Ah, those crazy Frenchies, at it again. This time, they're going to pull off a robbery. The gang that couldn't shoot straight, but with accents, The Band of Outsiders. The cute gal is Anna Karina, her boyfriends are Claude Brasseur and Sami Frey, and the director is the embodiment of French cinema's nouvelle vague, Jean-Luc Godard. more ›

One film you won't find on 2007's best-of lists is the first movie we caught on Saturday night, Nothing is Private, the debut feature from American Beauty-scribe/Six Feet Under-creator Alan Ball. It's not that his adaption of Alicia Erian's semi-autobiographical novel Towelhead--the coming-of-age story of a seriously messed-up thirteen-year-old girl living with her strict Lebanese father in early 90s suburban Texas -- is bad, just fundamentally flawed. We just didn't buy that an adolescent so used by nearly every person in her life would be so relatively undamaged, though we did appreciate Ball's restraint in not further abusing a victim via exploitative camerawork. Issues of post-traumatic stress disorder aside, big ups to the ensemble cast, including a hugely pregnant Toni Collette, a seriously conflicted army reservist/creepy racist Aaron Eckhart, and dynamic newcomer Summer Bishil as the young girl at the heart of this darkly comic, occasionally absurdist tale.
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N.P. Thompson went to SIFF, and we all benefit now that he's written about the best and worst films of the festival -- and launched a few broadsides at SIFF and select members of its audience:

The 33rd Seattle International Film Festival ended two weeks ago; it’s taken me this long to gain enough distance to sort and sift through all I might conceivably have to say on the subject. Even so, the movies under discussion here represent only a small fraction of what I took in. There were several screenings I walked out on, a few more I considered walking out on, and perhaps a baker's dozen of screener discs I couldn’t eject quickly enough. This year, as in other years, festival officials emphasized the sheer quantity of it all: 25 days, 600 screenings, X-number of North American premieres. They take this approach, because qualitatively, especially this time, there was almost nothing to point to. Which isn’t to say that weren’t some good films, but that they were in short supply.

At long last, after months and months of announcements and press releases, it's finally time to kick off the 33rd annual Seattle International Film Festival. Tonight's the opening gala event (7pm), held for the first time at SIFF's swanky new digs at McCaw Hall. This year's opening night film--Son of Rambow--much like last year's, falls somewhere in between previous year's selections, including the mawkish abomination that is The Notebook and the precious artsy genius of Me and You and Everyone We Know. Rambow won't be out in U.S. theaters until 2008, so this screening is way early, offering you the ability come next year to sigh and say to your lesser-connected friends, "Son of Rambow? Oh, I saw that last spring." more ›

National film festival correspondent Kyle Anderson on Seattle's other one more ›

The Seattle International Film Festival starts May 24. All 405 films. Tickets are on sale to members right now; hoi polloi, this Sunday. New this year is that if you buy a multi-ticket package, you can then order tickets online to the specific films you want to see. That is thanks to POP, who do SIFF's website. more ›

It looks like the Seattle International Film Festival is going to pull back a bit from its traditional venues around town and get its very own digs at the Seattle Center. McCaw Hall is being turned into "the best screening facility in the Northwest and one of the top facilities on the West Coast." more ›

Even though we are way way past school age, we still get a little melancholy at the close of summer. Fortunately, our friends across the -ist network know that the shenanigans don't need to end just because the big yellow buses are back on the roads. So, grab your sunscreen and your favorite hangover cure, as we take a tour of end of summer fun from -ist cities all over the damn place. more ›

If it weren't for our life as an -ist, we're not sure we'd ever leave our apartment. Fortunately, to fully -ist, one must seek out the new, the fresh, and the unknown. Brand new, or just new to us, that's what we're all about this week. more ›

25 days, over 160,000 attendees, 198 narrative films, 60 documentaries, 15 archival films, 4 mystery screenings, and 141 shorts later, the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival is finally over. Seattlest, for one, is relieved. Don't get us wrong: we love the festival life. But after nearly a month of showing up early to films, saving seats for friends, and contending with irascible movie-goers, we are ready for a break from the cinema. See you next year, SIFF! 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 ›

The 32nd annual Seattle International Film Festival kicks things off this evening with their opening night film at the Paramount and associated party at the new MOHAI space (the erstwhile interim Central Library at 8th & Pike). Wanna go as a VIP? Sorry, that's sold out. Already have a ticket and just want a VIP upgrade so you can get valet parking and reserved seating? You're SOL, 'cause that's sold out too. However, tickets are still available for the screening and gala, if you're willing to pay $50 ($40 for SIFF members) for some hors d'oeuvres and a so-so film. more ›

About three hours before the quiz started at the Old Pequliar last night, we realized we'd written a really difficult slate of questions. Congrats to the winners, who earned their cash. We'll let you know next time we're hosting -- Charley, the regular quiz guy, should be fully operational again by next week. more ›

We believe that the children are our future. FutureWave, that is. 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 ›

Werner Herzog and David Cronenberg---the names alone are enough to make a crowd of film fanatics gasp. That's exactly why local den of cinema-geekery Seattle International Film Festival Group is spotlighting each filmmaker's work with screenings next week at the Seattle Art Museum; first Herzog and then Cronenberg. more ›

Twenty-five days and 348 films later, the 31st Annual Seattle International Film Festival came to a close yesterday. This was a big SIFF---over 150 actors/filmmakers were brought to town for the fest (we do so love the Q&A), and organizers are reporting an approximate 5% increase in ticket sales from 2004's record year. Additionally, Sunday's live movie poster auction raised nearly $7000 for the SIFF Group. more ›

Here we are in the home stretch of the 31st annual Seattle International Film Festival. If you haven't seen a great foreign film/documentary/indie flick, or at least an advertisement featuring aspects thereof, you only have till this Sunday to do so. Between now and then, some festival films of note (and in a nutshell) include: more ›

It's difficult enough to make a film that entertains people once. It's almost impossible to make a film -- even a short one -- that stands up to thirty or forty viewings over three and a half weeks. So Seattlest congratulates local ad agency Wongdoody for producing the most entertaining promotional trailers we've seen at the Seattle International Film Festival. more ›

Well the Seattle International Film Festival continues and Seattlest is busy trying to get in some good flicks. more ›

Alright, first things first: The 31st annual Seattle International Film Festival is nearly upon us. Opening night is May 19th, and SIFF runs for nearly a month after that. During that time, more than 230 feature-length films will screen, including a whole bunch of goodies which have already won awards at Sundance and other film fests. The box office opens today for SIFF members, but the general public (i.e., the commoners) will have to wait to get their seats until May 8th. Ticket prices range from $5 for 2pm weekday matinees to $10 for regular screenings, though you can pony up $150 for VIP tix to the Opening Night Gala. Check out the full catalog and schedule here. more ›