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Review: The World is Off Its Axis in Jim Jarmusch’s ‘The Dead Don’t Die’

The Dead Don’t Die played on June 8th at the Seattle International Film Festival, but will be making its return to year round SIFF on June 21st.

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“The world is off its axis.” Though this tagline isn’t on the poster for Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, it very well could be. You read the newspaper, check Twitter, talk to people outside and you begin to realize just how off-kilter the world is in 2019. This feeling of unbridled, societal chaos is at the heart of Jarmusch’s latest as it paints an apocalyptic world in parallel to our own.

Drawing from the well of 1950s and 60s B-rate horror films, the film focuses on the citizens of Centerville as they fight off zombies rising from their grave after a global incident. It’s a simple premise that lends itself to featuring the likes of Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, and more in the film’s star studded cast, but in its simplicity lies the distillation of the genre it pulls from. There are no complex inter-character relationships, subtle themes, or logical developments, but that seems to be exactly what the film is going for. B-rate horror films are typically devoid of any of those, and in the pursuit of replicating that, Jarmusch created a genre film that evokes that whole aesthetic.

In the name of aligning itself with its influences, the film takes on a very literal, on-the-nose approach to its meaning, often resulting in the film’s driest and funniest lines. Jarmusch’s sense of humor is extremely self-aware and tongue-in-cheek, making self referential statements, commentary on the obvious, and fourth wall breaking jokes to play up the film’s B-movie vibe. It’s consistent and explicit in its intent, and believing other wise would be a tough sell given the poetic precision of Jarmusch’s last film, Paterson.

The film is shameless in its overt meaning, but intentionally so. The film premises itself on the aforementioned idea that “the world is off its axis” in literal and metaphorical terms. After a fracking incident causes the Earth’s to be knocked out of alignment, polar fields are disrupted, day and night cycles are out of wack, and zombies start rising from the grave. With nods to climate change, societal trends, political unease, and the like, the film sets its apocalyptic world in a very realistic setting. Everything is one rung higher than our own reality, making for scenarios where we can laugh at slightly hyperbolic situations that bear truth after we leave the theater. The Dead Don’t Die is B-movie genre film that doubles as a poignant social commentary about the dismay in society. Where we see regressive decline all around us, we too may enter a world where zombies roam amongst us and society is brought to an end.

The cast is laden with stars, and luckily each one gets their own moment to shine. Murray, Driver, and Chloë Sevigny play a trio of semi-capable officers patrolling the town, stopping in on the film’s supporting characters periodically. Steve Buscemi plays a conservative farmer with an attitude, Caleby Landry Jones plays a rest stop clerk with an inkling for horror films, Tilda Swinton plays a coroner with hidden talents, and the list goes on and on. All these characters excel within the film and have at least one moment where they take center stage.

Full of great moments and characters, The Dead Don’t Die is another great outing by Jarmusch that distills the essence of its influences for a comedic zombie flick about contemporary problems. Keenly aware of its effects, the film hones in on genre tropes and plays with them to both pay homage to its influences and generate tongue-in-cheek humor about the world we live in. By presenting the end of society, it seems as Jarmusch is reconciling the insanity he sees around him. His answer: have fun and laugh at the madness, cause in the end, we’re probably all doomed.

3.75/5 STARS

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UW Film Club Podcast #37: Cool As Ice

“Drop the zero, get with a podcaster!”

It wasn’t enough to just show Cool As Ice as our good-bad movie last week, so now we’re talking about it on our podcast! This 1991 cult classic has so many things wrong with it that Cynthia and Greg needed to sit down and dissect all its . . . interesting choices. Included in this episode is a discussion on the illogical nature of the entire film, David Kellogg’s move into Hollywood after being a former music video director, and Vanilla Ice’s first foray into the movie business. Grab your best 90s attire and get ready to ‘schling a schlong’ on the 37th episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

On this week’s episode: Cynthia Li and Greg Arietta.

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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UW Film Club Podcast #36 – Booksmart

“We missed out. We didn’t listen to podcasts because we wanted to focus on school and get into good colleges.”

For weeks, we’ve been wanting to talk about Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and we finally did it! On this super stacked episode featuring Piper Coyner, Joel Garcia, and Stephanie Chuang, we discuss how Booksmart has seemingly achieved instant classic status, the iconography of its characters and scenarios, and the deeper emotional meaning underneath its raunchy teen-comedy surface. Get consensually bashed on the 36th episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

On this week’s episode: Piper Coyner, Joel Garcia, Stephanie Chuang, Cynthia Li, and Greg Arietta.

