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June 13, 2014 Send your arts & entertainment news to arts@thecoastnews.com
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) left, and Toothless prespare for their next adventure in “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” Image courtesy DreamWorks Animation
All smoke and no fire in ‘Dragon 2’ By Noah S. Lee
The fiery breath of “How to Train Your Dragon 2” burns bright, but it gets extinguished at times on account of a lackluster villain and the ensuing consequences. Five years have passed since Hiccup and Toothless succeeded in uniting dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk, and now they are more inseparable than ever. When they discover a secret ice cave that houses hundreds of dragons and the enigmatic Dragon Rider, they find themselves caught in the middle of a large conflict between humans and dragons. In order to uphold the peace, however, it’s going to take the two of them and their friends to set things right. And, in nearly every aspect, the highly-anticipated sequel to 2010’s “How to Train Your Dragon” manages to do just that; the animation is of sterling quality, particularly in the characters’ faces where there is a remarkable degree of subtlety in their expressions. The humans look more evolved, the dragons appear more detailed, and even the new Scandinavian landscapes are more spacious, opening up many opportunities to create plenty of death-defying action. It’s no surprise to see the improved animation reflecting the bigger universe it has created. Speaking of death-defying action, the sequel kicks off with the Berk dragon riders participating in a cool race, followed by run-ins with trappers led by Eret and the occasional moment in which Hiccup and Toothless fly through the skies together (and separately).
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MARK THE CALENDAR SUMMER READING The Del Mar Foundation has partnered with the Del Mar Library to offer bring you a summer book club, “Three Books, Three Meetings, Three Months,” set for 10 a.m. to noon, featuring “Wild” by Chery Strayed June 21, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn July 19 and “After Dark” by Haruki Murakami Aug. 16, at 225 9th St., Del Mar. Each meeting will be hosted by a Del Mar Foundation board member. Register at delmarfoundation.org /bookclub.html. CONCERT AL FRESCO The Carlsbad Education
The exhilaration factor refuses to stop escalating when we enter the icy haven where Hiccup’s long-lost mother, Valka, enters the picture, adding an extra layer of splendor to the thrills. Clearly director Dean DeBlois had his ambitions as to where he wanted to go with the sequel regarding action sequences, and his desire to go bigger in scope culminates in the two titanic battles between the army led by the villain Drago Bludvist and the group belonging to Hiccup. These scenes are beautifully shot and teeming with enthusiasm, and if you couldn’t get enough of what the first “How to Train Your Dragon” had to offer, you’re in for a big treat. As for the voice cast, it pleased me to see that the returning members hadn’t lost their touch; Jay Baruchel mixes the perfect combination of wit, curiosity and bravery in his performance as Hiccup, and Gerard Butler is sufficiently strong and charismatic in his role of Stoick, Hiccup’s father. America Ferrera instills spunky warmth in Hiccup’s girlfriend Astrid. Craig Ferguson, who plays Gobber, is guaranteed to have audiences chuckling at his exuberant behavior. Newcomer Cate Blanchett breathes fresh life into this animated adventure with her graceful, heartfelt portrayal of the reclusive vigilante Valka. Alright, so it is obvious “How to Train Your Dragon 2” can still, like its predecessor, breathe fire and light up the skies. However, its flames drop in intensity once Drago, a supposedly critical factor of the film’s plot, comes into focus. What I’m not a fan of is how under-
Foundation invites all to an outdoor concert with Carlsbad singer-songwriter Cody Lovaas and the Valley Middle School band, at 5 p.m. June 21 at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, 7100 Aviara Resort Drive. Tickets are $25 at carlsbaded.org/concerttickets.aspx. JUNE 13 PLEIN AIR San Dieguito Art Guild hosts the free, 15-artist plein air exhibition, “Envision 24 Hours,” with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. June 13, at the Encinitas City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Ave., Encinitas. COASTAL COLOR The Oceanside Museum of Art will host an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 13 for its satellite exhibition space featuring Coastal Color through Sept. 7 at the Herbert B. Turner Galleries at Southfair, 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The show features works by members of OMA
developed the villain turned out to be; his past motive didn’t mesh well with his current one, and therefore the logic behind his actions made no sense. This probably had to do with DeBlois’ indecision, as he couldn’t seem to make up his mind on where he wanted to go with Drago when writing the screenplay. And when you have a villain who is a contradiction in itself, certain story elements are sure to be affected. I understood this sequel revolved around Hiccup’s journey to discover who he is inside, and his relationships with his father and mother helped to flesh out his character arc. But there’s nothing contributory about the dynamic between him and Drago during the dragon battles where they meet. As a result, the film’s heart loses a substantial portion of emotional resonance towards the end; that punch to the gut isn’t quite as strong throughout several key solemn scenes. That’s not to say “How to Train Your Dragon 2” won’t shoot fire from its mouth to excite moviegoers; if anything, I’m certain it will, especially for those who thoroughly enjoyed the first film. But, for me personally, I think I’ll stick with the original. MPAA rating: PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor Run time: 1 hour and 42 minutes Playing: In general release
