This morning, "J" and I got up early enough to make it to the 10 am film, Quest, a good family drama documentary with some surprises that I doubt the documentary film-maker expected.
The noon film, God's Own Country, was another film that made me glad I'm not a farmer. It's about a binge-drinking closeted gay sheep farmer with an ailing father, ( Read more... )

This morning "J" and I decided to skip the 10 am press screening, Knife in the Clear Water, because reviews suggested that it would be too slow-moving for us to stay awake for that time of day. Buzz in the theater said that it was visually admirable, but indeed slow-moving.
The noon film, American Folk, reminded me of a US version of Once - but ( Read more... )

This morning "J" and I decided to skip the 10 am press screening, New Chefs on the Block, because we both find most chef documentaries boring, and didn't really feel like bothering to find out whether this one would bore us as much as usual.
The noon film, Kalushi, was a good film about a guy who was initially a regular guy in South Africa who ( Read more... )

SIFF's capsule summary: "Home Alone meets Funny Games in a true nightmare before Christmas, as a disturbed home invader menaces a quick-witted babysitter and her cunning 12-year-old charge who is harboring a rabid age-inappropriate crush." (Australia, 2017, 99 minutes, including 14 minute short film [not shown at press screening])
SIFF link: ( Read more... )

Because my order of floorboards didn't make it on Friday, I had to reschedule. I could have rescheduled them for this coming Friday, but they need time to acclimate to the climate in my house, so I figured better to get them here sooner than later. So I stayed home today, awaiting a delivery scheduled for sometime between 10 am and 2 pm - prime ( Read more... )

Today, "J" and I saw four films, which I think is our high for this festival (except for a short film series J saw). We even skipped our usual Sunday brunch so that we could attend the second film of the day. All four films were at the Egyptian, which was pretty convenient.
The first film was Secret Festival #3. I rate it good, but I enjoyed it a ( Read more... )

SIFF's capsule summary (from last year, because they don't have one for this year): "The Secret Festival is exactly what it says-all screenings are secret. What we can tell you is that you need to purchase a special Secret Festival pass to attend the screenings that occur on the four Sundays of the festival at 11 a.m. sharp."
SIFF link (also last ( Read more... )

This morning, "J" made us a treat: waffles with her special recipe. Usually, when she makes them, she makes the batter and the waffles for immediate consumption, and I make the extra waffles for the freezer, but this time she even made the freezer extras. They were as delicious as usual.
This afternoon, "L" visited, mostly to see "T". She's a ( Read more... )

Dear Passholders,
Here we are at the final week of press screenings. It's been a wild ride and I'm thrilled to present the coming week's list to cap it all off. A huge thank you goes out to Keith, Jeff, and Ramsey who have been our stellar press screening volunteers week after week, year after year. I hope you all enjoy week six!
Best,
Mike D
( Read more... )

This morning, "J" and I decided to skip the 10 am press screening, The Landing. A mockumentary in SIFF's "WTF" category just didn't sound as good as a relaxed morning.
The noon press screening, Zoology, is a Russian film about a middle-aged woman who inexplicably grows a tail, and develops a relationship with the X-ray technician who images her ( Read more... )