From 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, Wild About Books will host lunch with Lake County Poet Laureate Sandra Wade.
Bring a sack lunch and listen to the spoken word. After hearing poetry for lunch you'll be invigorated and energized, ready for the rest of your day.
Wild About Books is located at 14290 Olympic Drive, Clearlake. For more information call the store, 707-994-9453.
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The Farrelly Brothers (Peter and Bobby), already known for their outrageous brand of humor in such films as “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something about Mary,” have returned with a vengeance for a comedy to push the boundaries of taste.
It’s seems ironic, somehow, that they achieve raucous, gross-out humor at the expense of a vast revision to a screenplay written by the classy Neil Simon. But then, the whole idea is to take “The Heartbreak Kid” and turn its story of a guy who falls for another woman while on his honeymoon into a wild mix of lewd and crude humor, strong sexual situations, and irritating behavioral conditions.
This remake of “The Heartbreak Kid” puts Ben Stiller into the role of the shallow, picky confirmed bachelor who is egged on by his lascivious father and henpecked married best friend to take the plunge. Stiller’s Eddie Cantrow owns a San Francisco sporting goods store and finds himself on the romantic sidelines while attending the wedding of his former fiancée.
His foul-mouthed octogenarian father Doc (real-life father Jerry Stiller) is constantly talking about sex and trips to Las Vegas. Eddie’s buddy Mac (Rob Corddry) advocates marital bliss, though he seems programmed to mouth happy platitudes as if to mollify his demanding spouse. Together, Doc and Mac both taunt and prod the sad-sack Eddie to get hooked up.
In short order, Eddie meets Lila (Malin Akerman), after coming to her rescue during a street mugging. The pair embarks on a whirlwind romance, which leads to a hasty proposal. On the drive down the California coast for their honeymoon in Mexico, Eddie discovers the annoying quirks of his new bride, which at first include her incessant desire to sing along loudly with every song on radio, even bad ones like “Muskrat Love.”
Though Lila looks sweet and cute, she talks like a trucker and her deviated septum, due to an undisclosed cocaine habit, causes all kinds of food products to drop from her nose. Her insatiable appetite for sex is more like an endurance contest than an act of sweet intimacy.
By the time the newlyweds reach the swanky Cabo San Lucas resort, Eddie is aghast that his life partner has turned into a crass, tequila-swilling wench with a sordid past. Every time Lila reminds him they will be together for 50 years, Eddie’s face has a look of pain and disgust.
After being stricken with a severe case of sunburn, Lila refuses to leave their hotel room, and Eddie consoles himself at the hotel bar where he strikes up casual talk with Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), a lacrosse coach on vacation with her entire family from Mississippi. Soon, Eddie is cooking up excuses to leave his bride behind and spend time with Miranda. They hit it off, but only because Eddie neglects to say anything about his marital status.
All sorts of complications arise as Eddie tries to think of ways to ditch his wife. Events conspire to keep Eddie from confessing his situation. On the other hand, some bratty kids spread a rumor that Eddie’s wife was killed in a brutal slaying. Miranda’s cousin Martin (Danny McBride) becomes increasingly suspicious and hostile to Eddie. The sleazy hotel clerk Tito (Carlos Mencia) doesn’t help matters by indulging Eddie’s every whim, while at the same time undermining his romantic intentions. And, of course, Eddie keeps digging a hole for himself with every passing moment.
“The Heartbreak Kid” sustains its crude, raunchy, over-the-top humor in fairly decent fashion, as long as you enjoy the Farrelly Brothers’ brand of comedy, up until the point that Eddie is unmasked in front of Michelle and her entire family. At this juncture, the film is looking desperately for a way to arrive at some sort of satisfactory conclusion, but it simply doesn’t happen. If you don’t realize that Eddie has become a jerk, the last scene should clinch it.
Along the way, however, there are laughs for this gross-out adult sex comedy. Just be warned that this raunchy film is strictly an adult affair, and there’s an outrageous moment involving a very private female body part.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
If you recall the release of “Grindhouse,” a collaboration of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, you know it involved two separate Grade B movies that would have been released at drive-in theaters thirty years ago.
Not surprisingly, “Death Proof,” released last month, and “Planet Terror” are not packaged together as a single DVD.
The two-disc edition of “Planet Terror,” containing extended and unrated footage, becomes available on Oct. 16.
I am betting that one day “Grindhouse” will be released as one package with both films, and hopefully will include the phony trailers that were considered the highlights.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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We'll probably never know the whole truth about Mary Magdalene, but Katie Ketchum gave us some entertaining possibilities to consider in her rollicking one-woman show Friday night at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center.
She will repeat "Magdalene: The Mary Magdalene Story" at 2:30 p.m. today at the center, 10th and Country Club Drive, Lucerne, in another benefit for the center.
Ketchum is not the first to bring a sparkling imagination to this biblical mystery, but she's certainly the first to do it solo and as a combined rock and gospel concert – and with such a voice! She soars, as Oklahoma trailer park chick "Marlene," trying to hold the band together after leader "Joe" is murdered. It's tough, because the boys in the band don't want a woman leader, no matter what Joe said. "Pete" is especially difficult, but then he's what Marlene calls "mishomogenized" – just doesn't like women.
As Marlene, Ketchum plays wicked keyboards reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis, and had the audience clapping and singing along. In a series of dreams she portrays the multi-faceted Mary Magdalene as a follower of Jesus, as his bride and widow, as a disgruntled prostitute, as an initiate of the Egyptian goddess Isis and as a contemporary rapper. Some might call it irreverent; compassionate and witty is more like it.
The story of Mary of Magdala is history that could give you the screaming fits, and Ketchum brings that confusion to life. In the sixth century C.E., Pope Gregory managed to combine her with two other Marys, Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, and a nameless woman who bathed Jesus' feet in the Gospel of Luke. Many of us were told in Sunday school that she was a prostitute, but recent scholarship indicates she was a respectable close friend of Jesus, possibly a wealthy benefactor.
Author Dan Brown created a sensation with his puzzle-filled romance "The Da Vinci Code," which draws on some earlier problematic speculation that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and the mother of his children. Sonoma County resident Lewis Perdue told a similar story in his 1983 "The Da Vinci Legacy," which was not a sensation.
The very welcome Lucerne performance could be considered an out-of-town tryout for the 30 shows scheduled April 16-May 11, 2008, at the Sacramento Theatre Company. (Ticket info: www.sactheatre.org). Ketchum's aunts, Eva Mooney and Elisha O'Neil, both Lucerne residents, arranged to bring the show to the Northshore.
Lucerne tickets are $12 for seniors and $15 for the general public. For more information call 707-274-8779 or 707-274-5689.
Ketchum lived in Lucerne in the late '70s and performed at Konocti Harbor Inn. She also starred as Maria in the Yuba College production of "The Sound of Music." She now lives in Sebastopol. She has been performing and facilitating workshops for 25 years, and received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for her one person musical on the life of American painter Mary Cassatt. She toured the Cassatt show at colleges and theaters, while still a theater student at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her tour included performances at the Women's Building in San Francisco, Sonoma County's Cinnabar Theater and Luther Burbank Center (Wells Fargo Pavilion), the Sands Hotel, and Northwestern University in Illinois.
She toured the country with her concert "Clear the Air" (the Electric Car Association brought their cars to the performance on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.). Her 15 albums have a following which includes Mother Teresa, who played Ketchum's music in her healing centers throughout India.
After years of research, Ketchum premiered "Magdalene" at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, had a successful run in Sebastopol, and went on to critical acclaim in San Francisco in the summer of 2006.
Before starting the Magdalene project, Ketchum performed and facilitated children's theater and music for more than 10,000 children in public schools.
E-mail Sophie Annan Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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The film follows nine appealing children in the red light district in Calcutta, India who met an American documentary film maker. They fell in love with her, and she fell in love with them, and they formed a group. She gave each of them a new camera for free, and then recorded what happened on videotape.
When she first arrived, the kids' situation was dire, in that all the girls in the group were expected to join "the line" of prostitutes that forms each night in their slum. Their relatives, including aunts and mothers, told them regularly they'd be "in the line" very soon. The boys had no hope. None of them knew the world outside their red light district.
What follows is really magic (and a lot of work).
Many people have been requesting films that inspire us to positive action. This is that kind of film. It won an Academy Award for Best Documentary and is beautifully rendered, with both real suspense and many photos taken by the children.
Of course, Second Sunday films are always free of charge. The venue is the Clearlake United Methodist Church, at 14521 Pearl St., near Mullen, in Clearlake. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for snacks and chat. The film is shown at 6 p.m. and is followed by friendly talk and discussion. The group hopes to see you there!
Feedback about Second Sunday Cinema, its films and its purpose are always welcome at 9164ster@gmail. com. The group is very interested in what you think and in your involvement.
An email discussion group has formed at Second_Sunday_ Cinema@yahoogrou ps.com.
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On Wednesday, Oct. 10, it's Teacher and Librarian Appreciation Night from 4 to 6 p.m. Lake County Teachers and Librarians will be celebrated with food, fun, and 20 percent off purchases.
A writers' workshop entitled “Writers– Start your Novels” will take place beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. Anyone who has thought about writing a book can benefit from this workshop. Vicki Werkley is a freelance writer, editor and consultant based in Lake County and specializes in fiction and non-fiction. Sign-up early seats fill fast.
Local author Alethea Eason will sign copies of her first book, “Hungry” on Saturday, Oct. 20, beginning at 1 p.m. “Hungry” is a fun-filled sci-fi for ages 9-12, although a great read out loud book for the younger ages. The book shares important messages about fitting in. Join them for some alien fun and crafts, alien foodies, meet the author and don’t forget to get your first edition copy signed.
An artists reception will take place beginning at 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22. Meet the artists who are currently showing and selling their works at Wild About Books. Some will demonstrate or share their works in progress. Receive a 10 percent discount on all purchases today only.
Wild About Books is located at 14290 Olympic Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707-994-9453.
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Based on the Sholom Aleichem stories by Joseph Stein, with music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, “Fiddler on the Roof” tells the story of Tevye the milkman and his five daughters, living in 1905 Russia.
Tevye is caught between the pull of tradition and his strong-willed daughters. At the same time, he and his Jewish neighbors in the village of Anatevka face being forced out of their homes by the Russians.
Performances will take place at the Little Theater at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. Lakeport.
Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5; Saturday, Oct. 6; Friday, Oct. 12; and Saturday, Oct. 13. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Matinee performances at 2 p.m. will take place Saturday, Oct. 6; Sunday, Oct. 6; Saturday, Oct. 13; and Sunday, Oct. 14. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $12 for Lake County Repertory Theater and Lakeport Community Players members, seniors and students.
Tickets are available at Catfish Books, 1013 11th St., Lakeport, 263-4454 (reserved tickets); Wild About Books, 14290 Olympic Drive, Clearlake (general admission); Shannon Ridge Winery, 15698 E. Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks, 998-9656 (general admission); and the Lake County Arts Council, 325 N. Main St., Lakeport, 263-6658 (general admission).
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