Culture Fiend

Oscar Viewing Parties in Seattle

Where to watch the awards with fellow cinephiles—red carpet and limo ride optional.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Feb 23, 2012 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Bring on the Clooney lookalikes.

Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Gay City Health Project’s 7th Annual Academy Awards Party
Feb 26, 5–10, Seattle Cinerama, Downtown

There’s a red carpet in Cinerama, but the big draw here is watching the awards on the theater’s insanely big screen while nibbling hors d’oeuvres you didn’t have to make. Plus: They’re raffling off a trip to Cabo. VIP guests get early entry, champagne, and reserved seating. Hosted by and in support of Three Dollar Bill Cinema and the Gay City Health Project. $30–$65.

TheFilmSchool’s Oscar Night Celebration
Feb 26, 4–10, The Triple Door, Downtown

The Triple Door makes for a smart venue: There isn’t a bad view in the tiered dinner-theater, and they serve up Wild Ginger (mmm, satay). The event doubles as a FilmSchool auction and fundraiser, with proceeds supporting low-income students and fledgling filmmakers; dress is “Hollywood chic.” $150, RSVP first come, first served.

Moe Bar Oscar Party (and Uber Giveaway)
Feb 26, 4-10, Moe Bar, Capitol Hill

New driving service Uber is dedicated to keeping things classy. Instead of just arriving at Moe Bar like some…pedestrian, enter to win a round trip in one of Uber’s luxury sedans, a bottle of champagne, and a seat in the least sticky booth in the bar. To win: Follow @MoeBarSeattle and @uber_sea on Twitter and tweet “I want to win the VIP Oscar treatment this Sunday at @MoeBarSeattle & get there in an @uber_sea. #UbertoMoeBar.” A winner will be picked at random Friday at 6.

Evening with the Stars
Feb 26, 4–10, Hotel 1000, Downtown

Hotel 1000’s swanky bash includes Ciroc cocktails, heavy appetizers by Boka Kitchen + Bar, live entertainment, and, of course, the swag. Prizes go to the best dressed and best celebrity lookalike, which we hope means a variety of Gary Oldman lookalikes. This party could use a dose of Sid Vicious. Proceeds support Reel Grrls. $75–$145.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Party, Party, Oscars 2012

Is Pina One of the Greatest Dance Movies Ever Made?

The director dissects his Oscar-nominated documentary at Cinerama.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Feb 10, 2012 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Pina isn’t just a dance movie in the same way The Red Shoes wasn’t about footwear. In this Oscar-nominated documentary, director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club) composes a visually stunning eulogy of German dance pioneer Pina Bausch, who died of cancer shortly after she and Wenders started preproduction on the film in 2009. Wenders, in turn, pays tribute by documenting four of Bausch’s most elaborate pieces, performed by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch company members. In The Rite of Spring dancers crisscross a stage covered in dirt; for Vollmond they splash through a sheet of water. They also take Bausch’s choreography outdoors, spinning through meadows and in front of factories.

Now imagine all that…but in 3D. Impossibly long limbs look even longer—it’s a much better use of the technology than, say, Piranha 3D. “This is a stunning work of art, and we are proud to introduce it to our community," said Seattle Cinerama operator Greg Wood in a statement. Cinerama screens Pina (3D) for a limited run starting today; after that, it moves to SIFF Cinema at the Uptown. And the best part: On February 17 at 8pm, Wenders will attend a Cinerama screening, followed by a Q&A with Spectrum Dance’s Donald Byrd. It’s the director’s first appearance in Seattle in 15 years, and sure to be mobbed with dance and film fans alike. Tickets ($30) are on sale now.

Pina (3D)
Feb 10–16, Seattle Cinerama
Feb 17, 8pm, screening and Q&A

Add a Comment »

Tags: Dance, Film, Seattle Cinerama, Oscars 2012

A Quick Guide to the Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

Catch them all at once at the Varsity, along with the five live-action nominees.

Posted by: Brian Colella on Feb 09, 2012 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”

View Slideshow » Illustration:

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”

View Slideshow » Illustration:

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”

Starting this Friday, Varsity Theatre screens the (often elusive) Oscar-nominated animated shorts in a special engagement prior to the awards ceremony on February 26. In preparation, we watched them all and picked our winners.

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg
USA, 15 minutes
A fierce windstorm—the kind begging someone to cry out “Auntie Em!”—lands Morris Lessmore and his beloved collection of books in an Oz of flying, piano-playing novels. Animated by William Joyce, formerly of Pixar and Dreamworks, this whimsical short has trademark Pixar heart and wit: “Why does the weasle [sic] go ‘pop’?” Lessmore writes in his journal. “Does it matter?”
Where else? An iPad app turns the film into an active storybook (don’t test its flight capabilities, though).

“Wild Life”
Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby
Canada, 13 minutes
This beautifully handpainted short tells the story of a remittance man—a wealthy young Englishman sent to rustic Alberta in 1909 to be a rancher—with documentary-style comments from the folks who know him. Each still deserves its own frame and a wall to hang it on.
Where else? Download it—for a small fee—from the National Film Board of Canada (Canadians can watch for free).

