360 February 1, 2018

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

McIntyre welcomes unique sound of Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues The Weekend, Page 3

Skagit Valley Herald Thursday, February 1, 2018

TUNING UP Page 9 The Naughty Blokes play H2O in Anacortes on Saturday MOVIES Pages 14-15 L.A. Times film critics share highlights of Sundance Film Festival

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK production Cartwright “Last Flag Flying”: Upcoming performed for years.

Richard Linklater’s “Last This sweet story Flag Flying” is a marvelmovie releases that has been put to ous tale of friendship, Following is a partial film shows the passion family, duty, respect, schedule of DVD releases Cartwright found for the pain and fear that comes (dates subject to change): 1954 Federico Fellini film to life through the “La Strada” that started sterling performances by FEB. 6 a three-decade journey Steve Carell, Laurence n A Bad Moms Christthat resulted in the story Fishburne and Bryan mas of what it means to be Cranston. n Only the Brave deeply passionate about In 2003, former Navy n Suburbicon something.

Corps medic Richard n LBJ “Ray Donovan: The “Doc” Shepherd (Carell) n The Stray Fifth Season”: Los tracks down ex-Marines n Homeland Season 6 Angeles’ pre-eminent Sal (Cranston) and n Woody Woodpecker fixer is heading into Mueller (Fishburne), uncharted territory and two men with whom he FEB. 13 will soon discover that served with during the n Wonder some damage can’t be Vietnam War 30 years n Roman J Israel, Esq. controlled. earlier. Shepherd hasn’t n Blade of the Immor“Steven Universe: seen the two men for tal The Complete First decades but enlists them n The Ballad of Lefty Season”: Cartoon in the solemn duty of Brown Network’s Emmy-nomhelping him transport n Hey Arnold! The inated and critically acand bury his son, a Jungle Movie claimed animated series young Marine killed in n Pokemon the Movie: will arrive on DVD with the Iraq War. Although I Choose You! all 52 episodes. both men have gone on — Tribune News Service “East West 101, to very different lives, Series 1”: Don Hany they finally agree to help. stars as a devout Muslim Watching Cranston, Fishburne and Carell give life to Linkla- trying to prove himself as a detective in a post-9/11 world. ter’s words is like getting to watch three “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween”: master painters at work. Each attacks When Brian’s (Tyler Perry) daughthe canvas with a very different style, ter sneaks off to a party at a haunted but what they create together is made campground, Madea sets out to bring stronger by the other. her back.

It would have been easy for Linkla“Professor Marston and the Wonter to make this an anti-war film or der Women”: Based on the true supera pro-military production. There are moments when both are discussed with hero origin story behind the creation of the comic book character Wonder a kick-to-the-gut frankness, but the big Woman in 1941. Luke Evans stars. ticket political items always give way to “The Square”: Charismatic surgeon the very human aspects of the story. It must re-evaluate his life. is through this weird trip that all three “God’s Own Country”: Young sheep men face the reality that they are carryfarmer fights with loneliness. ing burdens and finally realize the load “My Art”: Laurie Simmons plays is not nearly as heavy when shared. an artist who jumps at the chance to “In Search of Fellini”: The film rekindle her passions for the arts. follows Lucy, a young woman (Ksenia Solo) who has lived a sheltered life NEW ON DIGITAL HD JAN. 30 going on a journey to meet the Italian “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”: Denzel filmmaker. On her own for the first Washington plays a lawyer struggling to time, Lucy must learn to find herself make changes after a major event in his while also searching for Fellini. Maria life. Will be released on DVD Feb. 13.

Bello and Beth Riesgraf also star.

“Wonder”: Boy born with facial Writer Nancy Cartwright’s (“The deformities deals with life through the Simpsons”) journey to Italy in an attempt to meet the famed director was support of his family. Owen Wilson stars. Will be available on DVD Feb. 13. not only the inspiration for the film, — Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service but was turned into a one-woman stage

YOUR ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION GUIDE TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN SKAGIT COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS

WILSON WEBB PHOTO

Laurence Fishburne (left), Bryan Cranston and Steve Carell in “Last Flag Flying,” out on DVD this week.

INSIDE

SUBMISSIONS

Email features@skagitpublishing.com Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday for the following Thursday edition Phone 360-416-2135 Hand-deliver 1215 Anderson Road Mount Vernon, WA 98274

Out & About ........................................... 4-5 Get Involved............................................ 6-7 On Stage ......................................................8 Tuning Up....................................................9 Music..........................................................10 Hot Tickets................................................11 Travel .........................................................12 At the Lincoln...........................................13 Movies..................................................14-15 ON THE COVER Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues will perform Friday at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon. Stephanie Bassos photo

Mailing address P.O. Box 578 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 Online events calendar To list your event on our website, visit goskagit.com and look for the Events Calendar on the home page HAVE A STORY IDEA? Contact Features Editor Craig Parrish at 360-416-2135 or features@skagitpublishing.com TO ADVERTISE 360-424-3251

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

THIS WEEKENDin the area Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues at McIntyre

WINTER WALK Join Friends of Camano Island Parks members on a guided community walk at Camano Ridge Forest Preserve on Saturday, Feb. 3. Meet at 9:50 a.m. at the new parking lot located on Camano Ridge Road for the West entrance to Camano Ridge. The 2.4-mile walk will include the East and West Loop trails plus the Wetland trail. The trails are generally level with a few short ups and downs. The approximately two-hour hike will take place rain or shine. Wear appropriate clothes and sturdy shoes or boots. No dogs please. Trail booklets and maps will be available for a suggested $1 donation. friendsofcamanoislandparks.org.

PECHAKUCHA NIGHT Join Maggie Wilder, Francie Allen, Anne Frocke and others as they share their stories using the PechaKucha format (20 slides, 20 seconds per slide) at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

STEPHANIE BASSOS PHOTO

Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues.

One of the harmonica’s most unique voices comes to town this week as Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues performs Friday, Feb. 2, at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon.

The group is celebrating its 30th anniversary with “Different Voices: Bringing Worlds Together,” according to a news release. The band includes includes virtuosos of Americana roots with Siegel’s harmonica, Chinese erhu, Indian

tabla and world percussion, and a traditional classical string quartet.

Siegel has earned an international reputation as one of the world’s great blues harmonica masters.

He is a composer, blues pianist, singer/songwriter, and recent winner of the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest/Meet the Composer’s national award for chamber music composition and the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award for Mu-

sic Composition, Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award, and Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.

CORKY SIEGEL’S CHAMBER BLUES

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $30-$40. 360-417-7727 or mcintyrehall.org

SKAGIT RIVER BALD EAGLES Wildlife research scientist Jim Watson will discuss the bald eagles found along the Skagit River from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Rockport State Park Discovery Center, 51905 Highway 20, Rockport. Watson will discuss migratory and resident bald eagles along the river and explain why there are less eagles now than decades ago. Free. Discover pass required. 360-853-8461.

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

OUT & ABOUT ART

FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK: The First Friday Artwalk in Anacortes will take place from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 2. There will be demonstrations and special art shows at several galleries, including Burton Jewelers, The Good Stuff Arts, the Scott Milo Gallery, the Majestic Inn and Spa and the Depot Arts & Community Center. anacortesart. com.

THE EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT AND COLOR: Stephen R. Hill’s show “The Expressive Language of Light and Color” will take place during February at the Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. The Lopez Island artist will show his latest plein air paintings from his many travels; this series focuses on light and color. Also showing: still-life oils

by Barbara Benedetti Newton, Northwest landscapes in oil

by Damon Brown, impressionistic oils

by Donna Nevitt Radtke and nautical and bird paintings in oil by Lorna Libert.

A artists’ reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.

The gallery is open Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment. scottmilo. com.

MILES AND WALTON: Paintings by Betty Miles and Katie Walton will be featured at an opening

‘THE ARTISTRY OF INGRID MATTHEWS’

The Anacortes Arts Foundation will present “The Artistry of Ingrid Matthews” at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, at the Croatian Cultural Center, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes.

Matthews, a violinist who is recognized as one of the country’s leading period instrument performers, will be featured with John Lenti, a lute, theorbo and guitar performer. $25 at the door, students and children free. anacortesartsfoundation.org

reception from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Hadrian Stone Gallery, 5717 Gilkey Ave., Edison.

The show will continue through February.

Miles’ paintings on canvas and panel are colorful impressions of her garden. Walton’s paintings are of barns and features of the valley. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday through Sunday. 360-722-9438

or at htroc.com.

