Culture Fiend

Preview: Seattle International Film Festival 2012

Get excited for 273 feature films over three and a half weeks.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on May 03, 2012 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

Courtesy: Your Sister’s Sister

The country’s largest film festival is even bigger this year with 273 features, tributes to Sissy Spacek and director William Friedkin, and the latest from Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass. Tackling the fest each year is something of a personal challenge—I mean, how do you truly narrow down 273 full-length films and 187 shorts into a top 10 list? You don’t. That’s not the fun of it. Instead, we’ll be watching a lot of movies, and will give you a pick a day throughout the festival, which runs May 17–June 10.

Here are a few to start off:

Your Sister’s Sister
Opening night film, May 17, McCaw Hall

Mark Duplass has a special bond with Seattle director Lynn Shelton, forged when he dropped his guard—and pants—in their acclaimed 2009 mumblecore film Humpday. “We’re like Tango and Cash,” he joked to The Hollywood Reporter. They share a love of improvisation, which is a huge reason their new collaboration, Your Sister’s Sister, is so likable. Stick Duplass, Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie DeWitt in a secluded home in the San Juan Islands, shoot the entire film in a 12-day binge, and you get an honest, hilarious, slightly twisted romance that doesn’t follow any rules. Just the way they like it.

Grassroots
Closing night film, June 10, SIFF Cinema Uptown

We’ve been following the making of this movie ever since director Stephen Gyllenhaal and his crew set up shop on Capitol Hill in the summer of 2010. We endured flying couch cushions to interview Joel David Moore and Jason Biggs about playing Seattle City Council hopeful/monorail champion Grant Cogswell and his campaign manager Phil Campbell. We even interviewed Cogswell himself, aka ‘the man who loved Seattle too much.’ And now, after waiting patiently, we’ll finally see Seattle’s most quixotic City Council race as a Hollywood movie. It makes its world premiere to close out SIFF.

Safety Not Guaranteed
May 23 at 7, May 25 at 4:30, SIFF Cinema Uptown

It started as an ad in Backwoods Home magazine in 1997: “Wanted. Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke.” A few Seattle magazine writers decided to follow the story, and that story has become a hit 2012 Sundance comedy starring Parks and Rec’s Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass (the man is everywhere right now). FilmDistrict secured the rights to this film for a little over $1 million after Sundance, but Seattle gets to see it before its wide release.

Moonrise Kingdom
June 5 at 7, Egyptian Theatre

The latest Wes Anderson film—starring familiar faces Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, and Edward Norton—will open Cannes on May 16, then screens here (woo!) before its wide local release on May 25 June 22. With the help of cowriter Roman Coppola, Anderson has penned what looks to be another quirk-filled escapade about a pair of 12-year-olds in love who’ve run away from their cozy New England homes.

SIFF 2012’s full lineup and schedule of events is slated to go live today, May 3, at siff.net. Tickets are available online and by calling 206-324-9996.

Seattle International Film Festival 2012
May 17–June 10, various venues

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Tags: Film Fest, SIFF Cinema , SIFF 2012

Video: SIFF 2012 Trailer Is Live

Take a trippy coffee break.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Apr 23, 2012 at 03:00PM 1 Comments

Welcome to our first glimpse at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival (May 17–June 10), courtesy of the guys at World Famous (one of Seattle Met’s best places to work…and play). The local boutique media production agency teamed up with WongDoody, an indie creative agency in Seattle, to turn out this mind-melting minute of snippets from nearly 50 SIFF films over the years. Catch a little Fight Club in there? A lot of burlesque star Shanghai Pearl? What else do you see?

SIFF 2012 opens May 17 with a gala screening of Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister. The full lineup announcement is this Friday, so check back soon.

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Tags: Film Fest, Video Art, SIFF 2012

Sci-Fi Film Festival Invades Cinerama

Four reasons to check out the newly formed festival.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on Apr 18, 2012 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

The iconic robot from Metropolis.

“Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction—its essence—has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all.” —Isaac Asimov

Cinerama kicks off its first annual Science Fiction Film Festival on Thursday and will screen many of the timeless works of the genre over the following two weeks. Rather than giving a rundown of all the films being show, we decided to highlight the top four reasons to check out the festival.

1. Metropolis with an Orchestra.

1927’s Metropolis is arguably the first landmark science-fiction film with its startling (for the time) visual effects and futuristic dystopian vision. While it’s a silent picture, director Fritz Lang originally intended to have a live orchestra perform the film’s score at screenings. That intent will become reality when Boston’s Alloy Orchestra, which Roger Ebert described as “the best in the world at accompanying silent films,” live scores three screenings of Metropolis (Apr 19–21). This is sure to be a medium-melding treat.

2. A New 70mm Print of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece remains as visually stunning and emotionally jarring today as it was when it was first released. But at the festival, the visual onslaught will be kicked up a notch as Cinerama presents a new, never-before-seen 70mm print. Expect minds and eyes to be blown away during the famed (and trippy) “Star Gate” sequence, now in vivid 70mm detail on Cinerama’s massive screen.

3. Double Features.

What’s better than catching one great sci-fi flick? How about seeing its awesome sequel the same night? The festival features back-to-back screenings of Mad Max and Road Warrior on April 25 as well as Terminator and Terminator 2 on April 27. The unfortunate catch is that moviegoers have to buy tickets to each screening separately. But still.

4. A Forbidden Forgotten Gem.

While it doesn’t have a prominent screening time (Sunday, April 29 at 11am), don’t sleep on (or sleep in and miss) Forbidden Planet. The 1956 film about a space recon mission gone wrong (staring a young, hunky Leslie Nielsen long before he took a turn as a comedic actor) massively influenced both George Lucas and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

2001: A Space Odyssey – Star Gate Sequence

The First Annual Science Fiction Film Festival
Apr 19–May 2, $12–$30, Cinerama
For the complete festival schedule visit seattlecinerama.com.

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Tags: Film Fest, Seattle Cinerama, Seattle Film News

Seattle Film Safety Not Guaranteed Is a Hit at Sundance

And it all started with an Internet meme.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 27, 2012 at 12:45PM 0 Comments

(L-r) Aubrey Plaza, Karan Soni, and Jake Johnson hunt down a lead in Safety Not Guaranteed.

Ever since its January 22 premiere at Sundance (hell, even before that) Seattle-based comedy Safety Not Guaranteed has been one of the most talked about films of the festival. For good reason: It’s based on the too-bizarre-not-to-be-true story of Seattle magazine writers (no, that other magazine) on the hunt for the guy who placed this ad in Backwoods Home magazine in 1997:

The ad became an Internet sensation, but it was up to screenwriter Derek Connolly to create the saga around that mullet. He scripted a back story about magazine writer Jeff (played by Jake Johnson of New Girl) who gets intern Darius (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation) to feminine wile her way into the life of time-traveler Kenneth (Mark Duplass, The League). As the film stops by familiar Seattle spots—the Shipwreck Tavern in West Seattle and the Marco Polo Lounge on Aurora—an unlikely love match between Kenneth and Darius starts to form. “Even crazy people deserve to be loved,” director Colin Trevorrow said at the Park City premiere. After a rousing ovation, out came the reviews:

“A small movie with a big heart…endearingly scrappy and romantic romp.” (Variety)

“Four stars… Director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly create a touching and funny comedy that veers from absurdity to tenderness with ease.” (Salt Lake Tribune)

“It took long enough, but the 2012 Sundance Film Festival finally produced a big winner.” (Hitflix)

“Expect a lucrative sale for this one, which has tons of mainstream breakout potential.” (New York magazine)

This is great news for local producer Lacey Leavitt (featured in a recent Seattle Times article) and the Seattle-based supporting cast and crew who made up the movie’s ranks. Bring on the bidding war for Safety Not Guaranteed. UPDATED 1/30/12. FilmDistrict (the company behind Drive ) secured the rights to Safety Not Guaranteed for a little over $1 million, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Sundance Film Festival
Thru Jan 29, Park City, Utah

Bonus: Hear what Mark Duplass has to say about this “sensitive, relationship-oriented time-travel movie” in his interview with Vanity Fair.

