Screens

Restorative Movement. 10:30-11:30 a.m. & 1:30-2:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

4 Wednesday

Louis Marak: Visual Riddles. Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. See July 29 listing.

BOOKS

On the Same Page Book Club. 5:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. Online book club that meets on the first Wednesday of the month on Zoom. Sign up using the Google form at www.forms.gle/bAsjdQ7hKGqEgJKj7.

COMEDY

Open Mikey. 9-11:45 p.m. Savage Henry Comedy Club, 415 Fifth St., Eureka. Sign up early. For beginners and seasoned comics. Free. www.savagehenrymagazine. com.

FOR KIDS

Children’s Summer Meal Program. Noon-12:30 p.m. Arcata Elementary School, 2400 Baldwin St. See July 29 listing. MARZ Project. Noon-5 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. Preschool Storytime. 11 a.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 31 listing.

GARDEN

Sea Goat Farm Garden Volunteer Opportunities.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Abbey of the Redwoods, 1450 Hiller Road, McKinleyville. See July 30 listing.

OUTDOORS

Live from Behind the Redwood Curtain. Ongoing, 3-3:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

SPORTS

Humboldt Crabs Baseball. Arcata Ball Park, Ninth and F streets. See July 30 listing.

ETC

English Express: An English Language Class for

Adults. Ongoing. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. Tabata. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 30 listing.

5 Thursday

Louis Marak: Visual Riddles. Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. See July 29 listing.

DANCE

Dances of Brazil. 5:30 p.m. Redwood Raks World Dance Studio, 824 L St., Arcata. See July 29 listing.

MUSIC

Pierson Park Music in the Park. 6-8 p.m. Pierson Park, 1608 Pickett Road, McKinleyville. See July 29 listing. Summer Concert Series. 6-8 p.m. Madaket Plaza, Foot of C Street, Eureka. See July 29 listing.

SPOKEN WORD

The Writers Lounge via Zoom. 7:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

FOR KIDS

Children’s Summer Meal Program. Noon-12:30 p.m. Arcata Elementary School, 2400 Baldwin St. See July 29 listing. Fortuna Library Recorded Readings. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. MARZ Project. Noon-5 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. Virtual Junior Rangers. 11:30 a.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

FOOD

Henderson Center Farmers Market. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Henderson Center, Henderson near F Street, Eureka. See July 29 listing. McKinleyville Farmers Market. 3-6 p.m. Eureka Natural Foods, McKinleyville, 2165 Central Ave. See July 29 listing. Willow Creek Farmers Market. 4-7 p.m. Veteran’s Park, 100 Kimtu Road, Willow Creek. See July 29 listing.

MEETINGS

Ujima Parent Peer Support. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. Virtual Whiteness Accountability Space. Noon-1 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

OUTDOORS

Live from Behind the Redwood Curtain. Ongoing, 3-3:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

ETC

English Express: An English Language Class for

Adults. Ongoing. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing. Restorative Movement. 10:30-11:30 a.m. & 1:30-2:30 p.m. Virtual World, Online. See July 29 listing.

Heads Up …

Potawot Community Food Garden is looking for

summer volunteers. They are open for volunteers M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Drop-ins welcome. Call 8268476 (Leave contact information on voicemail) or email Jude.Marshall@uihs.org for volunteer information.

The Gestation Project is looking for work related

to child rearing in the 21st century. Submit entries by Aug. 1. Please send a photo of your work in the form of a PDF attachment to taylorsnowberger@gmail. com. Include your name, piece title, media, size, date produced and price.

KZZH 96.7 seeks submissions of original audio

recordings up to five minutes long for its new weekly late-night show The Repository, featuring old and odd recordings, spoken word, poetry and more. Email digital submissions to kzzh@accesshumboldt. net. For a sample, visit www.archive.org/details/ the-repository-04032021.

The city of Arcata seeks applicants for the Economic

Development Committee. Email applications to citymgr@cityofarcata.org, fax to 822-8081 or drop off in a sealed envelope labeled “City Manager’s Office” at the City Hall drop boxes. For more information visit www.cityofarcata.org or call 822-5953.

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. ● My current level of COVID comfort. F9

The Wild Ride to F9

Two decades, no brakes

By John J. Bennett

screens@northcoastjournal.com

F9: THE FAST SAGA. The thrill isn’t gone, per se, but in having recently revisited the undeniable high-water mark of installments four through six — Fast & Furious (2009); Fast 5 (2011); Fast & Furious 6 (2013) — of this almost ridiculously long-lived franchise, this unlikely behemoth that was never really meant to survive, I have to say the seams may be starting to show.

Did I enjoy myself, long after its premier, even after all these weeks of dissipation and possible spoilers? Of course, I did. But the exhilaration has grown tempered, both as the running times of the movies approach territory heretofore only trod upon by epics and as the series has stretched to continue to outdo itself in terms of scale and spectacle.

To show my age, I’ve been participating in this silliness from the beginning. The Fast and the Furious (2001) was a delightful B-movie throwback I probably rented at a Blockbuster. The weird charm of the cast, the unblinking seriousness of the movie’s tone and the overarching sense of adventure created an unlikely but highly enjoyable document of a specific place in time. The sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), long my wife’s favorite installment, felt like the franchise was already on fumes, but succeeded by ramping up the pulpiness and introducing us to scenery-devouring Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson).

The real shift occurred while fewer people were looking, though, when a young director named Justin Lin took a property now absent any of its principal cast, went to Japan (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, 2006) and set in motion a mind-boggling, money-minting series of events that would redefine the notion of sequels for a new era. With his keen eye, precise pacing and mastery of atmosphere, Lin reinvented the aesthetic of the series, bringing an elevated sense of craft to the proceedings. He was also able, with broad-minded screenwriting collaborators, to bring home the wayward stars-to-be who had previously defined the tone of the movies.

The next three, referenced above, demonstrated there is no ceiling and