BIRDS OF WINTER ART WALK: The event will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, in downtown Mount Vernon. Work by local and regional artists will be featured at 12 to 15 venues. Email dep. mvda@gmail.com for more information on downtown art walks. mountvernondowntown.org.

THE GOOD STUFF: The Good Stuff Arts, 604 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, continues its two-month show “Art Dynamics,” featuring more than 30 local artists. Cynthia Richardson is the featured artist for February showcasing her Pacific Northwest scenes.

Her demonstration will start at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 2. New artists include Cheryl Hellam, photography

on canvas; Adriana Mannion, three-dimensional marker and ink paintings; Ron Radtke, organic wood sculptures; and Jill West, intricate gourd sculptures; and new textile pillows and lavender sachets by Ruth Owen. Also: jewelry by Darlene Klister, Sarah Swietzer, Annette Tamm and Mel Williams; and blown glass art vases by the Seattle Glassblowing Studio. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Sat-

urdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sundays.

SMITH AND VALLEE: Smith & Vallee Gallery’s sixth annual Bird Invitational will feature over 50 Pacific Northwest artists, exhibiting a variety of medium. The show opens with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. The gallery is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5742 Gilkey Ave., Edison.

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OUT & ABOUT LECTURES AND TALKS

SKAGIT RIVER BALD EAGLES: Wildlife research scientist Jim Watson will discuss the bald eagles found along the Skagit River from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Rockport State Park Discovery Center, 51905 Highway 20, Rockport.

Watson will discuss migratory and resident bald eagles along the river and explain why there are less eagles now than decades ago. Free. Discover pass required. 360-853-8461.

OUTREACH PROGRAM: Erin von Fempe, who has been a social worker for 24 years, will talk about the Mount Vernon Police Department’s Outreach Coordination program, which focuses on homeless people in the community, at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the Mount Vernon Police Department resource room, 1805 Continental Place, Mount Vernon.

“EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO”: Former Anacortes Police Chief Bonnie Bowers will present “Walking the El Camino de Santiago Trail” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes. Bowers’ 550-mile walking adventure began in southern France and ended 33 days later in Santiago, Spain.

TITLE IX: The Anacortes Branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) will host the panel discussion “Title IX: It’s not just sports!” at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Anacortes Senior Activity

Center, 1701 22nd St., Anacortes.

ECONOMIC FORECAST NIGHT: The EDASC 2018 Economic Forecast Night will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 8, at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. Event speakers include industry leaders in tourism, economic development and international economics, including Rita D. McClenny, president and chief executive of Virginia Tourism Corporation, and Christopher Lawless, chief economist of British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Tickets: mcintyrehall.org. More information: skagit.org.

FIR ISLAND AND CONWAY HISTORY: The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society meets on the second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Burlington Senior Center, 1011 Greenleaf Ave., Burlington. Feb. 10 program: “Fir Island and Conway History” discussed by co-authors Patricia Hanstad Pleas and Janet K. Utgard. Free.

The public is invited. skagitvalleygenealogy. org or genealogy0715@ gmail.com.

FIGHTING OPIOID USE: Join the Opioid Workgroup Leadership Team for a conversation about what community partners in Skagit County are doing to diminish the harmful impact of opioids, at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Mount Vernon City Library, 315 Snoqualmie St., Mount Vernon.

LEARN TO SPEAK FROM THE HEART: Join the Toastmasters open house from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Washington Federal Bank, 300 E. Fairhaven, Burlington.

er.” Ellingson recounts his adventure down the Mississippi River. n Tuesday, March 27: Dan Clements presents “BC’s Great Bear Rainforest: Home of Moksgm’ol – The White Spirit Bear.”

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IN ANACORTES: Jensen Lovelett of the Anacortes Internet Project will present “The Future of High-Speed Internet for the City of Anacortes” at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Anacortes Library, 1220 10th Street.

MUSIC

PAINLESS DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING: 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 15, Mount Vernon City Library, 315 Snoqualmie St., Mount Vernon. Led by Cindy Jobs, a certified organizer coach, business productivity consultant and the owner of Organize to Simplify, a productivity and organizing business focused on finding ways to simplify, organize, downsize, declutter, and bring new processes to everyday work and home lives.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SERIES: The Outdoor Adventure Speaker Series is held at the Marysville Opera House, 1225 Third St., Marysville, from 6 to 8 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

Local authors, outdoor enthusiasts and naturalists use their adventures and expertise on topics including hiking, kayaking, nature photography, boating and more. marysvillewa.gov or 360-363-8400. Next up: n Tuesday, Feb. 27: Dave Elling presents “Paddle Pilgrim: Kayaking the Mississippi Riv-

THE NEXT SHOW: Tune in to the neXt Show the first Thursday of each month at anacortesmusicchannel.com to hear about music from around the region. The next show will feature the Hoe and the Harrow at 7 p.m. today, Feb. 1.

“THE ARTISTRY OF INGRID MATTHEWS”: The Anacortes Arts Foundation will present “The Artistry of Ingrid Matthews” at 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 9, at the Croatian Cultural Center, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes.

Matthews, a violinist who is recognized as one of the country’s leading period instrument performers, will be featured with John Lenti, a lute, theorbo and guitar performer. $25 at the door, students and children free. anacortesartsfoundation.org

PLAYS

”THE PRODUCERS”: Whidbey Playhouse, 730 S.E. Midway Blvd, Oak Harbor, will present the Mel Brooks comedy-musical from Feb. 9 to March 4. Tickets: $20, whidbeyplayhouse. com or 360-679-2237. ”BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”: Presented by Theater Arts Guild and Skagit Valley College from Feb. 23 to March 4 at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount

Vernon. $20-$40. 360416-7727.

MORE FUN

SWEETHEART DANCE: The sixth annual Daddy and Daughter Sweetheart Dance will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at the Burlington Community Center, 1011 Greenleaf Ave., Burlington.

Enjoy dancing, desserts, raffle prizes, music, photos and more. Advance ticket sales only. $22 per couple, $6 for additional daughters. 360-755-9649 or burlingtonwa.gov/ recreation.

FATHER DAUGHTER VALENTINE’S BALL: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, Mount Vernon High School cafeteria. Girls (17 and younger) and father/ guardians are invited.

Tickets: $25 per couple and $12 for each additional girl, 360-336-6215 or mountvernonwa.gov

a literature-based creative writing program serving migrant, incarcerated, recovery and other at-risk communities. monamuseum.org.

RAILROAD OPEN HOUSE: The Whatcom-Skagit Model Railroad Club will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1469 Silver Run Lane, Alger. whatcomskagitmrc.org.

BIRDING CRUISE: The Skagit Audubon Society will host an opportunity to observe seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and other wildlife on the Salish Sea onboard the Blackfish IV from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, departing from the Skyline Marina, Anacortes. $60, reservations required. Contact Tim Manns at 360-3368753 or conservation@ skagitaudubon.org.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CO-OP: Skagit Valley Food Co-op, 202 S. First St., Mount Vernon, will host a series of free movie nights in February. Films start at 7 p.m. in Room 309: n Feb. 7: “More Than Honey,” with guest speaker Bruce Vilders. n Feb. 21: “Unbroken Ground.” n Feb. 28: “Before the Flood.”

BIRD MONITORING: Join the Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee and other birders for training for a new bird monitoring program from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Samish Clubhouse, Fidalgo Bay Resort, 4701 Fidalgo Bay Road, Anacortes.

RSVP to Eleanor Hines: eleanorh@ re-sources.org.

BOOK LAUNCH: MoNA will host the launch of “What No One Ever Tells You,” Underground Writing’s first anthology, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

Underground Writing is

VALENTINE’S DANCE/PARTY: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland Ave., Mount Vernon. Refreshments, raffle prizes, and a DJ playing variety of music. $2 suggested donation at door.

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GET INVOLVED ART

Box 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, or email sedrowoolleyfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Open to all ages and abilities. Winner receives $250.

CALL FOR MOSAIC ARTISTS: Northwest Garden Bling and Wolf Designs’ annual Mosaic Challenge will begin Feb. 12 and culminate with a juried presentation of artwork May 1-13.

First, second, third and People’s Choice awards will be given. 360-7083279, nwgardenbling@ frontier.com or stop in at Northwest Garden Bling at 44574 Highway 20 in Grassmere Village, Concrete.

CALL FOR ARTIST: The Anacortes Arts Commission is calling for entries to its second annual outdoor sculpture exhibition to be held in the madrona grove and surrounding area of the Depot Arts & Community Center, 611 R. Ave. in Anacortes.

