360 December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF 2019 WITH A FIRSTDAY HIKE PAGE 8

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E1

Your guide to ring in the new year PAGES 3-4

Skagit Valley Herald Thursday December 27, 2018

TUNING UP PAGE 11 Whiskey Fever plays the Conway Muse MOVIES PAGE 18

Director’s epic exploration into Dick Cheney’s life is dark, sobering

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK “NIGHT SCHOOL”: High school dropout Teddy Walker (Kevin Hart) has been living a life beyond his means, from driving an expensive car to the woman he loves. This all changes when his job as a salesman comes to an explosive end.

The only hope for Walker is to get his GED so he can get a better job. The problem is Walker has always had a problem with school, and that hasn’t changed in 17 years. It is up to his night school teacher, Carrie (Tiffany Haddish), to help him get past his learning disabilities.

While both Hart and Haddish give it their best efforts, the script, which was put together by six writers including Hart, is as bland as grade school paste.

Efforts at humor range from putting Hart in a chicken suit to surrounding him by a group of stereotypes in the classroom. The film was in trouble from the start because the script fails.

Director Malcolm D. Lee (“Barbershop: The Next Cut”) doesn’t help matters, as he offers nothing more than a film that looks like an extended version of a television sitcom. Hart always brings a great energy to the job, but even he can’t make the grade with this “Night School.”

“BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE”: Seven strangers meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. The one thing each member of the group has in common with the other is they have a secret they want to keep buried. This chance meet-

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

Inside Out & About........................... 5-8 Hot Tickets................................. 9 Tuning Up.................................11 Travel.........................................12 Get Involved.............................13 UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA AP

Kevin Hart stars in a scene from “Night School.”

ing gives each of them one last shot at redemption. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo star.

“BAD REPUTATION”: The documentary looks at how while Joan Jett was becoming a music superstar with No. 1 hits like “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” there was a lot more to her story. Her life was a wild ride, as revealed by Jett and her close friends, who talk about how it really was in the early days of the ’70s punk scene and the tough trek that led to rock stardom.

“FRONTLINE: THE PENSION GAMBLE”: Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith and Nick Verbitsky go inside the volatile fight over pensions playing out today in Kentucky to examine the role of state governments and Wall Street in driving America’s public pensions in debt.

The documentary presents

the state’s crisis and how, as the legislative session drew to a close in March, state Republicans tried a last-minute move to pass a new bill that addressed the failing public pension systems.

“LOVE, GILDA”: The documentary takes an intimate look at the life and career of Gilda Radner through her own words, and through interviews with original “SNL” cast and crew such as Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Paul Shaffer and longtime friend Martin Short. Gilda’s diaries are also read by Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong.

“RED VS. BLUE: THE SHISNO PARADOX”: Two groups of soldiers in the distant future battle for control of the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe.

Upcoming DVD releases Following is a partial schedule of DVD releases (dates subject to change):

JAN. 8

n Hell Fest n Mid90s n Monsters and Men n What They Had n An Evening with Bever-

ly Buff Linn n Castle Rock: The First Complete Season n The Oath n The Purge: Season One n Time Freak — Tribune News Service

AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL HD JAN. 1 “THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN”: Robert Redford stars in this mostly true story of Forrest Tucker who at 70 escaped from prison and robbed several banks.

Will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray Jan. 15.

– Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service

Music.........................................14 At the Lincoln..........................15 Movies................................. 16-19 SUBMISSIONS Email: features@skagitpublishing.com Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday for the following Thursday edition Phone 360-416-2135 Address Skagit Publishing 1215 Anderson Road Mount Vernon, WA 98274 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

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E3

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

A plethora of choices for New Year’s Eve

‌

Mama Dirty Skirt

New Year’s Eve is Monday, Dec. 31; here are many different ways to celebrate the arrival of 2019 on that day.

SKAGIT COUNTY

EAGLEMONT NEW YEAR’S: Listen to music

by Gin Gypsy and mixes

by DJ Jimmy Mai at the Eaglemont Golf Course clubhouse, 4800 Eaglemont Drive, Mount Vernon, starting at 9 p.m. $25-30, ages 21-plus.

NOON YEAR’S EVE: Ring in the NOON Year with crafts and games from 11 a.m. to noon at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E Washington Ave., Burlington.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT BIG LAKE: Dance to the Cascadiacs at Big Lake Bar & Grill’s New Year’s Eve bash starting at 8:30 p.m. at 18247 State Route 9, Mount Vernon.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

GALA: All experienced square dancers are invited to dance at this gala, sponsored by the Hidalgo Fogcutters, Rainbow Squares, Skagit Square and the Sashayers on Cook Road, Sedro-Woolley. $8-$10, dry camping available.

NYE WITH THE CHRIS EGER BAND: The Old Edison, 5829 Cains Court, Edison, will feature The Chris Eger Band rock in the new year starting at 9 p.m. $10.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE: Mama Dirty Skirt will play at La Conner’s Maple Hall, 104 Commercial, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

MARK DUFRESNE BAND: Ring in the new year with some blues music from the Mark DuFrense Band at 9 p.m. at the Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce St. $25-

CRAIG PARRISH / SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

The Chris Eger Band

$50. Includes dinner.

WHATCOM COUNTY

NEW YEAR’S EVE SOIREE: Party like it’s 1959 at the second annual New Year’s Benefit Bash at the Sylvia Center for the Arts, 205 Prospect St., Bellingham. $100, exclusive dinner at Bellingham Cider Company available for $75 more. sylviacenterforthearts.org.

UPFRONT NEW YEAR’S: Ring in the new year with laughter at the Upfront Theatre, 1208 Bay St., Bellingham.

Shows will take place at 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.

The late show is ages 21-plus, as each guest will receive champagne for a midnight toast. $20. theupfront.com.

OVERFLOW TAPS: Both locations of Overflow Taps are having New Year’s Eve parties. From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. celebrate with beer, champagne and plenty of activities and music in either Bellingham, 2930 Newmarket St., Suite 117, or Lynden, 106 Fifth St. NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH: Celebrate the changing year at 9 p.m. at Boundary Bay, 1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham. The theme is classy cowboys and girls, denim and diamonds, rhinestones and spurs. There will be line dancing and much more. $30-35.

M80’S DANCE PARTY: The Silver Reef Casino, 4876 Haxton Way, Ferndale, is bringing a

night of dancing with music from the M80’s.

There will also be giveaways every 15 minutes on the casino floor.

of celebrating at The Outlet, 1209 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham. Dress to impress, ages 18-plus.

Music starts at 8 p.m.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE: 8 p.m. at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1207 Ellsworth St., Bellingham. There will be a DJ, a no-host bar, snacks and more.

Must be 21-plus with ID. $20-$25.

FLANNEL AND FLASK NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY: Join a casual New Year’s celebration at Twin Sisters Brewing Company, 500 Carolina St., Bellingham. There will be food and drink specials starting at 8 p.m. and music from the Naughty Blokes at 9 p.m.

THE SHAKEDOWN: Three bands will be featured at the Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham: Daikaiju, Kurly Something and Lonebird.

The show is ages 21-plus. $15-$18.

VARIETY SHOW: Jazz, hip hop, pop rock and comedy are combining for a big night

NYE GOLD PARTY: Dance the night away to the tune of Harmonic Flow with DJ Tru-ah at Uisce Irish Pub, 1319 Commercial St., Bellingham. The event starts at 8 p.m. $5, ages 21-plus.

More NEW YEAR

I

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

New Year /from 3

THE DICE IS RIGHT: Trivia, interactive game show games, prizes and more are in store at Rook & Rogue Board Game Pub’s special New Year’s Eve game night. The event will take place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. $50 admission gets you entrance, food and champagne. Rook & Rogue is located at 206 W. Magnolia St., Bellingham.

MOULIN ROUGE DANCE PARTY: The Bellingham Dance Company, 1844 N State St., is bringing Bellingham to France this New Year’s Eve with a Moulin Rouge-inspired dance night, from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

POLYRHYTHMICS: The Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham, will featured the Polyrhythmics and Wildabeast starting at 9 p.m. $20, ages 21plus.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE THUMB: Tim Noah’s Thumbnail Theater, 1211 Fourth St., Snohomish, is opening its doors for a community celebration for the whole family.

Doors open at 5 p.m., music by Tim Noah starts at 6 p.m. Admission is by donation.

SKYH O OK ROCK IN G S T E WA R TS: Dance to the rhythm and blues of Skyhook from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Stewart’s Place Tavern, 709 First St.,

TARA NELSON PHOTO

Gin Gypsy

Snohomish.

NE W YE AR’S E V E PA J AMA PAR T Y: Imagine Children’s Museum, 1502 Wall St., Everett, is having a party with plenty of family-friendly activities from 7 to 9 p.m., with a grand finale ball drop at 9 p.m. $15.

NYE E X T R AVA G ANZ A: The Anchor Pub, 1001 Hewitt Ave., Everett, will host a DJ and entertainment from Fool’s Gold. $15.

MASQ U E R AD E PAR T Y: Don your finest attire and add a masquerade mask to

ring in the new year from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Crucible Brewing, 909 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett. Music

by DJ Scoob and Chad Dowling Productions. Prizes for best dressed couple and extra masks available.

Ages 21-plus.

NE W YEA R’S E V E SH OW: Bigtop and B eef B ologna do New Year’s Eve with Dead Uncle Steamer at 8 p.m. at Tony Vs Garage, 1716 Hewitt Ave., Everett.

I S L AN D COU N T Y

FI RE WORKS: Party in the park and see the sky fill with light

starting at 9 p.m. at Windjammer Park, 1600 SW B eeksma Drive, Oak Harbor.

S EA FOOD BU FFE T: Join a New Year’s Eve Gala and Seafood Buffet from 5 to 9 p.m. at Mansion Restaurant, 1400 Rosario Road, Eastsound. $75.

