Staff Picks
Lots going on at local indie cinemas this month! Let’s get right to it.
The Beacon
In the mood for something truly depressing? The Beacon has you covered: June 5-11 is “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair,” a selection of international films that examine, according to the theater’s website, “the darkest sides of humanity, as well as some of the bleakest points in human history.” Among the films are Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” (June 6 and 11), Lars von Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark” (June 8) and Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant” (June 9). Also at the Beacon this month: George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” (June 18 and 21) and its prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (June 12 and 18); Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 anti-war film “Paths of Glory” (June 14-15); and a couple of classic 1950s courtroom dramas: Billy Wilder’s “Witness for the Prosecution” (June 21-22) and Otto Preminger’s “Anatomy of a Murder” (June 28-29).
4405 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle; 206-420-7328, thebeacon.film
Central Cinema
See how many lines of dialogue you can remember from “The Princess Bride,” which will be on-screen at Central Cinema June 5-10. (I’m quite partial to “I do not think it means what you think it means,” and all of Fezzik’s rhymes.) It shares billing with Karyn Kusama’s 2009 horror film “Jennifer’s Body,” June 5-10. Next up: anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s gorgeous Oscar winner “Spirited Away” (June 12-17, screening daily in dubbed English at 4 p.m. and Japanese with English subtitles at 7 p.m.), alongside the horror/comedy/potential cult classic “Buffet Infinity,” a film told entirely through low-budget TV ads (June 12-16). Father’s Day weekend brings Nicolas Cage in “Raising Arizona” (June 19-24) and the comedy “Bottoms” (June 19-23), featuring, in a small role, former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch. A “mummy” weekend wraps up (ha!) the month: the 1999 adventure “The Mummy” and the dark 1994 Kathleen Turner comedy “Serial Mom,” both June 26-July 1.
1411 21st Ave., Seattle; 206-328-3230, central-cinema.com
Grand Illusion
Still without a permanent home, the Grand Illusion continues to present pop-up screenings around town, with several this month in observance of cinematic milestones. Cheryl Dunye’s queer cinema classic “The Watermelon Woman” celebrates its 30th anniversary June 8 at Northwest Film Forum. Tsui Hark’s action comedy “Peking Opera Blues” turns 40, with a new restoration, June 15 at Northwest Film Forum. The Japanese cyberpunk classic “Rubber’s Lover,” in a new remaster, celebrates its 30th anniversary at Northwest Film Forum June 30. And “All the President’s Men,” with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, celebrates its 50th with a rare 35mm screening June 25 and July 1 at SIFF Film Center.
Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle. SIFF Film Center, Seattle Center campus, 167 Republican St., Seattle. grandillusioncinema.org
Northwest Film Forum
NWFF offers a number of queer films for Pride month. The latest in its “Unstreamable” series — films you can’t find on any streaming service — is “By Hook or By Crook,” a 2001 queer buddy film screening in a new restoration (June 18, 20-21). “She Don’t Fade” is a collection of rarely seen short films from Cheryl Dunye (“The Watermelon Woman”), screening June 3, 5, 7 and 10. Juliet Bashore’s “Kamikaze Hearts” is a “quasi-documentary” set in the 1980s porn industry (June 11-14), and Elizabeth Purchell’s “Ask Any Buddy” is made up of fragments from gay vintage films (June 20-21, 24).
Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle; nwfilmforum.org
SIFF
Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” celebrates its 30th anniversary June 7 at SIFF Uptown. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 2000 feature debut “Amores Perros,” in which three strangers find their lives entwined in Mexico City, screens in a new restoration at SIFF Uptown beginning June 12. “She’s the He,” a teen comedy made by and for trans people, arrives at SIFF Film Center beginning June 12. And this month’s Community Screening (in which tickets are just $7 adults/$5 children) is a classic treat: the 1939 “The Wizard of Oz,” in all its Technicolor glory on the big screen at SIFF Cinema Downtown on June 21.
Uptown Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle. SIFF Film Center, Seattle Center campus, 167 Republican St., Seattle. SIFF Cinema Downtown, 2100 Fourth Ave., Seattle; 206-464-5830. siff.net
Majestic Bay
The friendly Ballard indie cinema continues its popular Retro Nights series on Wednesdays, with Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” on June 10, Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” on June 17 and Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” on June 24. And mark your calendars, Tolkien fans: The extended editions of all three Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” movies screen in July, beginning with “The Fellowship of the Ring” on July 1, “The Two Towers” on July 8 and “The Return of the King” on July 15.
2044 N.W. Market St., Seattle; majesticbay.com
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