Suggestion: Take 5 minutes and listen to this piece by Kenneth Turan

This is probably not news to everyone, but it is a critical reminder of why it’s important to support what you love.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14075161

BIKE-IN LOVE

Just a quick follow-up to last night’s Bike-In over at Cal Anderson Park, Seattlest has a really great snapshot of the bike blender that premiered at the event (see above). Also they provide a great description of the event. Thanks to everyone who came out and all who helped make a truly experimental piece of cinema, the world’s first and only collaboratively made feature length bicycle film.

Poison popcorn? Not at NWFF

A sharp-eyed informant caught this headline in the P-I this morning:
“That buttery aroma might be toxic, too. Common chemical in popcorn at center of concern.”

Well, rest assured NWFF patrons: our popcorn, cooked in canola oil, seasoned with peanut oil and popcorn salt (a more finely ground salt) and whatever fixings you choose (we offer chili powder, curry, nutritional yeast, and more salt), has none of this fake butter chemical. Our enticing smell comes from the bubbling oil and naturally popping kernals. No need to restrain yourself!

NWFF popcorn is sold daily at our cinemas from 6:30-7:15pm and 8:45-9:30pm.

Two new articles worth a read

This just in at the New York Times – “Between the Mumbles, Images of Sorrowful Poetry – Movie Review of QUIET CITY (2007)”
QUIET CITY plays NWFF September 7-9, and director Aaron Katz will be here all weekend for Q&A

This was in today’s Seattle Weekly – “Roky Erickson: Modern Medicine Resurrects a Psychedelic Pioneer’s Career”
YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME: A FILM ABOUT ROKY ERICKSON plays through tomorrow, August 30, at 7 & 9:15pm

(there’s also this knowledgeable, with less crazy-rock-star-rise-and-fall hang up, response to the film at SIFFblog — published last week, but I’m just getting around to linking to it now)

There will be bike polo!

This just in from Seattle Bike Polo representatives:

“Absolute confirmation” of a bike polo game at Wednesday’s Seattle Bike-In at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill.

From the Seattle Bike Polo website:

What is Bicycle Polo? Well obviously it’s kinda like horse polo except you don’t have to own a horse. The rules differ from city to city, and so do the styles. We have simple rules, we play on pavement, and we host three to four games a week, which you can learn more about here.

What do you need to play bicycle polo? Well first of all you need some bikes. If you’re like the majority of us you hold your mallet in your right hand. This means you’re going to use your left hand to steer and brake your bike. If this is the case, you’re going to want to reroute your left brake lever to control the back brake. Otherwise you’re gonna find yourself on the ground in front of your bike. If you want to hold your mallet in your left hand, then you’re brakes should be set up already. Now you need a mallet. Mallets can be made from all sorts of materials and everyone has their preference. Ski poles, bamboo sticks, axe handles, or even canes make good handles. PVC, black ABS, hard wood, or even aluminum blocks serve as good mallet heads, each of which can be attached to the mallet handle with screws or other methods.

Now that you’ve got your bike running and your mallet ready for action, it’s time to find your polo ground. Parking lots are nice. Tennis and basketball courts are better. Basically you’re looking for an open space with good light and a nonexistent owner. Find some orange cones and a street-hockey ball and you’re ready to play some polo.

Games are played with three people per team. Depending on the size of the court, teams of four to five have been known to happen. The idea of the game is to keep your feet on the pedals. If either of your feet touch the ground, called dabbing, you’re penalty is to ride in a circle before resuming play. This sounds like a simple penalty, but polo happens in split seconds. To score a goal, the ball must be hit with the head of the mallet. Any shot pushed with the broadside of the mallet is considered shuffling and does not count.

Play to three points. Or play to five. If you’re feeling crazy, play to twenty. Either way, have fun. The idea behind polo is finesse and skill. Staying on the pedals and communicating with your team is the goal. Rubbing elbows and shoulders is part of the game, but crashing should be avoided ideally. It’s inevitable, but the more you play, the more your skills develop.

The bottom line is having fun with your friends. Go for it. But don’t forget the beer!

And, of course, there’s a YouTube clip.

A tragic loss for the nation….

I’m in Minneapolis attending the Sound Unseen Film Festival and received tragic news today of the firing of one of the Twin Cities, and the nation’s most respected film journalists, Rob Nelson. A thought occured to me as I realized that The Stranger has been graciously hiring on some well respected national critics who’ve suffered similiar fates including Michael Atkinson, perhaps this was another opportunity for Seattle to help sustain our ever dwindling force of relevant critics across the country. Annie if you’re listening, this is yet another opportunity. I can’t tell you how inportant this man is to helping shape the national film dialogue. It would be an absolute tragedy if he couldn’t continue to write film criticism.

Everything good is evidently too old

Ugh, seriously?

For real?

This too?

But why?

And, I’m afraid so.

Mumblecore weekend

As noted in the Slog, the New York Times ran a piece on the filmmaking movement “mumblecore” which featured director Aaron Katz and mentioned his contemporary Joe Swanberg, both of whom will be at NWFF during our upcoming Mumble Without a Cause series.

Arguably less influential, but interesting nonetheless, are similar articles in the Village Voice and NY Sun, which also ran this weekend (Katz’s QUIET CITY and Swanberg’s HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS play in  a 10-film “mumblecore” program at the IFC Center that starts Wednesday).

Previous entries in the “mumblecore” library, including FUNNY HA HA, MUTUAL APPRECIATION, KISSING ON THE MOUTH, and THE PUFFY CHAIR, are available from Scarecrow, so do some homework and be sure to catch the latest releases starting September 7 at NWFF.

Live! The 2007 Fall Calendar

Our printed calendars won’t hit the streets for another week or two, but you can see what’s ahead on our website starting … now!

And I’m counting on you, dear readers, to let me know what errors and discrepancies you come upon.  We’re in this together, right?

Bergman archive in jeopardy?!

So we’re a few days late breaking this one, but I haven’t read anything locally about it yet. Variety reported last week that lack of funding “has put the future of the Ingmar Bergman archive in jeopardy.” They’re apparently in need of some $600,000 in order to digitize Bergman’s papers. An initial donation towards the cause has been made by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Uncertainty also surrounds the continuation of government financing after the current allocation ends in February, money which is essential to the continuation of the archive. It would be the greatest failure of arts funders internationally to let this archive fall short. His papers, notes, films, and any otehr artifacts from his life can prove invaluable to educating film scholars and audiences about his work.

In September, we’ll present a documentary on Bergman at work as part of SEARCH AND RESCUE, our own attempt to rescue discarded archival materials from dumspters and dustbins.