ROCK I N THE NE W YEA R: Music, food, dancing and more awaits at Friday Harbor’s New Year’s Celebration. The fun starts at 7 p.m. and the Briana Nova Band starts playing at 10 p.m. at Lakeside Resort at Three Lakes, 4313 Roche Harbor Road, Friday Harbor.

CRAIG PARRISH / SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

Mark DuFresne band

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E5

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

OUT AND ABOUT

ART

INSPIRED BY DESIGN: Art from local artists representing the area’s beauty is on display WaterWorks Gallery, 315 Argyle Ave., Friday Harbor, through Jan. 5.

JOSEPH GOLDBERG: The memorial exhibit “Joseph Goldberg: The Night Has Eyes” is on display at i.e. gallery, 5800 Cains Court, Edison.

I.E. GALLERY: The work of Victon Sandblom and Launi Lucas is featured at i.e. gallery, 5800 Cains Court, Edison.

ARTWOOD: The work of dozens of local artists is on display in December at Artwood Gallery, 1000 Harris Ave., Bellingham.

YEAR(S) IN REVIEW: Archived artwork fills the gallery floor-to-ceiling and is available for purchase at this holiday art show. 5742 Gilkey Ave., Edison.

“PAPERCUTS”: Honey Salon and Gallery presents “Papercuts,” a new collection by artist Aaron Brick, at the gallery, 310 W. Holly St., Bellingham.

JENNIFER BOWMAN: The work of Jennifer Bowman is on display through Jan. 22 at the Scott Milo

Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.

HOLIDAY ART EXHIBIT: Art from Signature Members of the Northwest Pastel Society and others is on display at the Schack Art Center, 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett, through Dec. 29.

Chris Eger Band at the Edison

THEATER

RISING: Fourth Corner Frames & Gallery, 311 W Holly St., Bellingham, presents a new exhibition of work ranging from traditional to avant-garde.

The exhibition will be available until Dec. 31.

MOUNTAINEERING EXHIBIT: Western Washington University’s Libraries Heritage Resources is hosting an exhibition exploring the relationship between humans’ love of high altitudes and issues of gender, race and class until March 22 in the Special Collections floor of the Wilson Library, 516 High St., Bellingham. Free.

SURGE: The Museum of Northwest Art, 121 First St., La Conner, hosts an exhibition designed to draw attention to climate change featuring 21 artists.

The exhibit is open until Jan. 6.

HONEY I SHRUNK THE ART: Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture

Celebrating 5

Cohan and vibraphone player Tom Collier, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 30, at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center, 27130 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. Suggested donation $15, 18 and under are free. 360-6296110 or candlelightseattle.org. ”A CHRISTMAS CAROL ... MORE OR LESS”: This twist on a Christmas classic written

by Stefano LoVerso and Mary Irey is playing both as dinner theater and as a matinee during the Lights of Christmas Festival at Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center, 20800 Marine Drive, Stanwood. $38-$59. Schedule at thelightsofchristmas.com.

LECTURES & TALKS

CRAIG PARRISH / SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

By Skagit Valley Herald staff

BOW — Rock into the new year Monday night with the Chris Eger Band and friends at the Old Edison Inn, 5829 Cains Court.

It’s a New Year’s party, so expect a Park presents its 28th Annual Small Works Show until Jan. 13 at 2345 Blanche Way, Camano Island.

PEGGY WOODS: Watercolor artist Peggy

0 Years of Excellence

50 Years of Memories

Featured Exhibit through March 28th.

Save the date - Thursday, March 28th • 6 to 8 PM

We will be replacing the Time Capsule!

For more information visit us online at skagitcounty.net/museum or call 360-466-3365 501 S. 4th Street, La Conner, WA 98257 Promotion for museum programs funded by Skagit County Tourism Funds, visitskagitvalley.com

1849211

Museum open Tues through Sun 11 AM to 4 PM

midnight champagne toast and party favors in addition to the live entertainment, all for $10.

The Chris Eger Band is a high-energy funky bluesy band that blends a variety of sounds into a stomping good time.

Woods of Anacortes is featured at the Good Studd Arts gallery, 604 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. Work from gallery artists on the theme “Why the NW?” is also on display during December.

MUSIC

JAZZIN’ WITH THE CLASSICS FOR CHRISTMAS: With classical soprano Terri Richter, jazz pianist, flutist and clarinetist Martin Lund, classical flutist Jeffrey

NEW VOICES: Eight young poets will read their work at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at Pelican Bay, 520 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.

MORE FUN

WINTERFEST: Cama Beach State Park will host a month full of holiday fun in December. Most events are free, but a Discover Pass for parking is $10. n Dec. 29: Music in the Cama Center with The Whateverly Brothers from 6 to 9 p.m.

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

OUT AND ABOUT THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS: Enjoy the holiday season at this festival boasting over 1 million lights at Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center, 20800 Marine Drive, Stanwood.

The festival is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Dec. 19-23 and 26-29. $16. thelightsofchristmas.com.

BABYSITTING BASICS: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 28, Burlington Parks and Recreation Center, 900 E. Fairhaven. $42. 360-755-9649.

NOON YEAR’S EVE: Ring in the NOON Year with crafts and games from 11 a.m. to noon on New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31, at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E. Washington Ave., Burlington.

LOOKING AHEAD

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK: Walk through downtown Anacortes and view the work of local artists during the Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 4.

ARTISTS CHOICE 2019: Fourth Corner Frames has chosen the finest photographs in the Northwest to be featured at the gallery, 311 W. Holly St., Bellingham.

A reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18.

LUMINARIES AND SPELL OF THE WEST: The opening of the Spell of the West and the Luminary Award-winning artists exhibition will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Museum of the Northwest, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

GATHERING: Kulshan

Chorus will present the winter concert “Gathering” at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St., Bellingham. $7-$22.

ADAM BILLINGS: The Bellingham Festival of Music will present composer Adam Billings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at First Congregation Church, 2401 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham. $15, free for students.

A YEAR IN SPAIN: Elizabeth McKeen spent a year in Spain and will present her story at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, at Anacortes Library, 1220 Tenth St., Anacortes.

THE SKAGIT QUEEN: Jesse Kennedy will discuss the historic Skagit Queen mine and its impact on the early development of the area at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E. Washington Ave., Burlington.

ARTIST & SCIENTIST PANEL: A moderated panel featuring scientist and artist teams who contributed to the Surge exhibition at the Museum of Northwest Art will be featured at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at the museum, 121 First St., La Conner.

Free.

GERMANS FROM PRUSSIA: Skagit Valley Genealogy Society will present a talk by genealogy expert Dave Obee at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E Washington Ave., Burlington.

FORAGE FISH IN SALISH SEA: The Friends of Skagit Beaches will present a talk on forage fish species in the area at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at the Northwest Education Services Building, 1601 R St., Anacortes.

New voices in poetry at Pelican Bay

”THE NEXT SHOW”: The show where you hear the music and thoughts of artists from Anacortes and beyond takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at anacortesmusicchannel. com. Jan. 3 guests: The Crabs.

ARTIST & SCIENTIST PANEL: A moderated panel featuring scientist and artist teams who contributed to the Surge exhibition at the Museum of Northwest Art will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5, at the museum, 121 First St., La Conner. Free.

STEAK FRY: The Parish Council at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church will serve a steak dinner with salad bar, beverages and dessert from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5, at 719 Ferry St., Sedro-Woolley. $11. A hamburger and fries option is available for $8. 360854-0629.

VISIONS AND VOICES: The forgotten films from cinema’s female directors will be played in this silent film series presented by CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, at Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N Commercial St., Bellingham.

By Skagit Valley Herald staff

ANACORTES — Eight current or former Anacortes High School students will take the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at Pelican Bay Books and Coffeehouse.

The bookstore and coffeehouse typically has published poets and authors

speak. This is the first time students have been the featured poets.

The students are Anna Prewitt, Addi Garner, John Harrison, Geoffrey Hamilton, Alex Hanesworth, Layne Woodward, Will McCracken and Jade Carter.

Pelican Bay Books and Coffeeshop is located at 520 Commercial Ave.

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E7

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

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E8 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

OUT AND ABOUT TREATY DAY FILM FEST: This film festival showcases the resilience of indigenous peoples in honor of the Point Elliot Treaty of 1865 and features short films and a panel discussion.

The festival will be held from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 19, and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay St., Bellingham.

HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Conference is a space for the community to come together and renew commitments to the ideals of King from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Syre Student Center at Whatcom Community College, 237 W. Kellogg Road, Bellingham.

VINTAGE RADIO EVENT: Listen to vintage radio music and shows from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s on Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Caregie Gallery, 1305 Eighth St., Anacortes.

There are two sessions: 3 to 4:30 p.m. and 7 to 8:30 p.m. RSVP: 360293-1915.

ADULT LEGO CHALLENGE: Join a LEGO building challenge at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E Washington Ave., Burlington.

MARYSVILLE WEDDING SHOW: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, Marysville Opera

House, 1225 Third St., Marysville.

YOUTH OF THE YEAR: The Boys and Girls Club of Skagit County will host the Youth of the Year Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, at Eaglemont Golf Course, 4800 Eaglemont Drive, Mount Vernon. Free to attend, must RSVP: ifaley@ skagitclubs.org or 360419-3723, ext. 7.

First Day Hikes to celebrate a new year

FARM TO TABLE: All food businesses, artisans and growers are invited to the NW Washington Farm-to-Table Meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Bellingham Technical College, 3028 Lindbergh Ave., Bellingham. $4555. sustainableconnections.org/events.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE CONFERENCE: Five award-winning children’s and young adult book authors and illustrators will speak from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Saturday, Feb. 23, at Western Washington University’s Performing Arts Center, 516 High St., Bellingham. $175. wwuclc.com.

VISIONS AND VOICES: The forgotten films from cinema’s female directors will be played in this silent film series presented

by CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, at Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St., Lynden.

