Coverage of the Bush administration’s liberal use of secret surveillance against American citizens was biggish news when it broke. Nevertheless, it seems to be a diminishing issue, perpetually subsumed by subjects more immediately pressing to the average citizen. Part of the problem may be that beyond the obvious violation of privacy, few of us have any idea what the potentially far-reaching and (really) long-term legal ramifications wiretapping and the NSA actually have on ours and future lives. more ›

THE NATIVE MASK: Of Myth & Mask, at the Steinbrueck Native Art Gallery, explores Northwest Coast mythology and the regalia used in its storytelling. The exhibit features masks by David Boxley, Corey Bulpitt, Al Charles, George David, Erich Glendale, Eugene Isaacs, Norman Jackson, James Madison, and John Wilson. We were just reading Jonathan Raban's Passage to Juneau, in which he talks about how bowdlerized Pacific Northwest myth was in its retelling by Europeans. So throw away the books and try this "art" thing out. more ›

Last night, a besuited Crispin Hellion Glover took the stage at Broadway Performance Hall with the perfunctory greeting: "Good evening. Presently, I will read to you from eight books." And he did. more ›

This Friday and Saturday, Velocity Dance Center presents its Strictly Seattle series, with a who's who of Seattle choreographers: Pat Graney, Dayna Hanson, Keith Johnson, Pablo Cornejo, Aiko Kinoshita, and Crispin Spaeth. It may also star your neighbor -- the series is the result of a three-week course where participants study with up to seven different instructors, work with a choreographer to create a new piece and then perform it publicly. (Here's the relevant Flickr set.) more ›

This week the weather's cooperating a bit more. Nothing like escaping rainy days with a film festival (except if you get stuck in a downpour while waiting in line, so pack that umbrella). Once inside you'll be golden thanks to your perusal of Seattlest picks. Trust us. Golden! more ›

MUSIC: For the nine millionth time, get your ass to Easy Street to see Aqueduct's all-ages in-store performance. more ›

Carl Hancock Rux's No Black Male Show is presented as an anti-performance. The audience is introduced to its three players as a distraught Rux announces that there will be no show tonight despite having learned their lines. The show (obviously) continues, but it provides a sense of unease for the audience, immediately drawing them in. more ›

MUSIC MOVIE: Danielson: A Family Movie follows musician/multi-media artist Daniel Smith as he endeavors to create art with his siblings and friends while also balancing his love for Jesus. Including appearances by Sufjan Stevens, Rick Moody, Daniel Johnston, and Steve Albini, tonight’s the documentary’s Seattle premiere. more ›

It's a holiday week, and people are too busy stuffing themselves with turkey and cranberry jam to talk much. Just hang on until Tuesday, when things really pick up. more ›

The Grand Illusion is screening a film on Japanese architecture tonight called Kochuu. "Kochuu, which translates as “in the jar,” refers to the Japanese tradition of constructing small, enclosed physical spaces, which create the impression of a separate universe." Plays at 7:30 and 9pm. more ›

The end is near. Soon SIFF will be but a fading memory. So if you've been putting it off, this weekend is the last chance until next year for you to get some festival action. As an added bonus, on Sunday night at the Broadway Performance Hall, there will be an encore presentation for two of the films (one short, one full-length) that end up taking home SIFF awards. If you missed 'em the first (and second) time around, be there! more ›

The final full week of SIFF is upon us. It's time to get some last few films before the sun sets on this year's fest. This week's got a couple great music events as well: Friday night, Portastatic will be on hand to perform a specially-commissioned live score accompanying circus freakshow-themed silent film The Unknown (more about that in a few days). more ›

As a wise man once said: "Ohhhh, we're half-way there / Ohhh-oh, living on a prayer." On Wednesday, SIFF officially reached the half-way mark. But it's by no means all downhill from here. There's still tons more great films to see before the fest is through. more ›

SIFF enters its second full week with a slew of great documentaries, including the final screening of fair trade coffee doc Black Gold (Tuesday, 9:30pm @ the Egyptian). The directors, Marc and Nick Francis, will be in attendance, as will Tadesse Meskela, an Ethiopian Farm Cooperative Organizer featured in the film. The SIFF screenings mark the first time the directors and subject have been together since the making of the film---and the first time Meskela has seen the film on the big screen. more ›

We were busy recommending you see Stewart Copeland speak at the Egyptian tonight before the screening of his documentary when we heard that his brother Ian died last week. Hmm, we wondered, might this recent event result in Copeland skipping his Seattle appearance? After all, the death of a loved one is a little more important than SIFF. more ›

Now that Memorial Day weekend is past us, and Folklife and Sasquatch have played their last rain-soaked notes, it's time to focus on the things that really matter: SIFF films. Just for fun, go check out the SIFF 2006 profile on Flickr. It's got a lot of great pics, including a bunch of Jessica Biel looking vacuous and a dozen photos of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. Dudes, we understand that you really like his gangster trilogy (Pusher I, II, III), and he's one of your Emerging Masters and all that, but seriously, stop slobbering his knob. A couple photos would've sufficed. more ›

This has been a busy week, at least in terms of announcements as to who's involved in things taking place sometime in the future. Seattlest breaks it down: more ›

In between obsessively checking their progress in various NCAA tournament pools, here's how Seattlest types will spend their weekends. more ›

This weekend provides two opportunities for you to make purchases from the Seattle International Film Festival Group. On Saturday (10am-1pm) in the downstairs lobby of the Broadway Performance Hall, there's the annual Holiday Sale, where you can get "movie memorabilia, picturehouse paraphenalia, and sundry SIFF swag---all for beaucoup bargains." We interpret that to mean there will be film- and SIFF-related items for cheap. New this year: movie posters for sale as gift wrap. $5 gets you a roll of five random movie posters to use as wrapping paper. First off, we think this is a great idea for a unique way to wrap your gifts, and second, if there is a God in heaven, we will end up with some posters for The Pacifier. SIFF gift wrap is only available at the Holiday Sale, so your one shot to get it is tomorrow morning. Also, there will be free cookies. more ›

The self-proclaimed “Mexican Elvis” -- El Vez -- is making yet another Seattle appearance this weekend, this time starring in the much-anticipated script reading of Vanpool. Señor Vez plays Alex Torres, a Seattle corporate drone who unexpectedly finds both personal and professional support in the diamond lane. Stranger scribe Nate Lippens and Von Piglet Sister Angie Louise are among the local talent playing his co-commuters. more ›

Strangely, there's been no announcement of The Stranger's interrogation of the City Council hopefulls planned for this evening on their site and we can only guess that they're going to say something about it in the paper version today and don't want to preempt themselves online. Seattlest has no such concern, of course. more ›

Prepare to have another of your September weekends booked up. This year's Decibel Festival website was officially released on Tuesday, coinciding with the launch of presale passes last week. For those of you unfamiliar with Decibel, it's Seattle's own electronic music festival, bringing in DJs and producers from around the world, but with special emphasis on the regional scene. more ›