Sunday, 24 November 2024

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Arts & Life

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Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography.


Pauletta Hansel lives in Cincinnati, and today's poem is from her book “Palindrome,” from Dos Madres Press in Loveland, Ohio.

It's a collection of poems about her mother's dementia, and although there have been many individual poems about that subject, by many poets, I know of no other book by just one poet that so completely and artfully sums up the emotions associated with that painful deterioration.

The View from There

Where in the world
does my mother go, eyes
shut so tight her lower lashes
curl in toward a view
that's hers alone?
Yesterday she told
me—after the rains, the winds
came, and this morning
that's what they do.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It 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 ©2017 by Pauletta Hansel, "The View from There," from Palindrome, (Dos Madres Press, 2017). Poem reprinted by permission of Pauletta Hansel and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2019 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.
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‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ Rated PG-13

The abundance of superheroes generated from the source materials of Marvel Comics and DC Comics is a driving force for a seemingly endless stream of cinematic versions bombarding the theatrical market.

The Marvel Comic Universe has become an enormous media franchise based on comic book characters from Marvel Comics. On television, the “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” series runs on ABC. Netflix streams “Marvel’s Runaways,” “Marvel’s Iron Fist,” among many other titles.

The list of Marvel films, including “Avengers” and “Captain America,” is way too long to enumerate. Suffice it to say, there is no shortage of material for now or the foreseeable future.

Now along comes “Captain Marvel” with the added twist that the titular character is female, and Brie Larson (Oscar winner for Best Actress in “Room”) wears the iconic jumpsuit’s whole chest piece with the starburst and the red and blue colors.

Without any real depth of knowledge of the Marvel Comic Universe, this reviewer accepts as an article of faith that “Captain Marvel” represents the first stand-alone, female-franchise title character, namely in the person of Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel.

With that said, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers is first introduced as Vers, a warrior and member of Starforce on the planet Hala in the Kree Empire, serving under the command of her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law).

Urged by the ruler of the Kree, Supreme Intelligence (Annette Bening), as well as by Yon-Rogg, to keep her emotions under control, Vers has fragmented flashback memories that suggest a human connection to planet Earth.

In outer space, the enemies of the Kree are the Skrulls, shape-shifting aliens with an uncanny knack to confound rivals. The Kree Empire’s full-blown battle against their lizard-skinned adversaries affords Vers the opportunity to use her awesome superpowers.

The Skrulls, under the command of their fearsome leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), abduct Vers, but she manages to escape from the Skrull spaceship in a pod, crash landing on Earth in 1995.

Her presence in Los Angeles comes to the attention of agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, digitally made younger) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who are in the midst of an alien investigation.

Fury doesn’t believe in aliens but he’s intrigued with trying to catch Vers riding the light rail system in pursuit of Talos who takes the identity of an old woman passenger that doesn’t fool the superhero.

By now, fans of Marvel are familiar with the late Stan Lee’s penchant for a cameo appearance similar to what Alfred Hitchcock was known to do, namely to elicit a knowing recognition of the master’s presence.

In this case, the posthumous tribute to Stan Lee carries an insider wink. As a passenger on the train, Lee is reading a script for “Mallrats,” a film from the ‘90s in which he performed a similar cameo task.

The fun part of Vers coming to our planet is that her pod crash lands through the roof of a Blockbuster Video store, where she peruses a VHF cassette of “The Right Stuff” before using an outdoor pay phone to call home.

Other amusing nostalgic relics that figure into the story include modifying the use of a pager and the slow pace of a dial-up computer at an Internet café.

While navigating the urban jungle of Los Angeles, Vers comes to realize that her true identity is that of Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force test pilot presumed to have died in a crash six years earlier.

With the mortal threat by the Skrull leader’s continuing pursuit, Carol teams up with Fury, now willing to believe in aliens once upfront and personal with one, to essentially retrace Carol’s life as a pilot for clues to combat common enemies.

The relationship between the skeptical Fury and fish out of water Carol leads to amusingly caustic banter and barbed comments, and yet they focus on the need to retrieve a mysterious glowing cube that must not, at all costs, fall into the wrong hands.

The investigative trail sends Fury and Carol to rural Louisiana to the home of Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), who was once Carol’s best friend when they served together as test pilots and is now urged by her young daughter to join the intergalactic fight.

It should be noted that while the cynical yet witty Fury proves to be the most interesting human character, the real scene-stealer is an orange tabby cat named Goose who has more personality than any of the aliens.

Overall, though the hardcore fans may disagree, “Captain Marvel” has the feel of a standard-issue superhero film more invested in the spectacle of the action than the emotional connection to be had with its characters.

The visual imagery is certainly appealing and the humorous jabs from Nick Fury are great fun, and make sure to stay through the end credits for the “Avengers: Endgame” preface.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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Laura Kennedy’s butterfly series. Courtesy image.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Join artist Laura Kennedy at the Middletown Art Center for a powerful 2D mixed media workshop around the experience of love and loss this Sunday, March 17, from 1 to 5 p.m.

“Let your heart speak to heal your grief,” Kennedy said. “The creative process is a profound way to assist healing of loss, grief and other emotional stressors of any kind.”

An accomplished mixed media artist, Kennedy will provide a safe creative space, materials, tools and technical expertise to facilitate participants’ individual creative process.

Adults and children age 12 and up of all levels of art making experience, from newbies to professionals, are invited to join the class for just $5.

Bring photos, objects, writing for reference and inspiration, if desired. Please register in advance for this and all Restore classes at www.middletownartcenter.org/restore, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-809-8118.

Space is limited and reservations are required.

The class is part of the Restore Project, which provides low-cost classes most weekends through May in mixed media, sculpture, printmaking and creative writing.

While all classes are open to the public to attend one or many times, MAC encourages folks to come to several classes to hone skills, learn new ones, and develop a body of work.

Participants are invited to submit work for select MAC exhibits at the art center and at other locations in county, to contribute prints and writing to a new chapbook, and to collaborate in a sculptural project for Rabbit Hill and artist projects for EcoArts 2019.

Upcoming Restore classes include a writers’ workshop with Clive Matson on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by a spoken word gathering from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

On Sunday March 31, Restore offers “Vertical Pathways,” sculptural works in natural wood and concrete for the Rabbit Hill project lead by Emily Schiebel. Please visit www.middletownartcenter.org/restore to stay up to date on class schedules and to preregister.

The Restore Project was made possible thanks to support from the California Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from local organizations, businesses and individuals. Visit www.ca.arts.gov to learn more about the California Arts Council’s important work in communities and schools throughout California.

Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29. Be a part of the growing arts scene in south Lake County by becoming a MAC member, by coming to Restore printmaking this Sunday, or by attending one of the many arts and cultural events or classes at MAC.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org or “Like” Middletown Art Center on Facebook to stay find out more about what’s happening at MAC.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Singer/songwriters Misner & Smith will bring their electrifying music to the Coffeehouse Concert on Saturday, March 30, at Fore Family Winery on Main Street in Kelseyville.

The concert begins at 7 p.m.

Misner & Smith’s music is a combination of soaring vocal harmonies, extremely tight instrumental arrangements, and story-filled, poetic songwriting.

The duo’s sound harkens back to the bedrock of American rock & folk, but the diversity of styles and genres are one of the things that set them apart.

They can shake the walls like a freight train and then quiet the room to a whisper in a single song.

Hailing from Northern California, Misner & Smith’s concert will offer “some of the most electrifying music on the scene today,” according to concert organizer Michael Richeson.

Tickets are $15 and are available in advance at Watershed Books in Lakeport, at www.uuclc.org and a few at the door. There is limited seating.

The concert is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County and hosted by Fore Family Wines.
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A scene from the “Art In the Twenty-First Century” series. Courtesy image.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. the Soper Reese Theatre will screen the third in a four-part series chosen from the award winning “Art In the Twenty-First Century” – or “Art21” – program produced by PBS.

Viewers will travel the world to meet the leading creative visual artists of our time who draw upon their relationships with the locations and people where they live and work.

The March show visits Berlin, a city still in the midst of a post–Cold War cultural and economic rebirth, a free zone where experimentation, individual expression, and international influences converge.

From creating large-scale public projects to intimately personal ones, the artists in this episode demonstrate the diversity of the German capital, expose its complicated history of war and migration, and convey hopes for finding systems that foster a better tomorrow.

Featured artists are Olafur Eliasson, who uses simple elements – light, color, water and movement – to alter viewers’ sensory perceptions; Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, who create absurd and bawdy clay-animation films and installations; Susan Philipsz, whose work explores the psychological and sculptural dimensions of sound; and Hiwa K, who uses video to tell stories of our ongoing global crises: war, migration, and the effects of neoliberalism and colonialism.

The series is sponsored by Michael Adams and by an anonymous donor. Donations gratefully accepted at the door.

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

For more information visit www.soperreesetheatre.com or call 707-263-0577.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The local musical group “Uncorked” will perform during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 16.

The event will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at O’Meara Bros. Brewing Co., 901 Bevins St., Lakeport.

Uncorked specializes in Irish music and much more.

Members perform vocals and play fiddles, Irish banjo, accordion, mandolin and guitar.

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