‘The Long Day Closes’The Long Day Closes, Terence Davies’s autobiographical 1992 film, slips us into a kind of reverie, a memory of growing up in 1950s Liverpool seeped in communal sing-alongs, movie dreams, and snatches of radio. The transporting power of culture, the warmth of family, the charge of adolescence is all carried in the images and sounds that Davies and stirred into an impressionistic mix. We don’t have to know the references to get swept up in them, because his evocation is so vivid its like we experience them — and the emotional power they have over Davies — along with him.
“Like most of the best autobiographies, The Long Day Closes reworks the past rather than merely re-creating it, and it doesn’t require us to share its author’s preoccupations and reference points to give pleasure,” write Jonathan Rosenbaum in his 1993 review, reprinted on his website.
NWFF brings the film back for a week-long run on 35mm (the proper texture for Davies’ celebration of his movie-love) for its 20th Anniversary.
Openings
The Imposter, the stranger-than-fiction documentary that was one of the most talked-about films at Sundance 2012, opens at The Uptown.
Unforgiveable, directed by Andre Techine and starring Andre Dussollier and Carole Bouquet, opens at The Varsity.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 3D, Takashi Miike’s remake of the 1962 classic, at The Uptown.
Union Square is the latest from Nancy Savoca. Opens at SIFF Film Center.
On the Sly is a family-friendly Belgian film about a runaway girl. Opens at NWFF.
The documentary The Queen of Versailles plays at Harvard Exit and Lincoln Square Cinema.
Visit the film review pages at The Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, and The Stranger for more releases and reviews.
Repertory / Revival / Events
Bottle Rocket, the debut feature from Wes Anderson (whose Moonrise Kingdom is currently in theaters), plays for a week at Grand Illusion.
Lebowski Fest returns to Seattle, Washington this weekend. The Big Lebowski screens at The Showbox on Friday, August 10, and the bowling part it Saturday at Roxbury Lanes. Showtimes, tickets, and other details here.
My Lovely Sister plays as part of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival “Best of the Fest” series. Sunday, August 12 at 2pm at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island. Details here.
Amelie plays late-night at the Egyptian this weekend.
The Best of the Children’s Film Festival is at Northwest Film Forum with a program of the best live-action and animated shorts on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12.
“Thoroughly Modern Myrna” is a talk on the actress by Emily W. Leider, author of the biography “Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood,” illustrated with slides and film clips. At Grand Illusion on Saturday, August 11, at 7pm.
The next “Framing Pictures” discussion, with film critics Richard T. Jameson, Kathleen Murphy, and Robert Horton, takes place next week Friday, August 17, at NWFF. Not to early to mark the calendar.
For more alternative screenings, read Moira Macdonald’s At A Theater Near You roundup at The Seattle Times.
Schedules and Showtimes
View complete screening schedules through IMDb, MSN, Yahoo, orFandango, pick the interface of your choice.
You can check your favorite independent cinemas, neighborhood theaters and multiplexes here.
Independent theaters:
SIFF Cinema
Northwest Film Forum
Grand Illusion
Seattle Art Museum
Central Cinema
The Big Picture
Majestic Bay Theatres
Cinerama
Multiplexes and Chains
Cinebarre
Sundance Cinema
Landmark Theatres (Egyptian, Guild 45, Harvard Exit, Varsity)
Regal Cinemas (Meridian 16, Thornton Place and others)
AMC Cinemas (Pacific Place, Oak Tree, Alderwood and others)
Kirland Park Place
Lincoln Square Cinemas
Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas