Page 63 - Sonoma County Gazette June 2019

WINE COUNTRY
By Diane McCurdy
Wine Country is a hybrid. It was released
theatrically on Wednesday the first week of May and it was available for streaming the following Friday. This almost simultaneous accessibility is a trend.
May 30 - Jun 2 ~ Mendocino Film Festival
The film celebrates our locale and this double venue situation gives more people a chance to view it. The plot, if there is one,
~ 13 films from Sundance, three films from SXSW, two CA premieres, independent and international films Regular Screenings, Advance Purchase $11 Regular Screenings at the Door $12 Children’s Program $5 youth, $10 adult, Mendocino Film Festival, 10701 Palette Dr., Mendocino, 707-937-0171, mendocinofilmfestival.org, info@ mendocinofilmfestival.org
Jun 6 ~ SDFF Best of Fest - All Shorts Evening - 4 short films. $10, 7p Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, sebastopolfilmfestival.org/portfolio- item/sdff/
Jun 8 ~ Film: Keeper of the Beat: A Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Drumming The award-winning hour-long documentary about the drumming, life and times of Barbara Borden. Free, 4p Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental, 707-874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.org/film- keeper-of-the-beat-a-womans-journey- into-the-heart-of-drumming/
Jun 11 ~ Let’s Talk About Death: Film and Discussion Evening Watch the best of Final Passages’ collection of death- related short films, w discussion. Doors 6p. Suggested Donation $5-$15 @door, 6:30p-9p, Sebastopol Grange Hall, 6000 Sebastopol Rd (Hwy 12), Sebastopol, Final Passages, finalpassages.org
Outdoor Movies
Jun 7 ~ Free Summer Movies in the Park - The Goonies A group of teenagers finds a map leading to a hidden treasure. Free, 8p-10:30p, LaPlaza Park, Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, facebook. com/events/2761449067413552/
Jun 11 ~ Movies in the Plaza: Spider-Man - Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Bring a chair, blanket, and some snacks and cozy up to a fun outdoor movie with the family. Free, 8:45a-10:45p, West Plaza Park, Matheson Street and Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg, imdb.com/title/ tt4633694/parentalguide
Summerfield Cinemas,
551 Summerfield Rd, Santa Rosa, 707-525- 8909, summerfieldcinemas.com
Jun 6 ~ High Sensitive Youth in The Horse-Heart-Space - Pony Express Movie Night Fundraiser: award winning documentary. 6p
revolves around six women who want to honor one of the group’s fiftieth birthday. What better
place to do this than the Napa Valley.
The plan is mostly to get together drink a lot of wine and get tipsy. This is
Amy Poehler’s directorial debut and the script is patterned after a real trip the actresses took together a couple of years ago. The six fictional ladies in the movie know each other after having worked in a pizza parlor in Chicago. The actresses know each other as Saturday Night Live alumnae.
Of course all of the fictional women have issues, whether it is lamenting over a job that has been lost or the results of a medical test or ruminating over a disinterested husband or a one-sided romance.
Jun 23 ~ El Bolero De Raquel - Family- friendly Spanish language Free, 2p
Rialto Cinemas,
6868 McKinley S, Sebastopol. Showtimes & INFO: 707 525-4840, rialtocinemas.com
Jun 5 - Jul 11 ~ Exhibition On Screen: Van Gogh & Japan ~ Van Gogh never visited Japan but it’s the country with the most profound influence on his art. $16 6/5: 1p & 7p, 7/11: 1p
Jun 6 ~ National Theatre Live: The Audience - starring Helen Mirren. ‘Helen Mirren is smashing. Her Majesty will see you now’ raves The New York Times! $18-$26, 1p & 7p
Jun 11 ~ 42nd Street - The Musical - Eye- watering extravaganza is full of crowd- pleasing tap dances, popular musical theatre standards. $18-$26, 1p & 7p
Jun 13 ~ Stratford Festival on Film: The Tempest- “The real magic and grandeur come from Marth Henry as Prospero” - The New York Times. $18- $26, 1p & 7p
Jun 18 ~ Deconstructing the Beatles: Abbey Road Side One- One of his most in-depth “deconstructions.” Scott Freiman will take you on a track-by- track journey. $15, 7p
Jun 19 ~ Met Opera Summer Encores: Romeo et Juliette Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau reunite for a new production of Gounod’s opera. $12.50, 1p & 6:30p
Amy is the leader and is somewhat of a control freak. She has planned every detail of their weekend and even hands out a printed agenda. Jason Schwartzman, who apparently comes with the house, is their driver and doubles as their cook. He is obsessed with making a giant pot of paella.
One of the scheduled activities, of course, is wine tasting and their hosts try to give them some background and history the ladies make it clear that they don’t care. They are only interested in the buzz that that lovely liquid imparts. Another event on the list is to have Tarot cards read. The Tarot reader is somewhat unhinged and is as insulting as she is provocative.
Amy Poehler sparkles and Maya Rudolf is particularly adept at playing a benevolent drunk. Tina Fay as the owner of the rental house where they are staying is strangely flat.
Much of the movie was shot in the Napa Valley and Calistoga. Artesa and Baldacci wineries were specific locations. Vistas of the row upon row of vineyards are awe inspiring, so much the symbol indeed the life blood of our area.
I wish I could say I liked this film more than I did but there was no there, there. However, the players are so compelling and the subtle satirizing of our sometimes pretentious wine culture are so amusing it is worth viewing.
Raven Film Center
415 Center St. Healdsburg, 707-525-8909, ravenfilmcenter.com
SEARCH Diane McCurdy on our website for DVD/Film and BOOK Reviews: www.SonomaCountyGazette.com
Our SELECTION of FILMS you may enjoy.
Our ONLINE Calendar is UPDATED all month 6/19 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 63