For Your Consideration: Opening Weekend at SIFF

Now that SIFF has officially kicked off, it's time to fire up Ye Olde iSIFF and pick your films for the festival.  If you missed the gala at Benaroya last night, do not fear; there's the New American Cinema Party this Saturday at Pacific Place, following the screening of the Duplass Brothers' first non-mumblecore movie Cyrus (read my Sundance review here). 

With that in mind, let's take a look at some other films of note showing at the festival this weekend. For all film screenings, the general/member ticket prices are $11/$9 (and matinees $8/$7), except for gala screenings and other special events, which of course cost more.  And don't forget, SIFF is in West Seattle at the Admiral Theater through next Thursday!

Air Doll (Kûki ningyô)  The Japanese version of Lars and the Real Doll, if Lars was middle-aged and the doll was inflatable. Oh, and the object of his affections has fanciful adventures while he's at work, making it a kind of inverse Mannequin. (May 21, 4:00 p.m. @ Neptune; May 24, 9:30 p.m. @ Neptune)

The Milk of Sorrow  This Peruvian drama won the Golden Bear at Berlin last year for its powerful yet respectful portrayal of the crimes against women committed by Shining Path guerrillas. (May 21, 4:30 p.m. @ Uptown; May 22, 6:30 p.m. @ Uptown; June 2, 7 p.m. @ Everett Performing Arts Center)

Soul Kitchen  Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, known for his heavy features Head-On and The Edge of Heaven gets a little lighter with this multi-culti restaurant comedy. (May 21, 7 p.m. @ Uptown; May 23, 1 p.m. @ Uptown)

The Concert  Melanie Laurent stops burning down the Nazi theater long enough to play a violinist in an East-meets-West orchestra. (May 21, 7 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 23, 1:30 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 28, 7 p.m. @ Everett Performing Arts Center)

Loose Cannons  Wackiness ensues when some Italians are gay. (May 21, 9:30 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 22, 2 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 25, 7 p.m. @ Admiral) 

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll  Andy Serkis stays close to his Gollum roots in playing iconic British punk and new wave singer Ian Dury.  (May 21, 9:00 p.m. @ Neptune; May 23, 3:45 p.m. @ Neptune; May 25, 9:30 p.m. @ Egyptian)

Bass Ackwards  Former Seattleite Linas Phillips is back, and this time he's roadtripping in a VW van. (May 21, 9:45 p.m. @ Harvard Exit; May 23, 3:45 p.m. @ Harvard Exit)

The Robber  What to do when you're both a marathon runner and a bank robber?  Combine the two, of course.  (May 22, 3:45 p.m. @ Uptown; May 23, 8:30 p.m. @ Uptown; May 25, 9:15 p.m. @ Harvard Exit)

Queen of the Sun  Buzz buzz! This doc focuses on colony collapse disorder, amongst other bee-related matters.  (May 22, 4:30 p.m. @ Harvard Exit; May 23, 11 a.m. @ Harvard Exit)

I Am Love  Tilda Swinton in a well-appointed family drama concerning the machinations of Milanese fabric dynasty changing hands at the turn of the millennium. Intergenerational intrigue, romantic tensions, and fraying loyalties combine for a lavish epic. (May 22, 7:00 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 23, 4:15 p.m. @ Egyptian; May 28, 9:30 p.m. @ Everett Performing Arts Center)

Nowhere Boy  Before he was Kick-Ass, Aaron Johnson played a young John Lennon in this debut feature by visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood. (May 22, 7:00 p.m. @ Neptune; May 23, 1:15 p.m. @ Neptune; May 27, 7:00 p.m. @ Admiral)

Perrier's Bounty  Because when you think Irish gangster black comedy buddy flick, you think Jim Broadbent and Cillian Murphy.  (May 22, 9:15 p.m. @ Uptown; May 23, 3:30 p.m. @ Uptown)