Only five days until Christmas; you're either all set with your holiday shopping and on to planning for the actual day, or you're running around like mad trying to get everything done. In any scenario, doesn't taking a little break from the madness seem called for? There's plenty of time for stressing later in the week; do something else for a change. more ›

Lurid camp at the Central Cinema, Peter Gabriel in 3D and the Thievery Corporation playing at The Moore Theater; this Monday is pretty awesome, get out and enjoy it. more ›

The opening ceremonies have come and gone, and between the films and the parties, SIFF has shown us a great time this weekend. But it's time to get down to business. Today marks the start of the first full week of the festival, so I hope you've done your stretches. This is what we're looking forward to in the coming week. more ›

Remember the selfish grumbling in those SIFF picks about how badly I wanted to see a trailer for Miranda July's The Future? Well, it's here! It's finally here! more ›

Also included is the story from Toto’s perspective: "It was stormy, then she fell asleep, then she woke up," and Glinda’s explanation of why she didn’t tell Dorothy in the first place that all she had to do to get home was click her heels together a few times. more ›

The end is in sight. 22 days down, and just 3 remain for SIFF this year, so it's time to take look at films showing this final festival weekend. 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. 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: more ›

FIND OUT ABOUT FOUND: We've been big fans of the magazine FOUND for a couple years now, so when we heard that main Found(ers) Davy and Peter Rothbart were coming back again this year on tour, we were pretty damn excited. Touring to help celebrate the release of their brand new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, the Rothbart brothers will be featuring the latest found stories that have made their way into the FOUND headquarters mailbox, along with found stories from celeb contributors to the book such as Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, and David Simon--who we're extra curious to see if his found business is anything Wire-like or not. Peter will also be on-hand to sing "breathtaking" (their words not ours) songs from the latest FOUND notes, and they hint at possible surprise guests. 8 p.m. // The Crocodile, 2200 2nd Avenue // Tickets: $5 at the door, 21+ more ›

SIFF's final week is underway--it all wraps up Sunday--so here's a glimpse at some of the films coming up this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 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. Here's what we've highlighted from the SIFF catalogue: more ›

2 weeks down, and just a little over 1 to go, so it's time to take another look at upcoming SIFF films. There's a few more days of movies on the Eastside (including a free screening tomorrow night of closing night film OSS117: Cairo, Nest of Spies under the stars at Juanita Beach Park), and SIFF heads to West Seattle this weekend. 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. 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: more ›

Has it been a week already? SIFF is in full effect, so it's time to take another look at upcoming films. If you're looking for even more opinions on the films that are showing during the fest, check out the Northwest Film Forum's picks, or the picks of some SIFF programmers themselves. 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. more ›

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! more ›

Last week we noticed that chi-chi children's clothier Flora and Henry had closed their storefront on Pine to focus on online sales. Today we walked past an unilluminated Illuminations store in Pacific Place, which had a clearance sale followed by a "Two Hours Left! Everything Free!" smash 'n' grab over the weekend. Who will be next? Because there will be next. We'll be posting about last night's Paul Krugman talk at Town Hall later on, where he predicted a "pretty ugly several years" ahead of us, and not just for upscale retailers. [UPDATE: Aha! The Napa Auto Parts store at Westlake and Harrison has closed. That's about as far from upscale as you get. We were told auto repair would be a bright spot in this economy, since people aren't buying new cars. What gives?] more ›

Down at Pacific Place, just about every store has been visited by the "Two for One" fairy, which is upmarket speak for 50-percent-off, a phrasing that smells of downmarket desperation. That would never do for Seattle's internet jewelers Blue Nile, so they're offering a Bill Me Later Plan (a six-month, no-interest loan) for purchases of over $500 (h/t to TechFlash); the only issue there is whether the relationship will outlast the six months. Once we're well past keeping up appearances, then we'll probably turn to the holiday season's new savior: layaway plans. MSNBC says layaway can turn your red ink into the new black; KMart, TJ Maxx Corp., Goody’s Family Clothing Inc., Marshalls Inc., and Burlington Coat Factory Direct are reportedly jumping on the installment bandwagon. more ›

We were downtown at Pacific Place for lunch (salmon chowder). It was a little less peopled--a quiet Monday--but what was a little odd was how subdued everyone was, like queasy rollercoaster riders. No one was laughing. No one was regaling buddies with a loud, "What I did last weekend" story or arguing sports. They spoke softly. Out on the street, a single unbalanced woman was screaming at no one in particular: "Fuck you, fuck all of you!" The traffic was quiet. There was a single horn as a driver tried to drive straight through a green left-turn signal. Way across the country, the Dow closed below 10,000, at 9,955. more ›

