Movie Review

Last night at SIFF Cinema Uptown I saw The Voice of Hind Rajab — and it’s one of those films that leaves a quiet echo in your bones. Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, this powerful docudrama reconstructs the real emergency call of six-year-old Hind Rajab, trapped in a car under relentless fire during the war … Read more

haunted echo from a world pushed past its breaking point. This isn’t just zombies and flesh-eating horror. It’s a meditation on what remains of the human spirit when civilization falls apart. Brutal, poetic, and unflinching, The Bone Temple reminded me that sometimes the scariest monsters are made of flesh and fear, not infection. #28YearsLaterTheBoneTemple #FilmFriday … Read more

Last night at SIFF Cinema Uptown I saw The Testament of Ann Lee — and it was nothing short of revelatory. Dee Rees turns this 18th-century story into a living breathing fever dream about faith and rebellion. Danielle Deadwyler shines as Ann Lee, the visionary Shaker leader whose feminist theology challenged both the church and … Read more

Last night at SIFF Cinema Uptown I watched Song Sung Blue — a film that’s as joyful and gritty as a weathered guitar and twice as honest. Directed by Craig Brewer and starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, it tells the true story of Milwaukee couple Mike and Claire Sardina, who form a Neil Diamond … Read more

Walked into SIFF Cinema Uptown on New Year’s Day with a head full of confetti and a heart craving something unexpected — and Marty Supreme was just that. It’s a strange, electric ride through 1950s ambition and absurdity, with Timothée Chalamet giving what many critics are calling one of his best performances yet as Marty Mauser, a … Read more

Last night I stepped into the towering scope of Avatar: Fire and Ash in glorious 3D at SIFF Cinema Downtown — massive, immersive, and strangely intimate all at once. James Cameron returns us to Pandora with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), this time asking how we survive after loss and what it … Read more

Last night at SIFF Cinema Uptown, I stepped into a film that, much like the mist that clings to Seattle’s piers in December, slowly wraps itself around you — The Secret Agent. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and anchored by Wagner Moura’s quietly devastating performance, it’s not your typical thriller. It’s a political fable woven … Read more

I caught Hamnet last night at SIFF Cinema Uptown, and I don’t think I’ve stopped thinking about it since. Directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, Hamnet reimagines the story of William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, and the loss of their son. But calling it a “period drama” doesn’t quite do it … Read more

Last night I dove head-first into Wicked: For Good, and I’m still riding the aftermath of Oz’s neon glow and smoke. Chu’s vision fills the screen with color, magic, and heartbreak — but what struck me most was the ache beneath the spectacle. Elphaba and Glinda’s fractured bond, now twisted by fame, fear, and betrayal, … Read more

Last night I watched Sentimental Value, and it feels like one of those films that reaches out to you in waves — at once tender, regretful, and quietly fierce. Joachim Trier has crafted a deeply personal family drama about two sisters, Nora and Agnes, whose estranged father Gustav re-enters their lives with big plans. Gustav … Read more

Last night I watched Bugonia, and it was one of those films that slips under your skin before you even realize it’s happening. There’s something mesmerizing about the way it blends political tension with this creeping sense of unease — like you’re watching a world that’s both familiar and completely off-kilter. The pacing, the performances, … Read more

Last night I watched It Was Just an Accident — and I’m still sitting with it. Jafar Panahi has this rare gift for turning the ordinary into something hauntingly intimate, and here, he does it again. The story unfolds with that quiet, patient tension only he can pull off — where every glance, every silence, … Read more

Last night I sat in the warm dark of SIFF Uptown and let If I Had Legs I’d Kick You crawl under my skin. Mary Bronstein’s film is a fevered, tender, and unforgiving look at motherhood in pieces — Rose Byrne gives a performance that lands like a punch and then keeps unfolding into something … Read more

Last night, I slipped into the neon world of TRON: Ares at SIFF Downtown, and wow — it’s rare to see a film that feels both nostalgic and new. Joachim Rønning takes what we loved about the original TRON universe — the pulse, the glow, that sleek digital dream — and injects it with modern … Read more

