Kirsten's musings...

Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) - 2012

It's SIFF time again, and even though Jim is out of town for some of it, we managed to find 12 movies to see.  Here's what's on the schedule:

Week 1

May 27
The Invisible War
This investigative and powerfully emotional documentary discusses the profound social consequences of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, exposing the institutions that perpetuate and obscure the abuses.

Liberal Arts
In this charming romance of intellects with a star-studded cast, a 35-year-old college grad returns to his alma mater and finds his life reinvigorated by a spirited sophomore.

May 28
Wonder Women! THe Untold Story of American Superheroines
This energetic documentary is an enlightening chronicle of the impact of the original superheroine, her multiple incarnations since the 1940s, and the generations of women she continues to inspire.

May 30
King Curling
In Norway's answer to The Big Lebowski, washed-up former curling champion Truls Paulson attempts a comeback to deliver the stones and pay for his former coach's operation.

The Art of Love
This bawdy, episodic romp through the lives and romantic woes of several Parisian couples is rendered in the spirit of Woody Allen and won the Best Screenplay Award at the Montreal World Film Festival.

June 2
Revisionaries
This galvanizing doc explores the Texas Board of Education’s controversial revision process for school textbooks as overseen by avowed creationist Don McLeroy, who champions rewriting history in the image of the Religious Right.

High School songs

It's Guys' Weekend time, which means another music list.  This year the guys are supposed to identify three songs that were released during their high school years that have significant meaning to them.  For our annual trip to Vancouver Jim and I listed 10 songs from our respective high school years for discussion during the trip.  Here are my songs, from Fall 1981 to Spring 1984, in no particular order:

Duran Duran "Rio"
Actually the first Duran Duran song I heard was "Hungry Like the Wolf", but I didn't really like it.  Still not one of my favorites.  Then I heard "Rio" and saw the video, and I was hooked on this band.  I've seen them in concert three times so far, and always up for seeing them again.

Journey "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"
Speaking of concerts, most people know that Journey (with Bryan Adams opening) was my first rock concert, and still one of the best I've attended.  I know this song is the subject of a lot of derision, especially for the cheesy video, but it's right up my alley.  Great one to sing along with.

Bow Wow Wow "I Want Candy"
I don't think anyone in my high school was quite ready for this song, but we took to it quickly.  Always a favorite "fast" song during dances, all of us pony-ing along with the upbeat tempo and suggestive lyrics. 

Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl"
Sigh...Rick Springfield.  I had such a crush on him when he played Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, and loved the music he was putting out in the early 80s.  It was a bit of a shock to find out that he was much older than we thought, but in the end we really didn't care.

Van Halen "Jump"
We all thought it was pretty cool that the name of the latest Van Halen was the same as our graduation year, even if Eddie Van Halen was playing synthesizer in this song.

Go-Go's "This Town"
Not one of their hits, but this album always reminds me of trips with the softball team to various games.  Even though my softball career is not my favorite memory of high school, these trips bring a smile to my face.  We all had the album, and we could sing all the songs, without any electronic devices.

Bryan Adams "Cuts Like a Knife"
As I mentioned above, new artist Bryan Adams was the opening act for my first rock concert, and he blew me away.  Very engaging, the perfect combinations of singing and interacting with the crowd.

Corey Hart "Sunglasses At Night"
Kinda cool, a little creepy, but this song has always been a favorite of mine.  A "go-to" lyric when referring to someone wearing sunglasses, even if it wasn't at night.

Wham! "Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go"
I remember the first time I heard this song, and enjoyed it so much I called my friend Becky to find out what she thought.  She liked it too, and we couldn't wait until the next school dance, because we thought it would be fun to dance to.  Unfortunately, we were wrong.  It *sounded* uptempo, but it really wasn't.  So we enjoyed it on the radio and MTV, but skipped it at any dances.

