For Your Consideration: Opening Weekend at SIFF
Now that SIFF is officially kicked off, it's time to look ahead at the films coming up in the next month. For all film screenings, the general/member ticket prices are $11/$9 (and matinees $8/$7), except for gala screenings and other special events, which of course cost more. The opening weekend's lineup features a lot of great films, so if you're not out of town for the holiday, this is the time to hit up some movies!
Seattlest applies our well-honed knowledge of all things cinema to the SIFF catalogue in order to point out some notable films playing this weekend:
· Summer Hours French auteur Olivier Assayas has crafted a moving portrayal of extended family life (and death). (tonight, 4:30 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema; Sunday, 6:30 p.m. @ the Uptown)
· The Yes Men Fix the World Political pranksters The Yes Men are back, and in their second documentary, they're taking on climate change. (tonight, 7 p.m. @ the Neptune; tomorrow, 11 a.m. @ the Neptune)
· Trimpin: The Sound of Invention This documentary explores the world of the musician and artist (see: his towering sculpture of guitars at the EMP). The Renaissance man himself will be on hand at both screenings, and Saturday there's a panel discussion of the film as well as an after-party at the Lawrimore Project.
(tonight, 7 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema; tomorrow, 1:30 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema)
· FILM IST. A Girl & a Gun Since all you need for a movie is a girl and a gun, experimental director Gustav Deutsch looks at the battle of the sexes over five acts (Genesis, Paradeisos, Eros, Thanatos, and Symposion). Helloooo, archival pornography! (tonight, 7 p.m. @ NWFF; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. @ NWFF)
· Beket Absurdist Italian film (yes, redundant) loosely based on Waiting for Godot (even redundanter). (tonight, 9 p.m. @ NWFF; Saturday, 7 p.m. @ NWFF)
· Departures This Japanese drama surprised everyone by picking up this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Yojiro Takita's meditative film looks at one man's experience with grief while he works a taboo job with morticians to help prepare bodies for cremation or burial. (tonight, 9:30 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema; Sunday, 2 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema)
· Morris: A Life with Bells On This Christopher Guest-style mockumentary follows the ins and outs of a morris dance troupe, known for their bells and scarves. Looks to be cringeworthy fun. (Saturday, 11 a.m. @ SIFF Cinema; Sunday, 7 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema)
· The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle This locally made film by writer/director David Russo features a drug-fueled janitorial force, addictive cookies, and a couple miraculous births. It also features music by "Awesome" and brief appearances by John Osebold and Sean Nelson. Swoon! (Saturday, 4 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. @ the Egyptian)
The rest of the weekend after the jump.
· Sunset Boulevard This is a great weekend for the archival presentations program. Not only is this Billy Wilder classic showing, but there's also The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodsworth, and The Third Man. (tomorrow, 1:30 p.m. @ the Harvard Exit)
· Tulpan This Kazakh movie doesn't have Borat, but it does have a young man and his camel! (tomorrow, 4 p.m. @ Pacific Place; Sunday, 6:45 p.m. @ Pacific Place)
· Paper Heart Actress Charlyne Yi goes looking for love in this somewhat scripted "documentary" featuring her real-life boyfriend, our precious Michael Cera. (tomorrow, 7 p.m. @ the Uptown; Sunday, 4 p.m. @ the Uptown)
· We Live in Public This one's a real documentary, about a performance piece years ago in NYC where people living in a loft for thirty days became an art exhibit. Dot-com millionaire Josh Harris conducted this social experiment before the millienium, in which over a hundred people took part, living under 24-hour surveillance. The film is directed by Ondi Timoner, the same woman who made DIG!, so she knows her way around a stressful subject. (tomorrow, 7 p.m. @ the Neptune; Monday, 11 a.m. @ the Egyptian)
· Bluebeard Controversial French director Catherine Breillat's latest film, an adaptation of the fairy tale of the same name. But with Breillat at the helm, the film is guaranteed to be even more twisted and graphic than the source material. (Sunday, 1:30 p.m. @ the Egyptian; Wednesday, 9:15 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema)
· The Cove Louie Psihoyos' documentary follows dolphin activist Richard O’Barry, who aims to get captive dolphins released into the wild, where they can do more than just jump through hoops. (Sunday, 3:45 p.m. @ the Egyptian; Monday, 6:30 p.m. @ the Neptune)
