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Cinema ChatterBy Joan GarverickRio Recession RollbackThe Monte Rio Theater is doing a Rio Recession Rollback on ticket prices---Starting Jan 1 st until May 15 th we will roll ticket prices back to just$5.00 all showings, all movies, all people!We will go back to regular prices just before summer. www.riotheater.comon the corner of Bohemian Hwy and Hwy 116 in Monte Rio by the bridge.FALL/WINTER/SPRING SHOWTIMES: Closed Mon, Tues & WedThursday & Friday: 7:00pm • Saturday: 4 & 7:00pm • Sunday: 1 & 3:30pmPLEASE CALL TO DOUBLECHECK: 707-865-0913Your Home Town Theater with affordable snacks!Gold Ridge 4H Steps Up!Gold Ridge 4-H has stepped up their community serviceefforts to help out with the tough economic times!!!By Gianna Pendleton, Gold Ridge 4-HOne of the main focuses in the4-H organization is to give back tothe community through communityservice projects. Gold Ridge 4-Hnormally hosts one community serviceproject each month. This year the clubhas realized that times are tough andaffecting more people and have decidedto help with more service projects.One of the projects originated byBrandon Riebli and taken over byGianna Pendleton & Cassie Reddingis the adoption of a troop in Iraq.The members of Gold Ridge arecollecting items to send to them.From miscellaneous necessity itemsto thoughtful wishes posted on agarland made of leaves were sentover. Going forward we will be sendinggift packages each month.The Arts & Craft project made fleecescarves that will be donated to theLiving Room in Santa Rosa to help outwomen & children in need. The SheepProject is collecting soda pop tabs to bedonated to the Ronald McDonald Housewhich benefit the families staying there.In October, Alex Browder coordinateda can food drive in October and donatedthe items to the local food bank. GiannaPendleton coordinated a pumpkincarving/decoration day at AppleValley Convalescent in Sebastopol. InNovember, Cory Corcoran coordinateda Thanksgiving tray favors projectand 90 tray favors were made byall the members and delivered toApple Valley Convalescent home forThanksgiving. Currently a coat/blanket drive is underway.Working with the Salvation Army,this year the Salvation Army has beenable to have 4-H volunteers ring thebell for holiday donations. Next yearmany other fun projects are in theworks. Since people need food all yearlong, not just during the holidays, wewill start January off with anotherfood drive.Valentine & Easter tray favors willbe made for the convalescent homes,Easter egg coloring will be done and ofcourse each month we will be sendingpackages to troops in war zones. Sincethe residents of convalescent homes areunable to have pets, we will be bringinganimals to visit them. The kids lovehearing stories from days of old beingshared by the residents.36 - www.westcountygazette.com - 1/15/09A good movie is comprised of manyelements. First is the story, thenacting,next editing, if a period piecethe set decoration and costume areimportant. Controlling all these is thedirector’s vision and decisions. DirectorDavid Fincher whose vision gave usSeven &Fight Club have gone in a wholenew direction in The Curious Case ofBenjamin Button. Starring Brad Pittin the title role, his curious case is heis born old and ages backward, towardyouth, childhood and eventuallybecomes an infant.The story begins on Armistice DayWorld War 1 1918 in New Orleans andmoves through the 20 th century andbeyond when Hurricane Katrina isabout to slam the birthplace of Jazz.Oddly enough these events are both thebeginning of this fascinating and welldone movie.The extraordinary Cate Blanchett isthe love of his life and since she agesthe usual way they manage to meetin the middle. This movie does runlong (2hours and 45 minutes), and myexperience is people either run hotor cold on the experience. I howeverfound this a thought provoking filmexamining ageing, love, and parentalresponsibility.Screen writers Eric Roth and RobinSwicord have done a wonderful jobweaving a story going in two directionsat once with humor, suspense and lotsof loving emotion.The Sebastopol Documentary FilmFestival is going to be happening fromMarch 6 th until March 8 th .They willbe screening 44 films at five differentvenues. These films have a wide range ofdiverse subjects. For more informationcontact www.SebastopolFilmFestival.org or call 707-829-4797My documentary pick this monthMan on Wire reminds me of an oldElectric Light Orchestra song Hold ontight to your dream, This is exactlywhat Philippe Petit French high wireartist did. While waiting for a dentistappointment in 1966 this man saw adrawing of the still to be built WorldTrade Towers. He promptly tore thepage out of the magazine and left thedentist office taking his toothache andstolen article with him. Mr. Petit knewat that moment he HAD TO string awire between these two towers andwalk 1,350 feet above New York City!He planned and trained and waiteduntil August 7, 1974 to achieve hisdream.This fascinating documentarychronicles his quest from that day in1966 until he lives the dream eight yearslater. This outrageous story is told withsuspense The wonderfully Frenchmusic soundtrack fits each situation toperfection.My home viewing pick this monthis The Duchess. A delightful frothyconfection of a film about a long pastera. The story is about GeorgianaSpencer who was Princess Dianna’s18 th Century ancestor. Both were thrustinto an arranged marriage while intheir teens. Georgiana (played be KeiraKnightly) was married to the Duke ofDevonshire (played by Ralph Fiennes)at the age of seventeen. Both husbandshad a roving eye and enjoyed a dallianceoutside of the marriage, finally bothwomen were icons of the fashion world.In Georgiana’s case it was mile highhair festooned with feathers. Thischapter in history is told with perfectpitch by cinematographer Gyula Padoswho with the help of costume designerMichael O’Connor and set decoratorRebecca Alleway have created anenvironment so authentic you are pulledinto the film as if you are witnessing thestory in person.The strict social code of behaviorand mandated political attitudes areon display and fascinatingly told withan eye towards the lack of power orinfluence of women then. Mr. Fiennesperformance as the Duke is nuanced,multi layered and quietly powerful.Director Saul Dibb has assembled allthe factors in making a great film andpresented it to us with such an easeand fluidity that you are barely awareof the complexity of knowledge beingpresented.