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Tags: Film Fest, Sundance 2012, Park City, Seattle Filmmakers

Banff Mountain Film Festival Opens Wednesday in Seattle

It’s the best in snow stunts and jaw-dropping alpine shots.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Nov 29, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

One hour, 56 minutes. That’s the amount of time it took record-crushing Swiss climber Ueli Steck to scale the Matterhorn’s north face in 2009. (“I’m like a Swiss watch—I’m very efficient,” Steck says in the video. Awesome.) It’s also about how quickly the Banff Mountain Film Festival sells out in Seattle each year at the Mountaineers club. Lucky for us, the adventure sport film fest runs in Olympia, Tacoma, and Port Townsend this week, too. Get your fix of snow stunts November 30–December 10.

For tickets and schedule, visit banffcentre.ca.

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Tags: Film Fest, Mountaineers, Banff Mountain Film Fest

Dirty Girl Opens Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Fest This Friday

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Oct 12, 2011 at 10:45AM 1 Comments

Now in its 16th year, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival brings the best in queer cinema, including closing-night documentary Vito about gay rights activist Vito Russo, whose groundbreaking book about homosexuality in Hollywood movies, The Celluloid Closet (1981), paved the way for festivals like this one.

But the party kicks off with significantly more kitsch. Juno Temple stars as a naughty Oklahoma schoolgirl in new release Dirty Girl, which opens the festival on Friday, October 14, at Egyptian Theatre.

Here’s a rundown of all the gala screenings (click on the links for trailers):

Opening Night: Dirty Girl
Friday, October 14, 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre
Danielle (Juno Temple) is the easiest girl at Norman High School. Clarke (Jeremy Dozier) is a closeted loner whose father wants to ship him off to military school. The two skip town (road trip!) to find Danielle’s estranged father and solve all her daddy issues. Mary Steenburgen, William H. Macy, and Milla Jovovich costar.

Centerpiece: Leave It On the Floor
Sunday, October 16, 7pm, Egyptian Theatre
This modern reboot of Paris Is Burning explores the underground drag ball scene in Los Angeles, with choreography by Frank Gatson Jr, the man behind Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video.

Centerpiece: Wish Me Away
Friday, October 21, 7:15pm, AMC Pacific Place
A little over a year ago, Chely Wright became the biggest country music star to come out. It didn’t go over so well. “Country music would rather an artist be a drunk—they even encourage and endorse that one,” she told the LA Times shortly after. This is her story.

Closing Night: Vito
Sunday, October 23, 6:30pm, Cinerama
Director Jeffrey Schwarz interviews Vito’s family and friends—including Armistead Maupin, Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein, and Lily Tomlin—to create a portrait of the activist who gave the LGBT film community a voice.

The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, cosponsored by Seattle Met, runs October 14–23 with screenings at the Admiral, Egyptian, Cinerama, AMC Pacific Place, Central Cinema, and Northwest Film Forum. Single tickets are $7–$35; festival passes are $80-$200. For the full lineup, visit threedollarbillcinema.org.

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Tags: Film Fest, LGBT, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Fest

Bollywood Film Series Kicks Off Tonight

Indian cinema travels outdoors to Volunteer Park this month.

Posted by: Saba Sulaiman on Jul 06, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

Meet Tabu at tonight’s opening of the Bollywood Panorama Film Series at Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Move over melodrama, because moviemaking in India is becoming a serious affair. Seattle Asian Art Museum’s Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas pays tribute to alternative Indian cinema this month with a series of eclectic films that lurk on the fringes of the “Bollywood” genre. It’s not all dance numbers and sob stories.

