{Side by Side screens at Grand Illusion Cinema from August 31- September 6}

If you can get past the halting way in which Keanu Reeves narrates this thing, Side by Side is a really enjoyable trip through the history of filmmaking with a lot of different filmmakers offering diverse opinions on film vs. digital, visual effects, to 3D or not to 3D, and the importance of archiving.

And so it goes: James Cameron goes on about how awesome digital and 3D is (as if you didn’t see that coming), George Lucas takes credit for making everything look better, Martin Scorsese wrestles with the differences between the two mediums, David Lynch declares he’ll never go back to film, Christopher Nolan swears digital can’t ever replicate how cool film is, Robert Rodriguez says he couldn’t have made Sin City without digital, David Fincher loves how portable digital is, Andy & Lana Wachowski are sold on the digital revolution (shocking), Danny Boyle admits it would have been harder to make both 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire with clunky film cameras, Joel Schumacher says something-something, Steven Soderbergh has a lot of opinions, and Lars Von Trier is—Lars Von Trier’ian.

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{Lawless opens in Seattle today, 8/29, and is screening at Sundance Cinemas Seattle, AMC Loews Oak Tree, and Regal Meridian 16}

Lawless is basically a tale of Badass Vs. Badass, with some additional Badasses thrown in for good measure. There are a lot of fists meeting faces, shooting, stabbings, blowing things up, and other assorted violence—complete with old-timey car chases (which are kind of hilarious because cars just didn’t move that fast in the 1930s). 

The story centers on the “true” tale of the Bondurant Brothers, who bootlegged moonshine in rural Virginia during the Depression. The two oldest are the badasses, with Tom Hardy as Forrest being the BIGGEST (and handsomest-RAWR) Badass, brother Howard (Jason Clarke) coming in at a close second, and wee baby-faced Jack (Shia LeBeouf)…well, as a badass, he fails. miserably. 

Sadly, even though Forrest is the strongest character, the film starts and ends from Jack’s perspective -- and includes some probably unnecessary narration. Moonshine-ing is going just dandy for the brothers until two pivotal things happen:

1) ultra-creepy Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce. You look weird without eyebrows. Seriously. Weird) shows up and tries to shake them down
2) in one of his stupider moments, Jack decides he wants to be just like slick gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman in a token Badass appearance) which leads to a lot more problems than the Bondurants previously had

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Flatstock at the Armory
11am-8pm, all three days

I say this EVERY year, but you absolutely have to take some time out of your music-watchin’ day to browse the aisles at Flatstock and see tons of amazing poster art. Seriously. Go. I’m not kidding.

Record Store
Visual Arts Exhibits at the Seattle Center Pavilion
11am-8pm, all three days

Ok, it’s not really a “store” in that you can’t buy the vinyl contained within, but! But but but. They put together a HUGE collection of records that you can browse through and choose to play—either for everyone inside, or just for yourself—and generally just marvel over how awesome records still are. Step inside this exhibit for sweet listening party bliss.

Read It and Weep (A Celebration of Nicolas Cage)
The Vera Project
Saturday 1:15pm-2:15pm

Three podcast guys dissect and review some of the worst of the worst Nic Cage movies, including Wicker Man, Ghost Rider and … CITY OF ANGELS. Dude. This is going to be hilarious!

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{Searching for Sugar Man opens in Seattle on Friday, 8/24 and is screening at the Landmark Harvard Exit}

I’m in a meeting room at the W and it takes me more than a few minutes to process the fact that I am sitting across from an. actual. legend. A guy who was at one time as big as Elvis and the Stones. A guy who fans say is “better than Bob Dylan”.

A guy who, depending on who you ask, either burned himself to death on stage during his last public appearance, or shot himself in the head. 

But the guy—Rodriguez—is less than 5 feet in front of me, alive and well. And learned in 1998 that virtually all of South Africa thought of him as one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever.

Rodriguez released 2 albums in the 1970s in the U.S. on Sussex Records, both of which flopped miserably, even though everyone making them was sure they were amazing. Whether it was due to poor marketing or just the fact that music listeners in the states didn’t like what they heard, no one knows. And when they flopped, he disappeared from the public eye. 

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Hayyyy Imaginaries! Now’s the time of year where I remind you that in addition to Bumbershoot’s awesome musical acts, our local festival is also packed with films and performing arts, and my favorite: people talking about stuff that gets you thinking about stuff. Here are a few things in the Words & Ideas program that are thrilling me:

Saturday, September 1

Why Fairy Tales? Why War on Women? Why Now?
Leo K Theatre, Words & Ideas Stage
5:15pm-6:15pm

Lindy West is actually going to be a couple of places for Bumbershoot this year, but I’m most interested in seeing what she has to say (hilariously, I’m sure) about how women are represented in pop culture and politics, so if you have to choose, I think you should be at this one. West joins a bunch of other rad ladies on stage, and I’m sure it’s going to be one of those laugh/cry/throw-up-because-you’re-so-overwhelmed kind of talks.

John Waters – This Filthy World: Filthier & Dirtier
Bagley Wright Theatre
8:30pm-9:45pm

You guys. JOHN FREAKING WATERS is going to be at Bumbershoot! I can’t even. I’m hyperventilating because I’m so excited about this. Watching Waters perform This Filthy World: Filthier & Dirtier and talk about all the things is likely going to be one of the best parts of the weekend. Trust me on this. (and if you’ve never seen a John Waters film, for the love of all that is holy, head over to Scarecrow and rent at least three of them)

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{Sleepless Night is screening in Seattle at The Grand Illusion from 8/17 through 8/23}

I hate to use words like "high-octane thrill ride" but there's probably no better way to describe Sleepless Night. Not that I can think of anyway, because my mind is blown from all the shooting and blood and car chases and chaos. 

