Featured Film:

Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name.

The latest film from the master of sentimental anime finally opens here in the US after smashing box office records last fall throughout Asia. Shinkai is a maker of supernaturally gorgeous romances like 2007’s 5 Centimeters per Second and 2013’s The Garden of Words, and the unusually punctuated Your Name. appears to follow in this vein. Based on his own novel, it’s about a pair of teenagers, country girl and city boy, who begin intermittently switching bodies. It’s playing in both English and the original Japanese at various theatres around town, be sure to check the listings to make sure you get the proper version.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Fri-Thurs Our Review
The Prison (Kim Rae-won & Han Suk-kyu) Fri-Thurs

Central Cinema:

Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984) Fri-Mon, Weds
Friday (F. Gary Gray, 1995) Fri-Mon
Blood Diner (Jackie Kong, 1987) Tues Only

SIFF Egyptian:

Raw (Julia Ducournau) Fri-Thurs
Danger Diva (Robert McGinley) Thurs Only World Premiere, Live Performance by Thunderpussy

Century Federal Way:

Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Land of Mine (Martin Pieter Zandvliet) Fri-Thurs
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Tues
Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985) Sat Only
Ixcanul (Jayro Bustamante, 2015) Sun Only Our Review
Venice (Kiki Alvarez, 2014) Mon Only
Antarctica: Ice & Sky (Luc Jacquet) Tues Only
Real Boy (Shaleece Haas) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

The Void (Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski) Fri-Thurs
Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (Tatsuya Oishi & Akiyuki Shinbo) Sat-Mon Only

Landmark Guild 45th:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review Subtitled or Dubbed in English, Check Listings
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review Subtitled or Dubbed in English, Check Listings
Cheliyaa (Mani Ratnam) Fri-Thurs Telugu
Kaatru Veliyidai (Mani Ratnam) Fri-Thurs Tamil
Guru (Sudha K Prasad) Fri-Thurs
Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985) Sun & Weds Only

Regal Meridian:

Trainspotting 2 (Danny Boyle) Fri-Thurs

Northwest Film Forum:

Cinemania (Angela Christlieb & Stephen Kijak, 2002) Fri Only 35mm
I Called Him Morgan (Kasper Collin) Starts Thurs
Surround Sound Laydown Sat Only Live music, film screening, and poetry reading!
Apple Pie (Sam Hamilton) Sun Only
A Roll for Peter Thurs Only

AMC Oak Tree:

1 Mile to You (Leif Tilden) Fri-Thurs

AMC Pacific Place:

La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Fri-Thurs Our Review
The Devotion of Suspect X (Alec Su) Fri-Thurs

Regal Parkway Plaza:

Song to Song (Terrence Malick) Fri-Thurs Our Review
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Northern Lights: A Journey to Love (Dondon S. Santos) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) Thurs Only 35mm

Landmark Seven Gables:

Frantz (François Ozon) Fri-Thurs

SIFF Film Center:

As You Are (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte) Fri-Sun Only
All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk, 1955) Tues Only

AMC Southcenter:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review Subtitled Only

Sundance Cinemas:

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs

Regal Thornton Place:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review

SIFF Uptown:

Your Name. (Makoto Shinkai) Fri-Thurs Our Review Subtitled Only
Trainspotting 2 (Danny Boyle) Fri-Thurs

Varsity Theatre:

Aftermath (Elliott Lester) Fri-Thurs
The Assignment (Walter Hill) Fri-Thurs

Featured Film:

Song to Song at the Pacific Place

Surprisingly absolutely no one, the latest film from Terrence Malick has proven to be divisive among critics and audiences. If you happen to be one of those people who think that not only are his early films (Badlands and Days of Heaven) great, but so are his middle films The Thin Red Line and The New World) and his late films (The Tree of Life, To the Wonder and Knight of Cups), and we here at Seattle Screen Scene most definitely are in that camp, then the unheralded release of Song to Song, opening with no advance publicity at the Pacific Place this week, is a cause of both extreme consternation and great excitement. If Malick, or just late Malick, is not your cup of tea, then by all means do not miss the next film up in SAM’s Ozu series, Late Spring, playing on 35mm on Thursday. The rest of us will be happily twirling twirling twirling into the AMC.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas) Fri-Thurs Our Review
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs
Katamarayudu (Kishore Kumar Pardasani) Fri-Thurs
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Fri-Thurs Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Central Cinema:

Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950) Fri-Weds
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999) Fri-Weds

Century Federal Way:

Katamarayudu (Kishore Kumar Pardasani) Fri-Thurs
Phillauri (Anshai Lal) Fri-Thurs
The Karate Kid (John G. Avildsen, 1984) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
The Sense of an Ending (Ritesh Batra) Fri-Thurs
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Lost Highway (David Lynch, 1997) Sat Only
Wolf Totem (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 2015) Mon Only
Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) Tues Only
The Fog of War (Errol Morris, 2003) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) Sat-Mon, Weds & Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
Suntan (Argyris Papadimitropoulos) Fri-Thurs
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
A Tale of Two Cities: Portland & Seattle Tues Only

Landmark Guild 45th:

Trainspotting 2 (Danny Boyle) Fri-Thurs
The Sense of an Ending (Ritesh Batra) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Shashank Khaitan) Fri-Thurs
Katamarayudu (Kishore Kumar Pardasani) Fri-Thurs
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs
The Karate Kid (John G. Avildsen, 1984) Sun & Weds Only

Northwest Film Forum:

The Land of the Enlightened (Pieter-Jan De Pue) Fri-Sun
Homeland: Iraq Year Zero (Abbas Fahdel, 2015) Sat & Sun Only
Strike a Pose (Ester Gould & Reijer Zwaan) Weds & Thurs Only
Contemporary Color (Bill Ross IV & Turner Ross) Thurs-Sun

AMC Oak Tree:

Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs

AMC Pacific Place:

Song to Song (Terrence Malick) Fri-Thurs
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Seattle Jewish Film Festival Fri-Sun Only Full Program

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Slamma Jamma (Tim Chey) Fri-Thurs
The Sense of an Ending (Ritesh Batra) Fri-Thurs
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs
Katamarayudu (Kishore Kumar Pardasani) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

Late Spring (Yasujiro Ozu, 1949) Thurs Only 35mm

Landmark Seven Gables:

Land of Mine (Martin Pieter Zandvliet) Fri-Thurs

SIFF Film Center:

The Lure (Agnieszka Smoczynska) Fri-Sun Only Our Review
Post Alley Film Festival Sat Only Full Program

AMC Southcenter:

Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale (Tomohiko Itō) Fri-Thurs
The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas) Fri-Thurs Our Review 
The Last Word (Mark Pellington) Fri-Thurs
Wilson (Craig Johnson) Fri-Thurs
All Nighter (Gavin Wiesen) Fri-Thurs
Donald Cried (Kristopher Avedisian) Fri-Thurs

SIFF Uptown:

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Trainspotting 2 (Danny Boyle) Fri-Thurs
The Salesman (Asghar Farhadi) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs
Seattle Jewish Film Festival Mon-Thurs Only Full Program

Varsity Theatre:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

In Wide Release:

Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review

Featured Film:

Fire Walk with Me at the Seattle Art Museum

Kicking off a Lynchian spring here in Seattle (SIFF’s retrospective launches in April) is the Seattle Art Museum’s presentation of the prequel to David Lynch’s acclaimed television series Twin Peaks. It’s playing two nights only (Friday and Saturday), the first night with a handful of special guests: Wendy Robie, Gary Hershberger, and Sheryl Lee, who gives one of cinema’s all-time great performances in the film as the doomed Laura Palmer. We talked about it last year on the first ever episode of The Frances Farmer Show, and Ryan’s got a review of it here as well.

