The opening scene of East of the Mountains is not something I will ever be able to forget. Ben Givens, a retired heart surgeon and widower of a year, is in his Seattle home, holding a rifle (a family heirloom, we learn later), determined to end his life.
SIFF 2021: What to expect in the week ahead!
We’ve had a whole weekend to sup up all the delicious morsels that SIFF has laid out for us, how’ve you fared …
SIFF 2021: Mogul Mowgli
Riz Ahmed’s newest is semi-autobiographical, but it’s also imaginative, sometimes fantastical, and distinctly cinematic.
SIFF 2021: It’s baaaaacccckkkk!
Y’all ready for this? I can hardly believe it, but it’s finally here. After missing all of 2020, the Seattle International Film …
Voyagers is a trip without a destination
Voyagers, written and directed by Neil Burger, hits wide release this week. For a supposed “adventure” film, it is not particularly adventurous. For a film that calls itself a “thriller,” it is only moderately thrilling. The most compelling part remains the initial inklings of the story, which regrettably does not settle into a satisfying destination.
On Stream: Chaos Walking Expands the Hollandverse
There comes a time in every Spider-Boy’s life when he must hang up his Spidey suit and go off to war, become addicted to opioids, rob a bunch of banks, and fly off to have adventures in space to establish himself as a credible grown adult actor who can do so much more, as if being the far and away best friendly neighborhood web-slinger in Marvel’s history wasn’t enough. Alas, this spring has been that time for young Tom Holland, who did all of those things in two not that good spring releases.
Godzilla vs. Kong is big, dumb, and 100% unnecessary. It also rules.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021 | USA | 113 minutes | Adam Wingard) This is a snippet of a conversation I had with …
Roundtable: It’s Happening Again — SIFF is Virtually Back for 2021
After being one of the first festivals of 2020 to go into hibernation when confronted with the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Seattle International Film Festival is returning in (mostly) virtual format for 2021. Running from April 8-18 (early and abbreviated for SIFF, but still a long festival by most standards), most films will be available to at-home festival goers through their screen of choice. We chatted about our first reactions to the virtual festival, suggested strategies for approaching the program, and make some quick picks.
Nobody shows Bob Odenkirk isn’t too old for this shit
An over-the-top action film that plays it all with a knowing wink, Nobody isn’t going to reinvent the wheel of action cinema. It instead opts to blow it to smithereens and have a wicked smile on its face while doing it.