SIFF is wrapping up this weekend and there are only a few more days before it’s all done. Eight films are in the Documentary Competition and I’ve seen them all.
Author: Chris Burlingame
Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise goes out with a bang in its Final Reckoning
Two years ago, upon the release of the first half of the finale, I asked this question: “Is there a long-running blockbuster movie franchise that is more dependably good than the Mission: Impossible films with Tom Cruise?” I answered probably not then and still believe that to be true.
SIFF 2025 Notebook: Some weird features
SIFF prides itself on its selection of offbeat films and for that, I am thankful. Man cannot subsist on documentaries about indigenous water rights and unfairness in the Mexican penal system alone. I don’t know if these are going to be the weirdest movies at SIFF (Fucktoys and Spermageddon issue some promises in their respective titles I expect them to deliver on), these are some of the notable, uhh, unique offerings so far.
SIFF ‘n Stitch at the Uptown this Sunday
People who know me IRL (mostly) know that I’m a cross stitcher. I spend dozens of hours a week on my couch, usually 2-3 hours nightly and more on weekends stitching. Outside of work and sleeping, it takes up the next biggest block of my time. I’ve even made some stitching projects that combine my hobby with movies. This is all to say that I am delighted that SIFF is offering one of their theaters for crafty movie fans this Sunday at noon, promising a place to congregate while the beloved (though not by me) movie Labyrinth plays on screen.
Black Bag is a wickedly fun spy thriller that respects your time by not wasting any of it
Black Bag is a sleek, sophisticated, and sexy thriller with some exceptional filmmaking from Soderbergh. At 93 minutes, not a moment is wasted. Once the plot is established, momentum propels the film like a brisk clip. This is not an action film, though. Soderbergh and Koepp are interested in the letting the story unfold while allowing us into the minds of the exceptionally cerebral players. Why does each character do what they do? Are they being manipulated? Or are they doing the manipulating? Is remaining loyal to your country and your partner mutually exclusive?
Naomi Ackie and 17 (or 18) Robert Pattinsons propel Bong Joon Ho’s latest Mickey 17
Pity poor Mickey Barnes. Life is pretty terrible for most people in a dystopia, of course, but for Mickey, it’s particularly awful because he just cannot stay dead when he dies. As an “expendable,” he signed up to a life of many deaths and as many resurrections (reprintings).
Paddington in Peru completes the most loveable trilogy in film
I don’t remember much from my single-digit years, but I do remember having a fondness for Paddington Bear somewhere around first or second grade. I found him easily loveable and lacking any sense of maliciousness. When “they” started putting out live action Paddington movies a decade ago, I realized I still do.
Despite some great performances, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door underwhelms
On paper, the movie hits all of my receptors. The location is gorgeous, the acting is phenomenal, and I’m not sure anyone has ever worn anything cooler in a movie than that yellow suit Tilda Swinton wears.
Better Man is the greatest movie ever made about a singing and dancing monkey
Musicals live and die by music and that is where Better Man succeeds. Most musicals are lucky if they have one or two show-stopping scenes. Better Man has at least five.
Chris’s Favorite Films of 2024
As the year winds to a close, we’re sharing lists of our favorite films we’ve seen (so far).