Grand Illusion Cinema

Stupendous. Marvellous. And as usual, genius.

What a charming and utterly delightful little tale. I may have said that before or some variation on it, but I mean it this time! This film is one the best “small town comes to life” types I’ve ever seen. In this case, it truly takes a death to breathe some new life and love into the inhabitants of this sleepy little New England hamlet.

I'm just mad about Harrrrrryyyyyy

Very seldom do I enjoy every second and nearly line of dialogue in an old-timey black comedy. Normally I’d reserve that pleasure to be shared with the likes of “Arsenic and Old Lace.” The character developments and twists are handled at just the very right moments. This film is tight, tight, tight! Maybe almost too tight…nahhhhhh. I loved it.

I’ve been a wee downtrodden at work of late, but you can be assured I will have much more to say about “The Lady Vanishes” and “Frankenhooker” next week, two movies I’ve been meaning to see for a long time and have been practically chomping at the bit to do so. Expect a full-fledged blog (as much as any blog could been considered “full-fledged”) soon and very soon!

—dan, blogmaster general

Oh high school. Oh angst. Oh Spokane.

I was there. I lived it. I drove those streets looking for something to do, blasting Rock 94.5 and whatever other else was playing hard rock/metal/punk, wondering why I couldn’t get a girlfriend. Sure it was quite a few years after the 80s, but I can tell you not much has changed since then.

What hasn’t changed? Well it still is one of the biggest small towns I’ve ever been to. Spokane is still behind the times musically and culturally, as far as Seattle or most of the rest of big-city America would be concerned. Certainly enough that if I had tried to go searching for actually alternative arts and music, I wouldn’t have known where to look. That’s why I give the biggest tip of the hat to these pioneers in the city that to this day has plenty of punks still wandering Division and Sprague.

Still looks like the 80s, don't it?

And I’ve been laser tagging at the Armory! When I wanted to go to punk/metal shows I didn’t have a lot of good options, however Real Soda had a performance space that had some pretty sweet shows. There was also Fat Tuesday’s. Now there’s a big ol’ corporate Knitting Factory square in the middle of downtown. Gross.

Anyway, you probably want to know about the film and not acne/braces Dan. Well, it’s another in a recent proud GI tradition of music documentaries. It had a recent Seattle premiere of sorts at the Uptown complete with Q+A and what seemed like most of the people in the film in attendance. They were as great a group of middle-aged punks as I’ve had the pleasure to screen a film with, and was more than happy to hear we’d soon have a week run at the GI. Though the film does start with giving you a brief history of Spokane and the cultural tipping point for the creation of this 80s punk scene, I would recommend it most to people already familiar with the area or perhaps the bands highlighted in the film. Though the film does excellently draw the point towards the end that Spokane really wasn’t that different from the rest of the country that wasn’t LA or New York; I mean it’s all red in the middle, right?

This film also portrays the punk aesthetic and underground arts culture in Spokane at the time. I was expecting a lot more power-chords and three-piece skinny-boy bands, but there is some very eclectic and experimental music in this film. My one qualm with the film is that individual people are always named by themselves, and not by their affiliations as well. Granted a lot of the people interviewed appeared to have never been in a formal band, but I found it difficult to disseminate between the barrage of talking heads. This film is obviously the product of a passionate group of people, made for people passionate about the same things. If you like music and you live in the Northwest (which includes pretty much anyone reading this, I’d assume) you owe it to yourself to catch this piece of cultural heritage.

And hey, feel free to check out the Q+A on Saturday the 11th at 8:30 performed by Seattle’s Chris Estey. They may be from Spokane, but hey, it’s all Washington! And don’t mess with Spokompton!

—older but not wiser, teenage punk dan

Two films feature gritty and uncompromising protagonists this week at the GI. Both are larger-than-life archetypes unleashed and wreaking havoc in fits of inspired insanity. One: a comics legend with a beard to be feared (a total badass), the other: a rom-com legend now blood-spattered and a full-on man figure in his own right (another total badass). I’m of course talking about Warren Ellis and Ryan Gosling, two figures I’m equating in a way that could amount to one of the most interesting and exciting one-two GI punches we’ve swung in a while.