“DAWNLAND”: See a screening of the docu-

By Skagit Valley Herald staff

Celebrate the first day of the year with a First Day Hike at one of Washington’s state parks.

To celebrate 2019, the parks are welcoming the community to join guided hikes. No Discover passes are needed for parking. Tuesday, Jan. 1, is the first State Park Free Day. n Deception Pass State Park (Skagit County): Meet at 10 a.m. at the Civilian Conservation Corps Center at Bowman Bay for views of the Salish Sea. Rockport State Park (Skagit): Meet at 10 a.m. at the Discovery Center. There are two hikes available: a shorter wheelchair accessible trail and a longer more

mentary “Dawnland” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner.

A FAMILY IMMIGRA-

TION STORY: Explore the human story of human immigration to America with Carlos Gil at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S.

rugged trail. n Larrabee State Park (Whatcom): Meet at 9 a.m. for a walk along a forested trail with views of Bellingham Bay until Fragrance Lake is reached. n Cama Beach State Park (Island): Meet at the Cama Center at 10 a.m. for a 2-mile hike to Cranberry Lake or take a half-mile hike to the waterfront. n South Whidbey State Park (Island): Meet at 2 p.m. for a short half-mile hike turned into a scavenger hunt for kids on Forest Loop Trail or meet at 10 a.m. for a 1.3-mile hike on Wilbert Trail. n Wallace Falls State Park (Snohomish): Meet at noon at the Small Falls Interpretive Loop for a family-friendly 1-mile hike.

First St., La Conner.

NORDIC ROOTS: The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society will host a seminar featuring experts on Scandinavian and Viking

research from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at First United Methodist Church, 1607 E Division St., Mount Vernon. $50$60. skagitvalleygenealogy. org.

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HOT TICKETS GROOVE FOR THOUGHT: Dec. 27, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

RAILROAD EARTH: Dec. 29, Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

PONCHO SANCHEZ LATIN JAZZ BAND: Dec. 28-31, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

STRAIGHT NO CHASER: Dec. 31, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO: Dec. 31, The Triple Door, Seattle.

206-838-4333 or thetripledoor.net.

PEARL DJANGO: Jan. 2-3, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

NEARLY DAN: Jan. 4-6, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com. ”THE SOUND OF MUSIC”: Jan. 4-6, 2019, 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle.

206-625-1900 or 5thavenue.org.

KAT EDMONSON: Jan. 8-9, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

PETER WHITE: Jan. 1013, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL, JOHN SEBASTIAN: Jan. 14, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-4419729 or jazzalley.com.

MARTIN TAYLOR, LAURENCE JUBER: Jan. 15-16, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

38 SPECIAL: Jan. 25, Tulalip Resort Casino Orca Ballroom, Tulalip.

360-716-6000 or ticketmaster.com.

TRAVIS SCOTT: Jan. 29, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

DIERKS BENTLEY: Feb. 1, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com. ”ROCK OF AGES”: Feb. 1-24, 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle. 206-6251900 or 5thavenue.org.

KISS: Feb. 2, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-7453000, livenation.com or kissonline.com.

JAMES HUNTER SIX: Feb. 5-6, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-4419729 or jazzalley.com.

REVEREND HORTON HEAT, BIG SANDY, VOODOO GLOW SKULLS: Feb. 6-8, Tractor Tavern, Seattle. 206-7893599 or tractortavern. com.

MANHATTAN TRANSFER: Feb. 7-10, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle.

206-441-9729 or jazzalley. com.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Feb. 8, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND: Feb. 9, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: Feb. 10-11, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

RONAN FARROW: Feb. 11, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-827-8188 or uniquelives.com.

DELFONICS FEATURING GREG HILL: Feb. 1213, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

THE BAD PLUS: Feb. 19-20, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

ARTURO SANDOVAL: Feb. 21-24, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

SINNE EEEG: Feb. 25, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

TERENCE

The Dice is Right at Rook and Rogue

By SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD STAFF

PEARL DJANGO Jan. 2-3, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

BLANCHARD, E-COLLECTIVE: Feb. 26-27, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

JOEY ALEXANDER: Feb. 28-March 3, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle.

206-441-9729 or jazzalley. com.

JOE LOVANO TRIO TAPESTRY: March 12-13, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

NICK MASON: March 13, Paramount Theater, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

CATHERINE RUSSELL: March 14-17, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

SARAH BRIGHTMAN: March 16, Paramount Theater, Seattle. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

AZIZ ANSARI: March 19, Paramount Theatre, Seattle. 360-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.

STEVE WOZNIAK: March 25, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-827-8188 or uniquelives.com.

TOWER OF POWER: April 11-14, 2019, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle.

206-441-9729 or jazzalley. com.

HYPOCRISY, FLESHGOOD APOCALYPSE: April 13, El Corazon, Seattle. 206-262-0482 or elcorazonseattle.com.

ELIZABETH GILBERT: April 14, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-827-8188 or uniquelives.com.

KENNY G: April 18-21, 2019, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON: May 3, WaMu Theater, Seattle. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK: May 6, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-8278188 or uniquelives.com.

THOMAS RHETT, DUSTIN LYNCH: May 18, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma.

800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

BOB NEWHART: May 20, McCaw Hall, Seattle.

844-827-8188 or uniquelives.com.

BRANDI CARLILE, EMMYLOU HARRIS, NEKO CASE: June 1, Gorge Amphitheatre, George. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: June 1, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

TRAIN, GOO GOO DOLLS: June 7, White River Amphitheatre, Auburn. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

DEAD & COMPANY: June 7-8, Gorge Amphitheatre, George. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

WILLIAM SHATNER:

BELLINGHAM — Ever wanted to be a contestant on the game shows that were popular in the 1960s and ’70s but you were born in the wrong decade? Fear not, Rook and Rogue is making your dream come true.

For New Year’s Eve this year, the board game pub, located at 206 W. Magnolia St., is inviting everyone to spend some time playing classic games before the night begins.

Starting at 5 p.m.

Monday, trivia, interactive group and individual classic game-show games will be played. There will be prizes of all sizes and plenty of small plates to

June 10, McCaw Hall, Seattle. 844-827-8188 or uniquelives.com.

BRIAN CULBERTSON: June 20-23, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206441-9729 or jazzalley.com.

JUDAS PRIEST: June 21, Accesso Showare Center, Kent. 866-973-9613 or livenation.com.

JEFF LYNNE’S ELO: June 28, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

ERIC CHURCH: June 28-29, Gorge Amphitheatre, George. 800-7453000 or livenation.com.

QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT: July 12, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma.

800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

OZZY OSBOURNE: July 13, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma. 800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

JON BELLION: July 16, WaMu Theater, Seattle.

800-745-3000 or livenation.com.

ROOK AND ROGUE

keep contestants satiated.

The entry cost is $50 but includes the aforementioned food and a champagne toast at 9 p.m.

The fun wraps up right at 9 p.m., giving everyone time to get to sleep on time or keep the night going at another New Year’s event.

The dress code is flexible, but those who want to dress up are encouraged to shoot for a ‘60’s/’70s glitz/glam vibe. All ages.

FAMILY CONCERT SKAGIT SYMPHONY JANUARY 27

2019 EVENTS TONY FURTADO GOLDEN DRAGON ACROBATS SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN SEAMUS EGAN PROJECT I DRAW SLOW SIERRA HULL MAMMA MIA! SKAGIT SYMPHONY SKAGIT VALLEY CHORALE THE RING OF NIBELUNG AND MUCH MORE!

360.416.7727

mcintyrehall.org

E10 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Jazzin’ with the Classics for Christmas Join Terri Richter, Martin Lund, Jeffrey Cohan and Tom Collier for Jazzin’ with the Classics for Christmas at 2 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 30, at the

Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center, 27130 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. Suggested donation $15; 18 and under free. 360-629-6110 or candlelightseattle.org.

By GLENN GAMBOA Newsday

‌

Terri Richter

CHARLES GILL

Martin Lund

REED CARLSON PHOTO ‌

Tom Collier

The year’s 10 best songs, from Carly Rae Jepsen to Childish Gambino

Jeffrey Cohan

This is an era of major statements and bold opinions and, more often than not, 2018’s most memorable songs managed both.

Here’s a look: 10. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Party for One” (Schoolboy/Interscope): As irresistible as “Call Me Maybe,” but told from an in-charge, adult perspective.

9. The 1975, “Love It If We Made It” (Dirty Hit/ Interscope): Matty Healy and friends use the synthpop of a simpler time to indict the confusion of the present while still hoping things turn out OK. 8. Superorganism, “Everybody Wants to Be Famous” (Domino): The British collective’s infectious take on social media is relatively judgment-free, though it does question whether fame is really worth it.

7. Troye Sivan & Ariana Grande, “Dance to This” (Capitol): Sweeter than anything on Grande’s “Sweetener,” but with just enough edge to keep its cool.

6. Courtney Barnett, “Nameless, Faceless” (Marathon/ Mom + Pop): The catchy rocker pairs a healthy takedown of internet trolls with addressing the safety issues connected to gender inequality.

5. Kendrick Lamar & SZA, “All the Stars” (Aftermath): The “Black Panther” anthem was pretty much just like the movie, a crowd-pleaser that sticks to its guns to make a powerful point.

4. Ella Mai, “Boo’d Up” (10 Summers/Interscope): It’s no surprise that this ultracool slice of throwback soul just kept rolling up new fans throughout 2018 without anyone tiring of the laid-back vibe. Ba-dum boo’d up, bi-di-dah-dum boo’d up.

3. Brandi Carlile, “The Joke” (Elektra): Carlile raises the stakes of this “It Gets Better” tale to stunning heights, making the consequences of being bullied feel like life and death — all of which makes the triumph that much sweeter. “I have been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends,” she promises. “The joke is on them.”

