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Movie Review: 'Fast Five' one hell of a car-crime movie

Whoo, boy, if adventure thrillers are your meat, dine at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City where "Fast Five," fifth in the series of "Fast and Furious" is whooping it up. Director Justin Lin has a ball with car chases, crashes, explosions and good crooks vs. bad crooks in Rio de Janeiro.

Two hulks star in this outing, Vin Diesel as ringleader Dom and Dwayne Johnson as DSS agent Lucas Luke Hobbs, who always gets his man (almost always). Both have pecs of slabbed stone plus biceps to match. It doesn't matter that neither is really an actor; with a dazzling plot and plenty of action through Rio's streets,they're all one could ask for.

FBIer Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner frees Dom from a prison bus and the two hole up with Canon's girl friend Mia (Jordana Brewster) and take part in a heist of some fancy cars (at behest of a Mexican drug king) from a train. Little do they know that that cars are DEA property.

This is without a doubt the best heist scene ever filmed with a pickup desert buggy grabbing the cars so the good guys and girls can drive them off. (One is a Ford GT-40, famed as winner of the Le Mans 24 hours twice back when American car companies had imagination; I know, I covered those races).

After this incredible scene one could expect a slackening of imagination but not so. Rio streets become a race track as the good guys yank a giant vault out of a police station and with muscle cars tow it around Rio. And I thought the train-car scene was out of sight; this is the moon shots all rolled up in one.
Forget realty; this is just a magic computer chase. The DSS agent winds up with an empty vault while the good crooks get away with $100 million.

I usually don't dote on such film antics, but this is a movie so far from the usual car-chase-explosions-machine gun battles that it's hard to ignore such excellent plotting and technical skills. It's the Cadillac of thriller-road-race-good guys (nice crooks) vs. bad guys (drug dealers).

Acting? That's not what this is about, Vin can smile, however.

Go along with it all, suspend disbelief and let it roll over you. Won't hurt and it isn't going to send teens out on the road to self-destruction. They won't come any better this year. Yeah, not Academy Award fare, true, but movie-goers flocked to it and rightly so. 'Tain't art what is these days in Hollywood?

— Sam Bauman

Cast
— Vin Diesel as Dominic "Dom" Toretto
— Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbx
— Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner
— Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto
— Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce
— Ludacrisas Tej Parker
— Matt Schulze as Vince
— Sung Kang as Han Lue
— Gal Gadot as Gisele Harabo
— Tego Calderon as Tego Leo
— Don Omar as Rico Santos
— Joaquim de Almeida as Hernan Reyes
— Elsa Pataky as Elena Neves
— Michael Irby as Zizi

Directed by: Justin Lin
Produced by: Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell
Written by: Chris Morgan
Music by: Brian Tyler
Cinematography: Stephen F. Windon
Editing by: Kelly Matsumoto, Fred Raskin, Christian Wagner
Running time: 130 minutes, rated PG-13

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Dayton Valley Days, a two-day outdoor street festival where friends and families come together to celebrate in the historic downtown area is happening this weekend. Now in its 35th year, the festival will be held in Old Town Dayton on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22 starting at 8:30 a.m.

A day of free family fun for the community is planned in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bob Boldrick Theater located at the Carson City Community Center.

A bear that was severely burned during the Davis Fire has been moved by the Nevada Department of Wildlife to the Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center for continued care.

To celebrate the opening of its newest exhibit, Mint to Museum, the Nevada State Museum presents "The Legacy of the Carson City Mint," a Frances Humphrey Lecture delivered by History Curator Emeritus Robert Nylen on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Creativity and talent abound in the Capital City Arts Initiative’s "Graphics Extraordinaire 2024" exhibition that presents graphic design work by seven Western Nevada College students.

The Carson Valley Arts Council will kick off its 2024-2025 Concert Series beginning October 11, bringing diverse music performers from across the country to our local community and schools.

Last year’s Halloween Block Party was so much fun that the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada and the Nevada State Museum have decided to do it again this year! The community is invited to share in the excitement on Friday, October 18, 2024 from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Carson City.

Come join CASI at our annual Pooch Plunge pool party happening Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Carson City Aquatic Facility outdoor pool.

In our very dry climate and closer proximity to the sun, dermatology has become very important in keeping our skin youthful and free from cancer.

Got an unsightly wart, rash, acne, or other skin imperfection? You can now be treated at the new state-of-the-art dermatology practice just opened by Dr. Samantha Schneider.

During the 32nd annual Critical Issues Conference—hosted by the Business Council of Douglas County—four local businesses were recognized with the 2024 Spotlight Award. This year’s awards were held September 17 at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline.

Similar to Reading Week in March, each year, students and teachers also dedicate a week to celebrate Social Studies.

