Jim Brunzell III, Writer

Having directed his last four films abroad, director Woody Allen returns to his beloved New York for his 40th feature, Whatever Works, which opens this Friday at the Lagoon Cinema. Many of Allen’s fans will not only rejoice to see New York as his backdrop again, but will appreciate the casting of Larry David to play the “Woody Allen” role that Allen himself played up until the mid-90s: the atheist, neurotic leading male looking for love and disapproving of everyone along the way. (David had minor roles in two previous Allen films; in Radio Days, he played the communist neighbor.) MORE »

SEATTLE—Ondi Timoner is walking back and forth trying to find a good spot in the lobby of the Egyptian Theater to put “We Live in Public” t-shirts and DVDs of her film Join Us out on display to sell after the screening of her new movie We All Live In Public. She has been doing interviews since the start of the screening and I’m her last one before the film ends (in less then 15 minutes); then she has to get back on stage to conduct a Q&A. MORE »

SEATTLE—Having spent a week at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), I took in close to 30 films and have more than plenty to share about the highlights and some must-see films. But one of the highlights didn’t even happen on screen: it was director David Russo’s Q&A after the screening of his movie The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. At SIFF, Russo saw something that really bothered him. “Has any festival ever done this?” he asked. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” MORE »

SEATTLE—While some of the more prominent U.S. film festivals (Sundance, Tribeca, Telluride, Full Frame) get most of the recognition in showcasing new films from acclaimed directors, big stars, and cutting-edge topics, the 35th annual Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) not only features all of that and more, it’s the biggest film festival in the U.S., screening 392 films in total (268 features and 124 shorts). It runs longer than any other festival at a whopping 25 days, starting this weekend. I’ll be spending a week at the festival, reporting for the Daily Planet. MORE »

The highly innovative and entertaining new American independent film The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, features off-beat art culture, toilet jokes, male pregnancy scares, cookie tasting trials, religious commentary, gnarly animation, war politics, and lots of water. The film is currently making the festival rounds and will be screening this Tuesday at St. Anthony Main as part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. MORE »