In the spirit of the Oscars, here's an old photo of the Colonial Theatre, one of Seattle's earliest photoplay theaters. more ›

For the conclusion of today's Oscar extravaganza, we asked some of Seattle’s most influential film industry folk to offer their picks and predictions for this year’s Oscars. We only asked for Best Picture, Actress, Actor and Director, but some offered alternative picks and creative reasoning as well. more ›

Today's Oscar series continues with some of the hottest places to watch Sunday’s festivities. The atrocious outfits and award-winner upsets will be much more fun with others around. Stay tuned for predictions from some local film insiders later today. more ›

This is the time of year when the rest of the world takes an interest in film as something other than mindless entertainment, so it’s no surprise that I use this as an excuse to chat about my fave topic. That’s right. The Oscars are upon us, and today's three-post series will provide you with some insight into Seattle’s connections, celebrations and predictions for the big night. more ›

Have you ever looked at past Academy Award nominees and wondered what the hell happened? This is your year! The 20/20 Awards are this weekend. The 20/20 Awards goes back 20 years and reexamines the Academy Awards with the advantage of time, perspective and history. They describe themselves as "the only honors that wait 20 years to see how the works fare under the cold, hard scrutiny of Time, and how the works have truly affected the culture at large." more ›

As you may recall, we love Mickey Rourke. Love love LOVE Mickey Rourke. We love that he's crazy (but completely self-aware in his craziness), love that he has a soft spot for his many dogs (RIP Loki), love that he cries in nearly every interview. So of course we were crestfallen when Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar last night. Sure, Sean gave a humble yet political speech (extra points for hands shaking), and we're sure our precious David was happy, but everyone at the Kodak Theatre would've lost their shit had Mickey won. more ›

We are less excited about the Oscar’s this year because of the lack of a funny host. Chris Rock (hooray), Jon Stewart (hooray), Hugh Jackman (?). Sure the guy is fricking hot, and he can sing and dance--we, however, want jokes. more ›

There's still some tix left for Wednesday night's 7:30 p.m. SIFF benefit screening of Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis--all of whom have a shot at Academy Award nominations this year. This is your chance to see John Patrick Shanley's screen version of his Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play before it hits theaters later this month. It's about the Catholic church sex scandal, as viewed through the prisms of morality, truth, fear, faith, discipline, etc. We are as excited as one can be about such things. But seriously, the movie's got Oscar written all over it. Tickets are $12 with proceeds benefiting SIFF. more ›

We have sat through some terrible Q&As, but it seems that Seattle audiences go out of their way to embarrass themselves in front of directors. Last night’s Q&A with Darren Aronofsky, following his new film The Wrestler (out in Seattle theaters January 9th), was truly cringeworthy: more ›

It seems like it was just last week that we were gushing over the Bottleneck Lounge. Oh yeah, that was just last week. Well, we're talking about them again. In honor of the Gay Superbowl, the Central District bar is hosting a party: more ›

Yes, they're overblown and sure, it's tiring to watch 4+ hours of Hollywood patting itself on the back, but it's the Academy Awards, fer fuckssake. We can't not watch Sunday's big show. From the red carpet fashion to the drawn-out musical numbers to the people-who've-died montage and the Academy's tribute to gaffers, the Oscars offer something for everyone. Plus, this year it's hosted by Jon Stewart and, though his comedy is not exactly made for Hollywood insiders, we still love that wee little funnyman. (Fact: Jon Stewart is approximately Oscar-sized.) more ›

Say what you will about Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder's politics, but the guys put together a hell of a film and soundtrack. While Penn's Into the Wild might not match its somber weight with Oscar gold, its music, care of Vedder, could score at the Grammys and Academy Awards. His song "Guaranteed" (covered below) already received a Best Song nom from the former. more ›

THEATER: 12 Minutes Max is experimental theater at On the Boards with each artist given 12 minutes or less to do their thing. The Stranger got us excited for the artists the Vis-a-Vis Society in this show, but according to the OtB website they're out sick tonight. It looks like there are still plenty of upstanding acts in good health, however. more ›

What's Seattlest doing this weekend? What isn't Seattlest doing this weekend? more ›

If the Academy Awards---now but a distant, boring memory---got you feenin’ for some short films of the animated, live action, or documentary variety, you’re in luck. The Northwest Film Forum, located on Capitol Hill between Pike and Pine, is currently showing seven of the Oscar-nominated animated and live action shorts, all in one sitting. The selection includes both winners of the short film Oscars, Ryan for best animated and Wasp for best live action. Act fast, because these films will only be showing twice a night, 7pm and 9:15pm, now through Thursday. Tickets are $8, available here. more ›

more ›