I would like to take this moment to announce that I think SIFF purchasing the Uptown Cinemas and rescuing them from languishing in certain doom is the best thing that they have ever done, ever. EVER. 

Okay, now that I have that out of the way - let's get to the good stuff. The Uptown is having its Grand Reopening this week! Starting Thursday, 10/20, there will be a serious of Sing-Alongs (Hedwig, Purple Rain, and Grease) as part of the Heineken City Arts Fest, and then they're gonna show a whole bunch of awesomeness -- officially known as Uptown Cinema Classics -- starting on 10/23.

You can view the full schedule here, but the films I'm most excited about are West Side Story, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Royal Tennebaums, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, LA Confidential, and The Godfather. They'll also be rounding out the week with Bob & the Monster (which we heartily recommend you get tix to!). Even better: all these films are only $5 - OR FREE with a same-day receipt from any Queen Anne area business. omg. what. 

Anyone up for drinks at The Mecca followed by a film? 

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There's a ton of stuff hitting local theaters this weekend, but I wanted to call your attention to a smaller release that's worthy of your hard-earned dollars. Namely, Silent Souls at SIFF Cinema (note: this is the NEW SIFF Cinema, at the Film Center, not the one located in McCaw Hall).

This Russian story of love, loss, and friendship screened earlier this year during the Festival, but I missed it. If you did too, here's a second chance to watch a stunningly beautiful film with strong performances. In a nutshell: two best friends go on a journey to lovingly dispose one of their wive's remains -- apparently a common occurence in the town they're from. What follows is a striking, heartfelt film dotted with bright, and at times surreal, imagery. Overall it's a great (and thoughtful) way to spend 75 minutes of your time.

Silent Souls starts screening tonight, 10/14, and runs through 10/20. $10 general admisson | $5 for SIFF Members 

{Best of SIFF 2011 screenings take place June 17-19 at SIFF Cinema.}

You may have noticed we've hushed up about SIFF these last couple of days. That's because SIFF 2011 is a thing of the past. Did you miss out, despite our daily urgings to see this Alaskan crime thriller or that Spanish period drama? Are you kicking yourself for foregoing Seattle's month-long megalomaniac cinemathon yet again?

Well, you have a few chances for redemption. That's right, just when you thought it was safe to go back to Seattle Center, an action-packed three-day Best of SIFF 2011 program invades SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall this weekend (6/17 - 6/19), and will feature a mix of (mostly very deservingly-honored) Jury Award winners, Golden Space Needle Audience Award winners and fest favorites. So, you can partake of films you missed the first time 'round (shame on you) or revisit your SIFF favorites one more time (on the big screen instead of Netflix).

The full lineup, along with the intrepid TIG SIFF team's takes on the selections we reviewed, after the jump.

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Well, it's OVER once again! SIFF 2011 was a whirlwind of great films, Q&As, gabbing with other film nerds, happy hours, and parties. I'm sad it's over, but like most SIFF fans, I probably need a break before it starts all over again next year. In total, I saw 26 films (which honestly pales in comparison to say, Imaginary Rich, who is probably somewhere near 80), but there was so much goodness that I was able to pick ten favorites.

Watch for these to get locally-released, on demanded, or DVDd: 

A Cat in Paris: An awesome kitty cat named Dino lives a double life on the rooftops of Paris traveling between two houses: one, a police officer and her daughter, and other a crafty cat burglar. Beautiful animation, a swingy retro jazz soundtrack, and a funny/moving story. LOVED, loved, loved this.

Beginners: (this one is playing right NOW at The Harvard Exit!) Both quirky romance and a love letter to family, this one manages to be touching without being cloying. McGregor, Laurent, and Plummer all rock it - and the dog adds just the right touch of cute. 

Late Autumn: A woman let out of prison for 48 hours to attend her mother's funeral and a gigolo who's on the run from a customer's angry husband connect when they run into each on the bus. Depressing? Sure. But lovely all the same, plus lots of great Seattle scenery.

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I have to admit I was skeptical about this based on the description as it could have easily been cheesy and cliche, but Poupouidou (Nobody Else but You) turned out to be an atmospheric French thriller with some pretty fantastic performances.

Detective novelist David Roussea (Jean-Paul Rove) travels to the snowy town of Mouthe for a will reading when the murder of local cheese model/weather girl Candice Lecouer sparks an idea for his next book. It seems Candice believed she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe (and her path to fame and death certainly mimics the tragic star's own story).

While reading Lecouer's diaries, Roussea starts to fall for her and becomes determined to solve her murder - which proves problematic when the killer starts targeting him as well. Beautiful scenery, and I'm not gonna lie - a beautiful actress (Sophie Quinton is fantastic) - completely suck you into this film, and even though you think you know where the story's going, you're in for a few surprises.

{Poupoupidou screens at SIFF one more time, Sunday 6/12, 1:30pm at the Neptune}

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Ghost stories with legitimate scares are hard to come by - but this one definitely does it up right. The Village of Shadows starts out by telling a story within a story as two carloads of friends are headed towards a secluded town called Ruiflec for a nice, relaxing vacation-- until they get there and discover it's totally abandoned and CREEPY AS HELL.

The film jumps right into the action when one group discovers the other's empty car in the middle of the road, doors open, and covered in mud. As if that weren't disturbing enough, the vacation house is a depressing pit of despair and a haven for spirits that seem to possess the power to kill. Ohheygreat.

