Screens

Godwit Days and Redwood Region Audubon Society

seek donations of new or gently used goods, as well as services, for an online auction benefitting Godwit Days. Donation deadline is May 1. Contact Alex Stillman at alexnacv@gmail.com or 845-3900 to donate to Godwit Days or Gary Friedrichsen at gary@jacobycreek.net or 496-6581 to donate to RRAS. Contact Sue Leskiw at sueleskiw1@gmail.com for general info. North Group, Redwood Chapter, Sierra Club is offering camp scholarships for children to attend two overnight camps in Petrolia this summer. Application deadline is April 5. Completed forms may be mailed to Sue Leskiw, 155 Kara Lane, McKinleyville, CA, 95519 or scanned and e-mailed to sueleskiw1@gmail.com. To obtain an application form, e-mail Sue or call 442-5444. Dream Quest offers scholarships for students going to a two- or four-year college or vocational school. Apply by April 15. Email office@dqwc.org or visit www. dqwc.org.

Graduating seniors at Humboldt County high schools

who plan to major or minor in music or music education at an accredited college next fall may apply for Scotia Band’s 2021 Sewell Lufkin Memorial Scholarship ($500) until April 16. The application form is available at www. scotiaband2.org/Scotia_Band_Scholarship.html.

The Humboldt-Del Norte County Medical Society’s

Humboldt-Del Norte PreMedical Education Task Force offers two $1,000 Future Physician scholarships to students planning on attending medical school. Application at www.hafoundation.org/Grants-Scholarships/ Scholarships-Apply-Now.

The city of Eureka has open seats on several boards

and commissions. To see what seats are available and how to apply, call the City Clerk at 441-4175, or go to www.ci.eureka.ca.gov.

The city of Arcata has open seats on the Historic

Landmarks, Transactions and Use Tax Oversight, Transportation Safety, Wetlands and Creeks, Parks and Recreation and Energy committees. To apply, visit www. cityofarcata.org or call 822-5953. The city of Arcata is offering curbside pickup and free delivery to all residents who purchase a compost bin. Backyard compost bins are available for $25 by emailing the Environmental Services Department at eservices@ cityofarcata.org or by calling 822-8184. The city of Arcata is seeking community members for the Planning Commission. Applications may be dropped off, in a sealed envelope labeled “City Manager’s Office,” at the city’s drop boxes in the city hall parking lot and next to the USPS mailbox outside city hall. Visit www. cityofarcata.org or call 822-5953.

The Humboldt Arts Council is distributing CARES

Act relief-funded grants to aid local arts organizations serving socially vulnerable populations not eligible for direct CARES Act grants. Details and application at www. humboldtarts.org/cares-act-grant-application.

The county of Humboldt is seeking additional appli-

cants for the 2020/2021 Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury. Visit www.humboldt.courts.ca.gov or call 269-1245. Interested parties may also complete, download and email an application to: GrandJuryApps@humboldtcourt.ca.gov.

The Arcata Police Department is looking for Volunteer

Patrol members. Contact Administrative Sgt. Brian Hoffman at 822-2428.

The city of Arcata seeks applicants for the Historic

Landmarks Committee. Submit applications at the City Manager’s Office at Arcata City Hall. Visit www. cityofarcata.org or call 822-5953. l

Rumbles, Riffs and Riders

Me once karaoke is safe again. Godzilla vs. Kong

Godzilla vs. Kong, Hysterical and Concrete Cowboy

By John J. Bennett

screens@northcoastjournal.com

GODZILLA VS. KONG. On the rarest of occasions, one receives an unexpected gift; something one would not have chosen for oneself, or even considered as a potential source of joy. Such, for me, was the arrival of Godzilla vs. Kong. We all knew it was coming and most were ready to receive it with adulation (see the world-crushing box office numbers). But I was, as in most things, trepidatious. As much as I reveled in the pleasant surprises of Kong: Skull Island (2017) and despite my almost-primal reverence for monster movies, time has made me wary even of simple pleasures. Additionally, Godzilla’s just never been my guy. Both the 1998 and 2014 iterations left me cold, the former for its silliness, the latter for its overwrought drama. I skipped King of the Monsters (2019). But it would seem I’ve been subconsciously craving a big, dumb spectacle (beyond American political theater) as much as everybody else. Lights down, monsters up, I had a great time.

