SIFF 2015

[scarlettina]

So, after much hemming and hawing, plotting and planning, I've got my schedule figured out for the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival, one of the great annual pleasures of living in this town. As happens every year, there are far more films I want to see than I have time, money, and energy to actually take in. And as usual, figuring out what to see and what to sacrifice was a big freaking deal. In the end, my usual tastes seem to have won out: there are, in this list, a preponderance of documentaries, a couple of French films, at least one major movie that already has wide distribution--but this way, I get to see it for half the usual box office price. Unusually, I find myself with 5 spare tickets. I figure I'll use them either to share with friends or to add films to my schedule as I hear chatter about what's good and what may suit my schedule. In the meanwhile, here's the roster as it currently stands. Almost all of these films were on the programmers' pick list, so I'm feeling pretty confident about the choices. Click the links for trailers and more information.


Fri, May 15
8:30 PM
Festival 3
Ciudad Delirio
Travel! Dance! Salsa!

Wed, May 20
6:30 PM
Festival 3
Virtuosity
Documentary about a piano-playing competition

Sat, May 23
7:00 PM
Harvard Exit 1
The Passion of Augustine
French comedy about a convent and music

Sun, May 24
9:00 PM
Festival 1
Animation4Adults
Animation short film program

Mon, May 25
11:00 AM
Festival
Handmade with Love in France
Documentary about haute couture accessory makers

Wed, May 27
7:00 PM
Festival 1
The Price of Fame
French comedy based on a true story about two guys who try to ransom the corpse of Charlie Chaplin

Fri, May 29
7:00 PM
Festival 1
Mr. Holmes
Drama/mystery about the elder years of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ian McKellan. This one is due for wide release but I couldn't wait to see it.

Sat, May 30
12:00 PM
Festival
The Primary Instinct
Stephen Tobolowsky concert film

Sun, May 31
1:30 PM
Pacific Place 11
Paper Planes
Documentary about a paper airplane folding competition

5:00 PM
Festival 1
Very Semi-Serious
Documentary about the cartoonists at The New Yorker

Tue, Jun 02
7:00 PM
Festival 1
Saved From the Flames - A Trip to the Moon and Other Trips Through Time and Space
A showing of rare silent movies hosted by one of the foremost experts on the subject. This program's got a lot of good buzz about it and I'm excited to see it.

Sat, Jun 06
3:00 PM
Festival 2
In Utero
Documentay about how the prenatal experience helps shape who we are

7:00 PM
Pacific Place 11
The Great Alone
Documentary about the Iditarod

Sun, Jun 07
4:00 PM
Harvard Exit 1
The Muses of Bashevis Singer
Documentary about Isaac Bashevis Singer's Yiddish-to-English translators--all of whom were women

There are a ton of films I want to see that, for one reason or another, don't work with my schedule. I may try to find a way to fit them in anyway, including (but not limited to):

Phoenix: a post-Holocaust drama about a concentration camp survivor--already getting lots of good chatter
Beach Town: A "beach movie of the mind" directed by a former coworker of mine. Trying hard to figure out how I can see it given work hours and schedule conflicts
Slow West (which may get a limited release): A Kiwi-made historical film set in the American West
The Farewell Party: An Israeli comedy about assisted suicide
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements: A Palestinean dark comedy about being in the wrong place at the wrong time
Romeo is Bleeding: Documentary about a San Francisco poet trying to put on a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet
Morbayassa: A Guinean move about a woman trying to escape Guinea for a better life
Liza the Fox Fairy: Comedy about a woman who loves all things Japan and who may be a figure out of Japanese myth
Chatty Catties: A comedy about cats who can talk telepathically to their people; looks incredibly silly
Don't Think I've Forgotten: A documentary about Cambodian rock'n'roll nearly lost in the haze of the Vietnam war.
The Glamour & The Squalor: A documentary about a Seattle DJ who helped to put grunge on the map

There are many others; these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Too many riches, not enough time (or money). ::sigh::

Films that the programmers were excited about but that I have no desire to see: The Wolfpack (documentary that may be too grim for me), Guidance (a comedy certain to get at least a limited release), Wet Bum, Eisenstein in Guanajuato (new Peter Greenaway film that the programmers were frothing over), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (another comedy certain to get a wide release; programmers were fond of this one, too), Gemma Bovary, The Little Death, among others

Comments

[ironymaiden]

I'm still not done with my schedule, but I will see you on Friday and very likely Handmade with Love. I'll update you as I learn more.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Sounds good! Mr. Levine will be in for Friday's showing, so you'll see him, too. And Sean says he'll join me for "Saved from the Flames."

[steve98052.livejournal.com]

Here's the buzz as I've heard it (or my own opinion):

• Ciudad Delirio — The dance was great but I slept through everything else. (A friend)
• Virtuosity — Reactions seemed to depend on how much or little people like this kind of film. (Several people)
• Animation4Adults — I try to see most of the animation series; maybe I'll see you there. (Me)
• Mr. Holmes — Good but not as good as expected. (I forget who said that)
• Saved From the Flames - A Trip to the Moon and Other Trips Through Time and Space — Maybe I'll see you there. (Me)
• Utero — Thanks for pointing this out! Maybe I'll see you there. (Me)
• Phoenix — Really good in spite of one big plot hole. I saw in press, so it should return in regular release. (Me)
• Don't Think I've Forgotten — This is the top documentary on my list. (Me)
• Guidance — I walked out. (She didn't say how she hated it, but she rarely walks out.) Press screened.
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl — Several people liked it, including some I wouldn't expect to like it. It press screened, so it should be back.
• Gemma Bovary — Good, but not as good as I would expect for a film in the category of "French comedy showing at SIFF. (Me)
• Waterline — A really solid Polish police thriller that would have been even better with one less subplot. (Me) Press screened.
• Seoul Searching — I really liked this tribute to John Hughes films. (Me) The best part was the music, but why didn't they list it in the credits? (A friend) A bad knockoff of Breakfast Club. (Christopher Conrad, I think) Who bribed the programmers into taking this? (I forget who) My impression is that reactions were highly age polarized, and most of the press screening audience was older than the target audience.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips an the buzz. It'll definitely be helpful as I try to fill up those last tickets!

[steve98052.livejournal.com]

So you're on a 20 pack or something like that?