What Did You See at SIFF Opening Weekend?

Now that SIFF is in full swing, all of us here at The SunBreak weighed in with our picks and pans of the festival thus far.

Josh: Opening night film The Extra Man made up for what felt like overlong running time for the very light plotting with enough funny moments and good/weird performances to sustain the big audience until the very crowded gala. I'd say that anyone who says nothing good ever comes of MTV hasn't seen John Jeffcoat's generous and human document of Seattle's music, Amplified. The city looks beautiful through a Canon 5D Mark II in this diverse crash course in the backstories, motivations, and personal histories of fourteen wide-ranging talents.  (screening May 26, 9:15 p.m. @ the Neptune)

In Cyrus, the Duplasses go a bit mainstream, yet retain the quirky appeal from their lofi filmmaking roots. Marissa Tomei's character would be too perfect for John C. Reilly's barely rebounding divorcee if it wasn't for her meddling codependent son (screening today, 4:15 p.m. @ the Neptune). In Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, prejudice, mistaken intentions, and collegiate ineptitude make for a gory, hilarious, and heartwarming flick in desperate need of US distribution.

Tony did not enjoy The Extra Man as much as Josh: While it showcases a highly entertaining comic performance by Kevin Kline, who's aging with the rascally grace of a David Niven, in the end, the movie's too vaguely-sketched to stick to your ribs. The Extra Man sure feels like the first saved project on that Indie Comedy Maker 1.0 Program for Windows and Mac. 

Friday night, I took in the inaugural Midnight Adrenaline entry, Survival of the Dead, the sixth zombie opus from George Romero. I'll defend the first four Romero Living Dead features to my dying breath (haven't seen the fifth, Diary of the Dead, yet), but this one falls pretty damned short.

Seth: I saw The Crab Trap from Colombia. Made me nostalgic for South America...slow, ponderous, lots of characters and community strife. Kind of John Sayles-y (screening today, 4:30 p.m. @ Pacific Place).

Audrey: The Milk of Sorrow was well-shot, but kinda a downer, as you might expect from the title.  I had a lot of fun with restaurant comedy of errors Soul Kitchen, and I Am Love was just as lush and well-acted as you might expect (screening May 28, 9:30 p.m. @ Everett Performing Arts Center), but probably my favorite film so far was The Concert (screening May 28, 7 p.m. @ Everett Performing Arts Center). It's a pretty basic story--of course the ragtag group of Russian musicians trying to pass themselves off as the Bolshoi Orchestra will manage to pull it off--but director Radu Mihaileanu still infuses the film with sly wit, unexpected surprises, and music that says more than words. Also highly recommended for moms. 

MvB: One hour into The Penitent Man NOTHING had happened. It was like watching a script reading. They talk so much, they had to ask for water. Eventually, I got up and left. One of the most egregious examples of "Tell, don't show" I've ever seen in my life. A waste of Lance Henriksen and Lathrop Walker. (screening today, 4:30 p.m. @ Egyptian)

The Oath, Laura Poitras' doc about Bin Laden's bodyguard and driver, is a fascinating portrait of "the enemy" as family man. The Oath highlight: pugnacious actual defenders of the Constitution, including Seattle's Charles Swift and NYT reporters. (screening May 25, 4:30 p.m. @ SIFF Cinema)

I know VW microbuses, VW microbuses are a friend of mine, and Phillips' journey in Bass Ackwards across the country in a chopped '76 VW bus amused me to no end. Every time he got passed by a semi, I chortled. Yes, it's short on plot, and what it does have is perplexing, but there are so many small moments that ring so very true, I ended up engrossed.