The Warren Ellis film is a documentary, not a “RED” sequel. Thank goodness. It comes to you from the man who brought us the Grant Morrison documentary just about a year ago. I’ll be interested to see what figure he cranks one out on next. Garth Ennis shows up a bit in this film, perhaps he’s next? Neil Gaiman? Not Alan Moore, he wouldn’t be bothered and there is already an interesting doc on him. Anyway, I’ve already read almost every comic that I know Ellis has published (except for random Marvel stuff), so I didn’t find this film as inspiring to run out and read his stuff as I did the Morrison doc (and I’m glad I gave Morrison another chance!), but he is just so great to watch and listen to (more so than Morrison, Ellis is one of the best on-camera comics authors).

Speaking as a be-bearded man (redundant, I know, but fun), that's a damn fine beard

And of course I gotta throw some love to “Drive.” I gotta. One of the best opening sequences of the past year (after “Melancholia” of course), it grips you and pulls you in. One of the best soundtracks of the year for sure, even better than “The Muppets” (I love you Bret!). “Drive” may make you think its a nice, safe movie. But then all of a sudden, ultra-violence! Ryan Gosling kicks ass in this film, though I gotta say his performance in “Ides of March” put nearly everyone else in the movie to shame, as Hoffman, Giamatti, and even Clooney seemed like they were just phoning in their performances in their unchallenging, uninspired roles (why it has so many noms this year, I don’t know, “Descendants” is up there!) So yeah “Drive” is snubbed in awards season, but we at the GI still think it was one of the best films of 2011. See it to believe it!

–dan, the filmic man

Don’t worry stalwart anime fans (and thus GI-goers, as who else in Seattle shows you the goods?), I didn’t think it was a Kubrick film. That’s just for the rest of the movie-going public. I, however, knew what I was in for having followed the original show for a while back in the day. You know, right before all the t-shirts and sweatshirts and various other gear pushed the Trigun and Cowboy Bebop merchandise off of Hot Topic shelves. It came at a point in my life when I had been on anime overload, and I needed a change of pace. Well, a couple TV series and movies later I come back to it, and I gotta say it handled the big screen transition (yes, I’m aware of the other movie; again, haven’t seen it) better than a lot of TV shows. Sure, I will praise the Cowboy Bebop movie to no end, and the two Evangelion films we had recently are stand out. As much as I love Trigun, the movie mostly made me excited for the characters and the original show again. What we have in “The Sacred Star of Milos” is a full-fledged tale that anime fans like me can enjoy without having seen all of the previous episodes and such.

No, it's not the new Batman movie. They're the Dark Bats. Yes, they use grappling hooks to help them launch and glide. Not like Batman at all. Where are you getting that from?

Why is “The Sacred Star of Milos” so good? Well, it utilizes the classic formula of introducing new characters that get a full story and emotional arc that Ed and Al can mixed up in and experience plenty of top-notch action sequences. I love me some unbridled anime action sequences! They plow along at full-speed in this film, not a whole lot of back and forth banter in between incantations that you get in some anime. Not even the latin-esque shouts of the Harry Potter universe (though there are some colored bolts clashing in mid-air, you kinda have to have that). Their hands glow and they just make it go crazy! Any mid-battle character development is often handled without breaking the action flow. And at nearly two hours, which is generally much too long for a half hour show to fill comfortably, at least not without poor pacing and extra padding (I’m looking at you, Trigun movie), the movie moves along at an assured pace without resorting to a bunch of unnecessary flashbacks and exposition. A couple decent twists at the end that don’t leave you feeling cheated and you’ve got yourself a decent second film.

Goddammit, I guess I’m gonna have to watch some anime now to catch up. Oh rats. Wink.

–blogsta, dan

Jumping from one end of the “talky” era to the other is what we do at the GI! And what a great landing it is, landing squarely in the heart of Americana with the simple and affecting film “Littlerock.”

