SIFF-stravaganza

First of all, this is by no means a comprehensive guide to the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Trying to adequately ingest the vast and endless stream of films is more than hopeless for a university student, even one such as myself (my professors know what I'm talking about--ah-hee-hee sigh). So, I had to pick and choose, basing attendance mostly on some kind of advanced warning or recommendation. Most of the films I'm bearing witness to here are pretty high-profile, in some place or another. Enough so, anyone who knows movies will have heard at least something about most of them.

But this is where the trap lies.

The secret to successful SIFF attendance is open-mindedness. Just about any big-name film that has you vibrating in anticipation will return in some form or another. Two of the biggest films of the festival, Zhang Yimou's The Road Home and Tom Tykwer's first post-Lola effort, The Princess and the Warrior, will be in theatres a matter of weeks after closing night, while a few others won't be far behind.

But what about the internationally acclaimed Thai writer/director Wisit Sasanatieng's three films: Nang Nak and 6ixtynin9 (which he wrote), and his debut directorial effort, Tears of the Black Tiger? Perhaps they'll come back around, but the chances are slim. The festival's a place to try new things.

Sure, Stephen Frears' Liam is one of the best films on the program, but aside from the festival-related excitement, there's not much reason to see it Right This Minute. With a big-name director like that, its return to Seattle is a sure thing. It's just a matter of how long you want to wait. I didn't care much for the frenetic horror of Wendigo, but any film about a wrathful deer-monster deserves a chance.

A friend took me to see Nabil Ayouch's Ali Zaoua last Sunday, and that unassuming little film about the aftermath of a child murder may well prove to be the biggest surprise of the festival. Arriving with no advanced hype whatsoever, the film is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can only hope that some U.S. distributor will pick up this miraculous film.

Obviously, SIFF-ing well entails some element of risk. But, with five-packs available to students for a mere $25 (compared to how much it would cost otherwise it is a "mere" $25) the biggest danger may be missing another, better film thanks to your unwise choice. Missed-screening remorse is a very real affliction. Do a little research, try the Internet (the official Web site is www.seattlefilm.com, but try www.imdb.com too), check out the various SIFF guides, and figure out which films can really live up to their cool-sounding taglines, but don't be afraid to be spontaneous -- let yourself be surprised once in a while.

First off, let's get rid of the high-profile major leaguers that will be stopping by.

Liam -- Stephen Frears follows up to his flawless High Fidelity with this Depression-era tale of joblessness and desperation. But Frears is among the least appreciated modern masters, and generic-sounding British social message material is actually challenging, interesting and charming, and no less effective than his last. Lead actor Ian Hart will be present.

The King Is Alive -- Maybe the biggest arrival, also maybe the best film here. Tourists are stranded in the desert and attempt to put on a production of King Lear to save their sanity. Great performances all around supported by what is flat-out the best digital cinematography to reach American screens. In English, by the way, by the Danish Kristian Levring, last of the Dogme 95 founders to release a Dogme film.

Ghost World -- Crumb will forever occupy a special place in my heart for its moving humor and the unapologetic weirdness of its subjects. I have been waiting breathlessly for director Terry Zwigoff's next film for years, and the advance buzz has nothing but good to great things to say. His first fictional effort is adapted from a comic by Daniel Clowes, one of the biggest figures in that underground arena R. Crumb lorded over. It's supposedly just as frank and sympathetic, and funny, as his last film. Guest (hopefully Zwigoff or Clowes) will attend.

Under The Sand -- French "bad boy" Francois Ozon has been building up to this film for a while, and it seems like he's become the critics' darling he's always threatened to be with this one, about an unexplained disappearance of a woman at the beach.

Together -- Possibly my pick for festival favorite ... ask me in a few weeks. A complete portrait of '70s idealism, shown for its selfishness, indulgence and tackiness, that reveals the underlying layer of sympathy and love that made it so damn attractive.

O -- All-around Seattle favorite Tim Blake Nelson's second film is a balls-out update of Othello, set during a state basketball championship. It's extremely powerful with an ultra-intelligent script by David Kaaya. Both director and writer appeared at the screening. The film will be released later this summer.