Sculptures must be durable enough to withstand outdoor conditions and should have means of being secured to a concrete platform. All sculptures should be for sale. Artists need to live in Washington. Entries are due Feb. 13. Informa-

POSTER CONTEST: Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market is holding a contest for the market’s 2018 poster. All submissions must be 11 inches by 17 inches and in full color.

Send submissions by Feb. 28 to Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market, P.O.

tion: anacortesartscommission.com CALL FOR ARTISTS: The Mount Vernon Downtown Association is looking for artists to participate in a Birds of Winter Art Walk on Saturday, Feb. 10. Contact dep.mvda@gmail.com for more information.

ARTS COMMISSION: The Mount Vernon Arts Commission meets at 4:30 p.m the third Tuesday of each month at Hillcrest Park Administration Office, 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon.

The commission needs two additional members.

360-336-6215.

CALL FOR SCULPTURES: San Juan Islands Sculpture Park invites sculptors to submit

entries for its ongoing juried sculpture review.

All sculptures must be deemed safe and should be suitable for exhibition in an outdoor setting and capable of withstanding occasional high winds, rain and possible snow. Accepted sculptures will be installed for a two-year period (if not sold sooner) in the 20-acre park located near Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. For complete submission guidelines, visit sjisculpturepark.com.

CALL FOR INSTRUCTORS: Burlington Parks and Recreation is looking for qualified instructors to expand its enrichment classes for youths and adults. To download an instructor’s packet, visit the Parks and

HADRIAN STONE DESIGN STUDIO FEATURED ARTISTS • FEBRUARY 3, 12-4PM Betty Miles and Katie Walton

FIRST FRIDAY

Feb. 2 6-9pm Burton Jewelers The Good Stuff Arts

www.anacortesart.com

Wednesday-Sunday • 11-5pm Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays Free & Ample Parking Available 5717 Gilkey Avenue, Bow-Edison, WA 98232

1723626

The Depot

1704362

The Majestic Inn and Spa

CALL FOR ART TEACHERS: The Good Stuff Arts, 604 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, is looking for qualified, experienced beginning art teachers in watercolor, drawing, sketching and mixed media art forms. Call to schedule a meeting to show your work and discuss your experience. Kat Peterson, 360-755-3152.

ART CLASSES

LOW TECH SCREEN PRINTING: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St, La Conner. $75. monamuseum.org or 360-4664446.

BEGINNING BRONZE METAL CLAY: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner. monamuseum.org or 360-466-4446.

ART WALK

Scott Milo Gallery

Recreation Department webpage at burlingtonwa.gov and click on the “Instructors Needed” tab. For information, call 360-755-9649 or email recreation@burlingtonwa.gov.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUILT AND FIBER ARTS MUSEUM: Varied exhibits and classes are available to the public at 703 S. Second St., La Conner. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: $7, $5 students and military, free for members and children ages 11 and under. 360-466-4288 or laconnerquilts.org. n Fiber Fridays: bring any type of fiber art project, quilting, knit-

ting, embellishing, etc., to work on while visiting with other fiber artists from 9 a.m. to noon every Friday. Free and open to all.

ART CLASSES: Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts offers a variety of art classes and workshops for artists of every level at 12636 Chilberg Road, Mount Vernon. Online courses are also available.

For information and a complete schedule call 360-466-0110 or visit gailcreativestudies.com.

ART CLASSES: Choose from painting, photography, fiber and 3D art workshops taught by professional artists at the Pacific NorthWest Art School, 15 N.W. Birch St., Coupeville.

360-678-3396 or pacificnorthwestartschool.com.

AUDITIONS

”THE HOLLOW”: Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor, will host auditions from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, and Sunday, Feb. 4. Character descriptions can be found at whidbeyplayhouse. com. 360-679-2237 or office@whidbeyplayhouse.com.

DANCE

BEGINNING SQUARE DANCING: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland St., Mount Vernon.

Couples and singles welcome. First two evenings are free, $4 thereafter. 360-424-4608 (leave a message) or rosie@valleyint.com.

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GET INVOLVED BEGINNING LINE DANCING: 7 to 8 p.m.

Tuesdays, through Feb. 27, Burlington Community Center, 1011 Greenleaf Ave. $6 drop-ins, $20 per monthly session. For adults and teens 13 and older. recreation@ burlingtonwa.gov and 360-755-9649.

FOLK DANCING: Skagit-Anacortes Folk Dancers meet Tuesdays at Bay View Civic Hall, 12615 C St., Mount Vernon. Learn to folk dance to a variety of international music.

Instruction begins at 7 p.m. followed by review and request dances until 9:30 p.m.

The first session is free, $5 thereafter. All welcome. No partners needed. For infor-

MUSIC

mation, contact Gary or Ginny at 360-7666866.

SCOTTISH MUSIC: Join in for a monthly Scottish music session from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, at Littlefield Celtic Center, 1124 Cleveland Ave. Musicians and audience members are welcome. Free, open to the public. celticarts.org.

SCOTTISH DANCING: Bellingham Scottish Country Dancers meet from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Fairhaven Library auditorium (upstairs), 1117 12th St., Bellingham. Wear comfortable clothes and soft-soled shoes without heels. $8 per class. For information, call Mary Anderson at 360-933-1779 or visit bellinghamscd.org.

IRISH MUSIC: Join in for a monthly Irish music session from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at Littlefield Celtic Center, 1124 Cleveland Ave. Musicians and audience members welcome.

Free, open to the public. celticarts.org.

JOLLY TIME CLUB: Dance to live music from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Thursdays at Hillcrest Lodge, 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon. For information, contact Gisela at 360-424-5696.

UKULELE FUN & SONG CIRCLE: 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland St. Free. Beginners wel-

McIntyre Hall Presents

AFRICAN STRINGS PROJECT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 7:30PM

“Some of the most exquisite music coming out of Africa today... Sublime & peaceful. “ ~ Zina Saro-Wiwa, BBC

The African Strings Project celebrates the astonishing beauty and diversity of Africa’s immense contribution to human expression, art, and culture. Featuring three masters on guitars, lutes, lyres, bows and more: Derek Gripper from South Africa, Jaja Bashengezi from the Congo, and Kinobe from Uganda will perform original, contemporary and traditional material from the mother continent.

HIGH SCHOOL & SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE TUDENTS FREE African Music SLecture 6:00pm

Explore African music through the insights of Kinobe, Jaja Bashengezi, and Derek Gripper. Learn about the meeting point of two different traditions - the written western classical music and the oral West African griots.

MCINTYREHALL.ORG

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come and loaner ukuleles available. Song sheets provided. 206-790-4862 or yogaheartspace0@ gmail.com.

BARBERSHOP HARMONY: Join the An-OChords, a four-part barbershop harmony group that meets at 7 p.m.

Thursdays at Bethany Covenant Church, 1318 18th St., Mount Vernon.

No experience necessary, no auditions required.

Learn by rote, you don’t have to read music. All ages welcome. anochords. org. 360-466-0109.

TIME FOR FIDDLERS: The Washington Old Time Fiddlers play at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of each month at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland.

St. Free; donations accepted. 360-630-1156.

SHELTER BAY CHORUS: Practices are held from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursdays at the Shelter Bay Clubhouse, 1000 Shoshone Drive, La Conner. New members welcome. No need to be a Shelter Bay resident.

360-223-3230.

LOVE TO SING?: Join the women of Harmony Northwest Chorus from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every Monday at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland Ave. Seeking women who like to sing a cappella music.

All skill levels welcome.

360-201-5861 or harmonynorthwest.org.

Open house guest nights will be held Mondays, Feb. 5 and 12.

ANACORTES OPEN MIC: 9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Brown Lantern Ale House, 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360293-2544.

OPEN MIC: Jam Night, 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays, Conway Pub & Eatery, 18611 Main St., Conway.

360-445-4733.

PRESENTATIONS, LECTURES, TALKS PECHAKUCHA NIGHT: Join Maggie Wilder, Francie Allen, Anne Frocke and others as they share their stories using the PechaKucha format (20 slides, 20 seconds per slide) at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

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ON STAGE in the Skagit Valley and surrounding area February 1-11 Thursday.1 THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 7:30 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

”Newsies”: 7:30 p.m., Village Theatre, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett.

425-257-8600 or villagetheatre.org.

Friday.2 THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 7:30 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

”Newsies”: 8 p.m., Village Theatre, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. 425-2578600 or villagetheatre.org.

MUSIC Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues: 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $30-$40.

360-416-7727 or mcintyrehall.org.

