SIFF 2014: 40th Anniversary Special Presentation of The Whole Wide World–Saturday, June 7 — Anniversary Post

My last anniversary post from 2014 is bittersweet. Seeing The Whole Wide World on 35mm (at a time when 35mm was getting rarer and rarer) is one of my fondest memories from any of the festivals, and yet just two years later, SIFF would be mourning the loss of the film's director (and SIFF co-founder), …

SIFF 2014: Silent Movie Sunday (with Sosin)–May 23 — Anniversary Post

One of the great things about film festivals is not just all the new films you can see, but also all the old ones. In the case of silent films, they're often shown with new scores performed live. Though it's more often the case that a new film you see at a festival will never …

SIFF 2014: Press Launch and Week One of Press Screenings — Anniversary Post

SIFF 2014 was the first year I applied for and received a press pass. Nowadays, the press launch is squeezed together with Donor Night, but back then, it was a separate event, took place in the afternoon, and occurred at the Uptown, rather than the Egyptian. To help with my reporting, I replaced my point-and-shoot …

Jimi: All Is By My Side (John Ridley, 118 mins, United Kingdom/Ireland 2013)

Jimi: All Is By My Side tells a fascinating story with interesting people, but somewhere along the way, the makers of this film forgot to add any energy to their finished product.  It begins at the Savoy Theatre, where Hendrix is about to go out and perform, before the film flashes back to a nightclub in …

Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 164 mins, USA, 2014)

Boyhood may be director Richard Linklater's best film.  It's certainly his most ambitious, shot over 12 years using the same principle actors to cover a 12-year-period in the main character's life. That main character is Mason, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane).  He lives with his mother Olivia ( Patricia Arquette) and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater).   …

SIFF 2014: Closing Night Gala, Final Thoughts, and Thanks

Closing Night Gala--Sunday, June 8 Like last year, the Closing Night Gala was held at the MOHAI.  Unlike last year, I had to work, but my shift ended early enough that I got to the museum in plenty of time.  It helped that I got a ride there from one of my friends (a different …

Lucky Them (Megan Griffiths, 96 mins, USA 2013)

Two years ago, Megan Griffiths wrote and directed Eden, a film that deals with human trafficking in America.  Now she had directed a comedy, using a script written by Emily Wachtel and Huck Botko (from an original idea by Caroline Sherman).  While I admired the first film, I find myself loving the second. It starts 10 years ago, …

SIFF 2014: Week Three Wrap-Up

Sunday, June 1 Me, Myself, and Mum (Guillaume Gallienne, 95 mins, Belgium/France/Spain 2013) Guillaume Gallienne plays both himself and his mother in this film about his upbringing...as a girl.  When he finds out he has to be gay to like boys, he sets out to discover whether he is gay or straight.  The film switches …

SIFF 2014: 40th Anniversary Special Presentation of The Whole Wide World–Saturday, June 7

The first Seattle International Film Festival began on May 14, 1976, at the Moore Egyptian Theatre and ended on May 31 (there was no 13th Seattle International Film Festival, which is why this year is the 40th Seattle International Film Festival).  Dan Ireland and Darryl Macdonald (which I've also seen spelled MacDonald) started the festival …

SIFF 2014: Quincy Jones, Part 3/3–An Evening with the Justin Kauflin Trio

Thursday, June 5 Before Thursday's concert, I had never been to the Triple Door.  If you have the money, it's a beautiful venue, though watching a show there and eating dinner will put you back $60 or more. I got there early and saw Justin Kauflin enter the building, along with Candy, his guide dog, and …