Artist Alliance and Carls- com. $12 at the door bad Oceanside Art League. For more information, JUNE 15 call (760) 435-3720 or visit COMEDY THEATER oma-online.org. See “Spamalot” onstage at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday nights through JUNE 14 ROAD TRIP Cannon June 28 at the Moonlight Art Gallery explores the Amphitheatre, 1200 Vale American Road Trip, “Com- Terrace Drive, Vista. Gates mon Tread: Traversing open for picnicking and the American Landscape” dining at 6:30 p.m. Tickets through Aug. 17 with an are $15-$52 and can be gotopening reception from ten at moonlightstage.com 5 to 7 p.m. June 14, in the or (760) 724-2110. For inWilliam D. Cannon Art Gal- formation and reservations, lery, at 1775 Dove Lane. call (760) 828-0596. For more information on gallery programs, call (760) JUNE 16 602-2021, or visit carlsbadSUMMER HOURS The Solana Beach Library , 157 ca.gov/arts. AFTER HOURS The Stevens Ave., Solana Beach, Encinitas Library L101 will open at 9:30 a.m. MonAfter Hours Concert from day through Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. June 14 pres- June 16 through Aug. 23. ents Bridges & Boundaries, Closing hours remain the touching on improv, cham- same: Monday and Thursber music and electronics at day at 6 p.m., Tuesday and 540 Cornish Drive, Encini- Wednesday at 8 p.m., Fritas. $10 advance tickets can day and Saturday at 5 p.m.. be gotten at ruthlesshipPLAY R EA DERS pies.org and leucadia101. Carlsbad Playreaders pres-
Darius Rucker will be performing at the San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Fairgrounds Grandstand June 13. Photo by Jim Wright
Rucker knows the high stakes of country music By Alan Sculley
Darius Rucker says his current album, “True Believers,” is the most important album he’s made in his career. That’s quite a statement for a guy who 18 years ago, as frontman of Hootie & The Blowfish, faced following up an album in “Cracked Rear View,” which sold 16 million copies in the United States alone, and five years ago tackled the challenge of being one of the rare artists to successfully move from rock into the country genre. But Rucker has his reasons for seeing “True Believers,” his third country album, as such a highstakes project. “When I started in the country world, there were the naysayers that said that I was just going to come in and have a hit and leave,” Rucker said in a phone interview. “This record, I call it my cement record. It’s the record I want to solidify my country career, and I have to let people know that I’m here for the long haul.” “True Believers” has ent “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, featuring Deanna Driscoll, Samantha Ginn, Linda Libby, Amanda Sitton & Jacque Wilke. Join Carlsbad Playreaders at 7:30 p.m. June 16 at the Carlsbad Dove Library Schulman Auditorium. For more information, visit carlsbadplayreaders.org. JUNE 17 TWILIGHT TUNES The Del Mar Summer Twilight Concert Series begins at 6 pm June 17 featuring for opening act, Josh Damigo followed by Rockola and the Magical Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Del Mar Foundation is offering Benefactor Blankets at $1,000 each that will guarantee prime seating for all five concerts. Proceeds help underwrite the cost of the concerts. Reservations at delmarfoundation.org/ twilight.html or call (858) 635-1363 or email kwilson@
probably accomplished that goal. The lead single from the album, “Wagon Wheel,” topped “Billboard” magazine’s country singles chart and in February won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. A follow-up single, “Radio,” went top five. The top of the country singles chart isn’t unfamiliar territory for Rucker. His first two albums, “Learn to Live” (2008) and “Charleston, SC 1966 (2010) produced five number one singles and each album went platinum, as Rucker gave fans every indication that he was as suited to country as he was to the rock world with Hootie & The Blowfish. But the greater time and effort that went into “True Believers” is a good indication that Rucker was making a big investment in the album. “We really took our time, took a couple of years to get this record, and it was because we wanted great songs,” Rucker said. TURN TO RUCKER ON A15
delmarfoundation.org JUNE 18 MUSIC AT LUNCH The free Wednesdays@ Noon concert from noon to 12:45 p.m. June 18 at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive, will feature Peter Pupping, guitar and Jeff Basile, string bass. The duo will present a variety of jazz, Latin, samba, and contemporary acoustic music. Bring lunch or purchase from the coffee cart. For more information, call (760) 633-2746. JUNE 20 MAR DELS IN THE PARK A free concert in the park will rock with the Mar Dels from 5 to 8:30p.m. June 20 at Rancho del Oro Park, 4700 Mesa Drive, Oceanside, sponsored by Oceanside Neighborhood Services Department and Friends of Oceanside Parks. For more information, call (760) 435-5041.