CRAIG PARRISH / SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

Oak Harbor High School “Cupid Song”: 7 p.m., Elks Lodge, 155 NE Ernst St., Oak Harbor. $12. 360-2795829 or eps.mvpbanking.com/cgi-bin/ efs/login.pl?access=55816.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY.1-4

Saturday.3

Thursday.8

THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 2 and 8 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20. 360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 7:30 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

”The Artistry of Ingrid Matthews in Collaboration with John Lenti”: 7 p.m., Croatian Cultural Center, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes. $25 adults; children and students free. Admission at door.

”Newsies”: 7 p.m., Village Theatre, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. 425-2578600 or villagetheatre.org.

Friday.9

Saturday.10

THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 7:30 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 7:30 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

”The Producers”: 7:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $20. 360-679-2237 or whidbeyplayhouse.com.

”The Producers”: 7:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $20. 360-679-2237 or whidbeyplayhouse.com.

MUSIC “Bon Appétit”: Skagit Community Band, 7:30 p.m., Maple Hall, 104 Commercial, La Conner. Free. skagitcommunityband.org.

MUSIC Curtis Salgado: 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $15-$30. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

MUSIC Oak Harbor High School “Cupid Song”: 7 p.m., Elks Lodge, 155 NE Ernst St., Oak Harbor. $12. 360-2795829 or eps.mvpbanking.com/cgi-bin/ efs/login.pl?access=55816.

Sunday.4

”Enchanted April”: 2 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com. ”Newsies”: 2 p.m., Village Theatre, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. 425-2578600 or villagetheatre.org.

”ENCHANTED APRIL” ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20. 360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com. Check individual listings for times. Pictured: Carolyn Hatch (from left), Sydney Brady and Darby Loescher.

African Strings Project: 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $25-$35. 360-416-7727 or mcintyrehall.org.

Sunday.11 THEATER ”Enchanted April”: 2 p.m., ACT Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $20.

360-293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

”The Producers”: 2:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $20. 360-679-2237 or whidbeyplayhouse.com.

MUSIC “Bon Appétit”: Skagit Community Band, 3 p.m., Brodniak Hall at Anacortes High School, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. Free. skagitcommunityband.org.

Thursday, February 1, 2018 - E9

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

TUNING UP Playing at area venues February 1-8 Thursday.1

Exmag, Bass Physics: 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham. $12.

360-746-8733 or wildbuffalo.net.

The Daves: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/ Main, Conway. 360445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

Wednesday.7

Undecided: 6 to 8 p.m., Woolley Market, 829 Metcalf St., Sedro-Woolley. 360-9822649 or woolleymarket. com.

Nick Anthony: 6 to 8 p.m., Evelyn’s Tavern, 12667 Highway 9, Clear Lake. 360-3991321.

Orgone, Dirty Revival: 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham. $15.

360-746-8733 or wildbuffalo.net.

TimE3Jazz: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. Free.

360-588-1720 or anacortesrockfish.com.

Friday.2

Thursday.8

Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues: 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $30-$40. 360-416-7727 or mcintyrehall.org.

DYLAN SANTOS GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Sky Hook: 8:30 p.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360422-6411.

SATURDAY.3

Wayne Hayton: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/ Main, Conway. 360445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

The Dizzys: 8:30 p.m., The Old Edison, 5829 Cains Court, Bow. 360-766-6266 or theoldedison.com.

Sean Bendickson: 8 p.m., Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. Free. 360588-1720 or anacortesrockfish.com.

Highway 9: 9 p.m., Skagit Casino and Resort, 5984 Darrk Lane, Bow. 877-275-2448 or theskagit.com.

Joan Penney: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. Free.

360-588-1720 or anacortesrockfish.com.

THE NAUGHTY BLOKES 8:30 p.m., H2O, 314 Commercial Ave, Anacortes. anacortesh2o.com or 360-755-3956.

Saturday.3

Michael True Band: 9:30 p.m., Brown Lantern Ale House, 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-293-2544 or brownlantern.com.

Sky Hook: 8:30 p.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360422-6411.

Scratch Daddy: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., Burlington Eagles, 119 N. Cherry St., Burlington.

Musebird Cafe with Jaspar Lepak, Avery Hill, Mandy Troxel: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/ Main, Conway. 360445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

The Naughty Blokes: 8:30 p.m., H2O, 314 Commercial Ave, Anacortes. anacortesh2o.com or 360-755-3956.

Highway 9: 9 p.m., Skagit Casino and Resort, 5984 Darrk Lane, Bow. 877-275-2448 or theskagit.com.

Desert Dwellers, Lotus Drops, Strattcat: 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham. $15.

360-746-8733 or wildbuffalo.net.

Knut Bell and the Blue Collars: 9 p.m., Loco Billy’s, 27021 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. $8. 425-7375144, 360-629-6500 or locobillys.com.

Sunday.4

Chad Peterson and Friends: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Hotel Bellwether, 1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham. 360392-3100 or hotelbellwether.com.

Bow Diddlers: 5:30 p.m., The Old Edison, 5829 Cains Court, Bow. 360-766-6266 or theoldedison.com.

Tuesday.6

Kareem Kandi Trio: 5 to 8 p.m., Hotel Bellwether, 1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham. 360392-3100 or hotelbellwether.com.

SATURDAY.3

KNUT BELL AND THE BLUE COLLARS 9 p.m., Loco Billy’s, 27021 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. $8. 425-737-5144, 360-6296500 or locobillys.com.

E10 - Thursday, February 1, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

AFTER THE GRAMMYS, IT MAY BE TIME’S UP FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

By RANDALL ROBERTS Los Angeles Times

And now it’s the Grammys’ turn.

So far, the Recording Academy has largely avoided the sort of criticism over lack of diversity that’s been leveled at the Oscars. But hours after men swept all but one of the categories given out on live television, #GrammysSoMale was trending.

Kesha’s impassioned performance of “Praying” was certainly the highlight of this year’s Grammys, but the audience’s emotional response to the anthem of female empowerment appeared to be skin-deep when the song lost to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for pop solo performance.

Indeed, of the 84 Grammy categories handed out Sunday only a dozen

CORKY SIEGEL’S CHAMBER BLUES

MCINTYRE HALL PRESENTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2

ROLL WITH IT IMPROV NIGHT

MCINTYRE HALL PRESENTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9

AFRICAN STRINGS PROJECT MCINTYRE HALL PRESENTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10

360.416.7727

mcintyrehall.org

or so went to women or acts co-led by women, which is pretty much in keeping with the damning research paper recently published by Stacy L. Smith, Marc Choueiti and Kate Pieper of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Looking at the gender breakdown of nominees, it found that just 9.3 percent of them between 2013 and 2018 were female.

Having apparently learned nothing from the many men forced to walk back tone-deaf commentary during the #MeToo movement, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow almost immediately made things worse.

He responded to the hashtag by urging women to “step up.”

Just as if he hadn’t listened to Kesha’s song, or to singer, actor and producer Janelle Monae’s introduction: “To those who would dare try and silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up.”

Identifying issues including wage inequality, discrimination, harassment and abuse of power, she declared, “It’s not just going on in Hollywood. It’s not just going on in Washington. It’s right here in our industry as well.”

Just as the #OscarsSoWhite campaign forced the film academy to reconsider its almost all-white, mostly male membership, this year’s male-dominated Grammy results prompted many variations on the same unanswered question: Who, exactly, is deciding the winners of music’s most coveted award?

Hard to tell. Like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ before The Times investigated and revealed its membership in 2012, the Recording Academy’s demographics

MATT SAYLES INVISION VIA AP

Kesha performs “Praying” at the 60th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

have long been a mystery.

It is made up of 24,000 professionals who work in all aspects of the business — producers and engineers, label executives, music publishers and artists, of which 13,000 are eligible voters. But the leadership remains unwilling to offer basic data on its voters, such as race and gender.

At the Grammys post-telecast press conference, Portnow was asked directly about male domination on Sunday.

“I think it has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and their souls,” he answered, “who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, who want to be producers, who want to be part of the industry on an executive level — to step up, because I think they would be welcome.”

The backlash was swift.

“Neil getting up there and saying that women should ‘step up’ just shows just out of touch he is and how out of touch the organization is,” said Dorothy Carvello, the former record executive and author of the upcoming music-industry memoir “Anything for a Hit: An

A&R Woman’s Story of Surviving the Music Industry.”

“Women in music don’t need to ‘step up’ — women have been stepping since the beginning of time,” recording artist Pink posted on Twitter. “Stepping up, and also stepping aside.

