SIFF archival films emphasize artists’ mature works
Almost always a high point, the archival section of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) truly blossoms this year with a collection of revivals that...
John Hartl
John Hartl is a University of Washington journalism graduate who has written about movies, books, stage plays and videos for The Seattle Times since 1966. He ran a film series at Clark College in 1964, and has written for The New York Times, The Oregonian, MSNBC and the Chicago Tribune.
‘Itzhak’ captures music, intimate moments in Perlman’s life
This is a sweetly reverential documentary about the world-famous violinist. Rating: 3 stars out of 4.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2018: This year’s aim is to tear down walls
The festival, with the theme “Dream the Future,’’ runs Jan. 25-Feb. 10 at several theaters. More than 168 films in 22 languages will be shown,...
A rueful look at Obama’s ‘Final Year’ as president | Movie review WATCH
Movie review: The scathing new documentary follows the final year of the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts around the world. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 4.
‘Father Figures’: an enjoyable trip through family secrets | Movie review WATCH
Movie review: Owen Wilson and Ed Helms play fraternal twins who discover that their mother (Glenn Close) has lied to them about the circumstances of...
‘The Foreigner’ review: Jackie Chan takes a dramatic turn in latest actioner | Movie review WATCH
The new action-heavy Jackie Chan movie is more somber and violent than his earlier pictures. The subject is terrorism. Pierce Brosnan co-stars. Rating: 3 stars...
‘Whose Streets?’ review: a look at the shooting, aftermath in Ferguson | Movie review WATCH
Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ documentary is charged by its personal touch, reflected in the opening dedication to the late Michael Brown and in the...
‘Tommy’s Honour’ review: Heartfelt shot at golf tale comes up short | Movie review WATCH
It may be too tall an order for any filmmaker to fill, but this heartfelt Scottish attempt to deal with the popularity of golf in...
‘Land of Mine’ review: gripping tale of teens forced to clear deadly remnants of WWII | Movie review WATCH
One of the finalists in this year’s Oscar contest for best-foreign-language film, Martin Zandvliet’s mesmerizing drama focuses on teenage soldiers during the last days of...