May Favorites

A Bigger Splash: Somewhat maddeningly ambiguous, this film nonetheless features stunningly gorgeous scenery, a perfect soundtrack (I especially loved the heavy featuring of Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire"), and virtuoso performances from Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Shoenaerts, and Tilda Swinton. I saw this movie at the very beginning of the month, but as I sit here at the end of the month writing this, its visuals and soundtrack are still vivid in my mind. Ralph Fiennes dancing to The Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" is a thing of madness and beauty, not soon to be forgotten.

"I Don't Know Why", Kraak & Smaak featuring Mayer Hawthorne: The lovely thing about Mayer Hawthorne doing guest vocals on another artist's track is that said track ends up sounding like a Mayer Hawthorne song, with just a hint of something 'other'. "I Don't Know Why" is a perfect example of this, since it has the usual Hawthorne smoothness, with a dash of Jaded Incorporated edginess thrown in for good measure. The result is a delightfully smooth, effervescent party tune that's perfect for summer like "Deep End" before it.

The Light Between Oceans, M. L. Stedman: This book is far too short. I wanted to spend more time on the western Australian coast that Stedman so wonderfully brings to life, along with the characters of Thomas and Isabel. The fundamental problem that these two characters face, and that makes up the heart of the story, is an extremely provocative one that caused me to pause and put myself into these characters' shoes many times while I was reading. Having read the book, I am very much looking forward to the film version coming out in the fall because I feel that they hit the nail on the head by casting Michael Fassbender as Tom and Alicia Vikander as Izzy. They have the capability to do justice to, and for, these characters.

"Angels On My Side", Rick Astley: Rick's second single from his forthcoming album is super catchy, just as any soon-to-be-classic Rick song should be. However, the lyrics reflect his maturity, both as an artist and a man. As I noted from seeing him in concert last month, his voice remains in fine form – the man can still add so much soul to a song with tone and phrasing.

"Can't Stop the Feeling!", Justin Timberlake: Justin Timberlake has done it again, commanding us to "dance, dance, dance" – and that's exactly what I want to do every time I hear this song. It's infectiously bubbly and fun. If this becomes the song of the summer, you won't hear any complaints from me.

The Nice Guys: Since I loved Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang the first time I saw it way back in 2005, I had very high expectations for The Nice Guys, and I was not disappointed. Shane Black's latest is perfectly gonzo and just the right amount of absurd. It's also hilarious – thanks not only to expertly written and delivered dialog, but also some wonderful sight gags. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are great together, though Angourie Rice (as Gosling's daughter) steals every scene she's in. This is such a fun film that is a pure joy to watch.

Ripcord, Keith Urban: Since I'll be seeing Keith Urban's Ripcord Tour in the fall (due to Brett Eldredge's having an opening slot), I figured I should probably buy the album and familiarize myself with his new songs. I've always liked Keith Urban and his voice, but only ever bought singles (namely "Days Go By" and "Somebody Like You"). However, I must admit that "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" is pretty darn catchy, and who could resist "The Fighter" after watching Keith singing it to and with Nicole. While I'm not sure that the Pitbull duet is a necessary addition to this album, there are certainly plenty of fun, summery tunes – of which "Wasted Time", "Habit of You", and "Worry 'Bout Nothin'" are stand-outs. Now that I'm totally on board with Urban's latest effort, it might be time to brush up on some of his other albums before seeing him live in November.

Last Call Ball at Highline Ballroom and Black, Dierks Bentley: As I mentioned last year when I fell in love with Riser, I've been a little late to the Dierks Bentley party, but I am such a fan of his voice, his songs, and his charisma as a performer. Dierks typically does an amphitheater-focused summer tour, which means it's nearly impossible for me to make it to one of his shows. That's why I jumped on the chance to see him at Highline Ballroom, even if it was for a songwriters showcase, rather than a solo Dierks show. Turns out, the show was kind of amazing because it was all acoustic, and Dierks nailed every single song he sang. The four other songwriters on stage (Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Luke Dick, and Jessi Alexander)  were also super talented and impressive. Between them, they've written massive hits for Luke Bryan, Brett Eldredge, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Eric Church, and Miley Cyrus, among others. My favorite song of the show was "Roses and a Time Machine", which was actually performed by Luke Dick, who wrote it for Dierk's new album, Black.  Between Dierks and his collaborators, they covered over half the songs from Black, including the stand-outs "Freedom", "What the Hell Did I Say", "Somewhere on a Beach", and the title track "Black". Dierks also did killer acoustic versions of "Riser" and "Drunk on a Plane". The new album itself is excellent, with lots of different influences contributing to an overall modern-Country sound. Many of the songs tap into Dierks' tongue-in-cheek playfulness, but there are also several heartfelt ballads to keep it all grounded.

The King and I: I went to this play because I wanted to see Daniel Dae Kim on stage after being such a fan of his on Hawaii: Five-0 for so many years, but I ended up being totally blown away by the excellence of the Rogers & Hammerstein collaboration on the book, lyrics, and music, as well as the fantastic performances and singing voices of Marin Mazzie as Anna and Ashley Park as Tuptim. On top of the excellent performances, the production is gorgeously staged. The whole thing makes for a truly magical evening of theatre. They just don't make 'em like they used to.