You’ve got free passes for the blockbuster-to-be that’s previewing at Pacific Place. The movie starts at 7:00, but there’s sure to be an overflow crowd, which means the line will start snaking its way around the top floor of the mall well before 6:30. You need to stay close. Yet your stomach is growling, though there’s no time for a full meal; besides, you’re on a budget. (Todai is too much on both accounts.) What to do? more ›

The end is near! You're running out of chances to stand in line for a SIFF film, so if you haven't yet, get on it. Things wrap up this weekend. In the meantime, here's the rundown on our picks for today through Thursday. It's quite a week. For all SIFF screenings, the general/member ticket prices are $11/$9 (and matinees $8/$7), except for gala screenings and other special events, which cost more. more ›

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 cost more. The opening weekend's lineup is really solid--kinda a shame, considering everyone's out of town for Memorial Day (including us). more ›

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Er, not quite. There is an actual, physical monster in Cloverfield, and unlike the no-see-em trailer, the film eventually shows it in all its gruesome glory (and no, it ain't Stay Puft). Opening Friday, J.J. Abrams' camcorder monster movie (which some describe as "Godzilla meets the Blair Witch") covers a terrible day for all of Manhattan and, in particular, for a group of New Yorkers throwing a bon voyage party for one of their friends. Ruh-roh! more ›

Twentysomething girl, to her companions: more ›

We're working in a building next to Westlake Center, and just heard about a bajillion emergency vehicles go by. Looking out the window, they're all Fire Dept cars and trucks, and smoke seems to be coming from a construction site next to Pacific Place. Not that horrific billowing clouds of black kind of smoke, but disturbing nonetheless. There must be at least 12 emergency vehicles blocking the street. Anyone in the area know what is going on? (Word to the wise: don't take Lenora Olive home if you work downtown...) more ›

Our new workout regimen involves coasting down Pine to downtown, eating lunch, and bicycling back up to the Hill. If it works, we'll call it the 7-Minute Miracle! (Actually, even if it doesn't.) Often we pull up in front of Pacific Place, where there are four or more bike racks -- the kind of convenience we'd never noticed until we got pedals of our own. Today we were headed to the Nordstrom's Grill (the old boys' club in the basement of Nordstrom's, with a top-notch blackened salmon Caesar salad) and we biked the length of Pine in front and came up bike rack-less. So we peeked around the west side. Nuthin'. Honestly, not one? We biked back up to Pacific Place, past the Greenpeace sidewalk guys ("Aw, biker dude! You're savin' the planet, dude! Way to go!") and tied up at a hitching post there. We're still puzzled -- not that Nordstrom's has tons of people piling in on bikes, but that they're not making an effort to gladden their ecotopian customers' hearts with Nordstrom-brand bike racks out front. That's the Nordstrom touch. Maybe they're all on the north side, like moss? Or are bike racks just too pleb? more ›

It's SIFF's last bleary-eyed, numb-assed, popcorn-butter-fingered weekend, so if you haven't stopped in for some film-festy fun, you gotta act fast. We held Audrey upside-down and shook her until she gave us some selections -- no, no, you deserve the best. There's no telling how far we'd go to make you happy. more ›

Sniff sniff, single tear. It's the last full week of SIFF, so you're well approaching your last chance till next year to take in some of that sweet filmy goodness. SIFF's not just movies; this week offers both the Opticlash 2 VJ battle at the CHAC and the Face the Music party at Neumo's, the latter of which includes performances by Viva Voce, Jesse Sykes, and Siberian. Tickets for both are going fast! more ›

We are, in fact, over half-way there, and yet we continue to live on a prayer--a prayer that the latter half of SIFF contains nearly as many fine films as what's been shown thus far. 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: more ›

Memorial Day weekend is finally behind us, so it's time to settle into SIFF. Yes, it's absolutely lovely outside, but Seattleites can only handle so much sun. Get away from all that UVA/UVB exposure and spend your time in the theaters' comfortable darkness. more ›

Now that the opening gala has kicked off SIFF all proper-like, it's time to join the orgy of cinema for the next 25 days. For all film screenings, the general/member ticket prices are $10/$8 (and matinees $7/$5), except for gala screenings, which are $25/$23, and the closing night film event, which is $40/$35. more ›

Oh, that Freddy Quimby. How did people title posts before the Simpsons? more ›

Times are good for folks with new Italian restaurants (Sorrentino, Tavolata, Barolo, La Spiga, Bèato): lively, fiercely independent, stamped with the vibrant personalities of their owners. And then there's the local outpost of Il Fornaio at Pacific Place, a chain that's been around for years, putting its own stamp on regional Italian cuisine with a monthly "culinary festivals." more ›

Why does the legislature want to require students to be able to read and write before they graduate high school? more ›