Staff Picks
It’s a new year — so why not celebrate it at one of Seattle’s independent moviehouses? Here’s a sample of what’ll be lighting up local screens on these dark winter nights.
The Beacon
January is looking busy at the cozy Beacon, which is continuing its Sunday matinee classics series with four Buster Keaton afternoons: “Our Hospitality” and “One Week” (Jan. 5), “The General” (Jan. 12), “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (Jan. 19) and the 1965 Samuel Beckett short film starring Keaton, “Film,” screening with the 2015 documentary about it, “Notfilm” (Jan. 26). The series Potentially Ill-Advised: Films About Assassinating Your Political Leaders includes Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “The Third Generation” (Jan. 5-9), David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone” (Jan. 11-13), Lina Wertmüller’s “Love and Anarchy” (Jan. 12-16), John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” (Jan. 14-17) and Zhang Yimou’s gorgeously colorful “Hero” (Jan. 18-23), among others. And the series A Fleeting Wisp of Glory: Once and Future Kings features Robert Bresson’s 1974 “Lancelot of the Lake” (Jan. 26-30), John Boorman’s 1981 “Excalibur” with Helen Mirren (Jan. 31-Feb. 2), Éric Rohmer’s 1978 “Perceval le Gallois” (Feb. 1-4) and George A. Romero’s 1981 “Knightriders” (Feb. 5-6).
4405 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle; 206-420-7328, thebeacon.film
Central Cinema
The Central District’s food-and-drink theater welcomes January with a double bill of “Labyrinth” (the Jim Henson fantasy with David Bowie) and “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale), Jan. 3-8. Subsequent pairings include “The Thing” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (Jan. 10-15), “Selma” (in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, tickets are only $5) and “American Psycho” (Jan. 17-22), and Charles Chaplin’s “Modern Times” and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “The City of Lost Children” (Jan. 24-29). And you can likely guess that the movie for Groundhog Day weekend is, of course, “Groundhog Day,” that utterly perfect comedy in which Bill Murray finally figures out how to get it right (Jan. 31-Feb. 5).
1411 21st Ave., Seattle; 206-328-3230, central-cinema.com
Grand Illusion
It’s the final month of screenings at the Grand Illusion’s longtime University District home (it’ll be screening at pop-ups around town starting in February, while continuing to seek a new U District location), so stop by and say goodbye to one of Seattle’s iconic indie houses. As is typical, the G.I. has an eclectic assortment of films for the month: a 40th anniversary screening of the Jackie Chan action classic “Police Story” (screening in a new 4K restoration Jan. 3-5); the anthology project “Ground Zero,” consisting of 22 short films by young filmmakers from Gaza (Jan. 3-5); the acclaimed Danish drama “The Girl With the Needle,” set in post-World War II Copenhagen (Jan. 5-8); “Mountainside,” a 2022 made-in-Seattle film (featuring the G.I. as a location!) written and directed by longtime Grand Illusion projectionist Mikiech Nichols (Jan. 9); and a free screening of the recently restored documentary “King: A Filmed Record … Montgomery to Memphis,” about the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 20). That’s just a sample; see the theater’s website for a full schedule for the month.
1403 N.E. 50th St., Seattle; 206-523-3935, grandillusioncinema.org
Northwest Film Forum
For most of January, NWFF is presenting the 2024 Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour, a package of eight short films from Indigenous filmmakers, all of which have played the Sundance Film Festival. The films, which total 83 minutes, include narratives, documentaries and animation, and will play Jan. 8-26.
1515 12th Ave., Seattle; 206-329-2629, nwfilmforum.org
SIFF
After the unexpected closure of the SIFF Cinema Egyptian in November due to damage caused by a pipe leak in the building, several films from the Enchanted Evenings: The Boundless Cinema of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger fall series had to be rescheduled to this month — which means it’s not too late to see “The Tales of Hoffman” (Jan. 15), “Peeping Tom” (Jan. 22) and “Gone to Earth” (Jan. 29), all in big-screen glory at the Uptown. Also at the Uptown this month is a pair of local sports documentaries: “Last Lap,” about world-class runner Doris Brown Heritage, and “The Dawgfather: The Legacy of Don James,” about the longtime University of Washington Husky football coach. Both screen Jan. 9, with filmmakers Andy Yardy and Kent Loomer present for Q&As. And the 2004 documentary “DIG!,” a Sundance hit about the rivalry between the alt-rock bands the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, screens in an extended director’s cut Jan. 26-28 at the SIFF Film Center.
SIFF Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle; SIFF Film Center, 167 Republican St.; 206-464-5830, siff.net
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