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 ›

We're always looking for the most interesting film to check out around the city each and every week. This week, we've got a celebration of the Northwest Film Forum, mystery screenings at The Grand Illusion, and the latest showing from the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. more ›

FIRE GOOD: In his new book Catching Fire, Harvard biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham argues that it's the human need to cook our food that made us so smart and strong and socially organized. Take that, raw foods movement! Additionally, we have cooking to credit/blame for the male/female division of labor, so thank your great-great-great-to the nth degree-grandmothers for subjecting women to unequal pay for equal work. Anyone with any problems with the theories above can yell at Wrangham at his reading at Town Hall tonight. 7:30 p.m. // Town Hall // 1119 8th Ave. // $5 more ›

So in contrast to the morbidly obese maw of cinematic devourings that is SIFF, we also have skinny little STIFF (Seattle's True Independent Film Festival). If you haven't poked around in their offerings, we have at least two films to note: Selfless, an "existential" thriller about a cocky young architect whose life is turned upside down by an identity thief, was shot locally--"We created a modern thriller where both Seattle and Portland are extensions of our protagonist's ego," says co-writer and producer Arnold Pander. That plays tomorrow, Sunday, at 7 p.m. at the Northwest Film Forum. Plus, ubiquitous local film guy Andy Spletzer has a short film ("Best Jewish Comedy!"), Alistair Maclean: Y'did Nefesh, in a shorts collection that shows on Wednesday, 6:15 p.m. at the Jewel Box Theater at the Rendezvous. Here's the whole STIFF schedule--the festival runs through June 14. more ›

This reminder courtesy of Seattlest's favorite Port Orchard cartoonist Pat Moriarity: more ›

Here we are at Day 16 of the Festival. If by now you're long tired of SIFF, you're in luck: STIFF starts tonight. And if you're tired of our takes on this year's festival films, check out reviews by Blue Scholars' MC Geologic. In addition to everything below, this weekend also offers the last chance to hit up two great documentaries, both of which we've previously mentioned, and both of which deserve another shout-out. Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a crowd-pleaser on the "real-life Spinal Tap" (today, 4:30pm @ SIFF Cinema). Meanwhile, Man on Wire, an unexpectedly moving doc about the French tightrope walker (and his friends) who conquered the WTC's Twin Towers, is the best thing we've seen at the fest so far (tomorrow, 11am @ the Egyptian). more ›