Women owned music this year. They’ve been killing it.

And every year before this.”

The Recording Academy did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Further inflaming many critically attuned music fans, for the coveted album of the year Grammy the academy overlooked widely regarded and topical hiphop releases from Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z in favor of Bruno Mars’ album of retro-focused pop, “24K Magic.”

The slight renewed longheld criticism that, absent a diverse membership, the Grammys were denying a major award to rap, the culture’s dominant musical genre for going on two decades now.

Over the years the academy has repeatedly been called out by Kanye West, J. Cole, 50 Cent, rap mogul Steve Stoute (he once spent $40,000 on an ad to criticize the awards)

and Jay-Z, who went home empty-handed despite having the most nominations this year.

In the weeks before Sunday’s awards, Jay-Z was set to perform but ultimately pulled out. Producers said the rapper simply wanted to “enjoy” the night, but it’s hard not to flash back to last year when he watched his wife, Beyoncé, shut out in major categories — a snub felt by many, including the night’s big winner, Adele. “What the … does she have to do to win album of the year?” Adele said backstage.

Last year, Chance the Rapper became the first black hip-hop artist since Lauryn Hill in 1999 to win the trophy for new artist.

Song and record of the year trophies have never gone to rap artists. Had Jay-Z or Lamar taken the night’s biggest honor, album of the year, he would have only been the third rap artist to do so.

When asked whether the telecast needed to have more rap showcased on-air this year given the genre’s dominance in nominations, Portnow said he didn’t think so, at least during this year’s 60th anniversary return to the East Coast.

“It’s got to be a balance,” he said.

For Portnow, the goal is “creating the night to be a real experience, and something special that people will talk about for years. We have to play to all of that.”

Acknowledging that he didn’t have personal experience “with the kinds of brick walls that [women] face,” Portnow suggested widening the opportunities for inclusion by creating mentorships and opportunities “not only for women, but for all people. And, moving forward, creating that next generation of artists who feel like they

can do anything and say anything.”

Whether the Grammys are leading by example is debatable: Ratings for this year’s CBS broadcast dropped 24 percent over last year’s show.

The criticism of the results comes less than a month after the launch of the high-profile Time’s Up campaign, geared to shed light on gender discrimination and sex abuse in the entertainment business.

The initiative made its intentions prominently known at the Golden Globes. To extend the message on Sunday, an organization called Voices in Entertainment invited Grammy attendees to wear white roses in support.

“We can’t change the number of nominees, but the conversation changed completely,” stressed Meg Harkins, a marketing executive at Roc Nation and a co-founder of the white rose initiative. “To see Janelle Monae’s speech and all those women up there wearing white and supporting Kesha was incredible.”

Harkins agreed that the Grammys voting process was at least partly to blame for the outcome. “I’m a voting member, I’m a part of this institution,” she said. “The qualification for voting membership has to be reviewed. We have to be more inclusive if we’re going to make it better.”

During her Grammy acceptance speech for new artist, Alessia Cara — the lone female victor of the CBS broadcast — called for more opportunity for artists because “everyone deserves the same shot.”

“There’s some artists that have started some incredible trends,” she added, “and they don’t get the same shot because they aren’t on the charts or are particularly mainstream.”

Thursday, February 1, 2018 - E11

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

HOT TICKETS MIRANDA LAMBERT: Feb. 1, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

CHICK COREA TRIO: Feb. 1-4, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-4419729 or jazzalley.com.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: Feb. 3, Moore Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

KATY PERRY: Feb. 3, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma.

800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

ROBERT GATES: Feb. 5, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844827-8118 or uniquelives. com.

BETH HART: Feb. 7, Neptune Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

DESTROYER, MEGA BOG: Feb. 8, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

JUDY COLLINS: Feb. 8-11, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

MIKE GORDON: Feb. 9, Neptune Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

CURTIS SALGADO: Feb. 10, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon. 360-3368955 or lincolntheatre.org.

JESSE COOK: Feb. 10-11, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

MINDI ABAIR BAND: Feb. 13-14, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

MUMLY TROLL: Feb. 15, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN: Feb. 15, Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham.

360-734-6080 or mountbakertheatre.com.

MAVIS STAPLES: Feb. 16-17, Pacific Showroom, Skagit Casino and Resort, Bow. 877-275-2448 or theskagit.com.

TOBYMAC, DANNY

JOSEPH A. ROSEN PHOTO

CURTIS SALGADO Feb. 10, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org GOKEY, MANDISA: Feb. 16, Key Arena, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

WALK THE MOON: Feb. 16-17, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

ABDULLAH IBRAHIM, EKAYA, HUGH MASEKELA: Feb. 16-17, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

JACOB SARTORIUS, ZACH CLAYTON, HAYDEN SUMMERALL: Feb. 18, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

GOGOL BORDELLO: Feb. 20, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

MAT KEARNY: Feb. 20, Moore Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

THE DOLLOP: Feb. 22, Neptune Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

MILES ELECTRIC BAND: Feb. 23, Moore Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

MARGO PRICE: Feb. 25, Neptune Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

K.D. LANG: Feb. 26, Moore Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

BAHAMAS: Feb. 27,

Neptune Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

HERBIE HANCOCK: March 1, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

WOOD BROTHERS: March 2, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

G-EAZY: March 3, Accesso Showare Center, Kent. 866-973-9613 or livenation.com.

RYAN MCKASSON AND ERIC MCDONALD: March 3, Phinney Center, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

NEW POLITICS: March 4, The Showbox, Seattle.

888-929-7849 or livenation.com.

ANDERSON COOPER: March 4, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-827-8118 or uniquelives.com.

STEEP CANYON RANGERS: March 4, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

WALK OFF THE EARTH: March 5, Moore Theatre, Seattle. 360745-3000 or ticketmaster. com.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: March 7, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

THE LONE BELLOW: March 9, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or

AIR: March 26, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

JOHN CLEESE: March 26, McCaw Hall, Seattle.

844-827-8118 or uniquelives.com.

BRANDI CARLILE, MARLON WILLIAMS: March 30-31, Moore Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

TODRICK HALL: April 4, Moore Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

TOWER OF POWER: April 5-8, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-4419729 or jazzalley.com.

THE TRAILER PARK BOYS: April 5, Paramount Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

WHISKEY MYERS: April 12, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

KENNY G: April 12-15,

ticketmaster.com.

SURVIVOR: March 9-10, Pacific Showroom, Skagit Casino and Resort, Bow. 877-275-2448 or theskagit.com.

LORDE, RUN THE JEWELS, YOVE STYRKE: March 9, KeyArena, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

PHILLIP PHILLIPS: March 16, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

JOHN HIATT & THE GONERS: March 17, Moore Theatre, Seattle.

360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

THE OH HELLOS: March 23, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

LEFTOVER SALMON, KELLER WILLIAMS: March 24, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-7453000 or ticketmaster.com.

Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

ERASURE: Aug. 14, Moore Theatre, Seattle. 800745-3000 or livenation.com.

BILL MAHER: April 14, Paramount Theater, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, BLACK STAR RIDERS: April 15, Accesso Showare Center, Kent.

866-973-9613 or livenation.com.

DENNIS DEYOUNG: April 20-21, Pacific Showroom, Skagit Casino and Resort, Bow. 877-2752448 or theskagit.com.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE: April 23, Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham. mountbakertheatre.com or 360-734-6080.

— For complete listings, visit goskagit.com and click on “Entertainment.”

McIntyre Hall Presents

C ORKY SIEGEL’S CHAMBER BLUES F ,F 2 7:30 RIDAY

EBRUARY

“Corky Siegel is a phenomenon.” ~ Washington Post

PM

HIGH SCHOOL & SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE STUDENTS FREE

Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues includes virtuosos of Americana roots with Blues harmonica, a traditional classical string quartet Chinese erhu, Indian tabla and world percussion. Experience the seamless melding of cultures and styles without losing the marked distinctive identity of each.

MCINTYREHALL.ORG 360.416.7727 2 5 0 1

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E12 - Thursday, February 1, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

TRAVEL

FA M I LY T R AV E L FI V E

PLAY IT SAFE IN GREAT OUTDOORS

By LYNN O’ROURKE HAYES

FamilyTravel.com

Knowledge is power.

So before you and the family head for the great outdoors, tune up your skills and know how to play it safe.

1. DO THE STINGRAY SHUFFLE. Stingrays bury themselves under a thin blanket of sand for protection. By shuffling into the water, you’ll create a vibration and the creature will be alerted and will move off in a different direction.

