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Friday, April 26, 2024
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73 results total, viewing 41 - 60
History’s course | Tom Camfield
And please, if you insist on telling me how Port Townsend “used to be,” consider that I can recall snow in the backyard up on Willow St. back in the winter of 1932-’33. In the fall … more
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The University of Washington rowing team, who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, receive their due in “The Boys in the Boat.” Courtesy photo.
‘Boys in the Boat’ falls short of best intentions, ‘Reacher’ returns with big dumb fun for everyone
    As a Washington state boy, there’s no way I wasn’t reviewing this week’s premiere of “The Boys in the Boat,” based on the 2013 book by Daniel … more
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Ghee.
Towards kitchen sustainability
When I hear Zero Waste So flashy, all or nothing, one of those bossy change maker fad ideas. ZERO Waste is daunting, and unsustainable in its absoluteness, and not welcoming with an … more
Like Saturday Night Live’s Hans and Franz, Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart will pump you up in Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding.” Courtesy photo
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ makes neon-hued magic
I somehow missed "Saint Maud," the 2019 debut film by writer-director Rose Glass, but after seeing "Love Lies Bleeding," which Glass directed and co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, I'm definitely … more
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Sidonie’s Gluten Free Sourdough. Courtesy Photo.
Spring cleaning and no-knead sourdough
Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op   My inner spring cleaning happens while at the sink with soapy hands, hanging up a pot, or grabbing the milk bottle from the … more
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A variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive in a straw bale garden. March is a good time to begin conditioning bales to prepare them for spring planting. Photo courtesy of Barbara Faurot
From straw to table: Gardening with straw bales
For generations, straw bales have been used to grow a steady supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Like other traditional gardening practices, they’re enjoying a resurgence as … more
Paul Dano, as “Roaring Kitty,” inspires his online followers to declare a virtual class war against GameStop stock short-sellers, in “Dumb Money” on Netflix. Courtesy photo
‘Dumb Money’ takes smart, satiric look at absurdity of GME short-selling
  I'd meant to see "Dumb Money" near the end of last year, but recent absurdities in the news had me feeling weirdly nostalgic for the comparatively quaint online firestorms of the COVID … more
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By Kirk Boxleitner For all the films that have been so hotly debated this Oscar season — I will now remind everyone forever that Godzilla is no longer just "King of the Monsters," but also a literally Academy Award-winning onscreen presence — I find it slightly disappointing that two films that offered some of the more unexpected turns in cinema over this past year were all but shut out among the Oscar contenders. Although it received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, "American Fiction" only won Best Adapted Screenplay for writer-director Cord Jefferson, while "Saltburn" didn't even receive a single Oscar nomination. Fortunately, they're both currently streaming online. "Saltburn" on Amazon Prime Video: University of Oxford scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is lonely on campus, until he's taken under the wing of charismatic child-of-privilege classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), which eventually leads to Felix inviting Oliver to the Catton family's opulent country house, Saltburn, for the summer. "Saltburn" is unsubtle about its initial direction, as Oliver's awed observations allow us to vicariously bask in the frivolous and somewhat decadent affluence of the estate's aristocratic parents and their spoiled children, entitled extended relations and social hangers-on who have overstayed their welcomes. "Saltburn" recruits proven and established acting talents such as Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Carey Mulligan, but then lets them run on a slightly amusing autopilot, like Henry James characters being test-driven by Bret Easton Ellis. The real breakout performer here is Keoghan — an "It" boy who's recently distinguished himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Eternals," "The Banshees of Inisherin," and the Apple TV+ miniseries "Masters of the Air" — as he surprises and misleads viewers by turns, weaponizing his distinctive yet ambiguous facial features to obfuscate the film's impending narrative shift. That "Saltburn" succeeds at yanking the rug out from under those watching comes down to the subtle emotional shadings of what Keoghan reveals, over the course of the film, but for all the ingenuity and due diligence with which "Saltburn" lays the groundwork for its biggest revelation, I found that it left a slightly curdled aftertaste on my tongue. "Saltburn" is marginally less restrained in showcasing the graphic excesses and consequences of a "royal" family's debauchery than Denis Villeneuve was with House Harkonnen in "Dune: Part Two," so exercise caution. "American Fiction" on MGM+: College literature professor Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) finds himself facing the same struggle for Black authors that Robert Townsend chronicled for Black actors in 1987's "Hollywood Shuffle," as Monk is pressured to accommodate misconceptions that white audiences harbor about the supposedly "authentic" Black experience. After Monk's well-written novels are repeatedly rejected by publishers and readers alike, for not validating well-intentioned but self-serving white stereotypes about Black hardships, and