SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘PYROMANIAC’

A brightly burning ode to a troubled firestarter who happens to be the son of the fire chief in a small Norwegian village of about 800, Pyromaniac is an unsettling if unfulfilling character study. This mysterious slow-burn is more interested in the human drama than the narrative twists it sets up but fails to satisfyingly reveals the arsonist’s true motives – and I’m not convinced the ending is nearly as impactful as it ought to be – but Pyromaniac is accented by fiery cinematography and catchy Scandinavian punk rock, which helps it burn just a bit brighter. (C+) Read More

SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL’

May 27, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged At the End of the Tunnel, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Reviews, Rodrigo Grande, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17 5 Comments

Rodrigo Grande’s devilish Argentine caper pits a paraplegic engineer against a malevolent troop of thieves burrowing beneath his house to rob a nearby vault. Nail-biting and pitch black in tenor, At the End of the Tunnel employs star Leonardo Sbaraglia’s dramatic chops to create a complicated protagonist, even if his villainous counterparts are at times cartoonishly evil. Drawing inspiration from the likes of David Fincher’s Panic Room, Grande’s is a worthwhile pursuit for those who want a little slice of dark Hollywood sheen to their foreign language dishes. (B-)

SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘CITY OF GHOSTS’

May 26, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged City of Ghosts, Matthew Heineman, Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered, Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17 Leave a comment

A stirring tribute to the journalistic heroes of ‘Raqqa is Silently Being Slaughtered’, City of Ghosts takes us into the epicenter of Syria’s ISIS occupation where a troop of citizen journalists seek to expose the true horror tearing their world to pieces. Matthew Heineman’s immersive filmmaking peels back the curtain, crafting a definitive take on one of the world’s most horrific war zones. The personal sacrifice each of the subjects must endure – some are killed, others see their families killed in their place – is unspeakably heartbreaking but Heineman’s powerful documentary never exploits their pain for political means. Must-see investigative journalism, City of Ghosts is a terrifying vision of hell on earth. (B+) Read More

SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘TIME TRAP’

May 25, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Ben Foster, Mark Dennis, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17, Time Trap 2 Comments

Aliens. Conquistadors. Cavemen. All three filmic mainstays crop up in soft sci-fi thriller Time Trap from directors Ben Foster and Mark Dennis. A pulpy adventure reminiscent of 80s classics like The Goonies and Back to the Future, Time Trap tells the story of a company of graduate students and their pre-teen tagalongs who go looking for their professor in a cave that manipulates time. Clipping along using an intriguing premise to overcome middling characters, Time Trap is in a constant state of reinvention as it moves along, adding new layers of logistical gears to keep us on our toes and invested in its windy plot. Fun above all else, Time Trap is a great little schlocky detour into indie pop cinema sure to earn warm welcomes from excitable festival crowds. (B) Read More

SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘ENDLESS POETRY’

May 22, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Alejandro Jorodowsky, Endless Poetry, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17 Leave a comment

The sheer artistry in just one frame of Endless Poetry is enough to send you into sensory overload. Raw, sexual and bold, blindingly funny until its tragically melancholic, Alejandro Jodorowsky crafts a divine artistic manifesto – a living-play-cum-autobiography about an poetic soul sending off his childhood and paving his way down a road less traveled. Larger than life in every sense, Endless Poetry is an exaggerated and absurd transformation tale characterized by stunning cinematography and over-the-top characters – everything Alejandro’s mother says is sang, everything his father says is screamed – and yet, it might just be the Santa Sangre director’s most accessible film yet. The film may protest, “Poets don’t explain themselves” but Jodorowsky does a damn fine job of it anyways. (A)
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The 5 SIFF ’17 Good to Great Movies We’ve Already Seen

May 3, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Infinity Baby, Lake Bodom, Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17, The Big Sick, The Hero, The Work 1 Comment

It’s nothing short of ironic that the 5 films featured in SIFF ’17 that I’ve already seen, I haven’t actually written anything about yet. So, in hopes of getting you all up to speed on as many of the SIFF features as possible, I’ll fill you in on the likes of those that I’ve already digested, complete with grades because, this is 2017 and you won’t tolerate a lack of grades. Spoiler alert: they’re all good. Also be sure to check out The 8 SIFF ’17 Films We’re Dying to See. Read More

The 8 SIFF ’17 Films We’re Dying to See

May 3, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews, Most Popular Tagged A Ghost Story, Brisby Bear, City of Ghosts, Endless Poetry, Lady Macbeth, Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival 2017, SIFF '17, The Little Hours, The Trip to Spain, Wind River 5 Comments

As is always the case, gazing upon the list of 400 entires to the Seattle International Film Festival can be daunting for even the most knowledgable of cinephiles. Cutting through that list to cull a selection of desirables is an unwieldy task that demands more research than should be dedicated to a pleasure activity but to simplify the process for you dear reader, we’re trimmed that list of 400 down to a mere 8 films at SIFF ’17 (a clean 2% of their offerings) that we’re dying to see. Read More