A Seattle moviegoing lifestyle magazine
Depression can be a black hole of emotions; a never-ending pit that is nearly impossible to claw your way out and Midday Black Midnight Blue is fully encompassed by that black hole from beginning to end. Ian, a man well into mid-life, is haunted by the joy and pain of an old flame.
Two of Morgen’s favorite films from SIFF 2023 happened to be the midnight features on the first and last Friday of the fest. Find out why a wacky time-traveling joint and Taiwanese puppetry made it to the top of her list.
Yet again local (and beloved) director Megan Griffiths has a SIFF favorite on her hands. Year of the Fox is set in Aspen, CO where Ivy (Sarah Jeffrey) is on the cusp of womanhood but hesitant to grow up too fast. Unfortunately with her parents imminent divorce, a father far too distracted by the opulent world of Aspen “royalty” and her mother dealing with the fallout of not only losing marriage but the life she’d always known. Confronted with the harsh realities of the very real caste system that still exists in our country, toxic masculinity, and the realization that her dad may not be the man he’d convinced her he was… she’s forced to figure it out on her own. I don’t know about you, but at her age, I wouldn’t have been able to feed myself much less upend my whole reality and come out the other side in one piece.
For the first time in a few years, the opening night gala for the Seattle International Film Festival felt almost too fancy for the likes of me to attend. It was the place to be, get dressed up, celebrate all that film in Seattle and beyond has to offer and a fantastic surprise to boot.
In an attempt at authenticity in his new film, the director, Gabriel (Johan Heldenbergh), seeks out youth from a housing project in a rural suburb in France. One young boy, Ryan (Timéo Mahaut), is the focus of the film and while he creates the mystique and gritty character they’re looking for, he’s already neglected by an unstable mother, having trouble in school and barely hanging on by the merciful love of his older sister.
We find ourselves back on Guardians’ base of operations with Peter, Drax, Nebula, Rocket and Groot, among others, trying to pull themselves together and find meaning in the new version of their day to day lives. After so much adventuring, ludicrous life-threatening scenarios and overwhelming loss (despite Gemora finding her way back to this existential plane), adjustment is challenging. Peter is trying to drink himself to death while the rest are building a new community amongst friends. As they’re settling in Warlock attacks Rocket out of nowhere and pushes him to the brink of death. To save their friend, the Guardians band together once again to seek out the key to unlocking not only Rocket’s mechanical body but the story of how he came to be.
Disney’s original animated feature of the same story, released in 1953, is one of their seminal films with countless spinoffs, retellings and re-imaginings. Let’s be real, Hook, Sony’s Picture’s version of the story from a slightly more Captain Hook-centric view is a classic in its own right. So I asked myself, what more could they do? What’s so special and interesting about this version that hasn’t already been done to death a la The Incredible Hulk (oh come on, you were thinking it too)?
Miguel is one of only a few people left on the planet. That’s no metaphor, Earth has lost its luster and a mass exodus is taking humankind to another habitable planet: Proxima Centauri B. Staying on Earth was not his plan and he aims to do something about it, hacking the system that rejected him he hopes to force his way onto the next ship out.
Mustache and With Love and a Major Organ are two cheeky, sweet, heart-wrenching stories about just wanting to be loved whether it’s by family, friends or a special someone. I think we can all relate to that.
While I didn’t get to dig into as many as I wanted, there were still a few that caught my attention. Funny enough, they were mostly in the horror genre… not exactly my cup of tea most of the time, but they were quirky and fun and I happily hopped out of my comfort zone. Check out my reviews below!