Runners-up:

“A Morning Stroll”
Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
UK, 7 minutes
Like one long gag, an extended “Why did the chicken cross the road?” joke, a chicken moseys down a New York sidewalk and turns heads in 1959—but can’t compete with a smartphone in 2009. It’s sharp and funny, but lacks the narrative depth of the other films.
Where else? It’s making appearances at film festivals around the world, but we don’t know when Seattle will have another chance to see it.

“Dimanche/Sunday”
Patrick Doyon
Canada, 10 minutes
First-time filmmaker Doyon tells the story of a young boy trying to entertain himself on a dreary Sunday as he is dragged to church and his grandparents’ house. Unfortunately, the film conveys his boredom a little too well with its sluggish pace. The few moments of action are, strangely, the deaths of animals—a rabbit is run over by a car, and a fish loses its head in the kitchen.
Where else? Like “Wild Life,” this one is available from the National Film Board of Canada.

“La Luna”
Enrico Casarosa
USA, 7 minutes
In Pixar’s submission, written and directed by Casarosa, a boy is taken out in a boat in the middle of the night by his father and grandfather and initiated into the family business—custodians of the moon. The underlying coming-of-age plot feels stale, which, despite a few truly clever moments, knocked it down our list; however, the film might snag a solid grip on the Academy’s heartstrings.
Where else? Attached to Pixar’s Brave, out June 22.

Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2012
Out Feb 10, Varsity Theatre

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Film, Varsity Theatre, Oscars 2012

Where to Watch Oscar-Nominated Films in Seattle

Even if we’re not Academy members, we can still enjoy a good movie binge.

Posted by: Brian Colella with Laura Dannen on Jan 25, 2012 at 12:45PM 0 Comments

Glenn Close hosts a late-night talk show on TBS plays Albert Nobbs, an Irish woman passing as a man.

The Oscar nominations are in, which means it’s time for our annual pre-award show marathon. You could spend a day catching up at a cineplex, watching back-to-back best picture nominees Hugo and War Horse, or study Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or Gary Oldman in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. But we found a few films off the beaten path.

For your consideration:

Albert Nobbs
Glenn Close played Nobbs, an Irish woman passing as a man in order to work, on stage in 1982; nearly 30 years later she stars in the film adaptation she’d been trying to make since she first auditioned for the role.
Nominated for: best actress (Close), best supporting actress (Janet McTeer), and best makeup.
See it at: Harvard Exit Theatre, starting January 27.

The Artist
Form and content both star in this (mostly) silent black-and-white about the end of the silent-film era and an actor struggling to transition, while his former costar flourishes. Aptly, one of the film’s 10 nominations is for best original score.
Nominated for: best picture, best actor (Jean Dujardin), best supporting actress (Berenice Bejo), cinematography, art direction, costume design, directing (Michel Hazanavicius), film editing, original score, original screenplay.
See it at: Harvard Exit Theatre, Majestic Bay Theatre, out now.

The Descendants
George Clooney plays a less-than-doting dad forced to re-evaluate his life as his wife lies dying, leaving him to care for their two daughters. But as much hype as there is for Clooney’s performance, we have a soft spot for Nick Krause, who steals the show as the teenage daughter’s slacker boyfriend.
Nominated for: best picture, best actor (Clooney), directing (Alexander Payne), film editing, adapted screenplay.
See it at: Landmark Guild 45th, Regal Meridian 16, out now.

The Iron Lady
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher? Yes, please. If only Helen Mirren had a cameo as the Queen Mum, this could have been a best picture nominee.
Nominated for: best actress (Meryl Streep), best makeup.
See it at: Landmark Guild 45th, out now.

My Week with Marilyn
It’s both a plum job and a terrifying opportunity to be tasked to play the blondest of bombshells, Marilyn Monroe—but Michelle Williams, recently nominated for best actress in Blue Valentine, was up to the task.
Nominated for: best actress (Williams), best supporting actor (Kenneth Brannagh).
See it at: Big Picture Redmond, Varsity Theatre, out now.

Pina
In this visually stunning documentary, director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club) pays tribute to the late German dance pioneer Pina Bausch with excerpts of her most elaborate pieces—The Rite of Spring performed on a stage covered in dirt—and company members reimaging her choreography in meadows and at factories. In German, French, and English, with English subtitles; copresented by SIFF Cinema.
Nominated for: best documentary feature.
See it at: Seattle Cinerama, February 10–16.

Oscar-Nominated Short Films
Before the Oscars air at the end of the month, Landmark Theatres offers a rare opportunity to watch nominees before the final vote is cast. Live-action and animated shorts are separated into two feature-length events.
Nominated for: best animated short (“Dimanche/Sunday,” “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” “La Luna,” “A Morning Stroll,” “Wild Life”); best live-action short: “Pentecost,”“Raju,” “The Shore,” “Time Freak,” “Tuba Atlantic”).
See it at: Varsity Theatre, starting February 10.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Film, Film Challenge, Oscars 2012