2. David Byrne, “Everybody Is Coming to My House” (Todomundo/ Nonesuch): The worldbeat anthem calls to mind Byrne’s stint in Talking Heads as he crafts his response to the ongoing immigration debate. His call for inclusion also highlights the benefits: “Everybody’s coming to my house and I’m never going to be alone.”

1. Childish Gambino, “This Is America” (mcDJ/ RCA): Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) turns the dichotomy of African-American life into vivid art, bouncing between sweet, harmonic African-influenced rhythms and menacing hip-hop. Gambino makes it clear that both ends are responses to external forces and that balancing the two is difficult.

The song is so brilliantly constructed, though, that somehow he managed to get that heavy message to No. 1 on the pop charts.

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TUNING UP Playing at area venues December 27 – January 2 Thursday.27 KICKIN NAMES: 6 p.m., The Woolley Market, 829 Metcalf St., Sedro-Woolley. 360-9822649 or woolleymarket. com.

MICHELE D’AMOUR AND THE LOVE DEALERS, BAILEY ANN MARTINET: 8 p.m., Firefly Lounge, 1015 N. State St., Bellingham. thefireflylounge.com or facebook.com/TheFireflyBham.

Friday.28

HOT DAMN SCANDAL With The DiTrani Bros: 9:30 p.m., Firefly Lounge, 1015 N. State St., Bellingham. thefireflylounge.com or facebook. com/TheFireflyBham.

Friday.28 LYKINS-ADAMS: 7:30 p.m., Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 First St., La Conner. 360-399-1805 or aneliaskitchenandstage.com.

RANDY HAMILTON: 6:30 p.m., Mount Vernon Elks Lodge, 2120 Market St., Mount Vernon.

Members and signed-in guests only. 360-8488882.

Monday.31

Saturday.29

TOAST: 8 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $10.

360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

Saturday.29

RANDY NORRIS AND JEFF NICELY: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. 360-445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

QUEEN’S BLUEGRASS: 7:30 p.m., Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 First St., La Conner.

360-399-1805 or aneliaskitchenandstage.com.

HOT DAMN SCANDAL, THE DITRANI BROS: 9:30 p.m., Firefly Lounge, 1015 N. State St., Bellingham. thefireflylounge.com or facebook. com/TheFireflyBham.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST: 8:30 p.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

WHISKEY FEVER With Kickin Names, Lazy Acres: 6:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. 360445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

WHISKEY FEVER, KICKIN NAMES, LAZY ACRES: 6:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/ Main, Conway. 360-4453000 or conwaymuse. com.

COOKIE & THE CUTTERS, STONED AMERICA: 9 p.m., Loco Billy’s, 27021 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. 425-7375144, 360-629-6500 or locobillys.com.

THE SKY COLONY, MATNEY COOK, BOBBIE CRICKET: 9 p.m., Firefly Lounge, 1015 N. State St., Bellingham. thefireflylounge.com or facebook.com/TheFireflyBham.Too Slim & The Taildraggers: 8:30 p.m., Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham. 360-746-8733 or wildbuffalo.net.

NICK ANTHONY: 7:30 p.m., Evelyn’s Tavern, 12667 Highway 9, Clear Lake. 360-3991321.

Sunday.30 CHAD PETTERSON QUARTET: 4:30 p.m., Hotel Bellwether, 1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham. 360-392-3100 or hotelbellwether.com.

EBB, SLACK, & FLOOD: 10 p.m., Brown Lantern Ale House, 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-293-2544 or brownlantern.com.

LEE HOWARD: 7:30 p.m., Mount Vernon Elks Lodge, 2120 Market St., Mount Vernon. Members and signed-in guests only. 360-848-8882.

CASCADIACS: 8:30 p.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-4226411.

BEN STARNER AND PHILIP NAKANO: 6 p.m., Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 First St, La Conner. aneliaskitchenandstage.com.

HARVEY CREEK, JODY TAYLOR BAND: 9 p.m., Loco Billy’s, 27021 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood. $15 general admission, $49 reserved seat and buffet. 425-7375144, 360-629-6500 or locobillys.com.

MARK DUFRESNE BAND: 9 p.m., Conway Muse, Bard Room, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. 360-445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

JOEL & JESSE, HOT MESS: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, Bard Room, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. 360-445-3000 or conwaymuse.com.

POLYRHYTHMICS, WILLDABEAST: 9:30 p.m., Wild Buffalo, 208 W. Holly St., Bellingham. 360-746-8733 or wildbuffalo.net.

Wednesday.2 TENOR TRIFECTA: 7 p.m., Sylvia Center for the Arts, 207 Prospect St., Bellingham. $5-$15. wjmac.org.

JOAN PENNEY: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720 or anacortesrockfish.com.

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

TRAVEL

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

Experts’ picks for winter adventures

By LYNN O’ROURKE HAYES

FamilyTravel.com

When it comes to making travel plans, the options can be overwhelming. Five intrepid family travel experts add to the mix with their top picks for a memorable, winter season adventure.

GO FOR A GREEK GETAWAY “People tend to stay close to home with kids.

But, I firmly believe in opening their hearts and minds early with further flung travel,” says Becca Hensley, an Austin, Texas-based parent and travel and lifestyle writer.

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have support though. You’ll manage to relax, spoil yourself and hang with the family in style if you book a villa with Greek-owned White Key Villas.

“They’re congenial and involved — and they love kids and catering to families. With more than 200 handpicked villas to choose from, in destinations from Paros to Patmos, the homes are all privately owned, and vary in size and orientation.

Costing the same as villas in Hawaii or the Caribbean, the Greek villas come with outstanding staff support, VIP experiences and special treats for children.” whitekeyvillas.com; beccahensley.com CHILL IN QUEBEC CITY “Unlike many Americans, most Canadians seem to enjoy winter — even celebrate it,” observes

TERRI COLBY / CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Arenal Volcano, perhaps one of Costa Rica’s most notable topographical features, is surrounded by a national park and is near rural tourism sites as well as spots for zip lining, whitewater rafting and soaking in the hot springs.

Rainer Jenss, founder and CEO of the Family Travel Association, an organization that advocates for travel as an important part of every child’s education.

“That’s why I have often packed up the car and driven north of the border with my kids, to take advantage of all the festivities in a frigid but fun wintertime destination,” says the New York-based father of two. “For example, Winter Carnival, held every year in early February, has what every kid loves: parades, snow sculptures, shows, skating and plenty of hot chocolate. It’s also culturally rich, with French as the predominant language, adding another dimension to the getaway for Americans.” quebecregion.com/en/; familytravel.org.

Schretter, the founder & managing editor of the Family Travel Network.

“There are so many fun things to do there — from snow tubing and cross-country skiing to snowmobiling, snowshoeing and fat tire biking in the snow. They also have a great kids program.

“We went horseback riding along snow-packed trails and riding in a onehorse open sleigh ... something I always wanted to do,” added Schretter, who writes about travel from her home in Virginia.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding are available at nearby Steamboat Ski Resort and one of the ranch’s vehicles will take families there, notes Schretter. vistaverde.com; familytravelnetwork.com

WINTER ON THE RANCH Vista Verde, a luxury Colorado guest ranch, is a winter wonderland for families with kids of all ages, advises Nancy

CONSIDER COSTA RICA “It’s my favorite destination for families who love nature and wildlife,” says LiLing Pang, the co-founder and CEO of Trekaroo, an independent

family travel community.

“This Central American country is safe and easy to negotiate even for those who do not speak Spanish.

In a week, you could be bird watching and zip-lining in the Monte Verde cloud forest, surfing and boogie boarding along the white sand beaches of the Guanacaste region, and watching playful monkeys and sloths in the rainforest,” offers the California-based mom and entrepreneur. December through May is the dry season in Costa Rica, adds Pang, which makes exploring that much easier. visitcostarica.com; trekaroo.com ALWAYS ITALY “Italy is a great family destination any time of the year,” says Susan Pohlman, a mother of two, whose award-winning book “Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home” chronicles her family’s adventures during an unexpected sabbatical in the small town of Nervi, near Genoa, Italy.

“Italians are all about family, so we felt welcomed at every turn,” says Pohlman. “The food, the rich culture and history and the extraordinary landscape make for a great family experience in every season.” italia.it; susanpohlman. com – Lynn O’Rourke Hayes (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 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Skagit Guided Adventures offers a variety of birding tours daily through March in the Skagit Valley and surrounding areas. Reservations required: 360-474-7479 or skagitguidedadventures.com.

SKAGIT SENIOR TOURS: Skagit Guided Adventures offers a variety of local nature and hiking day tours for seniors. Reservations required: 360-474-7479 or skagitguidedadventures. com.

SKAGIT GUIDED ADVENTURES: Offers a variety of local nature and hiking day tours. 360-474-7479 or skagitguidedadventures.com.

WHATCOM SENIOR TOURS: Sign up by calling 360-7334030, ext. 1015, or visiting the tour office at 315 Halleck St., Bellingham.

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. 360336-6215.

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 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.

Staff members assist travelers who have questions, refer them to specific destination marketing organizations and other travel resources across the state for more detailed information, and take orders for the Washington State Visitors Guide.

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, December 27, 2018 - E13

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GET INVOLVED

ART

CALL TO ARTISTS: The City of Anacortes is looking for entries for the third annual eightmonth outdoor sculpture exhibition. Sculptures must withstand outdoor conditions. anacorteswa. gov. .

ART CLASSES

A GUILDED GALLERY: Art classes on a variety of topics are available at A Guilded Gallery, 8700 271st St. NW, Stanwood. aguildedgallery.com. n Watercolor Class: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 17-Feb. 14. $150. n Basic Drawing: 9 a.m. to noon Fridays, Jan 18Feb. 8. $150. n Head Drawing: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Jan 18Feb. 8. $175. n Mosaics in Vintage China and Stained Glass: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays Feb. 2 and 9. $95. n Pastel Basics: 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, Jan. 16-Feb. 6. $150.

TRI DEE ARTS WORKSHOPS: Art classes on a variety of topics are available at Tri Dee Arts, 215 S. First St., Mount Vernon. trideearts.com.