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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The 2019 UW Student Film Festival Caps Off An Amazing Year

Thank you to everyone who joined us last Thursday night and supported student filmmaking at the 2019 UW Student Film Festival! Each year keeps getting better and better, and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to cap off our 20th Anniversary Year! It brings us great joy to bring the UW film community together to celebrate student filmmaking and we can’t wait to see what everyone has in store for next year! Here’s to another 20 years of UW Film Club!

Congrats to Blake Rizzo’s ‘Lux’ for winning both the Audience Award and Best Picture!
Congrats to Venessa Ouch’s ‘Bad Fruit’ for winning the Best 36 Hour Film!

Event Photos 

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SIFF Review: ‘Crystal Swan’ Crafts a Comedic Homage to Those Who Refuse to Conform

Set in newly independent Belarus in the mid-90s, Crystal Swanfollows Velya, a law graduate turned DJ as she desperately tries to emigrate to America. A black sheep in her native land, Velya dreams of freedom and the famous house music scene in Chicago, but standing in her way is the bureaucratic American immigration process. With a caustic and skilful blend of humor and tragedy, Darya Zhuk manages to provide both sincerity and hilarity in this unique (anti-)homage to Belarus and to those who refuse to conform.

From the outset, Velya is posited as an outsider. She is able to see past the rhetoric of others in pursuit of freedom and individuality, and even dons a vibrant blue wig at work that makes her stand out from the crowd. We see her DJing at a nightclub populated by old statues of Lenin et al that serves to remind us of the not-so-distant history of Belarussian politics – a spectre of the past and its politics that haunts the film, permeating all aspects of Velya’s life. Her overbearing mother can be seen as a metaphor for the oppressive ‘motherland’ of Belarus which Velya feels suffocated by. However, we are given glimpses of protests throughout the narrative which provides a latent sense of unrest paralleling Velya’s own personal desire for freedom. In order to break free from the clutches of her homeland and her mother, Velya undertakes a grand act of forgery which leads her to a remote village and a dysfunctional family in the throes of wedding preparation, into which she becomes disastrously involved.

Shot in ‘academy ratio’ with a lurid 90s colour palette, the style of the film enhances both its retro quality and elements of surrealism provided in part by its humor. While it can, at times, seem bleak and unforgiving – much like the setting itself – the film is well balanced, with vivid and beautiful cinematography, absurd humor, and a banging house music soundtrack to boot.

Crystal Swan is playing on May 24th at 9:00pm at Lincoln Square Cinemas, May 31st at 8:30pm at SIFF Uptown, and June 1st at 2:30pm at SIFF Uptown. Screenwriter Helga Landauer scheduled to attend the 5/31 and 6/1 screenings.

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UW Film Club Podcast #35 – Lady Bird

“I want you to listen to the very best version of this podcast that you can hear.”

With Booksmart hitting theaters this past weekend (which you should all see), we’re prepping with one of our favorite coming of age teen films, Ladybird. With special guest, Sabrina Pearson, we discuss the relatable aspects of the film, the its nostalgic quality, and how everything within the film works to create a cohesive, lived-in world. So sit back and listen as we reminiscent about our hometowns and parents in the 35th episode of the UW Film Club Podcast. You’ll surely want to call your mom after a listen!

On this week’s episode: Sabrina Pearson and Cynthia Li

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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UW Film Club Podcast #34 – John Wick

“Listeners keep asking if I’m back to the podcasting life and I haven’t really had an answer. But now, yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”

On this week’s episode, Cynthia, Greg, and special guest Jim sit down to discuss Keanu Reeve’s explosive return to form: John Wick. With the highly anticipated third chapter in theaters now, there was no better time to go back to where it all started. In discussion they talk about the film’s tense first act, its simple yet effective plot, how it holds up amongst the other entries in the franchise, and much more, all in the 34th episode of the UW Film Club Podcast! Drop a listen now!

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On this week’s episode: Cynthia Li, Greg Arietta, and Jim Saunders.

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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The Student Guide to SIFF 2019

The 2019 Seattle International Film Festival kicks off today and with 234 features from 86 countries, it can be daunting to say the least, especially for first time attendees. That’s why we made a handy-dandy guide to help navigate the festival. Below you’ll not only find the films you should be on the lookout for, but also the periphery elements that will make your overall experience more enjoyable! These tips will help organize your trip, get involved, and save you some time and money in the process.

Planning

The Seattle International Film Festival lasts for an eye popping 25 days and as students, it can often conflict with deadlines. It takes place during the last few weeks of the quarter and wraps up just before finals week on June 9th, so if you’re not careful, it’ll be easy to buy tickets early, only to realize you can’t go.

What I recommend is pull out all your syllabuses for your classes and plot out the deadlines for the rest of the quarter. Then go to SIFF’s website, make an account, and use their My Festival feature. With it, you can add films you’re interested in to your account and see them over the course of festival. Compare your school calendar with the one online and see which ones you can attend. Note that there are usually two screenings of each film, but pay attention to their location as they can occasionally be located in Shoreline or Bellevue.