Stingrays are also most active during 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., prime beach time, so ask the lifeguard or your resort’s front desk about stingray activity before splashing into the surf. Should a sting occur, use hot water to clean the wound and seek medical attention. The Stingray City sandbar, home to the Southern Stingray, is a popular attraction in the Cayman Islands. caymanislands.ky/ activities/attractions/ stingraycity.aspx 2. SNAKE SMARTS. Hiking, climbing and camping in many parts of the country mean a snake encounter is possible. According to the University of Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, more than half of those bitten intentionally provoked the snake in some way.

So make sure kids know the danger and don’t deliberately disturb the creature should you come across one.

Stay on hiking trails

and keep hands and feet away from wood and rock piles, deep grass or crevices. Carry a flashlight and wear shoes after dark. If a bite does occur, call 911 and seek medical attention immediately.

AZPoison.com 3. BEAR AWARE. Your goal during a hiking, fishing or camping experience is to avoid crossing paths with a bear.

So while making plans, inquire about recent bear activity in your intended destination. Research shows that bear spray is effective, so have yours at the ready and know how to use it. Travel in groups of three or more and sing, tell stories, or carry a bell to let bears know you are in the area. Hike during daylight hours, stay on trails and avoid berry patches and animal carcasses. Look for signs of bear activity including scat, tracks or overturned rocks. When camping, keep your tent and spaces clean and free of odors. (Remind kids that stashing candy bars in their sleeping bag is not a good idea.) Don’t sleep in clothes you cooked in.

Be sure to hang food and trash away from sleeping areas or in bear-proof containers.

NPS.gov/Yell; grizzlydiscoveryctr.org/ education/bear-awareness-hiking-camping 4. DON’T LET LIGHTNING STRIKE. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), more than 400 people are struck by lightning each year in the U.S. Teach the kids that “when thunder roars, go

SHUTTERSTOCK

Research shows that bear spray is effective, so have yours at the ready and know how to use it.

indoors.” When planning an activity, have a safety plan and know where you will meet should a storm develop. Watch for darkening skies, flashes of lightning and shifting and strengthening wind patterns. If you hear thunder, even at a distance, it is time to move to a sturdy building or hard-topped metal vehicle with windows closed, advises NOAA. Stay away from tall, isolated trees, utility polls or open areas. Avoid wires and metal fencing. Wait for 30 minutes after the last thunderclap to move outside. If someone is struck by lightning, call 911 and get immediate medical attention. weather.gov/owlie/ publication_brochures#lightning; weather.gov/nwr 5. STAY WARM AND DRY. Whether you get caught in a downpour, lost on the trail, or stay in the boat or on the slopes longer than expected, know that getting too cold and too wet is something to avoid. It is helpful to remember the acronym COLD to avoid hypothermia. Cover,

Overexertion, Layers and Dry. It’s especially important to keep heads and hands and feet covered. Avoid overexertion that will cause sweating.

The combination of wet clothes and cold temperatures will cause the loss of body heat.

Dressing in loose-fitting layers, with silk, wool or polypropylene closest to the body, is best for retaining body heat.

And stay dry whenever possible and remove wet clothing at the earliest opportunity. Know that children (and older adults) chill more quickly and need one more layer than grownups in the same conditions. Shivering, the body’s natural attempt to warm itself, is a first sign of hypothermia.

Bright red, cold skin and a weak cry are the first signs of hypothermia in an infant. mayoclinic.org — Lynn O’Rourke Hayes (www.LOHayes. com) is an author, family travel expert and enthusiastic explorer.

Gather more travel intel on Twitter @lohayes, Facebook, or via FamilyTravel.com

Local travel briefs

EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TRAIL: Former Anacortes Police Chief Bonnie Bowers will talk about walking the El Camino de Santiago Trail at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St, Anacortes. Bowers’ 550-mile walk began in southern France and ended 33 days later in Santiago, Spain. b.smart@juno.com.

SHORT TRIPS: Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation offers travel opportunities for ages 8 and older (adult supervision required for ages 17 and younger). Trips depart from and return to Hillcrest Park, 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon. For information or to register, call 360-336-6215.

WHATCOM SENIOR TOURS: Whatcom Senior Tours hosts a series of trips for seniors. Sign up by calling 360-733-4030, ext. 1015 or visiting the tour office at 315 Halleck St., Bellingham.

RECREATION WITHOUT BORDERS: The organization offers recreational trips, tours and adventures throughout the Northwest and British Columbia.

360-766-7109 or recreationwithoutborders.com.

OAK HARBOR DAY TRIPS: The Oak Harbor Senior Center, 51 SE Jerome St., offers fun day trips for members. For details, call the travel desk at 360-279-4587.

STATE VISITOR CALL CENTER: The Washington Tourism Alliance’s ExperienceWA Call Center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. 1-800-544-1800 or tourisminfo@watourismalliance.com.

PASSPORT APPLICATIONS: Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes, accepts new passport applications and applications for passports that have been expired for more than five years by appointment from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Passport forms and information on fees and how to apply are available at travel.state.gov, or pick up an application and passport guide at the library.

Burlington Municipal Court accepts passport applications from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 311 Cedar St., Suite A, Burlington. New and renewal forms are available. 360-755-0492.

Post offices in Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and Oak Harbor accept passport applications by appointment. Contact individual offices for available days and times.

Oak Harbor Senior Center, 51 SE Jerome St., Oak Harbor, accepts passport applications Monday through Friday. Appointments are recommended.

360-279-4580.

Thursday, February 1, 2018 - E13

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

AT THE LINCOLN

7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 2-3 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5 “Call Me by Your Name,” based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman, is set in northern Italy in 1983 and chronicles

tity matters, and how tragic it is when those things are denied to people.”

The film features a largely black cast including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o. It follows T’Challa (Boseman) after the death of his father, the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and his ascension to the throne.

“I never wanted this movie to end, and as soon as it did I wanted to go back,” tweeted Mashable critic Angie Han. “Solid action, smart story, tons of personality.”

Han and Vulture editor Kyle Buchanan both singled out Letitia Wright for her character Shuri, T’Challa’s inventor sister.

LOCAL FOOD • LOCAL BEER • MADE HERE

1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4 Sonya Yoncheva will make her role debut as the title prima donna alongside Vittorio Grigolo and Željko

Many spoke highly of Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, a villain, and Danai Gurira’s warrior character Okoye too.

A few called it Marvel’s most political film to date.

Others were more tempered like writer Dave Schilling who says, “’Black Panther’ is not the best Marvel movie.

It’s not the worst Marvel movie. It’s an entertaining movie.” IndieWire critic David Ehrlich wrote that it’s, “Like a Marvel movie but better. The action is predictably awful, but this is the first MCU film that has an actual sense of identity & history & musicality.”

“Black Panther” hits the multiplex on Feb. 16.

‌

“Call Me by Your Name” will play Friday through Monday at the Lincoln.

DINING GUIDE

The MET Live in HD: ‘Tosca’

‘Black Panther’ receives high praise after first screenings LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Incredible” and “kinetic” are just a few of the words that people are using to describe and praise Marvel’s “Black Panther.”

The film from director Ryan Coogler had its first screenings Monday night and a premiere in Los Angeles. Official reviews won’t go out until Feb. 6, but audiences at the select screenings were able to share nonspoiler reactions on social media.

Los Angeles Times writer Jen Yamato wrote that it is the first Marvel movie about something real. “’Black Panther’ is incredible, kinetic, purposeful,” Yamato wrote.

“A superhero movie about why representation & iden-

Lučić. Emmanuel Villaume conducts; music

by Puccini; in Italian, with English subtitles.

Adults $23, seniors $21, students (with ID) and $19, child (12 and under) $17. Lincoln members receive $2 off all price levels.

— The Lincoln Theatre is located at 712 S. First St., downtown Mount Vernon. lincolntheatre.org or 360-3368955.

13 Time Winner Best of Anacortes!

• Seafood, Wood-Fired Pizza, Signature Burgers, Sandwiches and Entrees • Craft Brewed Beers Made on the Premises OpEn DAiLy at 11:00am

We Lo Fam ve ilies !

Visit our Companion Restaurant

320 Commercial Ave • Anacortes, WA • 360.588.1720 Complete Menu & Event Calender at: www.AnacortesRockfish.com Check out our Facebook page for information on Live Blues, Jazz & Roots Every week

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‘Call Me by Your Name’

the romantic relationship between Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a 17-yearold living in Italy, and his father’s American assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer).

Nominated for four Oscars, including best picture and best actor (Chalamet).