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. 360466-4288 or laconnerquilts.org. n Fiber Fridays: bring any type of fiber art project, quilting, knitting, embellishing, etc., to work on while visiting with other fiber artists from 9 a.m.

to noon every Friday. Free and open to all.

GAIL HARKER CENTER: 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: 360-466-0110 or gailcreativestudies.com.

PACIFIC NW SCHOOL: Choose from painting, photography, fiber and 3D art workshops taught by professional artists at the Pacific NorthWest Art School, 15 NW Birch St., Coupeville. For information and a complete schedule: 360-678-3396 or pacificnorthwestartschool. com.

DAKOTA: Dakota Art Center offers a variety of art classes and workshops at 17873 Highway 536, Mount Vernon. 360-4166556, ext. 5, or dakotaartcenter.com.

STANWOOD CAMANO ARTS GUILD: A Guilded Gallery, 8700 271st St. NW, Stanwood, offers a variety of art classes and workshops. For information or to register: 360-629-2787 or stanwoodcamanoarts.com.

AUDITIONS

”AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS”: ALTA will hold auditions for “Around the World in Eighty Days” from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, and 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, at Alger Community Church. Cast requirements: seven men, various ages; one woman, 25-35 years old. Performances are from March 29-April 14. altatheatre.com or altainfo2001@gmail.com.

”SHE LOVES ME”: Auditions for the Whidbey Playhouse production of the comedy “She Loves Me” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3-4, at the Star Studio, 730 SE Midway Boulevard, Oak Harbor.

To schedule a 10-minute audtion, contact Gaye at whidbey995@comcast.net. whidbeyplayhouse.org.

CALL FOR DIRECTORS AND PLAYS: Whidbey Island Playhouse is seeking seasoned directors for the 2019-20 season. whidbeyislandplayhouse.com or email kevinwm.meyer@gmail. com with questions.

BOOKS

SILENT BOOK CLUB: Share a book you have read and silently read another at 4 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Pelican Bay Books, 520 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.

GREAT BOOKS READING GROUP MEETING: The Great Books Reading Group examines passages from important writings in history from 6 to 8 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E. Washington Ave. 360-9411437 and shunji.asari@ gmail.com.

POETRY OPEN MIC: The Anacortes Poetry Group meets the second Saturday of the month for poetry open mics at 7 p.m. in the Anacortes Public Library meeting room, 1220 10th St., Anacortes.

Poets, songwriters, acoustic musicians, storytellers, a capella singers welcome.

DANCE

BEGINNING LINE DANCING: 7 to 8 p.m.

Tuesdays, Burlington

Community Center, 1011 Greenleaf Ave., Burlington. $6 drop-in, $25 for five classes. Adults and teens 13 and older.

Register: burlingtonwa. gov/recreation or 360755-9649.

FOLK DANCING: Skagit-Anacortes Folk Dancers meet Tuesdays at Bay View Civic Hall, 12615 C St., Bay View.

Learn to folk dance to a variety of international music. 7 to 9:30 p.m. first session free, $5 thereafter.

No partners needed. Gary or Ginny, 360-766-6866.

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 softsoled shoes without heels. $8 per class. For information, call Mary Anderson at 360-933-1779 or visit bellinghamscd.org.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND AND IRISH STEP DANCE: The Clan Heather Dancers offer year-round Scottish Highland and Irish step dance classes in Bellingham, Everett and Mount Vernon. clanheather.com.

THURSDAY DANCING: Dance to the The Skippers or Good Vibrations from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Thursdays at Hillcrest Lodge, 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon. 360-4245696.

MUSIC

SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSIONS: Musicians from around the valley meet at 3 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at Littlefield Celtic Center, 1124 Cleveland Ave.,

Mount Vernon. The jam session generally focuses on Scottish music.

Thursdays, Conway Pub & Eatery, 18611 Main St., Conway. 360-445-4733.

MUSIC LESSONS: Three professional instructors at the Peterson Conservatory of Music & Arts, 314 S. Section St., Mount Vernon, are offering a variety of classes for music students from youth ages 6-10 ($10) to ages 11 to adult ($40-50). pcmusical.org.

RECREATION

UKULELE FUN & SONG CIRCLE: 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland St. Free. Beginners welcome and loaner ukuleles available. Song sheets provided. 206-790-4862 or yogaheartspace0@gmail. com.

BARBERSHOP HARMONY: Join the An-O-Chords, a fourpart 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. 360-679-7473.

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. 360630-1156.

ANACORTES OPEN MIC: 9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Brown Lantern Ale House, 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-2932544.

OPEN MIC: Jam Night, 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

HABITAT STEWARDS: Volunteer to be a habitat steward on Camano Island. Training covers everything from native plant identification to creating a personal wildlife anctuary. Training offered at Island County Multi-Purpose Center, 141 N. East Camano Drive, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays: Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 20, April 17, May 15 and June 19. It will include five field trips from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays: Jan. 19, Feb. 23, March 23, April 20 and May 18. Training is free, registration is required: camanowildlifehabitat.org or 360-387-2236.

WINTER PROGRAMS AT ROCKPORT STATE PARK: Join the deep forest experience between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in January and February. Hikes depart at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. from the Discovery Center, 51905 Highway 20, Rockport. Staff and volunteers will lead half-mile, 45-minute walks under old growth.

WINTER-SPRING WALK PROGRAM: The Friends of Camano Island Parks are hosting a series of winter-spring walks for the public on Camano Island trails. All walks are on Saturdays and start at 9:50 a.m., done by noon.

No dogs. n Jan. 5: Cama Beach State Park, 3.9 miles. Meet at the junction of Ivy Road and Dry Lake Road. n Feb. 2: Camano Ridge Forest Preserve, 2.4 miles.

Meet at the new Cmano Ridge’s West entrance parking lot.

E14 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Cat Power talks about her latest album, ‘Wanderer’

By JESSI ROTI Chicago Tribune

Chan Marshall, who has been turning out dark, bluesy folk records and touring as Cat Power since the early 1990s, has been known to cancel a live performance (or entire tour) to take care of herself.

“I’m one of those people that wakes up like I got … struck by lightning,” she laughs, her raspy, Georgia drawl cracking warmly. “But I didn’t really get to sleep, I was up late trying to teach my manager about Instagram.”

Marshall’s back on the road behind her tenth studio album “Wanderer.” Released in October, the album has been included in many “Best Of ” year-end lists, with fans and critics applauding her for coming out swinging after a few years of battles — both personal and professional.

Calling from a designated “phone room” in an airport lounge in New York, Marshall sounded jovial, centered and present despite her voice’s signature “worn-in” quality.

She’s doing just fine, thanks for asking.

“I’m so grateful and thankful to be OK; to have made it through the system, you know?” She says, recounting different parts of her life since the release of her last album, 2012’s “Sun.” “People were saying ‘Oh, you’re crazy.’ ‘You need anti-depressants.’ We all do, we all have our struggles in this lifetime. But I’m healthy, I’m happy, I’m working. I care about people. I’m happy I’m not jaded or bitter.”

Upon that record’s release, Marshall — whose previous history of substance abuse has been hashed, and rehashed over her nearly 30-year career — was hospitalized multiple times; eventually diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder angioedema. Her impending European tour was canceled so she could recuperate from what she considers the fight

for her life, but eight months later she found herself out on the road and the weight of keeping up appearances began to exhaust her again.

It was at the same time, while in Africa, she found out she was pregnant.

“When I got home and started my journey of deciding whether or not to bring another soul onto this playing field, I took a few weeks seeing doctors to figure out the right answer,” Marshall recalls.

“After I decided to be a mom, go forward and have a child — there weren’t any more questions. I needed to prepare. I needed to set up a home base.

That’s instinctual, that’s what we do as primal beings.”

Her instinct led her from Brooklyn to a Spanish-style home on Miami Beach with all of her gear, three dogs and an engineer pal from France.

Three months after giving birth to her now 3-year old son, she wrote the intro to “Woman,” the second single off “Wanderer.”

“If I had a dime for every time / Tell me I’m not what you need,” she sings through the phone. “If I had a quarter I would pull it together / And I would take it to the bank and then leave.”

“That’s where some sort of map gets created,” she continues. “I don’t know if it’s psycho-spiritual or what, but a map sort of gets laid out involving songwriting or some type of vibration that shows me where I’m going musically.”

As a whole, Marshall describes “Wanderer” as a work about what’s worth letting go and what’s worth holding onto, though her experiences have shown her time and time again that sometimes you don’t have a choice. Apart from lovers and friends, for her that included leaving her musical home of 20 years — Matador Records.

“They said the album was no good,” she explains, still sounding slightly stung by the dissolution of the rela-

tionship. “So for about a year of time, I didn’t have a home for it — I didn’t have a label. I wasn’t sure if this work that I had recorded was gonna ever come out. But my job — it’s an incredible job, and I’m so grateful to have it — is to sing my songs for people. So for that year, I was touring with my child and just enjoying my life being a mom and trying not to get upset over ‘ …What am I gonna do with my life?’

I thought, maybe I’ll write a book. I’d love to write a book.”

It was then that Marshall was encouraged by a fellow female artist making a name for herself by singing her blues — Lana del Rey (who provides vocals on “Woman”).

In the liner notes of her 2017 release “Lust for Life,” del Rey thanked Cat Power “for continuing to inspire me through your music and the work you do.” Upon meeting, Marshall says the pop singer “shook” her. “(Lana del Rey) was like ‘Chan, you’re part of the musical landscape right now.

It’s not before, it’s now,’” she remembers. “As a woman, as a friend, it’s like … your friends who aren’t singer-songwriters or musicians can tell you great, kind things: ‘You’re a great mom’ or ‘Don’t worry, you’re doing fine. The universe will bring you what you need.’ But for another female artist to sort of shake me a little bit and say ‘Are you ... crazy? You’re great, do what you do, don’t think twice’ made me feel less alone.”