If you can, take some time out tonight to attend the festival opening at SAAM, with a special 7:45pm screening of the 2004 film Meenaxi, directed by the recently deceased “Picasso of India,” M. F. Husain. You’ll also have the chance to chat with Tabu, a popular Bollywood actress who features in critically acclaimed films such as The Namesake and Ang Lee’s upcoming adaptation of Booker Prize–winning novel The Life of Pi.

Camp out at Volunteer Park Amphitheater every Friday night between July 15 and August 5 and enjoy a free movie under the stars. Bring a blanket, a box of tissues (naturally), and an empty stomach on July 22 and 29—I Want Curry Now and Sweet Treats food trucks will be on site.

Here’s the schedule:
Black (2005)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali departs from his usual histrionic style with this gritty depiction of a blind and deaf girl’s (Rani Mukherji) struggle to communicate. July 15.

Taal (1999)
A love story tainted by familial disapproval, this Bollywood blockbuster musical stars former Miss World Aishwarya Rai and boasts a fantastic score by the Oscar–winning music director of Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman. July 22.

Chandni Bar (2001)
Director Madhur Bhandarkar earned his reputation as Bollywood’s anti-establishment filmmaker with this film, starring Tabu as a rural woman forced to become an exotic dancer in Bombay. July 29.

The Namesake (2007)
Award-winning director Mira Nair adapts Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel exploring an Indian-American’s (Kal Penn) effort to understand his immigrant parents (Tabu and Irrfan Khan) and his own identity. Shot in English. August 5.

All outdoor films start at 9:30pm at Volunteer Park Amphitheater. The July 6 events starts with a social hour at 5:30, program at 6:30, and film screening at 7:45pm, all at Seattle Asian Art Museum. Tickets are $10 members, $15 nonmembers.

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Tags: Film Fest, Outdoor Movies

SIFF Gala Guide

What to expect of the films, guests, and after-parties.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on May 19, 2011 at 03:00PM 1 Comments

Maruge (played by Oliver Litondo) holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to go to primary school.

Each year the Seattle International Film Festival encourages cinephiles to throw on something other than jeans and celebrate at one of its galas and tributes. I had a chance to screen two of this weekend’s “event” films, so here’s a rundown of what I know:

The event Opening night gala, May 19, Benaroya Hall.

The film The First Grader, 2010.

How is it? It’s a feel-good Disneyfied flick based on a true story: Maruge, an 84-year-old Kenyan man who spent his formative years as a Mau Mau rebel fighting the Brits for independence, takes advantage of a new education initiative and goes back to school. Way back, Billy Madison style. He’s a poor, proud man wearing self-hemmed shorts and knee socks, surrounded by 200 of the most adorable, well-behaved children to ever enter first grade. Clearly, the film trades realism for drama, but the story at its core is one worth knowing. If only director Justin Chadwick let history speak for itself.

The guests The First Grader director Justin Chadwick (also director of The Other Boleyn Girl), producers Sam Feuer and Richard Harding; actor Tom Skerritt; filmmakers Minh Duc Nguyen (director, Touch ), James Fox (director, The Darkest Matter), Caleb Young (director, Do You See Colors When You Close Your Eyes?), Eliaichi “Elle” Kimaro (director, A Lot Like You), Matt Wilkins (director, Marrow ), Megan Griffiths (director, The Off Hours), Sean Nelson and Steven Schardt (directors, Treatment ) and Taylor Guterson (director, Old Goats); plus a slew of local notables, including Dale Chihuly, and Seattle Sounders Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl and Brad Evans.

The party There is a red carpet (though it’s only about 12 feet long) and the mood is festive. It’s a mix of people in gowns and fleece—one of the biggest crowds of the fest—with plenty of good booze and a dance party after the screening.