Rated R. $10.50 general; $9.50 seniors, students and active military; $8 ages 12 and under. Lincoln members get a $2 discount.

Sunday bargain prices: $9 general; $7.50 children 12 and under.

Coming up at The Rockfish Grill and H2O: FRI. 2/2 8PM SEAN BENDRICKSON WEDS. 2/7 6PM TIME3JAZZ THURS. 2/8 6PM JOAN PENNEY WEDS. 2/14 6PM STILLY RIVER BAND

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1585064 1474688

FRI. 2/2 10PM JZ STRONGARM SAT. 2/3 8:30PM THE NAUGHTY BLOKES SUN. 2/4 7PM KARAOKE FRI. 2/9 10PM ZJ STRONGARM

1721000

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is a darkly comic drama and Oscar best-picture contender from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”).

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police.

When his second-in-command

Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Rated R. $10.50 general; $9.50 seniors, students and active military; $8 ages 12 and under. Lincoln members get a $2 discount.

1573534

‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’

anacortesrockfish.com / anacortesH2O.com

E14 - Thursday, February 1, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES

Times critics discuss their favorites of Sundance Film Festival

By KENNETH TURAN AND JUSTIN CHANG

Los Angeles Times

Times film critics Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang sat down to share their highlights from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

KENNETH TURAN: Though it presents itself as a unified whole, Sundance is actually an unruly collection of individual feature films, some 110 this year, and everyone who comes, in effect, constructs his or her own festival out of the sum total of their choices. With Sundance 2018 winding down, what has your festival experience been? A good year, a bad year, somewhere in between?

JUSTIN CHANG: It’s been a good year, though maybe not a banner one. I haven’t seen anything here that’s rocked my world quite the way that “Call Me

by Your Name” or “Manchester by the Sea” did in their respective years, though as of this writing, I still have a few hopefuls I’m looking forward to.

Certainly I saw many more good-to-decent films than awful ones, which is not the worst place to wind up.

How has yours been?

TURAN: It’s been pretty similar to yours. The documentaries have been spectacular, as usual, but what’s different for me this year is that I have enjoyed more dramas than I usually do.

One of them, I believe, is a film you enjoyed as well, Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace.”

Granik had a major success here in 2010 with “Winter’s Bone,” which launched Jennifer Lawrence, and her new film tells the similarly intense

and emotional story of what happens when an Army veteran and his teenage daughter — homeless by choice — are discovered by authorities. The protean Ben Foster is the father and a young New Zealand actress, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, matches him stride for stride.

CHANG: “Leave No Trace” is indeed among my favorites as well, and it’s a long-overdue reminder of what a terrific filmmaker Granik is. The story she tells couldn’t be simpler, but there’s so much unspoken emotion, so much vibrant texture: With every shot and every cut she brings an entire world to life.

Speaking of mutual favorites, I know we’re both admirers of “Wildlife,” an exquisitely calibrated marital drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, directed with complete assurance by Paul Dano. I was also pretty taken with the work of another actor-turned-director, Ethan Hawke.

His “Blaze “ is a gorgeous, soulful biopic of the late country-blues singer Blaze Foley, someone I knew nothing about going in, but whose on-screen alter ego I was pleased to spend time with.

TURAN: Ethan Hawke was in another film I quite enjoyed, “Juliet, Naked,” a genial adaptation of the Nick Horby novel where he plays a reclusive rock star who enters the lives of his most obsessive fan, a wonderful Chris O’Dowd, and his frustrated girlfriend, played by Rose Byrne.

Pleasures of a different, much darker sort were provided by “I Think We’re Alone Now,” directed and

PHOTOS BY CHRIS PIZZELLO /INVISION VIA AP

Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang calls “Wildlife” an “exquisitely calibrated marital drama” starring Carey Mulligan (left) and Jake Gyllenhaal.

evocatively photographed

by Reed Morano, best known for her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Playing a bit like a rediscovered “Twilight Zone” episode (and I mean that as a compliment), it focuses on Peter Dinklage as a man who appears to be the last human being alive on earth. Until Elle Fanning shows up.

CHANG: Dun-dundun! I am struck, as ever, by how many ideas, plot points and thematic strategies some of these otherwise very different narrative films have in common.

“Burden,” Andrew Heckler’s tense drama about a Ku Klux Klansman (played by Garrett Hedlund) who finds redemption with the help of a black minister (Forest Whitaker), would make an engrossing double bill with “Come Sunday,” Joshua Marston’s quieter, more contemplative story about a Pentecostal preacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) experiencing a troubling crisis of faith.

Both those pictures are based on real-life events, which brings me to one of the festival’s most talked-about dramatic entries.

In “The Tale,” the director Jennifer Fox tells her own

story: Played on-screen by a terrific Laura Dern, she probes and dissects her memories of the sexual abuse she endured when she was 13 years old.

The result is a shattering, queasy-making blend of fiction and nonfiction that will surely generate more discussion beyond the festival.

Speaking of nonfiction: Tell me more about some of those spectacular documentaries you’ve been seeing.

TURAN: Yes, year in and year out the docs are Sundance’s most reliable sources of satisfaction.

There were so many good ones this year that it’s hard to know where to start.

Except that it isn’t.

That’s because Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg braved Park City’s icy streets to support “RBG,” the moving documentary about her life. The lines to see her were the festival’s longest, and she caused more excitement than any movie star, even Jane Fonda.

The actress was here with “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” a thorough and intimate look at a very complicated life, directed by Susan Lacy, who recently did similar fine work with Steven Spielberg for HBO.

If there was an unexpected success here, a film that moved people more than they anticipated, it was “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” which revealed TV’s Mr. Rogers to be just the kind of exemplary human being you always hoped he was.

Also deeply moving was one of the last docs I saw, “King in the Wilderness,” a thoughtful, nuanced examination of the extraordinarily difficult final 18 months of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

CHANG: Personality-profile documentaries are always a reliable Sundance specialty, as this year’s well-received films about Joan Jett (“Bad Reputation”), Gloria Allred (“Seeing Allred”) and Robin Williams (“Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind”) can attest. One of my favorite docs this year, the poignant and intensely personal “Shirkers,” is a stealth self-portrait of sorts by Sandi Tan, a Singaporean-born, Los Angeles-based author and filmmaker whom few know but who has a riveting story to tell.

Like most audiences who sought it out in Park City, I surrendered early and often to “The Sentence,” Rudy Valdez’s home-movie portrait of his sister, Cindy Shank, a mother of three who was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, effectively becoming a casualty of the country’s mandatory-minimum laws. Is it great cinema? Maybe not, but I still haven’t stopped weeping.

Completely at the other end of the aesthetic spectrum was “Bisbee ‘17,” a formally rich, ambiguously layered new documentary from the always interesting Robert Greene (“Kate

Plays Christine”). If you’ve never read about the 1917 deportation of 1,000 striking copper miners from Bisbee, Ariz. — a miscarriage of justice that unmistakably resonates with our present immigration crisis — you could scarcely find a more stimulating or provocative cinematic treatise than this one.

TURAN: Sundance is also always on the lookout for unusual programming, and it hit the jackpot this year with a film/performance combination called “A Thousand Thoughts.”

Directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini and described as a “live documentary,” it combines doc footage/ interviews on the history of the Kronos Quartet, a narration read in person

by Green, and the quartet itself on stage performing the score. It’s as magical an amalgamation as anything you can imagine, and having it at Sundance seemed only fitting.

CHANG: Another staple of this festival is its horror programming, as recent breakouts like “The Witch,” “The Babadook” and “Under the Shadow” can attest. While my appetite for this kind of fare is nowhere near as hearty as some, I still have fond, distant memories of gory, nasty gems from a decade earlier, like “The Broken” and “Donkey Punch.”

Those movies didn’t find much of an audience after Sundance, which makes me all the more grateful to have seen them at the festival with appreciative midnight crowds.

I suspect a much longer commercial life awaits Ari Aster’s masterly freakout “Hereditary,” a standout of this year’s Midnight section that A24 will be releasing later this year.

Thursday, February 1, 2018 - E15

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES MINI-REVIEWS “42 Grams” — A smartly executed, well-photographed and at times almost painfully raw profile of Chicago chef Jake Bickelhaupt and his wife, Alexa, whose underground restaurant went public and earned two Michelin stars before abruptly closing with no explanation. Documentary, not rated, 82 minutes. HHH “A Futile and Stupid Gesture” — This is quite possibly the most self-referential meta movie I’ve ever seen. Sometimes that’s pretty great. At other times, it detracts from the core story at hand: a biopic of Douglas Kenney (Will Forte), the influential and troubled comedic genius who co-founded the National Lampoon magazine. Biography, not rated, 101 minutes. HHH “Mom and Dad” — More than a few viewers won’t find any humor in a worldwide epidemic that causes parents to suddenly turn on their children and stop at nothing to take them out.