With overtones of both El Orphanato and The Devil's Backbone, plus a ghosty kid that rivals both Sadako from Ringu and that creeptastic dead boy from Ju-on, this French/German horror flick has got it goin' on. Nice atmosphere, and nice job with the twists - not to mention some seriously scary protagonists (the makeup and wigs from the flashbacks will haunt me FOREVER). Go see it!

{The Village of Shadows screens at SIFF on Saturday, 6/11, midnight at The Egyptian, and again on Sunday, 6/12, 9:15pm at The Neptune}

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I always feel like the festival has gone by too fast, but this year's closing weekend snuck up on me! Holycrap, you guys. The 37th Seattle International Film Festival wraps up this Sunday night, with the Closing Night Gala, and a screening of Life in a Day at the Cinerama - which consists of clips from over 300 home videos all filmed on a single day: July 24, 2010. I know I'm psyched for this (and bringing a box of tissues!), and Embracey liked it, so you should get a ticket and go!

Your $40 admission price ($35 for SIFF members) also gets you in to the after-party at the Pan-Pacific Hotel, which is honestly the best way to close out the fest. There will be drinks (2 complementary), food, laughter, tons of nerdy cinephile conversation - and oh yes, there will be dancing. Come celebrate with other SIFF-goers, staff, and TIG!

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{Holy Rollers is screening at SIFF Saturday, 6/11, 6pm at the Admiral - which is on standby, so be prepared to wait in line if you don't have tix yet! - and again on Sunday, 6/12, 3:30pm at SIFF Cinema}

Thus far, I'd been blissfully unaware of this young, hipster group of Christians who do things like start their own churches so their band can play hymns, drink frothy microbrews and whiskey, and bankroll their lives by hooking up with two other hip young Christian dudes who started a card counting business. But - no more. After watching Holy Rollers, I sadly (SADLY) know way too much about these guys.

That photo above is of Ben, the co-founder of "Chuchteam" (the nickname given to their blackjack business since almost all the players are Christians), and I feel like it pretty accurately portrays what you're in for when you sit down to watch this film. But that's okay - you don't have to like these guys (in fact, if you're similar to me and Embracey, you'll loathe them), because watching them do what they do is still pretty damn fascinating.

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Well, here we are in the final three days of SIFF 2011, and while I've kept you current on any hits, misses, and in-betweens I've been able to experience for myself, a few additional closing-weekend must-sees have come to my attention since my latest post. For the major procrastinators (you now have no excuse), for those who've been dutifully SIFFing all along (not a stinker in this bunch, pinkie-swear!), and for those somewhere in between, my thumbs are enthusiastically up on ten strong festival-ending offerings:

12 Angry Lebanese: The Documentary
{screens June 12, 7pm at the Harvard Exit}
Heartfelt (and funny!) documentary about the infamous Roumeih penitentiary and Lebanon's first prison-based drama project there. Over a 1.5-year period, 45 inmates prepped and presented an awesome-looking variety show version of Reginald Rose's 12 Angry Men, with some added original dances, monologues and songs (created by the participants) highlighting the play's themes of forgiveness, stigma, and hope. Program director Zeina Daccache, a remarkable individual with seemingly boundless energy and patience, achieved something amazing with the project; 12 Angry Lebanese brings it to the world. One of the best documentaries I've seen all year.

Funkytown
{US Premiere. Screens June 10, 9:30pm and June 12, 3:30pm at Pacific Place}
Glittery, soapy, bi-lingual disco trash set in swingin' late-'70s Montréal. The adventures and misadventures of eight characters, all linked to a ridiculously hip nightclub called The Starlight, include some familiar Studio 54-ish elements, from sex (cheating TV star in a downward spiral, hot guy on the downlow before "on the downlow" was coined) to drugs (the shit was good back then) to general corruption (a dirty club owner moonlighting as a sleazy record producer pulls a high-camp Milli Vanilli).

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Holy trainwreck, Batman. Roadie introduces us to 40-something Jimmy Testagross (Ron Eldard, who acts his ass off here), who's spent the last 26 years of his life being a hardcore roadie for 70s rock group Blue Oyster Cult. Yes, you read that right. TWENTY SIX years of being a roadie. He claims he's doing "what he loves", but once he's fired and forced to return home to Queens, you get the sense that he's fading every time he has to say that out loud. To complicate things, he discovers his high school nemisis is now married to the (still completely gorgeous, DUH) girl he left behind to embark on his wild rock-and-roll life...or something - plus, his mom is old, alone, and clearly not doing so well all by herself.

With every lie Jimmy tells to convince himself that he escaped a mundane life being "stuck" in his old neighborhood for glory and fame (dude, you're a roadie), you can see him crumbling - and it's not long before he completely disintegrates. This might seem like a typical "grow the fuck up" film, but what elevates it beyond the ordinary are the performances. Eldard does some of his best work here, with Lois Smith as his mom, Bobby Cannavale as his annoying taunter (we all know that guy - the one who made your life miserable in high school, and now acts like you were BEST FRIENDS), and Jill Hennessy as the smoldering ex doing a more than fine job of supporting him. Overall, this is just a great, well-written character piece. I dig. Maybe you will too?

{Roadie screens at SIFF on Thursday, 6/9, 9:30pm, and again on Saturday, 6/11, 4pm at the Harvard Exit}

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