The event A Tribute to Ewan McGregor, May 22, Egyptian Theatre.

The film Beginners, 2010.

How is it? Watch the trailer, and you’d think Beginners was just about a 70-year-old father coming out of the closet to his grown son. Not so. At its core, this is a love story—a heartbreaking tale of true romance. McGregor is outstanding as thirtysomething Oliver, who loses both of his parents to cancer and can’t shake his depression, preferring to sit at home chatting with his dog (who talks back). Life throws him a meet cute—Anna (Mélanie Laurent) at a costume party—and their hopelessly endearing love affair enfolds as the film flashes back to Oliver with his parents. This is the indiest of indie films, full of quirky roller-skating-through-the-hotel moments, but it still manages to feel true.

The guests Ewan McGregor, Beginners director Mike Mills, and enigma Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly: an Oscar writer with a sunny disposition.

The tribute The evening starts with a screening of Beginners at 4, followed by a Q&A with McGregor and Mills. McGregor will then receive the Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting and do a short onstage interview with Karger, followed by a career highlight reel.

Seattle International Film Festival runs May 19-June 12. For more galas and tributes, go to siff.net.

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Tags: Film Fest, SIFF 2011

Movies You Shouldn’t Miss This Weekend

Including: Oscar-nominated shorts, classic noir, and Johnny Cash’s film debut.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Feb 09, 2011 at 11:30AM 0 Comments

Pixar’s “Day and Night” originally screened with Toy Story 3; now both are up for an Academy Award.

Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2011
In theaters Feb 11
Varsity Theatre

Before the Oscars air on February 27, Landmark Theatres offers the opportunity to play Academy judge and view this year’s nominated short films—animated, live action, and documentary. The animated field looks particularly tight with the inclusion of Pixar’s “Day and Night” and "Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary),” a stylized stroll through Madagascar by a French video game designer. (Note: If you’re feeling movie mad right now, Oscar-nominated documentary Inside Job, about the downfall of our economy in 2008, is at Varsity Theatre until Short Films opens.)

Noir City at SIFF
Feb 11-17
McCaw Hall

A week of classic film noir: Marilyn Monroe thrills in Don’t Bother to Knock, which bills her as “every inch a woman…the most talked about actress of 1952,” and Ronald Coleman delivers an Oscar-winning performance in A Double Life. Lots of double features all weekend.

You’re Lookin’ at Country
Feb 10, 7pm
Northwest Film Forum

KEXP’s Greg Vandy hosts an evening dedicated to the darker side of country—that’s more “Folsom Prison Blues” than “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Expect a live performance by Texas-born, steely-eyed singer Ian Moore and a rare screening of Johnny Cash’s film debut (as a sadistic bank robber), 1961 crime drama Five Minutes to Live.

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Tags: Oscars, Weekend, SIFF, Film Fest

Seattle Invades Sundance

Find out which local films made it into the fest, and what to know if you go.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 19, 2011 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Elizabeth Banks and Tobey Maguire star in The Details, a 2011 Sundance selection.

Ever since Seattle director Lynn Shelton was dubbed The Sundance Kid for her boundary-pushing bromance Humpday in 2009, our city’s been getting a lot more respect down in Park City. We sent three Seattle-made films that year to Sundance—David Russo’s inspired Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle also got big applause—and this year, our numbers are going up. Four locally made movies made the cut for the indie film fest (which runs January 20-30)—we reported on three back in December, but here’s the final list:

— Megan Griffiths, a Seattle-based writer/director who’s worked on films like Humpday and Little Dizzle, will debut her second feature film, The Off Hours, about about a truck-stop waitress (Tiny Furniture’s Amy Seimetz) looking for a change. Fun fact: It’s written, produced, and directed entirely by women.
Screening: Jan 22, 23, 26, & 29.

