The time of year has come to compile the infamous top ten list, summing up the best of the best from throughout the year. And while I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t been piecing one together over the past three months, it is still an act of brain wracking and constant change that is in part requisite and in part cathartic. For most of us, the top ten list is the Everest of the movie year. And so, from the 150+ movies I’ve seen in 2013, narrowing it all down to ten is no cake walk but the process of distilling down to a minute selection is a great opportunity to revisit and reflect on some of the greats of the year.
Fresh and hot like you.
In this edition of Grub Alert, we feature Kigo Kitchen, which opened its doors in South Lake Union on 11/12/13. Kigo Kitchen offers quick, quality meals that are satisfying and flavorful, all for under $9! You can choose from their wok-fired combos or you can build your own. Choose protein, sauce,
If Europe isn’t in the budget this season, try the next best thing. Head east over the pass where Washington’s “little Bavaria” bustles with merriment. Leavenworth is a hot spot for visitors year-round, but at this time of year, the fun centers around festive fare, steaming spiced drinks, sprinklings of snow and jovial tree lightings.
Ring in the New Year in style.
Celebrate the New Year at Bonza Bash New Year’s Eve 2014 Gala Ball at Fremont Studios. This gala will be the most swanky and sophisticated way to ring in the New Year in the Pacific Northwest. With Kiss 1061.1’s DJ Tamm spinning all night and a live 18 piece band, it is sure to be a night of glitz,
Following up a comedy classic like Anchorman is no easy task. In order to achieve a modicum of success, this sequel was already tasked with paying tribute to its predecessor while also setting itself far enough away so that it doesn’t seem like a play-by-play redo of the original. In this pursuit, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a success. But while the first film had me in a constant state of stitches and continues to be a go-to favorite in the comedy stable, Anchorman 2 is far more spotted. Attempts to capture the comic vibrancy of men let off the leash fizzles with some performers more than others, revealing gags sautéed in randomness that come across as definitively hit-or-miss. And while more jokes land with more of a thud than you’d hope for, when it shines, it shines like the sweet diamond-crusted grills of Flava Flav.
Treat yo skin.
Prepare your skin for the airplane air and over-eating extravaganzas of the holiday season with a facial at Skoah. The Canadian spa describes their treatments as “personal training for your skin”. They have three new locations in Seattle (Bellevue, Downtown and Capitol Hill) and they’re are offering
Drink like the well-educated beer lover your parents always hoped you’d be.
Sweet, beautiful, delicious, complicated, confusing, beer. When will I finally understand you and your gigantic family of fermentation? Today? Tomorrow? Oh wait,
Saving Mr. Banks may as well have been called How Walt Disney Saved The Day From The Curmudgeonly P.L Travers. It’s as whitewashed a narrative as can be, oozing Disney hallmarks to reinvent the notorious asshat that is Walt Disney into a salt of the earth type inspirationally adept at picking himself up by his bootstraps. He’s the American Dream personified and he circles Emma Thompson‘s P.L. “put the milk in the tea first” Travers with the predatory knack of a hawk.
Only those fond of cliffhanger endings and tease as tale will truly appreciate the second lackluster installment in Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit trilogy. Certainly there are things to love; Bilbo’s character progression and his untimely addiction to one precious ring is welcome (although not nearly as prominent as it ought to be), the set design and telescopic vistas are almost as epic as ever, seeing the majesty of gold-diggin’ dragon Smaug realized in impressive CG tantalizes the little boy in me (the one who listened to The Hobbit audiobook until it wore out), and one particularly fun scene involving dwarves in a barrel is a blatant film highlight; but other elements that ought to stand out fall flat on their face and never recover.