Last night, I caught A House of Dynamite at SIFF Uptown, and I’m still buzzing. Kathryn Bigelow does what she does best — taking something as procedural as a crisis room and turning it into a masterclass in tension and humanity. It’s less about the missile and more about the people trapped in the decision-making … Read more

Last night I leaned into spooky season with Tombs of the Blind Dead at SIFF Uptown, part of their “Scarecrowber” series — and honestly, it was everything I love about cult horror. There’s something oddly hypnotic about 1970s horror when it leans into atmosphere instead of jump scares. The film moves like a nightmare: slow, … Read more

Last night I slipped into Eleanor the Great, a film that felt like a quiet revelation. It tells the story of Eleanor, a woman in her seventies who has lived her life in New York but finds herself drawn back to the rhythms of her childhood home. What unfolds is less about a single dramatic … Read more

Last night I was swept into the wonder of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, and it felt exactly like the title promised. The film follows two strangers who meet by chance and end up traveling through landscapes so breathtaking they feel almost otherworldly. What surprised me wasn’t just the scenery — it was how the … Read more

Last night I slipped into another world with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, and I’m still floating somewhere between the roaring ‘30s and the warmth of that grand estate. The Crawleys are back for one last curtain call, and it’s everything I hoped for — rich with elegance, old rivalries, and those small, quiet moments … Read more

Last night, I took me to SIFF Uptown for Splitsville, a sharp and witty exploration of divorce, reinvention, and the unexpected comedy of starting over. The film follows a couple in the messy aftermath of their split, navigating the chaos of modern love, awkward encounters, and the friends who take sides whether you want them … Read more

Last night I went to SIFF Uptown for The Roses — and I’m still processing it. This new take on The War of the Roses is part razor-sharp satire, part emotional gut-punch. Jay Roach delivers a film that’s both hilariously biting and deeply uncomfortable in all the best ways. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are … Read more

Last night’s Film Friday took me on a haunting, emotionally raw journey with Highest to Lowest. This intimate drama dives deep into the struggles of mental health, depression, and the unspoken weight so many carry behind closed doors. It’s a film that doesn’t flinch, doesn’t sugarcoat, but instead offers a brave and necessary look at … Read more

Caught Honey Don’t! at SIFF Uptown last night and — wow. It’s a jet-fueled neo-noir caper from Ethan Coen (yes, that Coen), starring Margaret Qualley as PI Honey O’Donahue. She’s sharp, stylish, and out for justice — navigating a bizarre Bakersfield full of cults, mayhem, and men who clearly didn’t take her little “I like … Read more

Caught Together last night at SIFF, and wow — this isn’t your sweet countryside romance. Written and directed by Michael Shanks in his debut film, this isn’t just about the horrors of codependency — it is the horrors of codependency. Alison Brie and Dave Franco, real-life partners, star as Millie and Tim, whose already fragile … Read more

I walked into Weapons expecting a gritty, slow-burn thriller — and left shaken, unsettled, and kind of in awe. Zach Cregger (yep, from Barbarian) delivers another sharp gut punch of a film that threads violence, grief, and paranoia into a narrative that’s anything but linear. The story unfolds across fragmented timelines and shifting POVs, following … Read more

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of sinking into a piece of cinematic history: Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, now dazzling in a crisp new 4K restoration at SIFF. It’s more than a samurai adventure — it’s wit, tension, and sly humor woven into breathtaking black-and-white landscapes. Watching it with an audience, you can … Read more

Last night, I traded Seattle drizzle for dusty horizons with Eddington — Ari Aster’s darkly comic Western that somehow feels both contemporary and timeless. Watching Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal spar in a story that’s part satire, part slow-burn tragedy was like eavesdropping on two outlaws nursing old scars they won’t admit exist. It’s weird, … Read more

Last night felt like stepping into a living, breathing theme park of teeth, thunder, and questionable corporate decisions — and yes, I was here for every second. Jurassic World: Rebirth brings back that familiar mix of awe and chaos, layering in new prehistoric horrors and fresh faces trying to outrun both dinosaurs and legacy mistakes. … Read more