After that, Marshall struck a deal with Domino and linked up with engineer Rob Schnapf to finish mixing the record she produced entirely on her own. Apart from the ten original songs that make-up the album’s unadorned essence — and bear testimony to her own confidence and resilience — “Wanderer” includes a hauntingly lingering cover of Rihanna’s 2013 single “Stay.”

Set to Marshall’s own piano accompaniment, she explains

that the song fully encompassed how she was feeling during the album’s entire creative process.

“I didn’t even know he was recording,” she says. “He had the tape rolling and I’m blessed that he captured that. I can never play it again, I don’t know where to put my fingers to find it again – just making (stuff) up like that. The luck of the draw, and the magic of first takes. There are plenty of first takes that no one will ever hear.”

First, second and third takes aside, Marshall says part of her feels like she’s finally figured something out. Well, she says she’s at least been able to make good on something she told herself two decades ago.

“It was the 20th anniversary of my album ‘Moon Pix’ so I went to Sydney, Australia to play one show. I played the entire record. I stopped playing that album in 1999, so I hadn’t played these songs in … forever. But when I arrived to the stage, I felt a message that I had always knew. Like a wrinkle in time,” Marshall explains. “I felt very clear, and I knew – this sounds crazy – but I knew that I had told myself 20 years ago ‘You’re gonna be ok, just hang in there. You’ve got this, don’t worry. Keep your chin up.’ I was singing these songs from a really hard time in my life and I realized that if I’ve learned anything it’s that I knew I wouldn’t let myself down.

“Right now, it’s such an emotionally abrasive time for everybody, it’s very brutal.

All the media — it’s a lot to digest. But that’s why I won’t stop what I do. We all need connection in this dominant disparity. You turn on the TV and it’s just — I don’t know.

Anyway, I won’t get started.

But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that I can’t let myself down. I knew I’d be ok, I don’t know how I knew that, but I did. If you choose life like that every day, life gets better.”

MUSIC REVIEWS Van Morrison, “The Prophet Speaks”: “The Prophet Speaks” is the latest in an exceedingly prolific stretch for Van Morrison—the album is his fourth since the start of 2017.

It also follows the pattern of the previous three, with the famed Irish soul man and mystic focusing on the vintage R&B and jazz — mostly the former this time — that originally inspired him while mixing in a handful of originals.

He and his band are also joined again by Joey DeFrancesco, although the organ and trumpet virtuoso is not co-credited on the cover, as he was on April’s “You’re Driving Me Crazy.”

Morrison remains thoroughly committed to this source music, as he puts his stamp on numbers by immortals including John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Willie Dixon, and Solomon Burke. (He must be having fun, too: The cover shows the famously difficult Morrison shushing a ventriloquist’s dummy.)

The new originals hold up well in this company. “Got to Go Where the Love Is” is a buoyant slice of pop-soul, “5 A.M. Greenwich Mean Time” and “Love Is Hard Work” swing with all the aplomb of the performances of the older material, and the moody “Ain’t Gonna Moan No More” fittingly references Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters and Hooker, among others.

If the title song finds Morrison hectoring a bit, “Spirit Will Provide” reveals him at his gentlest, offering some comfort and reassurance in turbulent times.

— Nick Cristiano, The Philadelphia Inquirer Earl Sweatshirt, “Some Rap Songs”: Most hook-averse rappers use studio obscurantism to hide their lack of pithiness, but Earl Sweatshirt’s got a hell of a defense: “Stuck in Trumpland watching subtlety decaying,” he mumbles on “Veins.”

So this an argument for subtlety. He still abjures choruses entirely, and depression is still his lone subject, maybe even more so now that he’s lost a world-renowned father and uncle. And yet his inauspiciously titled third record is easily the most musical thing he’s ever done, with outsourced loops on “Nowhere2go,” “The Mint” and “The Bends” that are downright gorgeous, like classic Kanye soul samples pitched down and knocked off their 4/4 time signature.

He even delivers the rewinding Curtis Mayfield sample on “Veins” himself. And his late uncle Hugh Masekela provides the entirety of “Riot!,” a closer that bridges the death and depression that fog his work on the regular, with the melodic brightness that is their salvation here.

— Dan Weiss, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E15

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Sylvia Center for the Arts hosts gala

By SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD STAFF

BELLINGHAM — The new year is right around the corner and the Sylvia Center for the Arts is hosting a soiree to celebrate.

Party like it’s 1959.

There will be appetizers, dessert buffet, champagne toasts, music with High, Wide and Handsome and others on Monday night.

There will be auctions for locally focused prizes,

7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, DEC. 29 5:30 P.M. SUNDAY, DEC. 30 7:30 P.M. MONDAY, DEC. 31 3 AND 5:30 P.M. TUESDAY, JAN. 1 “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their lead singer Freddie Mercury. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music.

Rated R. $10.50 general; $9.50 seniors, students and active military; $8 ages 12 and under. Sunday bargain prices: $9 general; $7.50 ages 12 and under.

A menu of Polish family recipes and Northwest fare made in-house from fresh, local ingredients.

Craft beer • Pnw wines House infused vodkas

Celebrate your Holiday gatherings at Anelia’s!

Call now for reservations!

LIVE MUSIC FRI & SAT CHECK LISTINGS aneliaskitchenandstage.com

OPEN 11AM - LAST CALL

Closed Tuesdays

Coming Up: NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL

Family Friendly

Prime Rib and Roasted Jumbo Prawn Dinner with soup or salad, choice of potato, vegetables, Farmhouse bread & Glass of Champagne or Sparkling Cider

NT Live: ‘The Madness of George III’ NOON SUNDAY, DEC. 30 “The Madness of George III” is a multi-award winning play dramatizing the final years of King George III’s reign of the United Kingdom in the late 1700s, his battle with mental illness and the inability of the court to handle his condition. Written by one of Britain’s best-loved playwrights, Alan Bennett. $14-$18. Lincoln members receive $2 off.

— The Lincoln Theatre is located at 712 S. First St., downtown Mount Vernon. lincolntheatre.org or 360-336-8955.

513 S 1st Street, La Conner 360.399.1805

1840740

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

is at 6:30 p.m., hosted at Bellingham Cider Company, located just behind the center, 205 Prospect St.

DINING GUIDE

TOAST, Lazy Acres, Waking Maya 8 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 28 TOAST is a rock band formed in Burlington during the late spring of 2018 by singer and rhythm guitarist Brandon Welch, lead guitarist Jorgen G. Lamb and bassist Julian Wicker. Zachary Schmidt became the band’s full-time drummer soon after.

Within a month the band recorded its first album “Psycho Grunge.” It is working on its next independent release.

Lazy Acres is a band out of the Pacific Northwest, known for playing rock and roll with a little bit of everything. Waking Maya is a constantly evolving original cross-genre indie rock band. $10.

BELLINGHAM CIDER COMPANY

$28.95 H o u r s 5-9 p m

360.466.4411

1585064 1474688

La Conner Whitney Rd & Hwy. 20

WEDS. 1/2 6PM JOAN PENNEY

FRI. 1/4 7:30PM SEAN BENDICKSON

WEDS. 1/9 6PM JIM BASNIGHT

WEDS. 1/16 6PM CASCADIA GROOVE

320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes

360-588-1720 anacortesrockfish.com

1837540

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX VIA AP

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Rami Malek (pictured) as Freddy Mercury, will play Saturday through Tuesday at the Lincoln Theatre.

like a four-night stay in Birch Bay, a certificate to the Willows Inn on Lummi Island, a handcrafted guitar and more.

Another draw is the interactive mystery theater experience. All of the above for $100 general admission, $75 for members and free for iDiOM Theater.

Guests can choose to add a private dinner to their ticket for an additional $75. The dinner

1698573

AT THE LINCOLN

E16 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES

Adam McKay and Christian Bale on launching their Dick Cheney biopic ‘Vice’ into today’s polarized climate

By JOSH ROTTENBERG Los Angeles Times

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — As far as director Adam McKay knows, Dick Cheney hasn’t seen his new film “Vice,” a not-so-flattering biopic about the former Republican vice president set to hit theaters on Christmas Day. “Through a friend of a friend, I heard (Dick and his wife, Lynne Cheney) saw the trailer, though, and they both laughed quite a bit,” McKay said on a recent afternoon in Beverly Hills, sitting beside the film’s star, Christian Bale, who plays Cheney. “Dick’s comment was apparently, ‘Well, if that movie about the fish guy (‘The Shape of Water’) can win, then maybe this one has a chance.’”

Indeed, nominated for six Golden Globe Awards, including best motion picture in the musical or comedy category and lead actor for Bale, who transforms himself physically for the role, “Vice” has already emerged as a strong Oscar contender.

Co-starring Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, “Vice” depicts Cheney as a calculating, Machiavellian figure who, rising to power largely in the shadows, dramatically expanded executive authority and reshaped domestic and foreign policy in ways being felt to this day — in McKay’s view, much for the worse. Much as he did with his 2015 dramedy about the roots of the 2007-08 financial crisis, “The Big Short,” McKay incorporates sharply satirical, fourth-wall-breaking comedy to help the civics-lesson medicine go down easier.

The Times sat down with Bale and McKay to discuss Cheney’s legacy, today’s deeply polarized

CHRIS PIZZELLO / INVISION VIA AP

Sam Rockwell (from left), Amy Adams, writer/director Adam McKay, Christian Bale and Steve Carell arrive at the world premiere of “Vice” on Dec. 11 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif.

political climate and whether they would be up for tackling Donald Trump next.

— Q: Dick Cheney is generally a secretive guy who has tried to avoid the spotlight and isn’t exactly famous for radiating a huge amount of personal charisma. What gave you the confidence that he would be a compelling character to base a film around?

McKay: I think it’s precisely because we didn’t have brimming confidence that we were excited about it. I mean, that’s always the place you’re looking for, where you’re like, “I think we can do this.”