Kajagoogoo "Too Shy"
I really can't explain this one, it just resonated with me.  A classic "One-Hit Wonder", not a lot of substance, but still intriguing.  Hearing lead singer Limahl talk about this days is a little jarring - looking at him you don't expect to hear coherent complete sentences, plus for some reason I always think he sounds like a professor with his measured speech pattern.

Dierks Bentley - Home

I'm not sure if it's a change in my musical taste or just a phase, but I found it difficult to make myself write a review for Dierks Bentley's new CD "Home".  I bought it the same time I bought Christian Kane's "The House Rules", and after listening to Christian's CD this one is a little boring by comparison.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great CD for Dierks, but the songs aren't resonating with me the same way that Christian's are.  I'm still singing "The House Rules" in my head after listening to it, which doesn't really happening with these songs.  I guess we'll know for sure when the next Chris Young CD is released.

1.  Am I The Only One
A fun, upbeat song to start off with.  It's Friday night and he's ready to go out and have some beers and blow off some steam.  Unfortunately all of his friends want to stay home for one reason or another.  It all works out, though, because he meets a girl at the bar who was abandoned by all of her friends too, so they get together to party.

2.  Gonna Die Young
He's with a girl who is so amazing that he's pretty much convinced she's going to kill him.  She's so hot, he can't breathe, and she sends his blood pressure through the roof.  He's sure to be pushing up daisies any day now.

3.  Tip It On Back
Sometimes the problems of the world, or just your little corner of it, get to be more than you want to handle.  At times like that your best bet is to grab your best girl and go find a place to tip back a drink or five and just forget about everything but enjoying yourself.

4.  Home
Probably my favorite song on the CD.  It's so nice to have a pro-America song that doesn't call out any of our enemies, and doesn't pit one political party against another.  Too many songs with this theme, especially in country music, are written with a conservative bent, railing against the current administration and anyone with liberal beliefs (like me).  He's really trying to rally the entire country together to make our great country even better.

5.  Diamonds Make Babies
A cautious tale for any guy who is thinking about proposing to his girlfriend.  She's a great girl, and you'll be very happy together, just be forewarned:

Diamonds make babies
and babies make mamas
and mamas make daddies
make changes they don't always wanna

6.  In My Head
She's gone, and he says he's happy for her, but she'll always be with him in his head.  He can always imagine her back in his arms, in his life.

7.  Breathe You In
Dierks usually manages to get at least one smoldering, sexy song on his CD, and this is it.  He wants to disappear into her, get so close he can breathe her in, so close that you can't tell where he ends and she begins.

8.  The Woods
A twist on the "What Happens in Vegas..." theme, except this time he's headed to the woods with his girl and some wine, just enjoying the quiet of nature, knowing that whatever happens will stay out in the woods.

9.  When You Gonna Come Around
A wonderful duet with Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, and their voices do sound amazing together.  The two are friends, close, but have never gotten together, much to his chagrin.  He really wants to know when she's going to come around to his way of thinking so that they can really explore the relationship.

10. 5-1-5-0
When I first heard Dierks describe this song I was a little leery - it sounded like one of Toby Keith's "bus songs" (e.g. "Weed with Willie").  The first time I heard the song I didn't really like it.  But after a few more listens it's really growing on me.  He's crazy about her, hence the joke about 5150 (police talk for psychiatric hold), he needs someone to help him handle his feelings for her.

11. Heart Of A Lonely Girl
He's out on the road, making a living, while his young bride is left home all alone.  He trusts her, but not the other guys in their town.  He just can't wait to get back home so she won't be lonely any more.

12. Thinking Of You
Interesting, a song with the same title as one on the Christian Kane CD, what a coincidence.  Slightly different idea - when he has to be away from her he's always thinking of her.  No matter whether it's on the road or in the next room, she's always on his mind.

Friday pix

Guess what type of car I parked next to at the gym?