Monk's mother Abigail (Leslie Uggams) requires expensive elder care, he manufactures a persona as a poorly educated Black criminal, to sell his "true" story to whites who can't get enough of exploitative tales of Black pain. From the white student who objects to her Black professor's study of historic Southern literature not censoring "the N-word," to the panel of white literary judges who recruit two Black authors to be "more diverse," then override those Black judges' disapproval of a book's pandering portrayals of Black people, "American Fiction" shows us how white people who are ostensibly opposed to racism wind up perpetuating it as a direct result. Wright rivals character actors such as Howard Hesseman and James Le Gros in delivering a lived-in depiction of someone so bone-weary of continual disappointment that they've all but resigned themselves to a state of perpetual disgruntlement, but "American Fiction" is far from a one-man show, with Uggams, Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross all joining Wright to evoke the feel of an authentically affectionate and fractious family. There's even an adorable romantic subplot, although not from the couple you might expect. Even better from a storytelling standpoint, Jefferson's screenwriting and direction play creatively with the process of how fictional tales are constructed, as authors weigh how their characters should act, and how their narrative threads should (or shouldn't) be resolved. Seeing the always-welcome Keith David indignantly ask Jeffrey Wright why the writer allowed his half-baked character to get shot made me laugh out loud. Indeed, the stylistically varied options presented during the film's conclusion are perhaps the most hilariously honest representations of the commercial and ego-servicing considerations that determine a screenwriter's preferred finale, ever since Woody Allen's Alvy Singer rewrote reality to give himself a happy ending in "Annie Hall.
Don’t let ‘Saltburn’ and ‘American Fiction’ get lost in the Oscar shuffle
By Kirk Boxleitner   For all the films that have been so hotly debated this Oscar season — I will now remind everyone forever that Godzilla is no longer just "King of the … more
African sauces.
What’s saving me in the kitchen right now?
  Once a quarter I’m taking you into my kitchen for a look at what I’m learning, and how it adds to a kitchen life.   New Cuisine—Africa I’m … more
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Preparing for Olympic Pride 2024
“What has happened to Olympic Pride?” is a question posed frequently over the past few months. The answer is positive and affirming. While the non-profit organization “Olympic … more
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Mushroom Bisque, a smooth and velvety soup made with a variety of sautéed mushrooms, aromatic herbs, and a touch of cream
Kitchen to Kitchen — Winter Solstice
  The Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year, is a rich time to gather and mark the turning point when the dark gives way to the light. This symbolic time of … more
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Eggnog and Pickles
In the first few years after my mother’s death, I was a bit bossy with my widowed father. When he didn’t seem to be moving on and enjoying life, I decided he needed a pet. Dad had always … more
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Drawing the line
Many of us understand what it means when someone bombs your home, your sacred spaces, or the places where you learn and heal. We know how it feels when a person or entity invokes a mixture of … more
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MI5 Director-General Ingrid Tearney (Sophie Okonedo) surveys her secrets in “Slow Horses” on Apple TV+. Courtesy photo
‘Wonka’ provides worthy prequel, ‘Slow Horses’ ratchets up the suspense
    Whether you're looking for childish flights of fancy in the cinema or suspenseful spy thrillers on streaming, this week's reviews have got you covered. "Wonka" smartly … more
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Yesterday’s clothes
Back several years, when menopause reared its unpredictable head, I decided to face the issue cold turkey. The pounds appeared overnight, but I was too invested in staying sane through the flashes … more
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A Cultural Center on the way West
You know it as the town you drive through to get to Lake Crescent or Camaraderie Cellars or other points further West. OK, you really go there to catch the Black Ball ferry to Victoria, B.C and have … more
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Creating the future
As the light returns to our jewel by the strait, let’s shine that light on one of Port Townsend’s many blessings, our school system. Earlier this month, 68 fifth graders from Salish Coast … more
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When wandering puppeteer Cole Hawlings (Patrick Troughton) warns that “the wolves are running,” traveling schoolboy Kay Harker (Devin Stanfield) takes heed, in “The Box of Delights” by the BBC. Courtesy photo
‘Box of Delights’ offers unique holiday viewing experience
  I've shilled for this one before, but unlike "Die Hard" or "A Christmas Story," it has yet to make the jump from a holiday curio to a broadly beloved Christmas classic, so here's hoping I … more
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SOUP SAVVY
      I know I’ve done my job when the first reaction to a spoonful of soup is a long sigh with closed eyes and a smile.The more you make wonderful soup, the more … more
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Kurt Russell wields pseudoscience to save the day in “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” on Apple TV+. Courtesy photo
Monarch’ & ‘For All Mankind’ conclude on high notes
    The previous week's weather had me housebound, so no trips to the movie theater for me. Instead, I bunkered down and caught up on streaming series, as two shows ended their … more
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