“Littlerock” accomplishes what bigger budget, A-list studded films like “Babel” do but with a subtle and downplayed sensibility. Sure, you can get slammed over the head with the “we’re all just people” thematics of the great but ultimately overblown “Crash,” or you can step outside LA to the suburbs and tell a genuine tale of friendship, family and reflection with a lot less. “Littlerock” is ultimately a hopeful film as you see America at its best and worst in past and present through the eyes of outsiders, but outsiders who apart from language barrier are essentially the same people.

One of the nicer shots from the film, but you'll have to wait till the end to see it...just watch the whole damn thing.

Catch “Littlerock,” and catch a little rock while you’re at it. Some choice tuneage from the Seattle outfit “The Cave Singers” graces the soundtrack throughout. A solid film from Mike Ott who deserved his up-and-comer recognition at Sundance last year.

You can still catch another indie gem, “Silent House,” this weekend in the late night slot. January’s only halfway gone! Look for more new indie horror, some anime, a blood-spattered Ryan Gosling, and a doc on one of the holy trinity of modern comic creators (Ellis, Gaiman, and Moore by my vote) before the month is out!

—dan….just dan

Starting off the year with screwball goodness, the one-two Lubitsch punch. You know that the GI is gonna treat you right in 2012 with greatness like that right off the bat.

I’ll be a little honest about this blog entry before we get going, my brain is a little fried and frazzled right now, partially due to my first day off in 8 days (most of those being 12 hour plus) and also due to just finishing the most emotional Zelda game yet. But you don’t want to hear about my taxing work life or the month and a half long stint of time it took me to get through Skyward Sword, you want the filmic goods. I will do my best to deliver them, just give me a minute to catch my breath already, 2012!

Due to my cinematic upbringing as a whelp, weaned on the metaphorical teats of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra, I am no stranger to the screwball comedy. However, after seeing “Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife” I am ashamed to say there was a Lubitsch-sized gap in my education. Simply put: this was a divine gift of comedy that had me hooked from the department store scene. The sight gag of the president without pajama pants assured me I was in for an hour and a half of pure comedy gold. Gary Cooper’s deadpan is a joy to behold, and plays perfectly against Claudette Colbert, who is a new screwball gem for me to uncover in years to come.

I was once told I looked like a young David Niven. History will be the judge.

Another tip of my hat to this film for the only time the name “Shakespeare” uttered aloud has put me into peals of laughter. Peals I tell you! This had only one negative effect on me: it made me regret I didn’t watch “Trouble in Paradise” last week and urgue you in no uncertain terms to get your asses down to the GI! The Oscars aren’t announced yet and nothing new is coming out this weekend, so give yourself a break from 2011 and take a trip 80 years into the past to one of the golden ages of comedy. Resolution time: go to the GI more in 2012!

If you need something on the opposite end of the spectrum, late nights are back with “Silent House.” And by opposite end of the spectrum, I mean the 2011 Uruguay (that’s right, Uruguay) continuous shot horror film that is truly groundbreaking. Yes, 2002’s incredible “Russian Ark” and other films have used the continuous shot, but I for one have never seen a horror movie do it. Yes, some lengthy shots in films like the “Rec” series have done much to unnerve me and keep me on the edge of my seat, but to have a film that seems like it might be becoming a ghost story through increasingly clever camera angles and reveals, and seamless switches in and out of POV. The production value is strikingly high, as multiple types and sources of light are handled in both interior and exterior shots throughout the continuous take. Uruguay did submit it to the Academy Awards, so they have at least my vote to get nominated.

Color corrected and precisely lit

And last but certainly not least, please give KARP a gander if you didn’t catch it a couple months back. KEXP and other Seattle media gave the doc the thumbs up, and enough of you music-loving patrons have garnered the film a repeat performance. It will be playing at 7 and 9 on Wed the 11^th, and the director will be in attendance again, so if you missed it the first time, there’s no time like the present to make good on your past mistakes. More GI in 2012!