— Calvin Reeder has already made a name for himself at Sundance with his twisted short films; he’ll debut feature-length horror flick The Oregonian. Fun fact: The people over at bloody-disgusting.com are getting really excited about this movie.
Screening: Jan 24, 25, 27-29.

—What kind of hell breaks loose after a priest drops his Bible in a rest-stop toilet? Writer/director Todd Rohal screens Catechism Cataclysm, which was shot around Seattle and central Washington. Fun fact: Megan Griffiths (above) is a co-producer.
Screening: Jan 22, 24, 25, 28 & 29.

—Remember when Tobey Maguire was spotted all over Montlake in 2009? Spider-Man was filming The Details, a dark comedy about life in the ’burbs shot around Seattle, Kirkland, and Redmond, and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes. Fun fact: Lots of Hollywood cache for this film: Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, and Ray Liotta also star.
Screening: Jan 24, 25, 29 & 30.

Are you one of the lucky few going to Utah this weekend? We have some tips on where to stay and where to eat, courtesy of film fest buff Carl Spence, artistic director of the Seattle International Film Festival.

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Tags: Film Fest, Film Fest, David Russo, David Russo, Little Dizzle, Lynn Shelton, Sundance, Seattle Directors

SIFF Movie Marathon

How feasible is an all-day cine-bender? Our intrepid film intern finds out.

Posted by: Tiffany Wan on Jun 10, 2010 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

No…more…popcorn.

Editor’s Note: With this year’s SIFF wrapping up on June 13, we’re rushing to get to as many films as we can in the closing weekend. But is a crosstown movie marathon doable? Enjoyable? Is there time to eat anything other than popcorn, and how long does that butter gut last? I asked intern Tiffany Wan to test it out; the results are below.

Saturday, June 5
1:15pm Finally inside Egyptian Theatre for the Leaves of Grass screening after waiting in a passholders’ line that wrapped around the building and down the alley. Go on my first popcorn-and-soda run of the day, battling sweaty dudes, bespectacled ladies with fanny packs and girls in airy sundresses on my way to the concessions stand. Turns out that—surprise!—Edward Norton is doing a Q&A after the movie.

3:20pm Leaves of Grass finishes, and it was way more enjoyable than I’d expected. The gimmick of Norton playing twin brothers was done well thanks to some CGI and wig magic. I’m reminded how great an actor he is, able to play a straight-laced professor and a goofy hick drug dealer at the same time.Tim Blake Nelson—the film’s writer, director and one of Norton’s costars —managed to craft a tight comedy that weaved together pot jokes, jarring violence and Greek philosophy to (mostly) successful ends.

3:25pm Norton’s Q&A is under way. He is a surprisingly bad public speaker and rambles a lot. Somehow that makes him even more endearing and I have a brief urge to jump onstage and maul his face. Norton ends the interview with a comment about how refreshing and great SIFF is compared to other big festivals, which he thinks have become far too commercial and chaotic to be enjoyable. The crowd eats it up; I swoon a bit.

3:40pm I power walk to my car and pray that I can make it to SIFF Cinema for the screening of The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner at 4.

4:05pm It’s taken me 25 minutes to go two and a half miles. Shake fist of anger at Mariners’ game traffic on Denny, then remember there is no late seating for SIFF films. Dejected, I roll back up to Capitol Hill and guzzle coconut water in my backyard.

6pm After seeing the insane lines at the Leaves of Grass screening, I get to the Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel screening at the Egyptian early. The wait is not nearly as crazy, thankfully. But check out how long the movie is: 124 minutes. Solely about Hef. Dear god.

7pm I’m tempted to buy another medium popcorn and soda for $10, the price of a proper meal somewhere. Have only consumed sugar water and butter all day. Decide to hold out for late dinner and pop in a piece of gum instead, chewing furiously as Gene Simmons talks onscreen about female liberation. I think about throwing things at his head. The man next to me has fallen asleep and snores softly.