The primary achievement of G v. K lies in its refusal to take itself too seriously. While it is most certainly a gigantic, expensive undertaking, it is suffused with a sense of fun and discovery that strips away much of the cynicism with which it has become so easy to approach things. Director Adam Wingard (You’re Next, 2011), having graduated from low to mid-budget horror to the big leagues of potential studio disaster, acquits himself astoundingly well. It is a titanic undertaking to bring together the countless elements that make up a movie of this scale; it only takes a couple of crucial mistakes for the whole thing to go sideways. And while no one could accuse Godzilla vs. Kong of changing cinema (except in a plague year), the fact that it remains watchable — read: fun — throughout is a testament to the novel idea that a mega-movie doesn’t have to submit to stupidity or over-seriousness to succeed.

And, while it could create a rift between those of us on Team Kong (the good guys) and Team Godzilla (the other guys), the movie brings us together, ultimately, against the evils of technology. Hope springs eternal. PG13. 113M. HBOMAX.

HYSTERICAL. Stand-up comedy, a fascinating, roguish subculture, is also a troubling microcosm of the society upon which it comments. It distills the prejudices and inequities of contemporary culture, even as it ostensibly works to delineate and destroy them. Most pointedly, it has been and remains a boys’ club, which is a euphemism for a toxically sexist, exclusionary milieu. While Hysterical, directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, critically examines the challenges and imbalances inherent in the world of stand-up, it also strikes a decidedly hopeful tone, suggesting this may be a moment of critical change, a long overdue assessment of inherent bias and unequal opportunity.

Made up primarily of interviews with female comics, some multi-decade veterans and some already hardened new recruits, Hysterical presents a sometimes too-broad survey of women in comedy. It touches on the experiences and influence of trailblazers like Moms Mabley, Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers — legends and heroes all — but with its unusually brief running time, one cannot help but feel that history is being given short shrift. Additionally, there are some notable omissions from the talking head portion, likely due in part to the obvious impact of COVID-19 on the documentary’s production.

For its minor faults, though, Hysterical is a hilarious, timely and crucial document. In the midst of a late-stage cultural wake-up call about equality and representation and legacies of abuse, who better to lead the charge than the comedians, with women as the standard bearers. TVMA. 87M. HULU, FX.

CONCRETE COWBOY scratches the surface of a number of heretofore woefully unexplored story wells: Black cowboys; the transformative power of a trust-based relationship with a horse; and north-Philly equine accommodations, among others. Directed by Ricky Staub, written by Staub and Dan Walser, the movie accomplishes much of what it sets out to with style and emotional investment to spare. So, even when it overreaches or the pacing falters or the feelings start to get saccharine, I am prepared to overlook those minor shortcomings.

After a last-straw fight and school expulsion, Cole’s (Caleb McLaughlin) long-suffering mother stuffs his clothes into garbage bags and drives him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with his semi-estranged father, Harp (Idris Elba). Cole is shocked to learn he’ll be sharing an apartment with a horse and that’s only the beginning. Harp is at the center of a longstanding community of Black cowboys, whose stable space — and cultural identity — is increasingly threatened by gentrification. Caught between the appeal of the street-life of childhood friend Smush (Jharrel Jerome) and the discipline and potential redemption of horsemanship, Cole struggles to establish his own identity.

While some of Concrete Cowboy’s imperfections may frustrate, hinting as they do at a more perfect version of the story, there is more to admire than to criticize. R. 111M. NETFLIX.

l John J. Bennett (he/him) is a movie nerd who loves a good car chase.