Playing This Week:

Ark Lodge Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Central Cinema:

Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990) Fri-Weds
Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005) Fri-Weds

Century Federal Way:

The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007) Sat Only
Cool & Crazy (Knut Erik Jensen, 2001) Mon Only
Sophie and the Rising Sun (Maggie Greenwald) Tues Only
West Side Story (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 1961) Weds Only
I, Claude Monet (Phil Grabsky) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Apprentice (Boo Junfeng) Fri-Thurs
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale (Tomohiko Itō) Sun & Mon Only

Landmark Guild 45th:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Shashank Khaitan) Fri-Thurs
The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952) Sun & Weds Only

Northwest Film Forum:

Happy Hour (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) Part II Friday Only
Festival of (In)appropriation #9 Fri Only Curator in Attendance
3rd Annual Seattle Web Fest Sat Only
Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) Sun Only 35mm
Mr. Gaga (Tomer Heymann, 2015) Starts Weds
The Challenge (Yuri Ancarani) Thurs & Sat Only

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
My Ex and Whys (Cathy Garcia-Molina) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

Fire Walk with Me (David Lynch, 1992) Fri & Sat Only 35mm Our Review Our Podcast 
Night of the Shooting Stars (The Taviani Brothers, 1982) Thurs Only

SIFF Film Center:

My Life as a Zucchini (Claude Barras) Fri-Sun Only
The Freedom to Marry (Eddie Rosenstein) Sat Only

AMC Southcenter:

Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale (Tomohiko Itō) Fri-Thurs
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

SIFF Uptown:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Weds Our Review
The Salesman (Asghar Farhadi) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Varsity Theatre:

Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review

In Wide Release:

The Great Wall (Zhang Yimou) Our Review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review

Featured Film:

Anatahan at the Grand Illusion

Josef von Sternberg’s final film, long unavailable in anything like a proper form in the US, has been newly restored and its playing this week at the Grand Illusion. Based on a true legend about a dozen Japanese sailors who are stranded on a remote island in 1944 and remain there for seven years, where their struggles for dominance and the island’s lone woman (daughter of a plantation owner) play out in lush, lurid dementia. Shot entirely outside the studio system on an artificial jungle set, it’s a harrowing vision of a world gone Sternberg, society reduced to its most basic urges and plays for power, yet twisted just enough to create an uncertain self-awareness of its own artificiality. It doesn’t have a Dietrich, but it might be the great director’s greatest film. We talked about it a few years ago on the Josef von Sternberg episode of They Shot Pictures.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Headshot (Timo Tjahjanto & Kimo Stamboel) Fri-Thurs
The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs

Ark Lodge Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Central Cinema:

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009) Fri-Tues
Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000) Fri, Sat, Mon-Weds

SIFF Egyptian:

The Great Muppet Caper (Jim Henson, 1981) Sun Only Free Admission & Popcorn for Kids

Century Federal Way:

All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) Sat Only
Sweet Bean (Naomi Kawase) Mon Only
Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi) Tues Only
Deconstructing the Beatles: Sgt. Pepper (Scott Freiman) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Anatahan (Josef von Sternberg, 1953) Fri-Thurs Our Podcast
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm

Landmark Guild 45th:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

Kittu Unnadu Jagratha (Vamsi Krishna) Fri-Thurs
Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (Keshhav Panneriy) Fri-Thurs
Commando 2 (Deven Bhojani) Fri-Thurs
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) Sun & Weds Only

Northwest Film Forum:

The Dazzling Light of Sunset (Salomé Jashi) Fri & Sat Only
Enemy Mine (Wolfgang Petersen, 1985) Fri Only Live Score
XX (Roxanne Benjamin, Sofia Carrillo, Annie Clark, Karyn Kusama, & Jovanka Vuckovic) Fri-Sun
The Road to Nickelsville (Derek McNeill) Sun Only Filmmaker in Attendance
Happy Hour (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) Weds Only Part One Weds, Part Two Friday

AMC Pacific Place:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs

Paramount Theatre:

The Dragon Painter (William Worthington, 1919) Mon Only Live Wurlitzer

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (Keshhav Panneriy) Fri-Thurs
My Ex and Whys (Cathy Garcia-Molina) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

The Red Shoes (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1948) Mon Only 35mm Thelma Schoonmaker in Attendance
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983) Tues Only 35mm Thelma Schoonmaker in Attendance
City of Women (Federico Fellini, 1980) Thurs Only

SIFF Film Center:

The Brand New Testament (Jaco Van Dormael) Fri-Sun Only

AMC Southcenter:

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs
A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

SIFF Uptown:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Weds Our Review
The Salesman (Asghar Farhadi) Fri-Thurs
Kedi (Ceyda Torun) Fri-Thurs

Varsity Theatre:

All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) Weds Only

In Wide Release:

The Great Wall (Zhang Yimou) Our Review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review

Featured Film:

Akira at the Central Cinema

If you’re my age, the first anime you ever saw was probably Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 epic Akira. Based on Otomo’s own 1982 manga, it’s the story of a biker kid named Tetsuo who has supernatural powers and rampages around a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo as a variety of forces (his gang leader, the military, a resistance group) try to corral him and stop him from releasing the eponymous psychic who destroyed old Tokyo. Ground-breaking and breath-taking in its animation, it’s also one of the best examples of sci-fi anime’s tendency toward nigh-incomprehensible philosophical abstraction, it’s one of the essential films of the 1980s. The Central Cinema is playing it all week, but you should go on Saturday or Tuesday, when they’re playing it with its original Japanese soundtrack.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Ark Lodge Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Central Cinema:

Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988) Dubbed: Fri, Mon, Weds; Subtitled: Sat & Tues
Tron (Steven Lisberger, 1982) Fri-Weds

Century Federal Way:

Beautiful Manasugalu (Jayatheertha) Fri-Thurs

Grand Cinema:

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
The Lure (Agnieszka Smoczynska) Fri & Sat Only Our Review
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Tues Only
I, Claude Monet (Phil Grabsky) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Dark Night (Tim Sutton) Fri-Thurs
The Zodiac Killer (Tom Hanson, 1971) Fri Only 35mm
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
Death Warmed Up (David Blyth) Sat Only VHS
Trailer Apocalypse Redux Sun Only 35mm
Alex MacKenzie’s Apparitions Tues Only 16mm + Live Performance

Landmark Guild 45th:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Mon, Weds-Thurs
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated and Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Rangoon (Vishal Bhardwaj) Fri-Thurs
The Ghazi Attack (Sankalp Reddy) Fri-Thurs
Jolly LLB 2 (Subhash Kapoor) Fri-Thurs

Regal Meridian:

Rangoon (Vishal Bhardwaj) Fri-Thurs

Northwest Film Forum:

Seattle Asian American Film Festival Fri-Sun Full Program
Better Luck Tomorrow (Justin Lin, 2002) Sat Only
The Dazzling Light of Sunset (Salomé Jashi) Starts Thurs

AMC Pacific Place:

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante) Fri-Thurs

Paramount Theatre:

Carmen (Cecil B. DeMille, 1915) Mon Only Live Wurlitzer

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
My Ex and Whys (Cathy Garcia-Molina) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

Padre padrone (The Taviani Brothers, 1977) Thurs Only

SIFF Film Center:

Deconstructing the Beatles: Sgt. Pepper (Scott Freiman) Fri-Sun Only

AMC Southcenter:

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs
The Girl with All the Gifts (Colm McCarthy) Fri-Thurs
Everybody Loves Somebody (Catalina Aguilar Mastretta) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

SIFF Uptown:

Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Weds Our Review
Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Tues, Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Tues, Thurs

In Wide Release:

The Great Wall (Zhang Yimou) Our Review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review
Arrival (Denis Villeneuve) Our Review

Featured Film:

Noir City at the SIFF Egyptian

Eddie Muller’s annual festival of 35mm film noir returns to the Egyptian this week. This year’s theme is heist movies, and the titles range from John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle to 2015’s Victoria. Muller always puts on a great show, a mix of recognized classics, under-known gems and genuine oddities. Among this year’s lineup, I’ve seen and recommend the following: The Killing, The Ladykillers, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3,  and Rififi. The ones I haven’t seen that I’d line up for include: Charley Varrick, Cruel Gun Story, Violent Saturday, Straight Time and Blue Collar.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Confidential Assigmment (Kim Sung-hoon) Fri-Thurs
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Ark Lodge Cinemas:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Central Cinema:

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) Fri-Weds Our Review
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) Fri-Weds

SIFF Egyptian:

Noir City Film Festival Fri-Weds Full Program

Grand Cinema:

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Sat Only
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart, 1971) Sat Only Free
Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts (Various) Tues Only
I, Claude Monet (Phil Grabsky) Thurs Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi) Fri-Thurs
The Love Witch (Anna Biller) Sat Only Our Review 35mm
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
Antarctica: Ice & Sky (Luc Jacquet) Sat, Mon & Tues Only
Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle (Annie Sprinkle, 1981) Weds Only
Confessions from the War (Leon Shahabian) Thurs Only Work-in-Progress

Landmark Guild 45th:

Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

The Ghazi Attack (Sankalp Reddy) Fri-Thurs
Irada (Aparnaa Singh & Nishant Tripathi) Fri-Thurs
Running Shaadi (Amit Roy) Fri-Thurs
Jolly LLB 2 (Subhash Kapoor) Fri-Thurs

Northwest Film Forum:

The Son of Joseph (Eugène Green) Fri-Sun Only
The 2017 South Asian International Documentary Festival Sat & Sun Only Full Program
Trends in Latin American Experimental Animation Mon Only Curators in Attendance
Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) Weds & Thurs Only Our Review
UNCODE at the Forum Thurs Only
Seattle Asian American Film Festival Starts Thurs Full Program

AMC Pacific Place:

Cook Up a Storm (Raymond Yip) Fri-Thurs
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Tsui Hark) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Duckweed (Han Han) Fri-Thurs

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
My Ex and Whys (Cathy Garcia-Molina) Fri-Thurs
Singam 3 (Hari) Fri-Thurs
Dangal (Nitesh Tiwari) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) Thurs Only

AMC Southcenter:

Everybody Loves Somebody (Catalina Aguilar Mastretta) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) Fri-Thurs
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Neruda (Pablo Larraín) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs

SIFF Uptown:

Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Weds Our Review
Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) Sun Only

In Wide Release:

The Great Wall (Zhang Yimou) Our Review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Our Review
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Paul WS Anderson) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review
Arrival (Denis Villeneuve) Our Review

Featured Film:

Toni Erdmann at the SIFF Uptown

Maren Ade’s three-hour bittersweet German screwball comedy was the sensation of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and unlike many an opinion formed at that most prestigious of gatherings, this one actually holds up months later. Sandra Hüller plays a consultant working in Romania who is visited by her goofy but well-meaning father (Peter Simonischek). The two of them fail to properly connect, so after pretending to leave, he returns in disguise as a bewigged life coach improbably named Toni Erdmann. He insinuates himself among her friends and coworkers, creating chaos and joy wherever he goes. Not since Yasujiro Ozu died has there been a film that so beautifully captured the absurdity and pain of both being a parent and having a parent.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Confidential Assigmment (Kim Sung-hoon) Fri-Thurs

Central Cinema:

Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) Fri-Tues
Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) Fri-Tues

SIFF Egyptian:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Weds Our Review
Noir City Film Festival Starts Thurs Full Program

Century Federal Way:

