Welcome to February film fans! A good month for anti-Super Bowl parties (This Sunday I’ll be watching My Best Friend’s Wedding and The Mirror Has Two Faces during the big game) and the Academy Awards, the real anti-Super Bowl party. Let’s see what’s playing this week.
New Releases
Leighton Meester: SWF w/issues
The Roommate, directed by Christian E. Christiansen, starring Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly and Cam Gigandet. The Roommate trailer played before Country Strong, and it was probably the best part of the whole night. The premise is Single White Female set in a college dorm. Reasons for seeing this movie: 1.) It stars Leighton Meester, whose Blair Waldorf is the only reason to watch Gossip Girl. 2.) It was produced by Screen Gems, the studio that brought us Beyoncée’s Obsessed 3.) No critics screening = disaster waiting to happen 4.) It’s marketed as a camp thriller, i.e. the best film genre known to mankind; just see the fore mentioned Single White Female or Obsessed for evidence. (Regal Meridian, 1501 7th Ave, 12:15, 1, 2:25, 3:30, 4:40, 5:40, 7, 8, 9:20 and 10:20 p.m.)
Bardem: dark and handsom stranger
Biutiful, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, starring Javier Bardem. This film scored a Best Foreign Film Oscar Nomination, from tortured Mexican director Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel) and a Best Actor Cannes for smoldering lead Bardem. Set in the dodgy underside of Barcelona, the film follows Bardem’s criminal pursuits and his uncanny ability to communicate with the dead. The premise definitely echoes the supernatural realism in Iñárritu’s earlier 21 Grams. (The Egyptian, 805 E Pine, 1, 4, 7 and 10 p.m.)
Sanctum, directed by Alister Grierson, starring a bunch of Australians. James Cameron takes the helm as producer of this true-life Australian adventure of a team of undersea cave explorers who must escape an undersea cave (what else?). Some are calling it Cameron’s big follow up to Avatar, which relies on the same 3-D technology, but Roger Ebert calls it “a poster child for the horrors of 3-D used badly.” Foreground objects are frequently out of focus, and the parts that are supposed to pop out of the screen touch the sides of the frame, which ruins the 3-D illusion. Maybe it was wise that Cameron chose not to direct this one, but at the same time, he may have brought more masterful control of 3-D to the picture. (Regal Meridian, 1501 7th Ave, 3-D at 12, 2:30, 5, 7:30 and 10 p.m., non 3-D at 1:30, 4, 6:30 and 9 p.m.)
Seattle Screenings
Lemmy: Hasn't stopped to rock
One of the true Godfathers of heavy metal, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, gets the documentary treatment at Northwest Film Forum. If you can’t catch the sold out Motörhead show at Showbox SoDo Friday night, the Seattle premier of Lemmy, directed by Greg Oliver and Wes Orshoski will be your chance to see the ultimate hard rocker as up close and personal as possible. You also won’t have to worry about getting stomped to death by redneck metal fans. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 7 and 9:00 p.m.)
Sci-Fi on Blu-Ray continues at SIFF Cinema. This weekend’s offerings are a double feature of 1998’s Dark City starring Jennifer Connelly and 1981’s Escape From New York starring Kurt Russell (Friday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.), the 1956 camp classic Forbidden Planet starring the recently departed Anne Francis (Saturday, 4 p.m.), a double feature of Joss Whedon’s Serenity from 2005 and Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers from 1997 (Saturday, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.), a double feature of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits from 1981 and Galaxy Quest from 1999 (Sunday 3 and 5:30 p.m.), and finally the sci-fi spoof Space Balls gets the quote-along treatment (Sunday, 8 p.m.) (SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer St)
For those who are craving more Sci-Fi, Central Cinema will screen Ridley Scott’s psychological horror film Alien (1979) followed by James Cameron’s high octane action flick Aliens (1986). (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, 7 and 9:30 p.m.)
On Monday, the masters behind Dina Martina’s video montages bring their fabulous show Collide-O-Scope to Central Cinema. The duo’s treasure trove of found footage such as TV info-mercials, Eurostrar performances, Christian propaganda and 1930s cartoons gained the pair a cult following at Re-Bar. Here’s the trailer for Monday’s show:
Come find out what all the fuss is about. (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, Monday, 7 p.m.)
Ryan Hicks is Sponsorship Manager for Three Dollar Bill Cinema, a film fan and contributor to Seattle Gay Scene.
He also reminds you that tickets are available for Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s Oscar Party at Cinerama February 27. Funds raised through ticket sales benefit Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s year-round LGBT film programs and the Gay City Health Project. More information can be found here.
