Quietly heartbreaking in the best Kelly Reichardt way. I liked how the cold of winter in Montana seeped into the theater and how it was the small moments that killed. I’d love to see more of Lily Gladstone too.
Cost: $4.00
Where watched: Laurelhusrt theater. (This is movie number three! A triple feature, all seen in the theater.)
poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/certain_women.html
I tried to see this in the first-run theaters, but had to settle for second-run. Which means a lot of you didn’t see this movie, which is too bad, because this nails adolescent girl angst.* Prickly, sad, funny, tragic, this movie has it all and I loved it.
Cost: $3.00
Where watched: Laurelhurst Theater
*It also is quite good with awkward conversations between people who might like each other.
poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/edge_of_seventeen.html
One of the poster commenters wondered how he could get the Lego Big Labowski hoodie Steinfeld is wearing.
There a few not-perfect things* but overall, this movie wormed its way into me and hasn’t left. As the flashbacks and present day alternate, understanding unfolds. The story is tragic, everyone agrees, but can a person come back after tragedy?**
Cost: $6.00
Where watched: Hollywood Theater with S. North
*At one or two points the music swells too much and pushes things into melodrama; there are things that don’t make sense plot-wise; there is a weird driving scene that begins with snow-on-the-ground-like-February then suddenly we’re in rain-falling-like-April then snow-in-the-countryside-like-February.
**Also, huge props to Lucas Hedges. At this point we all know Affleck, Williams and Chandler will knock things out of the park. Hedges is the linchpin in this ensemble and this movie would have failed without his nuanced performance.
poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/manchester_by_the_sea.html
Jeez-o-Pete do I hate this poster. Looking at it, it seems like it’s about Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck, but don’t go to this film looking for them to be sharing a lot of screen time.
Our Holiday Party coincided with the first big (actual) snow. We started the party at 4pm (the early start time seems to be a regular thing with my company) and played poker and blackjack until 7pm as the snow came down.
One of our contests was to write a word that describes 2016. Then, we voted on our favorite.
“Surreal” was the winner. (It doesn’t look like it, because I took these photos two days after the party. The star stickers weren’t very sticky and had fallen off.) “Emotional” and “Teamwork” were runners up.
I was quite pleased when, later that month, “surreal” also became the word of 2016. Way to predict it DHM Research.
When you don’t have enough snow to make a regular snowman, this tiny one will have to do.
This isn’t a musical to go to for the singing and dancing, because Stone and Gosling–delightful as they are–aren’t really much of either singers or dancers. But it is a movie to go to and get caught up in the sparkle of the musical motion picture itself–the sets, the acting, the story. The whole thing was so mesmerizing, I found myself clapping after one scene, completely forgetting I was in a movie theater, not a Jazz club.*
Cost: $11.50
Where watched: Regal Fox Tower, on opening night. Because I couldn’t wait for the matinee.
*Also, my hometown of Boise is mentioned several times,** at an important point in the movie.
**Note that they do not pronounce Boise like the natives do.
poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/la_la_land.html
Walking over the Steel Bridge this morning.
The east side of Portland has the sun, but the clouds are creeping in from the west side.
On the left, current cell phone, nearly two years old. On the right current tablet, nearly one year old. In the middle, the new cell phone.
There are plans for this new phone. But that’s a post for a later day.
We cashed in our first round of Cosmic Tripster reward concert tickets to see Mr. Rateliff and his Nightsweats at the Crystal Ballroom.
We got there very soon after the doors opened as the mostly empty venue behind us can attest. (What’s with the photobombing couple behind us? They look like they are quite happy to be talking with each other.)
I liked the opening band, the Domestics, Matt thought they were too hipster. Between sets, I had fun watching this guy sell drinks to the crowd at the rail. The Crystal Ballroom is an all-ages venue. They segregate the drinkers by dividing the ballroom floor diagonally. We were on the all-ages side. It’s nice to be near the rail, as you get to watch the all-access traffic flowing back and forth.
I wonder if this guy every thought he would be the guy with the drink cart between sets? I wonder who had the brilliant idea to have a drink cart between sets? This guy struck me as incredibly rock and roll.
Nathaniel Rateliff
We had a good view of the Nightsweats playing keyboards and the trumpet. The keyboard guy had great hair for flipping around enthusiastically while singing and playing.
I watched these bouncers a bit too. Earlier in the show one of the security guys (the same guy we saw working the Cosmic Tripster party) took out a guy who was pretty out of it. I’m always impressed by people who can handle drunk people.
I’m much too old for a show on a school night, but this was fun, regardless.