8:40pm Movie ends and director Brigitte Berman takes the stage for Q&A. She admits that the first edit of her film was 7.5 hours long. It’s interesting to hear a European director refer to Puritan America’s hangups about nudity and sexuality. Makes me recall my college friend who grew up in Amsterdam and used to watch porn in the middle of the day on network television.

Final recommendation Stay in one place, and learn to love long lines.

SIFF runs through June 13. Find the full schedule at siff.net.

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Tags: SIFF, Film Fest

Weekend SIFF Picks

Skip a BBQ and check out any of these three sure-bet films.

Posted by: Tiffany Wan on May 28, 2010 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Editor’s Note: Intern Tiffany Wan has the kind of arcane film knowledge that bores people at parties and gets arts editors very excited. I’ve set her loose on the Seattle International Film Festival—of which she’s already a six-year veteran—to see what she comes up with.

As much as I love SIFF, its dense programming consistently overwhelms me. You really have to comb through every film description to get a feel for what’s worth watching…which is easy when (like me) you spend 70 percent of your time glued a computer.

That said, here are three picks for this weekend that will be worth your while:

I Am Love
Tilda Swinton ditches her androgynous look to play trophy wife Emma, a Russian who marries into old Italian money. New son Edoardo is opening a restaurant with his friend Antonio, who seduces Emma with his culinary prowess and youthful good looks. Tangentially, Emma’s daughter Betta is staking her independence from the family with her declaration of profession (aspiring photographer) and sexuality (she likes the ladies). As Emma becomes further entangled with her young lover and experiences a rebirth of spirit, she may not be prepared to deal with the ensuing consequences.

If you enjoy films with operatic, visual storytelling (director Luca Guadagnino has an eye for lush detail) and bold aural atmosphere (John Adams provides a strikingly discordant score), you’ll be absorbed by I Am Love. Screening Friday, May 28 at 9:30, Everett Performing Arts Center.

Winter’s Bone
A good indie thriller is hard to pull off—melodrama and exaggerated screaming often abound—but Winter’s Bone (based on Daniel Woodrell’s crime novel) avoids the pitfalls of the genre and makes a teenage girl the hero, rather than the victim. Set in the backwoods of the Missouri Ozarks, the film follows 17-year-old Ree as she pursues her outlaw father who’s skipped bail—and skipped town. Since he staked the family home as bond, Ree’s forced to find him before the local sheriff evicts the whole family—catatonic mom and two younger siblings included. Ree tracks down family members, neighbors and acquaintances who want nothing to do with the search, telling Ree to give up for her own good…and safety.

The bleak Fargo-esque landscape of the film gives it a terrifying edge, and strong performances from Jennifer Lawrence as Ree and John Hawkes (of the much-lauded Deadwood ) as her menacing uncle only bolster the film’s credibility. Top awards at Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival also help. Screening Friday, May 28 at 7, and Sunday, May 30 at 1:30 at the Egyptian.

Life During Wartime
This sequel to Todd Solondz’s squeamish-yet-satisfying Happiness (1998) picks up in Miami, where Trish (Allison Janney) is trying to start over with a new man after leaving her pedophilic husband Bill (Ciaran Hinds) who, consequently, just got out of prison. The uber-sensitive Joy (Shirley Henderson) flees her crumbling marriage, only to be pursued by the ghost of an aggressive ex-boyfriend (a grave-looking Paul Reubens). Self-absorbed writer Helen (Ally Sheedy) begrudgingly helps Joy on her quest for emotional recovery.

Those who delight in Solondz’s sometimes-flippant take on controversial subjects might find Life During Wartime tame. Described as his most accessible film to date, this may encourage new fans or deter devotees of the director’s peculiar sense of humor. Screening Saturday, May 29 at 6:30 at the Uptown; Monday, May 31 at 8:45 at the Harvard Exit.

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Tags: Film, SIFF, Film Fest,