Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« The Canucks Won in Double Overtime!… | Is Bruno Mars's "The Lazy Song" the… »

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

SIFF Another Earth and the Unforgiving Neptune

Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 1:13 PM

Screen_shot_2011-05-25_at_12.45.36_PM.png

Another Earth—a SIFF movie about a duplicate Earth that appears in the skies over our Earth, and the damaged people who react to the news that there are copies of them on that other planet—was kind of a disappointment, but it was at least an interesting disappointment. It was a little too comfortable in its own indie film formulations, and a little too uninterested in its own science fiction concept (I would have liked a few nods to sci-fi in there somewhere, instead of treating the whole thing like a Giant Indie Film Metaphor). But it was beautiful—turns out, I love watching distant shots of people walking around with a giant Earth looming in the background—and it ended on a strong note.

Another disappointment? The Neptune is nowhere near an optimal movie-watching experience right now. The balcony, I hear, is basically the same as it always has been, but the main area consists of folding chairs, laid out in rows flat on the floor. This means that if you're at all short and you can't get a balcony seat, you're probably fucked. I imagine that films with subtitles will be especially challenging. Further, the temporary screen is very small, and the sound is atrocious.

I think The Neptune will be a great place to see rock shows and readings when it gets up and running. The stained glass and other restorations look great. But if you're choosing between two SIFF screenings and one is at The Neptune, you should probably go with the other option.

Comments (16) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Shit, that sucks. Folding chairs?? That's going to be hell on my body. Wish I'd known this BEFORE I bought tickets to 7 films at the Neptune this time around! But thanks for the tip on the balcony, Paul. That's handy information.

Posted by Meg on May 25, 2011 at 1:55 PM

Word on the street is that they're putting in theater seats on Friday.

Posted by Josh Bis

on May 25, 2011 at 2:00 PM

Loved it.

The Neptune really has had problems. You feel bad for them, but things like screen cursors showing up, not checking to see tracking is off by 1/3 of the screen, or a lack of sound ... well, it's a royal pain.

Be great once they turn into a bar-equipped mixed-use music/theatre/movie space tho.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 25, 2011 at 2:15 PM

Another Earth is what I loved. Your problem is you went thinking it was an SF movie. It is - Speculative Fiction. Trollhunter - also not really SF - but off the hook.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 25, 2011 at 2:17 PM

I went to the Neptune yesterday to see "Beginners" and the sound was horrible. Horrible enough to almost ruin the movie. I considered walking out after 30 min but really, really wanted to see the film. The sound was so bad at times that I couldn't hear the dialog. If you go, plan on sitting closer to the front. If you're in the balcony or in the back I hope you can read lips.

Posted by brokn2pieces on May 25, 2011 at 2:49 PM

The folding chairs are padded and aren't as bad as they sound. The plus is that there's more leg room than in most theaters. There's also a raised area that starts midway back, so it's actually great for short people (me) if you get there early enough to get one of the front rows in that section. Agree that the sound was pretty lame, though.

Posted by gck on May 25, 2011 at 3:03 PM

Yes, they're getting temp theater chairs from Sundance (who often do screenings at non-theater venues). Call siff for more info.

Posted by stinkbug on May 25, 2011 at 5:36 PM

@7: Whew! I'm going back there for another film in a week and a half. Hopefully in time for the new seats. Saw "3" last Friday and the arrangement left a lot to be desired.

Posted by Dod on May 25, 2011 at 6:57 PM

Is it a giant paper mache Earth? Because if so, Pinky and the Brain made it.

Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings

on May 25, 2011 at 7:14 PM

Note: the showing of If a Tree Falls (the ELF doc) was just aborted at the Harvard Exit and everyone was evacuated from the theater. Apparently there was a 911 call, but venue peeps aren't saying more. Everyone is standing outside in the rain.

Posted by stinkbug on May 25, 2011 at 7:31 PM

Screening cancelled. Venue coordinator not giving up any info as to the reason, etc.

Posted by stinkbug on May 25, 2011 at 7:32 PM

People offered refunds or vouchers (good for any siff film).

Posted by stinkbug on May 25, 2011 at 7:37 PM

From a tweet: "Harvard Exit cleared earlier over concerns about a person's strange behavior at theater. Screening Earth Liberation Front movie so tense"

Posted by stinkbug on May 25, 2011 at 8:31 PM

So, I guess STG had no idea festival was coming so they can't get seats until week 2? They are so bereft of resources being a struggling non profit and all...

Posted by Oops I caught an STG on May 25, 2011 at 9:43 PM

@2 is correct; new seats are coming in Friday.

Volunteer to help move them, and get a stack of free movie vouchers: http://www.shiftboard.com/siff/ (production team)

Posted by d.p. on May 26, 2011 at 2:02 PM

There's also this word from Queen Anne Times writer Richard Jameson, "Speaking of showmanship, I was appalled to learn that the Technicolor classic Black Narcissus was offered last Saturday not as a 35mm movie but as a projection from Blu-ray—and there were, as the delicate phrase goes, “digital issues” compromising the presentation. The Criterion Blu-ray is a thing of beauty (and I’m thrilled to own it), but if a film festival is going to present a landmark of cinematography, they damn well ought to show the film."

Posted by oldmanandthesea