The observance typically falls around Constitution Day (a national holiday celebrated on Sept. 17) and is designed to enrich student understanding of history, geography, economics and civics.

Enjoy live music and see artists create new, vibrant public murals across Nevada’s capital city Sept. 26-28.

The Brewery Arts Center’s second annual Carson City Murals & Music Festival will bring live musical performances and 19 new, colorful murals to Carson City, Nevada starting Thursday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. This year’s festival artists will add to the 23 murals created during the inaugural festival in 2023.

Catmandu’s cat of the week is a very special guy. At first glance, Rigby looks like a garden variety black cat. He is not. He is a Bombay, with all the amazing physical and personality traits of the breed.

In his first appearance with Reno Tahoe Comedy we are excited to present Comedian Steve Bruner. He is the man who slices through dullness with his razor-sharp wit faster than a ninja with a caffeine addiction.

You can find him delivering laughs on Showtime’s Comedy Club Network, tickling funny bones on A&E’s An Evening at the Improv, and lighting up late-night TV on ABC’s Into the Night and NBC’s The Byron Allen Show.

There has been a recent rise in phone and video scams involving individuals impersonating law enforcement officers.

Scammers are using phone calls and FaceTime video calls to contact citizens, posing as officers or deputies from various agencies to steal personal information or extort money.

On Thursday, Supervisors heard an update from Rob Boehmer, chair of the Carson City Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife, who presented on the annual urban wildlife report.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: Our Slide Mountain Hand Crew, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and air support, is actively working to contain the fire.
The tree struck by lightning has been felled, and the crew is cutting line around the fire perimeter. Upon further assessment, the fire is now estimated to cover 100’ x 20’.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue suppression efforts!

***

Incline Village, NV – The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD) is responding to a lightning-caused fire in the First Creek area. The fire was reported at approximately 10 p.m. on September 18th and is estimated to cover an area of 100’ x 100’.

Meet Mr. Bojangles! This charming canine has been with us since mid-May, and let's just say he's brought a whole lot of love and sunshine with him.

Before considerable scientific research by Western Nevada College Professor of Geosciences Dr. Winnie Kortemeier, it was understood that Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, was created during the Pleistocene era, also known as the Ice Age, roughly 10,000 to 2.6 million years ago.

Through her radiometric dating of rocks and examining the basalt that has interacted with the water of Lake Tahoe, Dr. Kortemeier has determined that the lake is 2.3 million years old.

CVTA's Run the Valley 5K

Carson Valley Trails Association (CVTA) is excited to be hosting the valley’s first-ever 5k trail run and 2k family fun run on Saturday, October 19th.

Designed to be fun for beginners and more advanced runners alike, this event gives everyone a chance to experience a trail run in a friendly, non-competitive environment.

Meet inspirational author Robert Drews at Browsers Corner Book Store’s next author event. He will share excerpts from his novel “Look for Something Good”, an inspiring tale about the journey through life’s transitions and crossroads for two mature men who find friendship and guidance about their places in the world.

Carson City Public Works and the Transportation Division will provide an educational presentation and summary related to the recently completed Preserve Carson City Roads report and the status of measures related to funding for local roads in Carson City.

The Carson High School class of 2025 is impressive and yet Neva Mellow stands out with her array of accomplishments. She has become a model of academic excellence and leadership, embodying the spirit of commitment and service.

Chase International Foundation recently awarded $12,500 to Northern Nevada and California non-profit agencies as part of their ‘Four Pillars of Giving’ grant program.

A 30-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of domestic battery and a combined felony warrant alleging domestic battery by strangulation on an elder and abuse of an older or vulnerable person, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.

The Harvest Supermoon and partial lunar eclipse over Carson City on Tuesday evening around 7:45 p.m.

The U.S. Forest Service notes in its Wednesday morning briefing that the Davis Fire remains contained at 92 percent with 5,824 acres burned and 342 personnel remaining on the fire tackling hotspots and mop up.

Sierra Nevada Realtors on Wednesday released its August 2024 report on existing home sales in Carson City along with Lyon, Douglas, Washoe, Storey and Churchill counties. The report includes the median sales price and number of home sales in the region. SNR obtains its information from the Northern Nevada Regional Multiple Listing Service.

If you are looking for something to do in the Carson City, Lake Tahoe or Reno areas this week look no further than the Nevada State Museum. We have a busy week ahead and hope you can join us for some or all of the events.

The League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada, in partnership with Sierra Nevada Forums and AAUW Capital (NV) Branch, will present four free election forums featuring candidates and ballot question information on October 7, 9, 14, and 16 beginning at 6 pm each night at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall, 511 W. King St in Carson City. Doors open at 5:30 pm.