You can use your Husky ID to catch public transportation from campus to the SIFF Cinema Uptown (route 32), SIFF Egyptian (route 49), and AMC Pacific Place (Link/49/70). Or split a Lyft or Uber with friends — use code SIFF19 on Lyft and you’ll get 15% off your rides! Set yourself up to arrive about an hour before the show time, because a line will usually form outside the venue and the best seats in the theater will fill up fast.

Some films have special guests scheduled to attend! This information is listed on the SIFF website under the select films, and if you want insight into the film you just saw, some times they will host a Q&A session afterwards. SIFF also loves to throw parties, so be on the lookout for those special events.

Ticket Sales

SIFF has three tiers of tickets on their site: Available, Limited Availability, and On Standby. Available is exactly as it sounds: you can still buy tickets. Limited Availability means tickets are running out but few are still left for sale so buy them quick.

On Standby means that the allotment of public tickets for the screening are sold out. SIFF partitions the available seats between public tickets and pass holder tickets. On Standby still means you can see the film, but there is no guarantee. If a film you want to see is On Standby, you can go to the theater the day of the screening and wait in the Standby line. Once both the ticket holders and pass holders are let in, SIFF will let in people from the Standby Line to fill in the remaining seats. It’s done on first come, first serve so if it’s something you really want to see, get there early!

Volunteering

Volunteering with SIFF is a great way to get free tickets to the festival while also padding out your resume. By volunteering you not only get a free T-Shirt, but you’ll get complimentary tickets that are good for festival screenings or for admission to films at SIFF’s year round cinema. If you’re like us, you stockpile them during the festival and when Oscar season comes around, you unload them and save yourself some cash. PLUS, volunteering at the festival puts you on a list for Appreciation Screenings and Membership Appreciation Nights that SIFF puts on throughout the year to say thanks to the volunteers.

To volunteer, you can follow the steps on here and make an account with Shiftboard. Most shifts are taken, but if you check periodically, spots will open up. Venue Crew is our personal favorite as you often get to relax while the screening is taking place, but assisting the festival lounge or packing gala gift baskets are also well and good. Lastly, if you can get a buddy to occupy the same shift as you, time will fly by!

Memberships

SIFF memberships are a great way to get access to a plethora of perks that’ll help with the festival. SIFF tickets are usually $14, but with a membership you get $2 off every time. Additionally, you’ll also get a slew of year round perks with SIFF like discounted tickets, access to special screenings, and early access to presale of next year’s festival tickets. Memberships are $50 at the base level, but students can get discounted memberships for $35. If you’re a movie aficionado, the membership will pay for itself, plus the early festival access (for next year) will ensure you get tickets before they go on standby.

SIFF Picks for Students

Like we mentioned, there are over 200 feature films at the festival this year and most of them don’t have any readily available reviews. If you look at the festival guide, you only get a short blurb about the synopsis and nothing else. It’s a blessing because you’ll often find yourself surprised when you find a hidden gem, but it’s also a curse because you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. The following selections are films that we’ve seen or heard good things about, and think will suit the tastes of students the best. If you want to see a comprehensive list of all the films we’ve seen with their ratings, you can check out our Capsule Review Page here.

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The Farewell: Sunday, June 9th SIFF Egyptian 6:00pm(Closing Night Film)

A true lie. That may seem like the greatest oxymoron, but it’s what makes The Farewell so intriguing. Modeled after director Lulu Wang’s real-life experiences, the film follows Billi, played by Awkwafina, as she returns to China after discovering her grandmother has been diagnosed with cancer. However, instead of informing her, Billi’s family keeps her in the dark, staging a faux-wedding to let their grandmother see the entire family and celebrate one last time. Refrained from letting her emotions get the better of her, Billi struggles to keep the secret from the one she loves, questioning the morality of this decision and leading to an emotionally packed 98 minutes that will bring you into tears. 

Crystal Swan: Friday May 24th Lincoln Square 9:00pm/Friday May 31st SIFF Uptown 8:30pm/Saturday June 1st SIFF Uptown 2:30pm

A young DJ from Belarus dreams of escaping her oppressive motherland and emigrating to America, the land of freedom and possibilities. Things go awry when she forges her visa references, leading her to the town of Crystal and a dysfunctional family wrapped up in wedding preparations. This bold and entertaining comedy with a great soundtrack is definitely one to watch!