It certainly felt like a story that needed to be told. This is a guy who had an outsized influence on American history and world history. He’s clearly not a charismatic guy. He’s clearly a guy who lived in the shadows. So you pick the best people you can pick, and that was Christian, Amy Adams, my (cinematographer) Greig Fraser,

my editor Hank Corwin — we all just kind of dove in and said, “Can we figure this guy out?”

Bale: I’d worked with Adam on “The Big Short,” and that was something that many people said, “How on earth can you ever make this into a film?” He seems to love the challenge of taking something that is not apparently cinematic and making an absolutely stunning film out of it. And I love those challenges as well, where you’re walking a fine line between just absolute miserable failure and a wonderful surprise success.

I was just flattered that when Adam thought, ‘Who is the most uncharismatic person I can think of?” he came to me.

(Laughs) — Q: Well, I’m sure you’ve been told many times you look just like Cheney.

Bale: (dryly) Uncanny resemblance. We do have the same birthday, though. That is true. That was the real reason for Adam: With the lack of

charisma and the same birthday, who else could he go to? It was written in the stars.

— Q: This movie doesn’t just depict Cheney as a one-dimensional villain — among other things, we also see his love for his family. But the fact is, he seems to have an understanding of how he’s seen by many people. He has embraced the Darth Vader meme about him.

Bale: He has a sense of humor about that. He used to dress his dog as the Lord of the Sith.

McKay: No one is born evil or good or a hero or a villain.

Life is incredibly complicated, and we’re all doing the best we can, even the worst of the worst among us. Dick and Lynne came through the era of the Reagan Revolution that changed everything, and they saw that country under attack. And he used the tools and the beliefs that he had learned, which was executive authority and power, and you hit back. And when America needs to, we can get dark.

Now I don’t agree with that personally, but we felt like it’s not ours to judge. We just have to show this story, this portrait of power. And first and foremost, I think that’s what the movie is: It’s a portrait and a love story.

— Q: Perhaps because we’re living in such wild political times now, it seems like a lot of people are looking back nostalgically at the Bush and Cheney years in a way they wouldn’t have just a few years ago. Does that surprise you?

McKay: That was a strange thing for me to see when people started saying, “I miss Bush because of Trump.” It’s like, “Really?” That has actually just made me sad. Really what it shows is

there’s a portion of the country that just wants the presidency to appear like it’s functioning. Because all you’re missing is that Bush and Cheney made it look a little bit like it was normal. Because obviously what they did is so much more monstrous, with nearly a million people dead, a country invaded for no reason, torture brought back — these horrible, horrible things.

So I found that very disturbing and odd. But also I don’t want to get too judge-y, because I will say this: Trump is really disorienting. It’s really upsetting to have a guy just swinging his arms around like a gorgon, just smashing and destroying everything around him. So I understand that people have reactions to that. But, no, if you look at what Bush and Cheney did, it’s absolutely monstrous.

Bale: I think it’s just the need for survival that we tend to remember the best. We’re taught as children to see the best in people, and that becomes deeply instilled in good people. But at a certain point it becomes incredibly naive and duplicitous because you’re willfully ignoring something that’s abhorrent because, “Hey, he did kiss the baby on the campaign trail and he does have that charming smile.”

Looking at Cheney, I found myself doing that. In finding the good — and there’s always something commendable in anybody — you started to really want the best. But what you’re wishing away is not just other people’s discomfort but death. … And as you said and I believe Maureen Dowd (with Trump), right, there’s still time — (sighs) oh, God, what a horrible thought. But the body count doesn’t even begin to compare.

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E17

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES

REVIEW

Zemeckis’ psychodrama ‘Welcome to Marwen’ is muddled, misguided — and weirdly compelling

By JUSTIN CHANG Los Angeles Times

On April 8, 2000, a U.S. Navy veteran named Mark Hogancamp was savagely attacked and beaten by five men outside a bar in Kingston, N.Y. His injuries were severe — “every memory kicked out of my head,” he would later note — and he spent a year learning to walk and speak again. But while the assault cost him nearly everything, including his ability to draw, it couldn’t stifle his creative impulse, which become the basis for an intuitive and ingenious form of therapy.

An array of dollhouse-like buildings sprang up outside Hogancamp’s trailer home, a place he dubbed Marwencol, an imaginary Belgian town under attack by Nazis during World War II. He filled it with Barbie- and G.I. Joe-like dolls whose harrowing adventures — which Hogancamp choreographed and photographed with the precision of a stop-motion animator — held up a mirror to his own life-altering ordeal.

The striking beauty and wormy mystery of Hogancamp’s art were explored at length in Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary, “Marwencol.” Consisting of interviews with Hogancamp and his friends, many of whom doubled as Marwencol residents, the documentary unraveled a strange, beguiling story of small-town bigotry and

personal obsession. Being a chronicle of memory loss and fractured identity, it left more than a few questions about its subject unanswered.

You might wish they’d stayed that way. Last week saw the arrival of “Welcome to Marwen,” a fictionalized Hollywood retelling starring Steve Carell as Hogancamp and directed

by Robert Zemeckis. It’s a muddled, tortured miasma of a movie and also, inevitably, a fascinating one.

Set at the juncture of human drama and pop spectacle, like much of Zemeckis’ work, it takes an intimate story of human struggle and runs it through a noisy gantlet of up-to-the-minute visual effects. Where “Marwencol” tiptoed deftly through the minefield of its subject’s psyche, “Welcome to Marwen” barrels ahead with almost admirably clumsy conviction, triggering random eruptions of sentimentality and insight in its wake.

This may sound like an apt approach to this material, an honest attempt to fuse the darker revelations of Hogancamp’s story with the crowd-pleasing dictates of popular screen entertainment. Certainly it explains the casting of Carell, a likable comic actor who, like a more tamped-down Robin Williams, is very much in touch with his sentimental side. Keeping mostly to himself and poring over his dolls, this Mark emerges as a kind of sad-sack savant,

UNIVERSAL

Steve Carell portrays Mark Hogancamp in “Welcome to Marwen.”

an affable blend of shy naif and troubled genius.

And to its credit, “Welcome to Marwen” doesn’t attempt to over-explain Mark’s one-sixth-scaled imitation of life. Nor does it shy away from the weirder, more taboo aspects of his story. The opening sequence brings us directly into his land of miniature make-believe, where a fighter pilot named Capt.

Hogie crash-lands near the town of Marwen and runs afoul of Nazi occupiers.

They taunt him when they see he is wearing women’s shoes, an early allusion to Mark’s own penchant for cross-dressing, hinting at the specific bigotry that motivated his attackers years earlier.

The plastic people of Marwen achieve sentience through performance-capture technology, a digital innovation of which Zemeckis has been an early adopter and fervent champion. But while it can

get tiresome watching these dolls exchange wisecracks and gunfire, the effect is more tolerable than that of the self-enclosed fantasy worlds of “The Polar Express” and “Mars Needs Moms,” mainly because we’re meant to see these characters as ciphers and stand-ins. Zemeckis keeps both Marwen and Kingston in play, cutting between them to sometimes fluid, sometimes jarring effect.

A certain incoherence, an inability to distinguish fantasy from reality, seems very much the point.

Capt. Hogie’s adventures follow a repetitive, literal-minded psychological pattern. Even after the Nazis have been vanquished, they return to abuse him again and again, much like Mark’s lingering trauma. A scheming witch named Deja Thoris (Diane Kruger) torments the captain at every step. But Hogie prevails thanks to a small army of women who

are both tough as nails and fabulously attired, thanks to their creator’s impeccable eye for wartime cosplay.

For a while it’s diverting to match these avatars with their real-life counterparts, some of whom pop up for a scene or two, like Mark’s caretaker (a Russian-accented Gwendoline Christie), his physical therapist (Janelle Monae) and his favorite porn star (Leslie Zemeckis — yes, the director’s wife). More lasting impressions are made

by Roberta (a lovely Merritt Wever, giving the movie’s best performance), who runs a toy shop, and by a new neighbor, Nicol (Leslie Mann), who captivates Mark and immediately enters his doll rotation.

Zemeckis, who wrote the script with Caroline Thompson, does everything he can to open up an interior story. He plants seeds of romantic anxiety and engineers a heavy-handed subplot involving Mark’s attackers.

But most of his energy goes into the hectic scenes of gunplay, immolation and flagellation that preoccupy Marwen, orchestrated with all the enthusiasm of a child at play.

We are presumably meant to find that enthusiasm infectious, though I was distracted at how detached much of the action feels from its psychological underpinnings.

Hogancamp’s still photographs, studied at length in “Marwencol,” provided a

more haunting glimpse into his trauma than Zemeckis’ virtuosic bag of tricks.

This may well be deliberate. At a certain point it becomes clear Zemeckis isn’t merely telling Hogancamp’s story; he’s also telling his own. You might feel charmed by this movie’s implicit callbacks to the small-town Americana of “Forrest Gump” and repelled by how openly it seems to leer at the women of Marwen and their Barbie-doll proportions.

It’s not entirely clear what the director is trying to say with these self-conscious allusions: Perhaps, after his erratic recent career phase, dotted with failed experiments and a few undeserved flops (“The Walk,” “Allied”), he feels like something of an outsider artist himself. Or perhaps he’s acknowledging an idea that runs through his work as surely as it does through Hogancamp’s, namely that tinkering with toys can be a welcome escape from dealing with the messiness of everyday humanity.

In other words, this is personal filmmaking at its most perplexing, an act of empathy as well as narcissism, as Zemeckis seizes on one man’s art therapy and cranks out his own monumental self-reflection. You may be repelled, in the moment, by its oiland-water mix of tortured sentimentality and creepy puppet play. You might also find it damnably hard to shake.

