Cinematic Status Report

So far this year I've seen 179 films. I caught 63 during this year's Seattle International Film Festival, which ran from 5/25-6/18 (and which I've been attending since 1988, when I moved to Seattle). Press screenings ran from 5/8-6/16, so that's 42 days of uninterrupted filmgoing. This year, I've also watched two dozen films for Amazon reviewing purposes (that number seems small, but it's what my records indicate). Some, like Clean and New York Doll, I'd seen before, but I was more than happy to visit them again.

No one film at this year's fest impressed me as much as Crumb (1994) or Trainspotting (1996), but my favorites were Sketches of Frank Gehry, Pusher II and Adam's Apples (for Mads Mikkelsen, left), I:I, C.R.A.Z.Y., Quinceañera, Wordplay, The House of Sand, Who Killed the
Electric Car?, The Proposition, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Old Joy, We Go Way Back, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, Sa-Kwa (Moon So-ri), Lunacy, Wristcutters - A Love Story, 13/Tzameti, Brothers of the Head, Starfish Hotel, 49 Up, Crime Novel, Linda Linda Linda, The Power of Nightmares, Heading South, Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?, Backstage, The Science of Sleep (right), Gravehopping (Gregor Bakovic and Drago Milinovic), Time to Leave, and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Also, archival screenings The Unknown, Black Orpheus, The Window (left), and The Man Who Cheated Himself.

*****

I realize this list is ridiculously long--it represents more than half the films I saw--but I make no apologies. Several people asked me on closing night if I "had a good festival." The answer is listed above, i.e. YES!





Note: Images from the IMDb and the official SIFF website.