The whiners should be banned from Secret Fest for life.

Or fed to dire wolves.

Doesn't it seem like SIFF goes on two weeks longer than you would ever expect or want it to?

When are they just going to put it as a category on Netflix and let people watch in the comfort and dryness of their homes.

@2 Some of us aren't afraid to actually go out and interact with other people in public. Just sayin'...

My money says it was "A Srpska Film."

Movies are flickering images on a screen, and violent crimes happen in Seattle all the time. A lot of people who weren't directly affected by the shooting -- those who didn't know any of the victims, but have patronized Cafe Racer -- seem to be trying to latch onto this tragedy and make themselves seem more involved in it than they were. It's kind of gross.

D. All of the above

Well, that was a helluva lot of hints in an e-mail.

Stop snitching!

Also, it was more interesting than some of the other snooze fests we've gotten, the next of which I still am expecting to walk out on next week if the pattern holds true.

When I worked for Landmark in the 90's, we (the theater employees) pretty openly discussed the films shown at these things amongst each other. I assumed they were only "secret" prior to being shown.

Everyone was pretty pumped after seeing City of the Lost Children at the secret showing that year, and for those employees at the screening, it may have been the only bright spot during the extended stay of an often very , very precious animal known as the SIFF pass holder.

Tough call. I hate it when directors/writers spring sexual violence on me, especially when they use it as just another way to add depth to a female character without putting in any extra effort. It seems like a stale, trite attempt to be edgy and rarely serves a purpose that couldn't be achieved in a more interesting way (with very notable exceptions). That being said, something which I hate equally is trying to appeal to the broadest audience possible by sacrificing anything remotely controversial, interesting and novel. There was nothing to stop the patrons from walking out aside from that human desire of wanting their money's worth, but that's the sacrifice you make with every movie at film festivals anyway, so the unhappy people should probably just STFU and appreciate the fact that SIFF can play any movie they feel like without having to worry about appealing to everybody. Because "everybody" has some pretty shitty taste in movies (see: National Treasure, "Not Another _____ Movie", etc).

Don't care about whatever crappy movie was shown, I just find the concept itself irritating.

It might be worth nothing that people generally really liked the first two Secrets this year.

Buck up whiners, you waived your right to complain when you went to the secret festival. Secret, so stop snitching.

In truth, the Secret Festival has sucked for years. The "don't talk about it" clause just means that people can't openly complain about how much utter crap gets regularly dumped into the Secret Festival.

Thank you, well now.

I know what film this is and I hear it is absolutely hilarious.

They wouldn't spring Uncle Boonmee on an unsuspecting audience because that might lose them ticket sales next year. (I'm *glad* not to have to hear Secret Fest patrons talking about what a piece of shit they thought Uncle Boonmee was, by the way). I think this was a ploy to create controversy because Secret Fest sales are down. Absolutely hilarious? I guess to frat boys. I wish it had been broadcast through Videodrome so that all of us who stayed to the end would get the brain tumors we deserve.

i had the same experience at the secret fest years ago when they screened resevoir dogs.. half the theater walked out so many in fact i heard that the projectionist that the film had broken.i remained blown away and giddy , but maintained the secret screed until it was released later that year.. the rest is history.
so yeah.. whatevs..

As much as I hate to agree with John @2 (ever, about any subject, for any reason), "goes on two weeks longer than you would ever expect or want it to" is a pretty great description of SIFF.

And I say that as someone who has volunteered for the festival, has seen many great films at the festival, and who plans to see at least a couple more in this final week.

The problem is that, even if every SIFF executive and programmer simultaneously woke up to the realization that a leaner, tighter festival with greater curatorial discretion would do wonders for the quality of the attendee experience and for SIFF's reputation within the film world, they would never be able to convince corporate sponsors and high-priced pass-purchasers to pay similar rates for "less" festival. Quantity beats quality with those people every time. And so SIFF will probably never get to go on the diet it so desperately needs.

Since Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League was in town this weekend (and was ostensibly responsible for the selection), I'm betting @16 is correct.

Don't miss the 10 day Studio Gibli festival right after SIFF - it includes both dubbed and non-cut original Japanese language versions of all their movies, like Spirited Away, and so on.

A festival pass will cost you $100, but if you buy your SIFF membership now, it will cost you $50, which means it's cheaper to be a member and go to the festival! Plus the membership will save you $5 a film for the whole year from when you bought it, including those 3D films ...

In fact, it was a slasher film at the Secret Festival that soured me on it forever -- I used to be an avid goer to the thing every year, but one year they showed a film so grim and un-fun that I left early and never went back. If you like that kind of poison fantasy, good for you.

If I had ever been tempted to go to the secret festival show, I'm over it now.

i like how secret festival pushes my boundaries at least once. also, ha ha ha, austin film festival. i want to say things besides "i was there," but all i can do is confirm that half of the audience left, and it was really fun seeing what things finally did people in.