Tonight: Movies, Christmas movies, and vegan cake + karaoke. more ›

We know everyone is all booked up with Halloween Madness but if you've got some spare time as the weekend comes to a close -- don't know what to do with it -- don't miss all that Seattle has to offer on this blustery autumn day. more ›

The Uptown Theater comes back to life tomorrow night as the projection switch is flipped and the silver screen is once again lit up with moving images. Last year, the future of the Uptown was uncertain as AMC bowed out of its 50 year lease on the long time Queen Anne movie house and left open the possibility of the historic theater being gutted and laid dormant for at least five years. Fortunately for the cinéaste in all of us, SIFF Cinema stepped in immediately and gave the Uptown a new lease on life. more ›

You may not have the vocal range or dance moves as Swedish pop star Robyn (who will be performing as part of City Arts Fest Thursday night at the Paramount) but that shouldn’t stop you from leaping out of your theater seat singing (and gyrating) along with Prince to “I Would Die 4 U” or “Jungle Love” more ›

This week in Seattle cinema offers a thought-provoking documentary on Detroit's burgeoning urban farm movement, a sweeping two-part adaptation of a Portuguese legend's literary masterwork, and a flamboyant, breathtakingly restored feat of classic musical escapism for the whole family. more ›

Get out of the house for a few, become acquainted with all the beautiful budding reds and yellows, then cram yourself into one of the following theaters before you get rained on. more ›

In less than a week, the first Seattle Design Festival will delight typography nerds, color enthusiasts and letterpress lovers, by filling the streets of Seattle with more than 30 design-centric events in just over 10 days. Phew! more ›

This week, celebrate the renewed misery of countless teenagers with these two documentaries and a (kind of) historical thriller. more ›

This weekend you have the chance to be the most human you can be by catching a screening of A Not So Still Life, a documentary about Ruffner’s world-renowned art, recovery from a near-fatal car accident and philosophy. The film premiered at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival, won the audience award for Best Documentary and will play at SIFF Cinema. 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 ›

Scandinavians are so hot right now. Stieg Larsson’s literary trilogy is blowin’ up. Robyn’s musical trilogy has been racking up awards left and right. Viggo Mortensen was in that one movie, The Road. ABBA still kicks ass. So there’s a lot to celebrate about Nordic culture. This weekend provides a fantastic chance for you to experience all the humor and passion of Scandinavian films at the Nordic Lights Film Festival, which is hosted by the Nordic Heritage Museum at SIFF Cinema. more ›

Hey guess what, guys! This weekend is Bumbershoot. Who knew?! And while most of the city is drooling over possible Bob Dylan sightings, Courtney Love breakdowns and…well the awesomeness of Neko Case, you could be that über cool, un-star struck Bumbershooter who goes for the film. That’s right. Bumbershoot is seriously reppin’ Seattle cinephiles with the 1 Reel Film Festival. more ›

If hip-hop is the new Seattle sound and grunge is the infamous Seattle soundtrack, then funk ‘n soul is the sound that Seattle forgot. Recent trends and events have sought to revive memories of fedora-laden gentlemen and high-heeled ladies. And while these dancing nights bring out the best of the city’s vintage apparel, nothing comes as close to the reality of Seattle’s 60's and 70's Soul than Wheedle’s Groove. more ›

Anyone who has seen the tornado rip across the Kansas prairie as "The Great Gig In The Sky" wails to life will tell you that it being an accident doesn't in any way make that moment any less awesome. more ›

SONICSGATE: Only two more days to catch this feature documentary film narrated by John Keister of Almost Live! fame. Sonicsgate exposes the truth behind how Seattle lost the SuperSonics. The team's 41-year run in Seattle included an NBA Championship, three Western Conference titles, six division titles, and legendary players such as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen, Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel, Jack Sikma, Freddy Brown, Slick Watts, and Spencer Haywood...just to name a few. more ›

And anyone who tells you that Seven Samurai is not a great film should be slapped until whatever hand you use for slapping stupid people is sore from dispensing slappy justice. more ›

ON THIN ICE: In less than 100 years, polar bears could be extinct. The bear is currently listed as a threatened species and global warming is shrinking their habitat. But while their population has shrunk by half in 20 years, Richard Ellis says all is not lost. He says that as the polar bears' habitat disappears, their survival depends on our willingness to take steps to ensure their protection. He was interviewed this morning on NPR's Weekday. more ›

WILD THING: Although it is time for the playoffs, we aren't referring to Mitch Williams or Charlie Sheen's character from Major League. The Wild Things is the novel version of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are,for which Dave Eggers wrote the screenplay. The Spike Jonze movie is in theaters October 16 but Eggers will be speaking about the book today. 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 ›

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 ›

MIDDLE EASTERN EXPOSURE: All the way from Kabul, ladies and gentlemen, Tamim Ansary! He's in town to talk about his book Destiny Disrupted, which is like his World According to the...well, Islamic World. Spanning the time from Mohammed to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and more, he tells a counter-narrative of cultural progress in which the rise of the West kinda, you know, sucks. The San Francisco Chronicle calls the book “an indispensable guide," while the Oregonian says it is "vivid, often wrenching." more ›

Everyone can be forgiven for having WWII movie fatigue, but this week at SIFF there's a movie that's worth the effort: Andrzej Wajda's ) more ›

more ›

Revanche opens today and runs through May 13 at SIFF Cinema, over at McCaw Hall. It's in German, with subtitles, and runs two hours, but it ends up feeling like an implanted memory, as if you grew up with the people you were watching. more ›

ELECTIONEERING: Do you make all your voting decisions based on the enthusiastic support of aging rock musicians? If so, tonight's your night, with the likes of Krist Novoselic, Dave Dederer, and Kim Thayil turning out at the Croc to support the electoral efforts of Dow Constantine to become the new King County Exec. Music will be provided, and there's a special VIP treatment if you can cough up $100 for a donation. more ›

CLASSICALLY FINE TUNED: Seattle's neighborhood-loving classical music group Simple Measure will be wrapping up their fourth chamber concert series this weekend with a melodic finale titled High Strung--the Celestial Dimension. Concerts will be held across Seattle, featuring guest artists harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and flutist Bart Feller, who will perform with the group, prompting many "This one time, at band camp..." jokes, as the evening will combine the sounds of harp, flute, cello, violin, and viola. more ›