Editor's Note May 8, 2019 at 4:00 am

Has the Seattle International Film Festival ever shown a good film?

Johnny Sampson

Comments

1

I've been going to SIFF pretty solidly for twenty years and I can't say I've never seen a good film. But I CAN say I've seen damn few good films. Mostly a whole lot of baffling films (and a handful of complete stinkers).

But then again over the last twenty years I've seen damn few good films outside of SIFF and mostly total shit bombs. So regular release films are generally garbage, too. So I don't think this observation is particularly meaningful.

2

SIFF should totally ban this person for life from all their venues.

3

SIFF has lost its way a long time ago. They may show bad films but taking risks are what these things should be about. However, the model of shopping your films and only being accepted in the category of most likely to be picked up and therefore commercially viable makes for increasingly drab crap.

Also, honoring the life and works of Edward Norton... Do Julia Roberts next. I like daring cinema so I'll allow for duds but I wouldn't be surprised if SIFF just starts running gritty/farcical meta-takes on the superhero genre pretty soon.

4

From my viewpoint, this is one of the very good years. I've got something like 91 films I definitely want to see, which is way up from my usual 60 films.

Here's a hint: go with your gut feel. Don't get convinced to see a film just because your friends want to see it, and learn to watch out for certain phrases like "black comedy" for an Eastern European film, or "think piece". Those tend to be very very bad films.

5

Fishermen's Terminal by B.J. Bullert
2005

6

I remember seeing some great films with my friends in middle school and high school. SIFF also had marvelous animation shorts and children films when they were at the Neptune. Haven't gone since they became big biz and got their own theaters. It does seem like the films are not as interesting these days, and there are so many international film festivals!

7

I will see any film as long as:

1.They insert POC's and women in every role imaginable. Especially when it is historically inaccurate! Remember, we can change history by simply pretending!

Every actor plays himself/herself/xerself. So trans people play trans people, gay people cannot play anyone but a gay character, rapists play rapists, and football players play football players just to make the experience more believable and as to not offend anyone.

I want the most oppressed and marginalised play the lead roles as to contribute to equal representation. So the lead role should go to a black, disabled, retarded, obese, balding, non-binary midget woman. Since she is all those things, she should have the lead because of the sum of her victimhood points.

And finally, fuck white, straight men actors! No one wants them in movies!

8

I worked a SIFF that screened City of the Lost Children (possibly the US premiere?), whatever year that was. That was a great film.

I will say that SIFF crowds—maybe all film festival crowds, I've never worked other festivals—maybe possibly be the most uptight, entitled, pain-in-the-ass group of people I have ever been publicly exposed to.

9

*may

10

So The Empire Strikes Back isn't a good film?

In the nearly 40 years since SIFF played that they've played many a great film. Yes, because of the sheer number of overall films it can sometimes be hard to spot the really good ones, but they exist every year.

11

This is one of those problems that takes care of itself.

Even Hollywood knows that aside from remake genres, communal movie watching is dead. The kids of today are not down with looking up from their little screens to look at a big one they can't control for two fuking hours.

And even the rest of us are starting to think it feels weird to pay money to sit in a big room with strangers for something increasingly un entertaining.

12

Really? Never a good film? Trainspotting? Bagdad Cafe? Priscilla, Queen of the Desert? Run Lola Run?

Sounds to me like someone needs to pull up and re-pin their diaper.

13

7: Holy shit, you made me laugh and laugh. Probably your post would piss off a lot of the people you just made fun of but they're not reading The Stranger anyway because they're busy weaving their crotch hairs into macrame plant holders and homemade slings so they can attack the evil White patriarchy with hand-painted rocks. Also, they have no sense of humor and The Stranger just confuses them.


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