PICKIN HITS: Wa-wa-whoa, there’s a whole lotta great shows taking place tonight. First, our suggestion: The Black Heart Procession at Tractor Tavern. Details on that one below. The BHP has offered subtle changes over the course of 6+ albums, but some things have remained the same - gloom, power without going aggro, and entrancing vocals. With Chelsea Wolfe, who may or may not be possessed by the eviler spirits of Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey, and with Rose Windows. Also tonight: Florence & The Machine plays WaMu Theater with beloved locals The Head & The Heart; and SF freak-folk artists Papercuts play Sunset with Yuni and Tim Cohen’s Magic Trick. Get those coins a-flippin. more ›

First there was the Jim Henson exhibit at EMP, and Seattlest’s own Tuesdays Muppet Days…we love that Seattle loves the Muppets. And now SIFF’s got a Jim Henson tribute all month for all ages, just in time for the new Muppet movie coming out. more ›

Now that you've taken a night off, are you ready to get back into the swing of things with comedy, art, and Alexander Payne? more ›

This week, keep holy the slow death of celluloid with any of these three fascinating relics of the silver screen. more ›

What, you haven't gone to the Puyallup Fair yet? Tonight's the night--trust us. Or, you can go have a scholarly conversation about important stuff over craft beer. OR you can watch a really awesome Mexican movie about old people. It's a busy night, that's for sure. more ›

This is America, and in America we like things to be oversized, bold and classic. Think glittering cityscapes packed with enormous skyscrapers and billboards. Or the Grand Canyon’s grandiose formations. Or Texas…um… just in general. Americans are suckers for all things larger than life, which is why Seattleites should rejoice about the upcoming Cinerama Big Screen 70mm Film Festival. more ›

It may be the coffee, it may be ADHD or it could just be our undeniable addiction to twitter but one thing is certain - Seattle loves its short films. MIFFF is about to burn short bursts of cinematic madness into our retinas. This short film fest will pepper you with more than 40 international films over a three day period focusing solely on action, animation, fantasy, horror, and sci-fi films. more ›

Labor Day Weekend is upon us, which means crowded campsites, hella traffic and, most importantly, Seattle’s all-encompassing arts festival, Bumbershoot. The festival has been rocking Labor Day Weekend since 1971, and it’s more popular and relevant than ever. more ›

We couldn't be more excited by the news that Queen Anne's Uptown Theater's operations will be taken over by SIFF. We had feared the building would be torn down and turned into condos like every other abandoned movie house in town. more ›

A bit of terribly exciting news for the local film community was released this afternoon. Community film center/theater/production house Northwest Film Forum just announced their new grant program, the Northwest Film Fund, which allocates funds and resources to burgeoning documentary filmmakers in the Northwest. more ›

Wednesday night music and film lovers alike shuffled into the Triple Door to experience a once in a lifetime performance. SIFF asked Damien to take part in their festival and he was immediately intrigued. They wanted him to play music to accompany a film and he agreed with one stipulation: the films he played with would be directed by the Russian-born French film maker Dimitri Kirsanoff. Like any normal eighteen year old boy, Jurado was entranced by the macabre and beautiful avant garde films Kirsanoff had created (we're just kidding, no eighteen year old boy loves those; which is what makes Damien the unique and wonderful person he is). more ›

So the weather is going to suck this weekend. To that, we say "Hallelujah!" Now there's no chance of summer-time inside-kid guilt from just wanting to stay inside darkened theaters watching movies. Or plays. Or looking at cool art. Because it's raining and cold and no one can say we "wasted this nice day staying indoors." Since Thursday marks the unofficial beginning of the weekend, a few suggestions to help fill your social calendar, avoid the drizzle and enrich your brains. more ›

Craigslist is, in one way or another, an inspiration to us all. Whether it's trolling for post-rapture loot, finding out what new restaurants are coming to town, finding an apartment or just finding a goddamn date, the listing service has slowly infiltrated its way into our daily lives, for better or for worse. The beauty of it, and the source of all its problems, is that anyone can post -- and therein lies the true phenomenon of using Craigslist to get a date. This topic is nothing new, but Seattle director Cassidy Dimon adds a local bent in a short documentary at SIFF's Seattle Stories screening tomorrow. more ›

While we were thrilled about the 4Culture news this morning, the local arts community remains in a state of mourning for the Washington State Motion Picture Competitiveness Program’s death on the House floor last night. This is like the death of a supportive, wealthy uncle who takes fledgling artists under his wing and gives them the funding and encouragement they need to thrive. Farewell, kind uncle. more ›

The 37th Seattle International Film Festival is much like a holiday delicacy with a surprise inside. This year, hidden inside the festival of over 400 films from 70 countries is a mini food film festival. more ›

The end of the Legislative Session dominates this morning's headlines -- 4Culture, pot, liquor -- but keep reading for an evacuated SIFF screening, what Tim Eyman is up to, some unhappy cops and a robbery at an Aurora Avenue KFC. more ›

On the eve of SIFF's Opening Night Gala, McCaw Hall was abuzz with excitement and beautifully dressed people. An actual red carpet greeted the VIPs, as did as a line of photographers waiting to snap their pictures. We won't lie--we loved it. more ›

"Real men eat plants," said filmmaker Rip Esselstyn at the Seattle premier of "Forks Over Knives," a documentary that's currently showing at the U. District's Landmark Varsity Theatre. more ›

Arts and lectures, history films and the Earth Liberation Front are on the calendar today. Read up before you make plans. more ›

Morgen's usually our resident audiophile, but she's got two other loves, too: photography, and Ewan McGregor. In light of his presence for SIFF, she was able to combine the two. Beautiful! more ›

Everett Rummage fails to connect with Beat Takeshi Kitano's latest gory gangster opus. 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 ›

It's that time of year again: time for the Seattle International Film Festival to kick off with its Opening Night Gala! What could make us more stoked for SIFF than we already are? A party, so we can get excited together. Of course. 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 ›

It's easy to forget how overwhelming SIFF is. But with 441 films from 74 countries, it's easy to fall into a black hole of trailers, directors and descriptions, spending hours and hours poring through that year's lineup--in some cases, even more time then you will actually spend attending the festival. We hope that these picks will help as you wade through this year's cavalcade of solid choices. more ›

Scrabble, civic meetings and Shakespeare - all on tap for your Monday enjoyment. 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 ›

Sometimes film people are obnoxious. We get it. We’re always overanalyzing character motivations and wardrobe choices. We read closely into soundtracks and editing techniques. Sometimes it’s probably really annoying to go to movies with us. But you know what? The holidays are a time to forgive and forget our many flaws and give generously to those you love. So even if you don’t quite understand who Truffaut is or why the hell he’s so “revolutionary,” now’s your chance to show that cinephile in your life that you still love and appreciate him/her, despite constant guffawing during the latest Spielberg flick. After all, his hobby could be much worse. more ›