Author Archive
Film Review – Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
I resisted watching the new Star Wars movies for a long time because I am a grumpy middle-aged lady who really doesn’t care about this particular intellectual property. I don’t hate the original trilogy, but the prequels kind of sucked. Not because of their dumbass…
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SIFF Film Review – Sword of Trust
The opening film for this year’s Seattle International Film Festival was Sword of Trust, directed by Seattle native Lynn Shelton. It’s the story of how pawnshop owner Mel (Marc Maron) receives an opportunity to make some big bucks, and how that opportunity gets real, real…
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SIFF Double Feature – The Legend of the Stardust Brothers and Timeless Beauty
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers: This lost 1985 musical directed by Macoto Tezuka builds on Phantom Of The Paradise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show to create Japan’s own goofy rock opera. Amateur singers Kan (Kan Takagi) and Shingo (Shingo Kubota) are brought together…
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SIFF Double Feature – Shut Up and Play the Piano and What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
Shut Up and Play the Piano: Directed by Philipp Jedicke, Shut Up and Play the Piano documents the rise (and rise) of Canadian musician and producer Chilly Gonzales (aka Jason Charles Beck.) He hasn’t really reached high enough to have a fall, and perhaps never…
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SIFF Double Feature – We Are the Radical Monarchs and Fly Rocket Fly
We Are the Radical Monarchs: Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, We Are the Radical Monarchs documents the formation and first three years of the Radical Monarchs, an alternative (or even complimentary) scouting group that seeks to center girls of color and create the next generation…
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SIFF Double Feature – Le Chocolat de H and The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
Le Chocolat de H: Takashi Watanabe’s first documentary feature is about Japanese chocolatier Hironobu Tsujiguchi. Tsujiguchi grew up over a confectionary shop, later opened a world-class patisserie, and then turned his sights to the world of chocolate. Winning 5 gold medals at the Salon du…
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Film Review – Lords of Chaos
I am a late-in-life metalhead. I was too punk rock in the eighties to listen to any heavy metal other than Motörhead, but in the last 10 years or so I’ve opened my heart (and ears) to our hard rocking brethren. I’m not super into…
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Film Review – The Favourite
I have never watched a trailer for one of Yorgos Lanthimos’ movies and been like, “I wanna watch that!” I just now read the synopsis for Dogtooth on Wikipedia and just thought “Ew.” I feel pretty adventurous with my movie tastes, but I will admit…
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