E18 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

MINI REVIEWS

‘Vice’ is wild, epic mission to excavate Cheney’s soul

By KATIE WALSH Tribune News Service

In Adam McKay’s biopic of former Vice President Dick Cheney, “Vice,” the storytelling and structure is obsessive, worrying at several repeated motifs: Cheney (Christian Bale) fly-fishing, drunkenly careening down a dirt road and a tree carved with a heart encircling the names Lynne + Dick.

“Lynne + Dick” would be a better title for this scathing, scattered portrait of Cheney, who might have remained a Wyoming lineman and ne’er-do-well had his power-hungry fiancée, Lynne (Amy Adams), not demanded he shape up after hauling him out of the drunk tank one morning in 1963.

But despite Lynne’s puppet mastery, and Adams’ ferocious performance, this is a film about a man who amassed enormous influence through any means necessary.

And the tale, spanning half a decade, is gargantuan. McKay has bitten off an impossibly huge bite with “Vice,” and to masticate it fully, he throws every storytelling device he can at it.

There’s a mysterious narrator, voiced by Jesse Plemons, and celebrity cameos explaining complicated concepts, much like in McKay’s “The Big Short.” There are board game pieces and archival footage and narrative tricks assembled into a head-spinning pastiche, with the imposing Cheney the silent and deadly center of gravity.

Bale imbues the taciturn

ANNAPURNA PICTURES VIA AP

Christian Bale (left), as Dick Cheney, and Sam Rockwell, as George W. Bush, are shown in a scene from “Vice.”

Cheney with a chilly, magnetic charisma. A title card warns, “Beware the quiet man.” His quiet is the kind that makes people lean in to hear what he has to say, crave his approval, believe in his ideas. Bale exudes the essence of the man with his tight-mouthed grimace, his horizontal desk lean, the menacing head tilt.

The tale begins simultaneously in 1963 and on Sept. 11, the two most important moments in Cheney’s life. The first is when he decides to change himself — for Lynne — and the second is when he changes the world, forever, with his ongoing thought experiment about just how far executive power can be stretched.

Cheney keeps his cards close, unlike his swaggering, ruthless mentor, Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), who plays them

aggressively. As a filmmaker, McKay is a lot like Rumsfeld, showing his cards all the time.

McKay should have exercised more restraint in a few moments; a few too many indulgences lean far into personal editorializing. Those are the moments when “Vice” tips into parody — and it’s far more effective as horror.

“Vice” is not a “both sides” kind of biopic. It firmly expresses its point of view that Cheney harmed our country forever with his Machiavellian machinations. A cheeky postcredits sequence in which McKay cops to his “liberal bias” is a bit of a cop-out.

But the film requires a strong position — to remain objective is to lionize Cheney. What McKay wants and needs to do is understand him.

But what he uncovers from

the secretive Cheney’s life remains confounding, and McKay flounders while attempting to reach a conclusion.

McKay’s epic exploration into Cheney’s life and work is dark, sobering and incendiary. The film is wild, creative and self-reflective, and McKay could have been a bit more self-reflective of his own perspective. His gestures toward “the other side” are condescending and flippant, accusing the American people of denial and escapism.

This intrusive moralizing mars what is otherwise an unyielding and necessary search party on a mission to excavate Cheney’s soul. It’s both frustrating and fitting that McKay never finds it.

– 2:12. Rated R for language and some violent images. HHH (out of four stars)

Compiled from news services.

Ratings are 1 to 4 stars.

“Bird Box” — In this gripping apocalyptic thriller, Sandra Bullock delivers one of her best performances as a blunt and blindfolded woman seeking sanctuary from a mysterious force that turns deadly once it’s seen. Sci-fi thriller, R, 124 minutes. HHH½ “Second Act” — Denied a promotion because of her lack of education, a top-notch retail worker (Jennifer Lopez) moves on to a cushier job with help from a doctored resume. It’s as though somebody found a forgotten print of a long-lost J. Lo comedy from 2002, dusted it off and presented it as a 2018 release. Comedy, PG-13, 104 minutes. HH “Aquaman” — The saving grace of this reasonably entertaining and sometimes truly ridiculous origin story is that everyone seems to get the sheer, waterlogged lunacy of the concept, so why not have fun with it? As the fishman, Jason Momoa has the physicality and the willingness to make himself look silly, and the natural charisma of a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Superhero action, PG-13, 143 minutes. HHH “The Mule” — Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a 90-ish horticulturalist who takes a delivery job and later learns what he’s hauling is drugs. This isn’t close to being on a par with Eastwood’s past triumphs, but it’s an entertaining enough offbeat crime story featuring an amazing cast.

Crime comedy/drama, R, 116 minutes. HHH “Mary Poppins Returns” — While it would be all but impossible to match one of the most beloved and acclaimed musicals of all time, “Mary Poppins Returns” is a sequel worthy of the name. Emily Blunt is sensational, along with a stellar supporting cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda, in this wall-to-wall smile of a movie: big of heart and large in scale, brimming with show-stopping musical numbers.

Musical, PG, 130 minutes. HHH½ “Ben Is Back” — Some family members are more supportive than others as a 19-year-old opioid addict (Lucas Hedges) unexpectedly shows up on the doorstep on Christmas Eve, courtesy of a 24-hour pass from his rehab center. Julia Roberts’ performance, as the fiercely protective (sometimes to a fault) mother, is the finest of her career.

Drama, R, 103 minutes. HHH½ “Mary Queen of Scots” — Impressively staged and sometimes cleverly written, this 16th-century story of men interfering with the ambitions of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) often comes across as stultified and stagnant. Historical drama, R, 125 minutes. HH “Vox Lux” — In arguably the worst performance of her storied career, Natalie Portman plays a pop star who suffered trauma as a teen and now behaves like a spoiled brat virtually every second she’s not onstage. Pretentious deadpan absurdity abounds in this screeching, empty, exploitative cinematic cacophony. Drama, R, 112 minutes. H½ “Asher” — At an age when he’d be long overdue to take his pension, if they had pensions for guys like him, Ron Perlman’s former Mossad operative turned Brooklyn hit man performs his job with cold-blooded efficiency and discovers there’s still a spark of warmth in his heart in this sparkling black diamond of film noir. Crime drama, R, 117 minutes. HHH½

Thursday, December 27, 2018 - E19

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

MOVIES

REVIEW

Felicity Jones makes a case for Oscar nod with ‘On the Basis of Sex’

By RICK BENTLEY Tribune News Service

The life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been the subject of numerous books, news articles, TV programs and feature films.

One of the most noted was presented through the documentary “RBG”

by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. It earned high praise when it was released in May and topped out at the box office in the U.S. with a scant bit more than $14 million.

That’s good money for a documentary, but shows that only a small fraction of filmgoers will watch one in theaters.

“On the Basis of Sex” — a film that also deals with Ginsburg’s life — has a far better chance of drawing a larger audience. While it presents the valuable facts and moments that have made Ginsburg one of the most important women of the past century, it also presents her life as both a legal drama and a sweet and endearing love story.

Those elements will make this examination far more palatable to the general public.

FOCUS FEATURES

Felicity Jones stars as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in “On the Basis of Sex.”

The film starts with Ginsburg (Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”) as one of only nine women allowed to attend Harvard Law School in a class of 500 in 1956 and goes through the landmark tax case she and her husband, Marty (Armie Hammer, “Call Me by

“Dumplin’” — Jennifer Aniston does nuanced work as a former pageant winner shocked to see her plus-size daughter (a winning performance by Danielle Macdonald) pursuing the same crown. The sugar-sweet comedy works thanks to the feel-good story, the likable cast and an absolute treasure of a Dolly Parton soundtrack. Comedy drama, PG-13, 110 minutes. HHH

Your Name”), argued that became a turning point in women’s rights. Director Mimi Leder (“Shameless”) blends Ginsburg’s legal and family worlds into a beautifully presented package.

Both major elements of the film work because of Jones, who tosses her

“Roma” — Writer-director Alfonso Cuaron gives us a deeply personal 1970s period piece inspired by his own childhood in Mexico, and yet there’s a universality to the characters and their stories. You know that feeling when you’re watching a particular scene in a movie and everything just clicks? “Roma” is an entire film of such scenes. Drama, R, 135 minutes.

HHHH

name into the Oscar ring with her performance. She finds a way to play Ginsburg with fire and passion while dealing with a sexist world.

Jones pulls no punches, whether she’s battling with legal points or dealing with family issues. It was necessary to find an actor

who could get across Ginsburg’s ferocious nature without stripping away her humanity.

Leder also found Jones’ perfect acting partner in Hammer. Even when he looms over Jones, there is a real feeling they are two people who have always treated each other as

equals.

Hammer’s best moment comes when outside elements force Marty to take away most of his wife’s legal moments in a big trial that could forever change the way the courts view gender discrimination.

He’s able to show both the pain of knowing what he has done to his wife while also never damaging the deep connection they have.

A lot of the credit for the love story goes to writer Daniel Stiepleman, who brought intimate knowledge to the film. He is Ginsburg’s nephew and had the opportunity to get notes from his aunt while penning the script. It’s the kind of knowledge that makes for a good documentary but turns into a great drama.

In one scene, a woman meeting Ginsburg says, “I thought she would be bigger.” Through smart writing and fearless acting, “On the Basis of Sex” shows Ginsburg has been a giant in the legal world who also found time to be a wife and mother.

–2:00. Rated: PG-13 for language, suggestive content. HHH (out of four stars)

At area theaters CONCRETE THEATRE Dec. 28-30 Ralph Breaks the Internet (PG): Friday: 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 5 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday: 5 p.m.

360-941-0403

ANACORTES CINEMAS 360-293-7000

OAK HARBOR CINEMAS 360-279-2226

STANWOOD CINEMAS 360-629-0514

CASCADE MALL THEATERS Burlington For showings: amctheatres. com/showtimes/all/201706-23/amc-loews-cascademall-14/all

BLUE FOX DRIVE-IN Oak Harbor 360-675-5667

E20 - Thursday, December 27, 2018

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

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