the street and Drake, the city’s crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick and Ivan.

Amidst the chaos, the Hobo comes across a second-hand lawn mower, dreaming to start a new life. But as the brutality rages around him, he notices a shotgun hanging above the lawn mower.

Quickly, he realizes the only way to make a difference in this town is with that gun in his hand and two shells in the chamber.

“Hobo With a Shotgun,” dripping with gore, results in double-barreled mayhem and bloody violence. You have been warned.

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

The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the store, located at 305 N. Main St., Lakeport.

According to the book, “Permaculture provides a design framework for empowerment and action: cultivating inner wisdom and gifts, honoring the wisdom of nature and engaging in the world as nature does.

“Permaculture ethics, intentions and principles can be applied to the garden, the farm, and indeed any living system including human structures.

“Tending the Soul's Garden is an introduction to applied permaculture and how it can help us engage in difficult and sometimes over-whelming work with a sense of balance, hope and purpose.”

Rushing, who lives in Upper Lake, is serving her second term on the Lake County Board of Supervisors. She is an environmental engineer, organic grower and permaculture designer.

For more information contact Watershed Books at 707-263-5787 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

How I love poems in which there is evidence of a poet paying close attention to the world about him. Here Angelo Giambra, who lives in Florida, has been keeping an eye on the bees.

The Water Carriers

On hot days we would see them

leaving the hive in swarms. June and I

would watch them weave their way

through the sugarberry trees toward the pond

where they would stop to take a drink,

then buzz their way back, plump and full of water,

to drop it on the backs of the fanning bees.

If you listened you could hear them, their tiny wings

beating in unison as they cooled down the hive.

My brother caught one once, its bulbous body

bursting with water, beating itself against

the smooth glass wall of the canning jar.

He lit a match, dropped it in, but nothing

happened. The match went out and the bee

swam through the mix of sulfur and smoke

until my brother let it out. It flew straight

back to the hive. Later, we skinny-dipped

in the pond, the three of us, the August sun

melting the world around us as if it were

wax. In the cool of the evening, we walked

home, pond water still dripping from our skin,

glistening and twinkling like starlight.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2009 by Angelo Giambra, whose most recent book of poetry is Oranges and Eggs, Finishing Line Press, 2010. Poem reprinted from the South Dakota Review, Vol. 47, no. 4, Winter 2009, by permission of Angelo Giambra and publisher. Introduction copyright ©2011 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.

The Art in the Garden Craft Fair and Alpine Music Festival are both set to take place during the day at the park, 6244 Highway 20, Lucerne.

The craft fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Harbor Village Artists complex, located at 6193, 6195, 6197 and 6199 E. Highway 20.

Original and unique craft creations will be available for purchase in the garden, in the park and on the piers. Admission is free. Call 707-245-7512 for more information.

The music festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Five different bands will come together to share some great music, including Travis Rinker Acoustic Trance and Righteous Vibrations.