But the filmmakers are going for deep, blood-red satire, highlighted by a performance of operatic madness by the one and only Nicolas Cage. Horror, R, 83 minutes.

HHH “Den of Thieves” — For the first hour or so, it appeared as if this Los Angeles-based heist thriller pitting badass sheriff’s lieutenant Gerard Butler against badass gang leader Pablo Schreiber would catch us off-guard in the best way. But just when things should have been heating up, the route grows bumpy and meandering and in some scenes drip-drip-drip SLOW. Crime action, R, 140 minutes. HH “12 Strong” — Chris Hemsworth plays the leader of the real-life U.S. Special Forces team that helped take out key Taliban and

al-Qaida strongholds in Afghanistan after 9/11. But with a running time of two hours and 10 minutes, the action-packed but cliche-riddled adventure has at least 20 minutes of scenes that are either unnecessary or repetitive. War action, R, 130 minutes.

“The Commuter” — On his daily train ride home, an insurance salesman (Liam Neeson) agrees to an offer that sets off a chain reaction resulting in bloodshed and conspiracy theories and madness. Many ridiculous things happen on the train, and virtually every big twist and every major reveal is telegraphed well in advance.

Action thriller, PG-13, 104 minutes. H½ “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” — Annette Bening is magnificent as Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame, who was beyond her glory days and living a quiet life when she struck up a friendship, then a passionate romance, with a much younger neighbor (Jamie Bell). The work grows more layered and more empathetic as we get deeper into the story. Biographic romance, R, 106 minutes. HHH½ “Phantom Thread” — Reteaming with his “There Will Be Blood” director Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Day-Lewis delivers another Oscar-worthy performance as a fashion designer in mid-20th-century London who has a very specific (and more than a little eccentric) way of doing things. The attention to detail, the use of certain colors, the lush and vibrant photography of the dresses made — they’re honestly breathtaking. Drama, R, 130 minutes. HHHH “Insidious: The Last Key” — The production elements and special effects are pretty cool in this installment of the horror franchise, a chapter about demons in the creepy childhood home of

At area theaters ANACORTES CINEMAS Feb. 2-8 Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 12:50, 3:35, 6:40, 9:15; Sunday-Wednesday: 12:50, 3:35, 6:40; Thursday: 12:50, 3:35 The Post (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 1:00, 3:55, 6:50, 9:25; Sunday-Thursday: 1:00, 3:55, 6:50 The Shape of Water (R): Friday-Saturday: 12:40, 3:45, 6:30, 9:45; Sunday-Thursday: 12:40, 3:45, 6:30 Fifty Shades Freed (R): Thursday: 7:00 360-293-7000

OAK HARBOR CINEMAS Feb. 2-8 Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 12:30, 3:35, 6:40, 9:40; Sunday-Thursday: 12:30, 3:35, 6:40 Hostiles (R): Friday-Saturday: 12:40, 3:45, 6:50, 9:50; Sunday-Thursday: 12:40, 3:45, 6:50 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG13): Friday-Saturday: 12:50, 3:55, 7:00, 9:45; Sunday-Wednesday: 12:50, 3:55, 7:00; Thursday: 12:50, 3:55 Fifty Shades Freed (R): Thursday: 7:00 360-279-2226

CONCRETE THEATRE Feb. 2-4 The Post (PG-13): Friday: 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 5 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday: 5 p.m.

360-941-0403

BLUE FOX DRIVE-IN Oak Harbor Feb. 2-3 Fernindad (PG), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG-13) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13): First movie starts at approximately 6 p.m.

360-941-0403

* Times are subject to change

parapsychologist Elise Rainier (the wonderful Lin Shaye).

The main problem— too many ghosts. Good ghosts, bad ghosts, and ghosts that might not really be ghosts at all. Horror, PG-13, 103 minutes. HH “Hostiles” — Christian Bale is at the laser-focused top of his game (and perfectly cast) as an Old West soldier escorting a freed Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) and his family to their ancestral land. The brutal violence is not for the faint of heart, but “Hostiles” winds up being about having a heart in a world that seems almost without hope. Western, R, 133 minutes. HHH½ “The Post” — Meryl Streep has often played the most confident of characters, but as 1970s Washington Post publisher Kay Graham, she does an astonishing job of showing us someone unsure of herself as she debates publishing the Pentagon Papers and risking jail. This is a love letter to journalistic bravery and to the First Amendment, and it is the best movie about newspapers since “All the President’s Men.” Historical drama, PG-13, 115 minutes. HHHH “Bright” — In what’s

basically a tired buddy-cop movie dressed up in bizarre trappings, Will Smith and Joel Edgerton battle to prevent the evil Dark Lord from destroying the world. A truly terrible, mountainous pile of genre-blending garbage filled with transparent parallels to real-world racism and class differences. Fantasy action, not rated, 117 minutes. H½ “Wonder” — What elevates this drama about a brave 10-year-old boy named Auggie (Jacob Tremblay), born with a genetic facial deformity, is the myriad ways in which “Wonder” catches us just a little off-guard and puts lumps in our throats even when Auggie is off-screen.

With Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. Drama, PG, 113 minutes. HHH “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” — The story of a grieving mother (Frances McDormand) trying to shame the police chief (Woody Harrelson) into solving her daughter’s murder provides some of the strongest laughs and most poignant moments of heartbreak of any movie in recent memory. Somehow writer-director Martin

STANWOOD CINEMAS Feb. 2-8 Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 1:10, 3:35, 6:40, 9:15; Sunday-Thursday: 1:10, 3:35, 6:40 The Post (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 1:00, 4:15, 7:10, 9:45; Sunday-Thursday: 1:00, 4:15, 7:10 Hostiles (R): Friday-Saturday: 12:50, 3:45, 6:50, 9:50; Sunday-Thursday: 12:50, 3:45, 6:50 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 1:20, 4:05, 7:00, 9:40; Sunday-Wednesday: 1:20, 4:05, 7:00; Thursday: 1:20, 4:05 The Shape of Water (R): Friday-Saturday: 12:40, 3:25, 6:30, 9:45; Sunday-Thursday: 12:40, 3:25, 6:30 Fifty Shades Freed (R): Thursday: 7:00 360-629-0514 CASCADE MALL THEATERS Burlington For showings: amctheatres.com/showtimes/all/2017-06-23/amc-loews-cascademall-14/all

McDonagh has taken the bleakest of subject matters and treated it seriously while also serving up one of the best dark comedies I’ve ever seen. Dark comedy, R, 115 minutes. HHHH “Molly’s Game” — Jessica Chastain gives a nomination-worthy performance as the organizer of high-stakes, A-list poker games that aren’t exactly legal. With his feature directing debut, Aaron Sorkin hits a home run — a glimpse of life in the fast lane, a sobering cautionary tale and a brilliant character study. Biographical drama, R, 140 minutes. HHHH “All the Money in the World” — Ridley Scott’s well-paced, great-looking and nimble take on one of the most famous kidnapping cases of the 20th century leaves us marveling at the enormous footprint J. Paul Getty left on the world.

Playing the oil tycoon as a last-minute substitute for Kevin Spacey, Christopher Plummer delivers a powerful, magnetic, scene-stealing performance. Historical drama, R, 132 minutes. HHH½ “Downsizing” — Matt Damon is in prime everyman

mode as a good guy with a good heart who agrees to be shrunk to 5 inches tall as a way to reduce his environmental footprint — and enjoy a more luxurious life. At first a raucous comedy with some social commentary, director Alexander Payne’s film loses its way for a while, and it feels as if we’re being lectured a bit too much in the home stretch. Comedy satire, R, 135 minutes. HHH “I, Tonya” — Recounting the life of skater Tonya Harding in both a darkly funny comedy and a serious character study is a tricky and bold balancing act, and the “I, Tonya” team pulls it off on every level. Handed the plum title role, Margot Robbie gives the best performance of her career. Sports biography, R, 119 minutes.

HHHH “Hangman” — At 77, Al Pacino admirably commits to the pulpy material and his seen-it-all character, a retired detective enlisted to help stop a serial killer. In its own cheesy and entertaining way, this lurid B-movie kept me guessing throughout.

Crime thriller, R, 98 minutes.

HHH

E16 - Thursday, February 1, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

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