Brother - Takeshi Kitano's latest film is the spiritual twin to his feverishly praised Fireworks. Being almost identical in tone, and occasionally in content as well, it's nothing new from "Beat," but it's great nonetheless. It may even be better than Fireworks, but this film has nothing near the impact of his earlier film.

OK, that's enough, let's get on to the really interesting films:

MIDNIGHT MOVIES

ALL of the midnight screenings look mind-blowing in some way or another, but the only one I can recommend from experience is Battle Royale. Old Japanese war-horse Kinji Fukasaku (object of an ongoing Grand Illusion retrospective) will finally work his way into the American consciousness with his 80-somethingth film, a no-holds-barred combat film about a near future in which a high school class is randomly selected to compete for survival on an island until only one winner is left. The film is destined to be a cult classic. It is deeply subversive and powerful, almost painful to watch ... brilliant commentary on the nature of war.

Wild Zero is about a real-life Japanese punk band that tries to save a devoted fan and his girlfriend from flesh-eating zombies and a variety of other monsters and maniacs that have been dropped from a U.F.O. - using only their instruments and a samurai sword.

Baise-Moi (Rape Me), a fictional film about real-life porn stars, is controversial enough to rouse the ire of the French (!), so you know there has to be something right about this picture. Also look for Dead or Alive, by Takashi Miike of last year's festival hit Audition.

JUST GIVE 'EM A CHANCE

Faat-Kine may be Seattle's (and mine) first exposure to Ousmane Sembene, Africa's greatest filmmaker. Look beyond the not-so-promising synopsis, which promises a "celebration of the African woman," and take advantage of this opportunity. The film has been universally praised and will hopefully lead to a much higher rate of African films -- which have been, thanks to the "Digital Revolution," produced in record numbers -- reaching Seattle shores.

And you better hope that Ali Zaoua, the festival's sole Moroccan representative, will be back, because it is an absolutely incredible film. Do not miss this film, a realistic and simultaneously charming and harrowing story of child gangs in Casablanca, if you get another chance.

Bartleby is an unassuming little Melville adaptation starring the incomparable Crispin Glover (the ONLY good thing in Charlie's Angels). First-timer Jonathan Parker has immaculate control of his medium, and the film is seriously hilarious. Ginger Snaps, a coming-of-age werewolf movie, comes with a lot of positive buzz.

Olivier Assayas' previous two films were unequivocal masterpieces, and while Sentimental Destiny is not up to the quality of his last film, it's still worth a look.

And of the older films gaining a screen, Budd Boetticher's ultra-rare Seven Men From Now, a landmark in its time that has been unfortunately neglected, is highly recommended. Also, Body and Soul, the masterpiece of the most prolific black filmmaker in history, will have already played by the time this reaches print, but is nonetheless a film that should be searched out and seen in any form.

THE ASIAN INVASION

Reflecting the current, somewhat belated recognition of Asian cinema, SIFF is packed with all sorts of Asian films. The one that sounds the most promising is the previously mentioned Tears of the Black Tiger, a garish-looking Thai take on the American Western.

Among the action genre films, Film Noir sounds the most intriguing -- it takes the gangster film's homage to classic American noirs to the extreme by incorporating the films themselves into the actual plot.

Iron Ladies, about a transvestite volleyball team, was a box-office smash in its native Thailand. You may be the kind that prefers the meditative, sumptuous visuals of The Vertical Ray of the Sun, or you might not -- it's personal preference, really.

And Kiryoshi Kurosawa, another of the festival's "emerging masters," has several intriguing offerings. I didn't care much for The Cure, about an amnesiac hypnotist/serial killer, but his talent is evident, and Seance may be worth checking out.

This list is, alas, woefully incomplete ... but hopefully it can get you pointed in what is somewhat the right direction. The other guides are infinitely better informed, having seen most, if not all, of the program -- split between three or four people. But allow me to leave you with one last piece of advice: Be creative and don't be timid. If something sounds interesting, go for it. Who knows when your next opportunity will be?