Tag Archives: nwff

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV, Music

The Northwest Film Forum Brings Octubre and Inni to Town

Now that City Arts Fest is over, how about something completely different? By which I mean Octubre, a film about down-on-their-luck Peruvians–is there any other kind?–running through Thursday at the Northwest Film Forum. Brothers Daniel and Diego Vega Vidal received the Un Certain Regard designation at Cannes last year for their debut feature film, the story of Clemente, a two-bit pawnbroker and loan shark, who comes home one day to find a baby, the product of one of his many trips to the local brothel. Of course, Clemente needs help with his new son, and an an unlikely family develops when friends and strangers start pitching in.

And looking ahead to the weekend, the NWFF is sponsoring the screening of Inni, Sigur Rós’ second live concert film, at the Neptune this Saturday night. Unlike their first film Heima which also spent a lot of time exploring the Icelandic vistas from whence the band came, Inni is comprised of concert performances in London last year, as filmed by French-Canadian director Vincent Moon, here going as Vincent Morisset (as he did for Arcade Fire’s Miroir Noir).

Overall, Inni does a great job of depicting how it feels to experience Sigur Rós live, while also interspersing archival footage from the band’s history as far back as 1998, when they were just little Icelandic babies. Tickets are going to be all sold out before Saturday, so hurry up and get yours already. Added bonus: if you preorder Inni in any format (2 cd/dvd, blu-ray/2 cd, or 3 lp/dvd) at Easy Street or Silver Platters, you’ll get a free ticket to the screening at the Neptune. Of course, tickets for this pre-order promotion are also limited.

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

Jane Goodall, Ambassador of Hope, Live and In Person at the Northwest Film Forum

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Would you like to touch Jane's monkey? Jane Goodall and Mr. H.

It took Jane Goodall’s interest in chimpanzees to turn her into a humanitarian and environmentalist. She might say that the path was a logical one, almost inevitable. And after a viewing of Jane’s Journey, currently showing at the Northwest Film Forum through Thursday, you will likely agree.

Jane’s Journey depicts Dr. Goodall’s early and groundbreaking work with the chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, but the film spends the majority of time on her work with the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots, a network connecting youth of all ages doing service projects in 120 countries.

The film also gives a glimpse into Dr. Goodall’s family life, including a touching scene in which she observes some hippos in a remote area of Tanzania with her son, two of his children, and the “Hippopotamus Whisperer” (a guide from a local village family that believes the hippos are their ancestors).

Overall, the film is inspiring, even if it galls as it inspires. In another scene from Greenland, the camera catches a large sheet of ice coming off of the icecap–something that never happened 30 years ago. The sound, even on film, is meaningful and memorable.

Jane’s Journey continues its run Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Northwest Film Forum, and as a special bonus, Jane Goodall will be in attendance tonight. There are about 25 tickets left for that showing, and they’re only available at the door. So get over there early (NWFF recommends 6 p.m.-ish) and add your name to the list of over three million people who have touched Mr. H, Dr. Goodall’s traveling companion and stuffed monkey!

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

According to Kent Brockman, “It may not be perfect, but it’s the best government we have. For now.”

So one can only imagine what The Simpsons‘ news anchor would say about our government in the wake of Katrina. Luckily, Brockman’s alter ego Harry Shearer has done so, in his first foray into filmmaking, The Big Uneasy, still playing tonight and tomorrow at the Northwest Film Forum.

Shearer’s a part-time New Orleans resident, so he’s got a dog in this fight, and his documentary focuses the blame on the Army Corps of Engineers for going light on the engineering. To do so, Shearer speaks with residents, scientists, investigators, and whistleblowers to reveal the decades of flaws, corruption, and incompetence that led to levee failure and the not-so-natural disaster of Katrina. As a filmmaker, Shearer’s got a light touch and he mixes the comedy with the pathos, the journalism with the humanism, all of which is smoothed over by that even-keeled voice. Harry’s got nothing but love for the city, and that shines through, even amidst all the frustration.

Not enough celebrity filmmaking for you? Passione, John Turturro’s musical ode to Italy, starts its weeklong NWFF run on Friday.

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV

Rubber is Tiresome (Get It?)

At the Northwest Film Forum for two more showings (tonight and tomorrow at 5 p.m.) thanks to an extended run, Rubber is the killer tire movie you’ve heard so much about. The conceit is simple: For no reason, a car tire gains awareness, self-mobility, and psychokinetic powers, and then proceeds to stalk and kill everything in its path. But writer-director Quentin Dupieux (aka DJ Mr. Oizo) takes it one step further by turning his horror flick into a commentary on film itself.

Out in the desert, there’s a dozen looky-loos watching the tire through binoculars, complaining that the plot is moving too slowly, cheering on the tire’s kills, shushing other viewers’ incessant comments. And the action going on–cops chasing the tire as it looks for new victims–exists for these voyeurs’ benefit. It’s a movie audience within the movie, making what would otherwise be a slasher joke into an exercise in meta.

In other words, it’s French.

While it often errs on the side of being too cute by half, Rubber certainly has its sly moments, most of which comes from the “acting” of Robert the tire. (In the sequel, he will assuredly be played by James Franco.) Dupieux’s got a natural eye and a talent for perspective, and of course he scores the film well. As the filmmaker makes clear by the end of the tire’s run, this is just the beginning–he’s got Hollywood in his sights.