Here's a hint:  :)

Christian Kane - The House Rules

I was first introduced to Christian Kane in the 2005 indie film "Her Minor Thing."  (Cute, but won't knock your socks off).  There was something about his slow drawl and easy acting that drew me in.  From that point on I kept an eye out for other acting projects he was involved in, up to and including his current stint as Eliot on "Leverage".  Somewhere along the line I heard that he was a singer as well, and had a band that had recorded a couple of CDs.  I saw the video for "The House Rules" and then heard part of "Let Me Go", which was enough for me to purchase a copy of his CD, called "The House Rules."  While Christian is never going to win any awards for his voice, the CD didn't disappoint (except for the last song).  He definitely has a honky-tonk edge, and I was pleased to see that he co-wrote most of the songs on the CD, always a big plus for me.  Here's my review:

1.  The House Rules
The lead single that got some airplay on the radio and CMT, but didn't do much on the charts.  This is definitely an introduction to Christian and his band as a loud honky tonk bar band.  There are some rules for their establishment, some a little risqué, so you need to read them before you come in, and be ready to have a good time.

2.  Something's Gotta Give
A quieter song about the desperation many people face when living in a small town without a lot of prospects.  Work is hard to find, and it always seems like other people get the breaks you would love to have.  There's a great line near the end of the song that pretty much sums it up:

"And the tumbleweeds, they seem to know more than me.
Oh they always find their way right out of town
They never turn back,
They keep on rolling and they don't slow down."

3.  Thinking of You
Depending on how you look at this it's either a song about devotion or obsession.  She's gone, but he's not really ready to let go.  Every song she hears, every time she cries, every memory she has is because he's thinking of her.  No matter how far away she gets, he'll have an impact on her life.

4.  Whiskey in Mind
This song has emerged as my favorite song on the CD.  Up-tempo, rockin' honky tonk sound, fun vocals to sing along to.  He goes into the bar to take his mind off his troubles when the woman at the end of the bar buys him a shot of his favorite brand of whiskey.  He asks her how she knew his brand; she tells him that there are some things a woman just knows.  Besides, she's got more than whiskey in mind for the evening.

5.  Let's Take a Drive
She's just gotten out of a long-term relationship, and she believes that the wild girl she was at 17 is long gone. He's doing everything he can to convince her that the wild child is still there, taking her for a long drive and reliving the excitement of their youth.

6.  Callin' All country Women
He's been in Hollywood for a quite a few years, and while the local women are beautiful and successful, he'd really like it if they traded their Manolo Blahniks for jeans and cowboy boots.

7.  American Made
Another take on the songs praising all types of American women.  From Oklahoma to Tennessee to Seattle (yeah!), they're all a little different, but all are "American Made", loving apple pie, cold beer and a ball game.

8.  Let Me Go
It's always interesting to me when the title/theme of a song can apply to different situations.  In this case a young man is telling his girlfriend to let him go - she needs to finish college and he's no good for her, so he's leaving town to find a better life.  She calls his bluff; she knows that he's just scared to get too close.  She wants him to let her go along with him, wherever life takes them.

9.  Seven Days
She's been gone for a week, so of course that means that seven should be the number to bet on.  He's sold everything and is heading to Las Vegas to see if lady luck and destiny can turn his life around.

10. Making Circles
"Well our love story reads like a book of lies
Good intentions, better alibis"

When a song starts out like this you know it can't be good.  Nothing in the relationship is easy, and all of their arguments/discussions seem to circle right back to where they started.

11. Fast Car
Oh honey, this wasn't your best choice.  A long-haired redneck covering a song written and recorded by a black woman, which is so closely associated with her?  Even your vocals sound like you're trying to match her version.  I gave it a shot, but I skip this one when listening to the CD.

Friday pix

Cuteness overload for Friday!

Friday pix

"Start spreading the news..."

Friday pix

With all the rain we've been having this seems like a real possibility:

Friday pix

The world's oldest LOLCat:

Friday pix

My favorite of the "Angelina Jolie's leg at the Oscars" mashups: