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Vol. 11, No. 12 – Mar 14 – Mar 27, 2018 – Movie Review

The 2018 Breezy Awards
by Manuel Reynoso

Award season is in the air and it’s my honor to present to you, the only movie awards that truly matter: The 2017 Breezy Awards! The format is simple, I have a variety of Breezy awards to give out, plus an honorable mention for some of the categories, followed by an explanation for the awards. With that, here are my picks for the 2017 Breezy awards.

Best Cinematography: Roger Deacon, Blade Runner 2049

All around fantastic framing and camera work, Blade Runner 2049 has some of the best camera work I’ve seen. It gave the already visually striking film much more impact.

Best Film Editing, Lee Smith, Dunkirk

While editing may not be my forte, it’s easy to recognize excellence when I see it. With a narrative presented as complex as this, Lee Smith’s mastery of editing made the complexity of Dunkirk work so elegantly.

Best Animated Film: Coco

Coco’s importance to me can’t be overstated. It was a beautiful work of art while also being a celebration of the Mexican people and their culture. I was engrossed by the sights and sounds of my people finally have strong representation on the big screen. Call it biased, but Coco was a fantastic animated adventure, that makes me tear up every time.

Honorable Mention: The Breadwinner

A gripping and emotional tale of a Young Afghan girl assuming the identity of a boy to provide for her family, it’s a film that might have flown under most people’s radar but deserves to be seen regardless.

Best Screenplay: Lady Bird by Greta Gerwig

The brilliance of Lady Bird’s writing wasn’t revolutionary in the way the story was written. Instead, I found it’s brilliance in the way its characters are written and presented. It was a simple story that found its complexity in the relationships between the characters. For me personally, that’s why I find it deserving of Best Screenplay.

Honorable Mention: Get Out by Jordan Peele

I do believe Get Out is equally as deserving of this reward as Lady Bird. Get Out of ingenious in the way it presented social inequality and was very clever with its use of double entendre. It presents a difficult topic in a way both easily consumable and subverts many of our expectations of horror.

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro continues to completely floor me in how much style and substance can be added to a film by having a strong direction. The art direction, cinematography, acting, and so on work together so beautifully under his direction.

Honorable Mention: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

For me, Christopher Nolan is the master of big-budget movie making and Dunkirk was just another success in a long line of them. It’s a fantastic film, and no one makes them have impact quite like Nolan.

Many of the films listed above deserve an honorable mention for picture of the year, but only one can win the coveted 2017 Breezy Award for Best Picture.

Best Picture of the Year: Baby Driver

While it may seem unexpected, Baby Driver was the single most enjoyable film I’ve seen in 2017. Strong theming is the easiest way to my heart, and Baby Driver going all in on the theme of rhythm and music was beautiful. It was edited on beat, the dialog flowed like music, and the film marched along at the beat of its own drum. A surprising, but easy pick for Picture of the Year.

Vol. 11, No. 12 – Mar 14 – Mar 27, 2018 – Ojai News & Events

Opera Santa Barbara will return to the Ojai Library to present a Free Noontime Opera Concert on Thursday, March 15. The concert will begin at 12 p.m. in the main room of the library and will last approximately 45 minutes. The Opera Santa Barbara Studio Artists will perform a selection of popular opera arias and duets as well as some musical theatre pieces, accompanied by piano.

Between April 1 and April 30, the Ventura County Library System will be commemorating National Poetry Month by holding its annual county-wide Haiku Poetry Contest. Participants will be able to submit their own original haiku at any of our library locations or online at tiny.cc/vclhaiku.

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with 17 syllables in a 5/7/5 count. Haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. Winners will be selected from throughout our library system, with prizes including gift cards from local businesses. The contest is open to all ages and topics.

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will visit the Ojai Library to host a screening of the documentary film Bowling for Columbine. After the screening there will be a discussion facilitated by members of WILPF.

In Bowling for Columbine, filmmaker Michael Moore looks at the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in the context of America’s high homicide rate and the proliferation of guns in our country and culture. Moore engages with corporate entities involved in the sale of guns, explores gun violence in other countries, and looks at some specific individuals who are outspoken in their support of the National Rifle Association.

Events are free. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at 218-9146.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Ave. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Directed by Michael Addison, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth will be produced by the Ojai Art Center Theater and Ojai Performing Arts Theater. The play will run on weekends, March 16 through April 8, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm. There will be a Sunday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets run from $18 to $20, and students under 25—$10. Purchase tickets online at: OjaiACT.org or call 640-8797 to reserve seats.

Tour the one-of-a-kind herb garden, harvest medicinal herbs, and prepare home remedies during the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden with Carol Wade and Lanny Kaufer. The herb walk will take place on Saturday, March 24th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $60, including all materials. Register at HerbWalks.com or call 646-6281

Mark and Holly Jansen of Jansen Photo Expeditions have been leading photographic tours in Iceland for the past 5 years, and have seen evidence of changes in the area due to ice melt, receding glaciers and the impact of man on the environment. In their presentation, which will be on March 20th at 7 p.m., they will show an amazingly beautiful Iceland, but also some of the evidence that they have seen from being frequent travelers there and the changing climate they have witnessed.

Held at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana St. Monthly free presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service and education outreach. The general public is always welcome. Visit www.ojaiphotoclub.com/ for more information.

Print Exchange Anthology Exhibition, Saturday, March 24

Print Exchange Anthology Exhibition, Saturday, March 24, 6-10 pm, curated by Trent Stevens and Sophia Kidd, is an Art City Gallery pop-up exhibition. Print Exchange is an idea that your art has worth. It has exchanges monthly since 2015 and the idea has spread from Ventura to Colorado, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka. We thought it was time to feature 22 of Print Exchange’s most visionary disrupters. From photography and letterpress to zines and one-off prints, all print-makers are welcome to come and show, swap, sell or buy artworks on the open-source wall. Art City Gallery, 197 Dubbers St. 648-1690. www.artcitygalleryandstudios.com.

Vol. 11, No. 12 – Mar 14 – Mar 27, 2018 – Scamp Club

Hi: My name is Auggie Doggie. I’m a purebred dapple dachshund. One of my favorite things to do is to go camping and ride motorcycles with my dad! I think I’m better at riding then my sons, Buster Brown and Nugget, but I’m older and more experienced of course!

Hi: I’m Lillyette a 9-year old Lhasa Apso. I like to Sleep, play with K-9 toys and go fishing in a Koi Pond.

Applications available for Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship

The Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship Program, created in 2011, honors the legacy of Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo’s founder and Executive Director for 30 years (1981–2011). The Scholarship continues Fernandez’s legacy of community building by cultivating the leadership of residents to attain their goals, empower themselves and to take action and improve the quality of life in their communities.

The Scholarship will award a total of $12,500 to its recipients with $10,000, provided by an Edison International grant to be divided among STEM recipients and $2,500 among recipients of all majors. The amount of each scholarship will be determined based on participation and qualifications.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicants must be a resident of Ventura County
  • Household income must be less than or equal to 80% AMI (Area Median Income, See application for more detail)
  • Applicants must be enrolled in their senior year in high school and/or continuing their college education, in the process of applying to an accredited institution, or enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.
  • Applications must be completed, signed, and submitted with all the required attachments on or before 5 p.m. on Friday, June 1, 2018.

The first priority for awards shall be granted to existing residents of Cabrillo properties.

Applications are available on at https://www.cabrilloedc.org/resident-services. For more information, contact Cabrillo’s Resident and Community Services department at [email protected] with the subject RFL Scholarship, or call 652-2588 or 659-3791 ext. 141

Ventura Chamber Ribbon Cutting was held at J Wolf Catering and BBQ

On March 6 a Ventura Chamber Ribbon Cutting was held at J Wolf Catering and BBQ at 2271 N. Ventura Ave. They are committed to serving their guests as much farm to table, organic and non-GMO foods as possible and locally sourced meats and produce.. They are a certified green business.

Ernest Romero- chef/owner was on hand to greet all.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday 8 AM -5 PM, Saturday 8 AM – 2 PM (unless catering) and Sundays and Mondays closed. 628-9416

Job well done

All that is left at the Fairgrounds of the dirt that was being cleaned from the Montecito mudslides is the equipment and gravel. The private firm American Integrated Services brought the dirt to the Fairgrounds where it was tested and separated to remove toxic elements. The Fairgrounds were being used for this purpose because it owned by the State.

Vol. 11, No. 12 – Mar 14 – Mar 27, 2018 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

Brothers Collide in True West at Elite

A thought-provoking piece by prolific American author Sam Shepard, True West is considered to be Shepard’s “signature” works. The gritty characters are somewhat autobiographical and speak to his preoccupation with the myth of a vanishing West. Elite’s Artistic Director Tom Eubanks directs the 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning offering.

Austin, a screenwriter, is house-sitting for his mother who is away on vacation to Alaska. Interrupting the flow of his work enters Austin’s estranged older brother, Lee, a bombastic grifter and opportunist. His main occupation is drinking, however, at which he excels. Much to Austin’s dismay, Lee settles in and makes himself at home.

Austin is desperately trying to finish his current script before meeting with his agent, Saul Kimmer, due in the next day. Lee makes an unscheduled appearance and immediately bullies Saul into meeting with him over golf so he can pitch his own story, a Western.

Conflicts arise when Saul agrees to can Austin’s work in favor of Lee’s new story. Both brothers are badly in need of this redemptive contract and tension builds as they struggle to get the completed story on paper. Ultimately, the roles become reversed as they both realize they must see this through to survive. Austin drinks to cope with the situation and Lee begins to see light over the horizon, at least financially.

Mom eventually returns from her trip, dismissing the brother’s tussle and differences. It appears that both sons have been enabling their alcoholic father over the years, which contributes to the emotional conflict. Mom chooses to ignore the reality of the situation completely.

The brothers are played by Aaron Gardner as Austin and Sean Mason as Lee. Both capture the essence of their characters to the core. Gardner comes across as a fairly meek man struggling to provide for his family, while Mason pulls out all the stops as the disheveled drunkard drifter.

Saul Kimmer is given a superb characterization by Buddy Wilds with just the right amount of stereotypical oily persona. His Hawaiian shirts alone exude the essence of the laid-back go-with-the-flow man who can easily be persuaded to change his mind by losing a bet on the golf course. Marilyn Lazik embodies the briefer role of the slightly confused and deluded Mom. Mom’s appearance doesn’t stop the arguing brothers but does add dimension to the overall dysfunctional picture.

The piece highlights the duality of each brother secretly wishing to be in the others’ shoes. Austin wishes he had the freedom on which brother Lee thrives, while Lee expresses his deep-down desire for the stability that Austin enjoys.

True West is billed as a comedy and although there are some laughs throughout, the action and dialogue between the belligerent bully and the home-in-the-suburbs family man takes on a pervasive dark tone accented by dim lighting. A detailed interior setting by Henry House becomes its own character in the play, providing context and a background canvas of stability and warmth that contrasts with the brothers’ situation and actions.

True West runs through March 25. Friday & Saturday eves 8 PM, Sunday matinees 2 p.m. General admission $20. Seniors and students $17. Season subscriptions are also available. Reservations are encouraged. 483-5118 Elite Theatre Company, 2731 Victoria Avenue, Fisherman’s Wharf, Channel Islands Harbor www.elitetheatre.org

Festival of Talent

Ventura Education Partnership will present the 17th Annual Festival of Talent: “Walking on Sunshine” on Saturday March 24, at 7:00 p.m. The performance is open to the public and showcases the amazing talent of Ventura Unified School District students, staff and family members. Brian McDonald, Rubicon Theatre Company Associate Artistic Director, will direct the show.

Since its inception 17 years ago, the Festival of Talent has raised more than $500,000 for the VEPGrant program, which awards grants to VUSD schools. These small grants have enabled over 500 teachers to provide extra enrichment activities, to acquire new technology, or to undertake innovative projects with their students. The VEPGrant program touches every student who graduates from Ventura Unified, supplementing and enhancing their education.

“We are grateful to live in a community that prioritizes youth and education, that community partners work tirelessly to showcase students’ talents and that sponsors care about strengthening student learning by funding innovative classroom grants. It’s a not to be missed experience!” stated Madhu Bajaj, President, Ventura Education Partnership

This year’s production will feature a variety of acts, including choirs, rock bands, vocalists, cheerleaders, dancers, and a comedian! Don Wood, the show’s original and long-standing Master of Ceremonies, returns, as does Musical Director Miriam Arichea.

“Thanks to the talents of director, Brian McDonald, and musician, Miriam Arichea, Festival of Talent, while performed by amateurs associated with the Ventura Unified School District, is as close to a professional show as one can get. It is a “must see” for all Venturans.” said Bart Bleuel, Kiwanis Member and Chair of Festival of Talent.

Festival of Talent will take place at the Ventura High School auditorium with preshow entertainment beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the show at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at all VUSD school sites and online at https://festivaloftalent2018.brownpapertickets.com. For more information, please visit www.VenturaEducationPartnership.org

Ventura Education Partnership continues to welcome new sponsors for the 17th Annual Festival of Talent: Walking on Sunshine. The audience interested in the event and attracted to its advertising will be in excess of 50,000 people. If you are considering becoming a sponsor email Kay Giles at [email protected]. To learn more on how you can help, please visit http://www.venturaeducationpartnership.org/.