—blogmeister, dan

It felt like 2011 was one of the Grand Illusion’s most eclectic years of years in a while. Since becoming our own non-profit 8-1/2 years ago, we’ve maintained a schedule that is part art house, part repertory house, part grindhouse. Here are a bunch of highlights:

• Legendary musician and filmmaker John Cohen premiered his new film, Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy Kentucky to a packed house, then threw down some old time jams with NYC band The Dustbusters.
• The premiere of a brand spanking new 35mm print of John Huston’s classic adventure, The African Queen.
• An incredible “Trailer War” between the Grand Illusion (namely programmer Ivan Peycheff) and Portland Grindhouse Film Fest‘s Dan Halstead.
• Our first ever booth at the U District Street Fair where we sold a limited edition screen printed poster by our friends Monocol (still available for sale). The cinema showed classic cartoons for free! We’ll be there again in 2012.
• A late night screening with a rare (and nearly pristine!) 35mm print of  the hair metal horror film Trick or Treat.
• Our 2nd annual fundraiser, featuring a beautiful 35mm print of Hitchcock’s Rear Window and another fabulous Monocol poster (also still available for sale).
• Road to Nowhere, Monte Hellman’s exquisite new film premiered at the GI in August, then we showed his masterful Two Lane Blacktop a month later as part of a Warren Oates mini-retrospective.
• A brand new 35mm print of Truffaut’s The Soft Skin (soon to reappear at SAM’s Truffaut series).
• It was a year full of great new documentaries and we showed lots of them: docs about Jim Woodring (with Jim in person), Wavy Gravy (with Wavy via Skype), Bill Hicks, Fishbone (with co-director Lev Anderson in person), KARP (with director Bill Badgley in person), Herschell Gordon Lewis, plus General Orders No. 9 and American Grindhouse.
• Our friend Dennis Nyback came to town with unique programs at least four times, including a week of pre-code musicals.
• Our Summer Classics series brought rare 35mm screenings of Suddenly Last Summer, Picnic, American Graffiti, and a new print of Stand By Me.
• The Sprocket Society presented a Secret Matinee series (and they’re doing it again in 2012), a rare screening of Robert Enrico’s Ambrose Bierce trilogy, a night of silent funnies, and a Super Secret Triple Creature Feature—all on 16mm film!
• We presented two experimental 16mm film shows with the artists in attendance: New Hampshire filmmaker Jodie Mack brought her graphic yet abstract films to the GI, complete with live musical accompaniments and audience participation. Florida’s Roger Beebe presented a multi-projector spectacle, at times operating 3-4 16mm and Super 8mm projectors simultaneously (including video), full of punk attitude and wry humor.
• All Monsters Attack celebrated its 5th anniversary with 35mm double features of Alien(s), Wolfmen, and Zombies.
• We hosted the first annual Seattle Shorts Film Festival to sold out crowds. Festival director Monica Magee assembled two great programs of short films from around the world. Bring your short attention spans back next year!
• Our first ever VHS-themed event, presented with Scarecrow Video, VHSXMAS. It was a wild holiday montage compiled by board member (and former programmer) Spenser Hoyt and edited by yours truly, general manager Brian Alter. Look for a 2nd annual show in December 2012!
• A week run of Jimmy Stewart in the comedy classic Harvey, leading up to our 41st glorious engagement of It’s A Wonderful Life.

Photo by Alan Smith

Please don’t stop paying attention to us because early 2012 is shaping up to be just as varied: Ernst Lubitsch graces our screen first thing in 2012; Mike Ott’s (2011′s Indie Spirit Awards “Someone to Watch”) new film, Littlerock, hits the screen after that; and later in January we bring new anime, a doc about comic writer Warren Ellis, and a special engagement of Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive.

A major reason we can continue do what we do is our members. Without their support throughout the year we’d surely be doomed (or it would at least be a lot harder!). Thank you members! Membership dipped slightly in 2011, so if you value the Grand Illusion please consider becoming a member in the new year. Memberships start at $30/year and if you see 10 films you pay for it via the $3 discount you get on tickets.

Happy Holidays!

The volunteers of the Grand Illusion