Handsome cop Vincent (a broody & drool-worthy Tomer Sisley) also happens to be a drug dealer. Unfortunately, he's not a very good thief, and so he gets caught stealing a bag of expensive blow from a rough-looking baddie who takes his teenage son for collateral.

Seems like it would be simple enough to exchange the drugs for the kid, except that there are many complications. Some in the form of "clean" cops tailing Vincent to catch him in the act, and even more in the form of other interested parties who want the stash of coke for themselves.

All this turmoil leads to frantic pursuits, men beating the hell out of each other, bloody stabbings, smashed cars, and enough shooting to rival the massacre in Scarface. All of which means that I found it SUPER ENJOYABLE AND TOTALLY LOVED IT.

Director Frederic Jardin chose to have this action thriller take place over the course of a single night, and shot most of the scenes inside a packed nightclub using music to underscore the action. One of my favorite scenes occurs near the beginning with "Another One Bites the Dust" (apparently line dancing to Queen songs is the hip thing to do in French nightclubs. What). Something about watching Vincent's face reveal how fucked he knows he is juxtaposed with young party people getting down with some synchonized boogie is endlessly, fantastically amusing.

Recommended for people who love non-stop action, and definitely worth your $8.

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{The Imposter screens at SIFF Cinema Uptown starting today, Friday, 8/10, through Thursday, 8/16}

By all accounts, Direct Bart Layton's documentary The Imposter is so crazy, you have to see it to believe it. And those accounts aren't wrong. I agree, with enthusiasm, that this is possibly the craziest documentary I've ever seen.

A 13-year-old boy disappears from San Antonio, TX, and just a little over 3 years later, he's found in Spain. Sounds too good to be true, right? Of course. But somehow, a 23-year-old French-Algerian con man named Frederic Bourdin convinces the parents, the police, the judge assigned to his case, and everyone else who comes in contact with him that he's an American-born 16-year-old boy who's been kidnapped and held for three years as a sex slave. He escaped, and he's ready to come home.

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{Dark Horse opens in Seattle on Friday, 8/3, and is screening at the Landmark Varsity Theatre}

Admittedly light for a Todd Solondz film, Dark Horse still employs the director’s gift of peeling back the layers of life, giving you a glimpse into all things unpleasant—whether you want to see them or not.

Abe (Jordan Gelber, who deserves an award for making a completely abysmal character somehow sympathetic) meets pretty, subdued Miranda (Selma Blair) at a wedding (man, you gotta hand it to Solondz for capturing everything that makes weddings terrible via all the drunken bump-and-grinds on the dance floor. that is a beautifully accurate opening sequence), and quickly asserts himself as the man who’s perfect for her—since she appears to be an easy target.

As he speeds away with her number in his phone, we get a glimpse of his (obviously over-compensating) giant bright yellow Humvee, and an immediate sense of how his behavior is all short-lived bravado. Particularly when it’s revealed that the 30-something Abe still lives with his parents (brilliantly played by Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken), and chooses to spend all the money he earns from working at his dad’s real estate office on action figures and film memorabilia. Abe is an id-ridden man-child headed for disaster.

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{Farewell, My Queen opens in Seattle on Friday, 7/27, and is screening at the Landmark Seven Gables Theatre}

Hey! It’s a French movie about Marie Antoinette! And her hot lesbian lover! And another chick that’s in love with her! Who doesn’t love that?

Okay, maybe I’m being a little bit of a brat. But come on, this fictional account of MA seems like a pretty obvious one, non? I’m a big fan of period dramas for many reasons—but while Farewell, My Queen had some absolutely breathtaking scenes, beautiful costumes and sets, and some pretty goddamn good acting, the love story part was missing … something.

The story hinges on Sidonie, a servant tasks with reading to the Queen. She’s kind of in love with her, but kind of not. Behind the admiration that shows in her eyes for Antoinette, there’s a bit of contempt—as well as some obvious jealous/envy directed at the relationship between the Queen and her favorite “companion,” The Duchess of Polignac.

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{Alps opens at the Grand Illusion Theater Friday, July 27, and screens through August 2}

Anyone whose seen Dogtooth would likely agree that writer/director Giorgos Lanthimos has a distinctive style. A crazy, strange, and compelling one that resulted in that film being nominated for the foreign language academy award. His latest work Alps follows on that tradition with a marginally lighter and more accessible result, while still maintaining serious uniqueness. Alps may not be the bizarre kick to the head represented by Dogtooth but it's certainly still worth one's time.
 
Four key characters are introduced in attention grabbing ways in the film's first scenes. The crew is offbeat to say the least: a rhythmic gymnastics practitioner whose only desire seems to be good enough to be allowed to perform to pop music (as opposed to heavy handed classics), her stern and bizarrely overbearing coach, a hospital employee, and a paramedic. It's unclear what their commonality is. Except for a penchant of asking personal likes/dislikes questions of the mortally wounded. Why the paramedic needs to know that an accident victim's favorite actor is (improbably) Jude Law will only reveal itself later on. Or if you read any of the picture's marketing material, which to me contains a significant spoiler I'll work to avoid.

The group goes by the name Alps - which is purposefully chosen to provide no clue as to their line of business. Which I will respect as I attempt to describe why you should give the film a whirl.

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