Singam 3 (Hari) Fri-Thurs Telugu with No Subtitles
The King (Han Jae-Rim) Fri-Thurs
An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey, 1957) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Tues Only
Blood Simple (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1984) Weds Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Accidental Courtesy (Matthew Ornstein) Fri-Thurs
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
54th Ann Arbor Film Fest Tour: 16mm Program Sat Only
Sailor Moon R: The Movie (Kunihiko Ikuhara, 1993) Sun (Subtitled) & Mon (Dubbed) Only
The Love Witch (Anna Biller) Tues Only Our Review 35mm

Landmark Guild 45th:

Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Singam 3 (Hari) Fri-Thurs Telugu with Subtitles
Nenu Local (Trinadha Rao Nakkina) Fri-Thurs
Om Namo Venkateshaya (Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao) Fri-Thurs
Jolly LLB 2 (Subhash Kapoor) Fri-Thurs
An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey, 1957) Sun & Weds Only

Northwest Film Forum:

Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) Fri, Sun & Weds Only Our Review
Children’s Film Festival Seattle Fri-Sat Full Program
This Is the Way I Like It 2 (Ignacio Agüero) Fri & Sat Only
I Think You Are Totally Wrong: A Quarrel (James Franco) Weds Only
MA (Celia Rowlson-Hall) Sat & Sun Only Filmmaker in Attendance
Documenting J20: Protest and Resistance in the streets of DC (Georg Koszulinski) Fri Only Filmmaker in Attendance
Veracity Shorts Program (Various) Thurs Only
Torrey Pines (Clyde Petersen) Thurs Only Live Score

AMC Pacific Place:

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Tsui Hark) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Duckweed (Han Han) Fri-Thurs
I Am Jane Doe (Mary Mazzio) Fri-Thurs

Paramount Theatre:

Daughter of Dawn (Norbert Myles, 1920) Mon Only Live Wurlitzer

Regal Parkway Plaza:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Singam 3 (Hari) Fri-Thurs Telugu with Subtitles
Raees (Rahul Dholakia) Fri-Thurs
Kaabil (Sanjay Gupta) Fri-Thurs
Dangal (Nitesh Tiwari) Fri-Thurs

Seattle Art Museum:

I Knew Her Well (Antonio Pietrangeli, 1965) Thurs Only

SIFF Film Center:

The Well-Digger’s Daughter (Daniel Auteuil) Weds Only

Sundance Cinemas:

Neruda (Pablo Larraín) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts (Various) Fri-Thurs

SIFF Uptown:

Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade) Fri-Thurs Our Review Our Other Review
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Weds
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) Tues Only

Varsity Theatre:

Alone in Berlin (Vincent Perez) Fri-Thurs
An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey, 1957) Weds Only

In Wide Release:

John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski) Our Review
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Paul WS Anderson) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review
Arrival (Denis Villeneuve) Our Review

Featured Film:

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back at the Pacific Place

The sequel to Stephen Chow’s adaptation of the classic Chinese novel about a Buddhist monk who travels all the way to India to retrieve sacred scriptures, and is defended along the way by super-powered ex-demons, including the legendary Monkey King. The first part, Conquering the Demons, played here in 2014, exclusively at the Grand Illusion. Nowadays, the multiplexes have a lock on Chinese (and Korean, and Indian) imports, and the new film will be playing only at the Pacific Place. That is, unless it follows Chow’s The Mermaid, from last year, and proves enough of a hit to make its way onto more screens. Chow wrote and produced The Demons Strike Back, but Tsui Hark directed. I’ll have a review of the new movie once I get a chance to see it, in the meantime I wrote a survey of Tsui’s career to date for Movie Mezzanine and I have a index of everything I’ve written about Tsui at The End of Cinema.

Playing This Week:

AMC Alderwood:

Wheeler (Ryan Ross) Fri-Thurs
Raees (Rahul Dholakia) Fri-Thurs
Un Padre No Tan Padre (Raúl Martínez) Fri-Thurs

Ark Lodge Cinemas:

Jackie (Pablo Larraín) Fri-Thurs

Central Cinema:

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) Fri-Tues
The Jerk (Carl Reiner, 1979) Fri-Tues

SIFF Egyptian:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Century Federal Way:

The King (Han Jae-Rim) Fri-Thurs
Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954) Sun & Weds Only

Grand Cinema:

Elle (Paul Verhoeven) Fri-Thurs Our Review
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981) Mon Only with Science Discussion
Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World (Charles Wilkinson) Tues Only
Love & Solidarity (Michael Honey & Errol Webber) Tues Only

Grand Illusion Cinema:

Elle (Paul Verhoeven) Sun, Mon, Weds & Thurs Only Our Review
Emily (Ryan Graves) Fri-Thurs Filmmakers in Attendance Fri & Sat
Saturday Secret Matinees: Presented by the Sprocket Society (Various directors & years) Sat Only 16mm
54th Ann Arbor Film Fest Tour: Digital Program Tues Only

Landmark Guild 45th:

Julieta (Pedro Almodóvar) Fri-Thurs
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs
Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii) Tues & Weds Only Subtitled Tues, Dubbed in English Weds

Cinemark Lincoln Square:

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) Fri-Thurs Our Review
Bogan (Lakshman) Fri-Thurs
Kirik Party (Rishab Shetty) Fri-Thurs
Nenu Local (Trinadha Rao Nakkina) Fri-Thurs
20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs
Raees (Rahul Dholakia) Fri-Thurs
Kaabil (Sanjay Gupta) Fri-Thurs
Ti Sadhya Kay Karte (Satish Rajwade) Sun Only In Marathi, No Subtitles
Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954) Sun & Weds Only
Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii) Tues & Weds Only Subtitled Tues, Dubbed in English Weds

Regal Meridian:

Silence (Martin Scorsese) Fri-Thurs Our Review

Northwest Film Forum:

Children’s Film Festival Seattle Fri-Thurs Full Program 
The Prison in 12 Landscapes (Brett Story) Fri Only
Quinceañera (Richard Glitzer & Wash Westmoreland) Weds Only Free Event
I Think You Are Totally Wrong: A Quarrel (James Franco) Starts Weds
This Is the Way I Like It 2 (Ignacio Agüero) Thurs-Sat
Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) Starts Thurs Our Review

AMC Oak Tree:

War on Everyone (John Michael McDonagh) Fri-Thurs
Jackie (Pablo Larraín) Fri-Thurs

AMC Pacific Place:

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Tsui Hark) Fri-Thurs
Kung Fu Yoga (Stanley Tong) Fri-Thurs

Regal Parkway Plaza:

Elle (Paul Verhoeven) Fri-Thurs Our Review 
Raees (Rahul Dholakia) Fri-Thurs
Kaabil (Sanjay Gupta) Fri-Thurs
Dangal (Nitesh Tiwari) Fri-Thurs
Sailor Moon R: The Movie (Kunihiko Ikuhara, 1993) Fri & Sat Only Re-edited in English

Seattle Art Museum:

The Passionate Thief (Mario Monicelli, 1960) Thurs Only

SIFF Film Center:

Ocean Waves (Tomomi Mochizuki) Fri-Sun
Beach Club (Leo Galen Rauf) Fri & Thurs Only

AMC Southcenter:

Youth in Oregon (Joel David Moore) Fri-Thurs
Un Padre No Tan Padre (Raúl Martínez) Fri-Thurs

Sundance Cinemas:

Jackie (Pablo Larraín) Fri-Thurs
Midsummer in Newtown (Lloyd Kramer) Fri-Thurs

Regal Thornton Place:

Silence (Martin Scorsese) Fri-Thurs Our Review

SIFF Uptown:

20th Century Women (Mike Mills) Fri-Thurs

In Wide Release:

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Paul WS Anderson) Our Review
Split (M. Night Shyamalan) Our Review
Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi) Our Review
Fences (Denzel Washington) Our Review
La La Land (Damien Chazelle) Our Review
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)  Our Review
Arrival (Denis Villeneuve) Our Review