For Sama: Sunday, June 2nd AMC Pacific Place 6:30pm/ Monday, June 3rd SIFF Cinema Uptwon 4:00pm

The Syrian Civil War is one of the most significant conflicts of our time. While it may be easy to characterize the war by news headlines, it is just as easy to forget the individuals living through it. Waad al-Kateab’s and Edward Watts’ SXSW Jury Doc winner and Cannes selection, For Sama, shines a light on those that decided to stay and fight Bashir Al Asad’s regime. Tracking the war from its inception in the Arab Spring to late 2016, the film structures itself around al-Kateab’s personal letter to her daughter as she assesses her reasons for staying the country and coming to terms with the fact that it may be Sama who has to make a better world for herself. With shocking video, For Sama humanizes a war that has long been a political talking point and gives it new context for those removed from it. (Read Our Full Review)

The Sound of Silence: Friday, May 17th  SIFF Uptown 9:30pm/Sunday, May 19th Majestic Bay 6:00pm

Peter Saarsgard plays a New York ‘house tuner’ at the turn of the last century trying to figure out the source of Rashida Jones’ bad vibes. Described as a quiet indie drama, this film has a solid cast and will no doubt be quirky and charming.

Blinded By The Light: Thursday, May 23rd SIFF Egyptian 6:30pm / Friday, May 24th SIFF Uptown 3:15pm

Remember the feeling when you heard that one song that expressed all of your emotions and solved all your problems. Well, Blinded by the Light explores that feeling. Following British Pakistani teen Javed and his discovery Bruce Springsteen, Gurinder Chadha’s (Bend It Like Beckham) crowd-pleasing film explores self-expression as a means to escape and stand up to the racial intolerance in his hometown.

The Art of Self Defense: Friday, May 31st SIFF Egyptian 6:30pm / Saturday, June 1st SIFF Uptown 3:30pm

The Art of Self Defense follows Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) who is the victim of a brutal mugging that leaves him shaken and traumatized. Determined to muscle up and prevent a future attack, his search for self defense leads him to a karate dojo where he quickly ascends rank and becomes a star pupil of Sensei, but what he soon learns is there is more to the dojo and his training than he first thought. Thriving on dry-pan, dark humor, director Riley Stearns creates a film that cuts deep into toxic masculinity by showing how normalized it has become. (Read Our Full Review)

Death of Dick Long: Friday, June 7th SIFF Egyptian 9:00pm / Saturday, June 8th SIFF Uptown 2:30pm

Death of Dick Long is director Daniel Scheinhert’s follow-up to his indie hit Swiss Army Man which sees two drinking buddies, Zeke and Earl, as they attempt to cover up the mysterious death of their friend Dick Long. Through hilarious attempts to maintain their complicated lie, Zeke and Earl find themselves falling from one rabbit hole to another as Scheinhert employs the same dark comedy and zaniness that made Swiss Army Man a success. 

The Nightingale: Saturday, May 18th SIFF Uptown 9:00pm / Thursday, May 23rd SIFF Egyptian 9:30pm

Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale is not an easy watch, but the gravity it presents in its scenarios are needed as it discusses violence against women and the horrors of colonialism. After a vicious act of violence, Claire pursues the perpetrators through the Tasmanian bush looking to extract revenge for the wrongs committed against her. It has a lengthy run time, but its blunt look at thematic targets will surely leave a lasting impression long after you leave the theater. 

Archival Film Series: As always, we recommend checking out one or two  archival films to help fill in your back catalog of important films. This year SIFF has great offerings including Fritz Lang’s Spies, Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three, I Am Cuba, Fantastic Planet, and Between the Lines. Any one of these are worth watching on their own, but seeing them in a theater is certainly preferable to your computer screen.

Other Notable Recommendations:

–Monos

–Non-Fiction

–Honeyland

–Meeting Gorbachov

–The Apollo

–We Are the Radical Monarchs

Film Club has a special code to get $3 off your tickets for Banana Split, the Futurewave Shorts, Blinded By The Light, and House of Hummingbird! Use UWFILMCLUB19 at checkout when buying tickets for those films!

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UW Film Club Podcast #33 – Under the Silver Lake

“Why do we assume all this podcasting is what we are told it is?” 

On this week’s episode, Cynthia and Greg sit down to discuss David Robert Mitchell’s long awaited and highly polarizing film: Under the Silver Lake. With each providing opposing sides, the two discuss the whether there is deeper meaning to the film or if its just a pretentious mess. In discussion they talk about the film’s commentary on popular culture, its underlying allegory for the fantasies of Hollywood, the use of the male gaze, and how the film may ascend to a future cult status. Crack the code, follow the clues, and find out what’s under the silver lake with the 33rd episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

On this week’s episode: Cynthia Li, and Greg Arietta.

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW.  Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts,  Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every Monday for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

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Review: ‘Pokemon: Detective Pikachu’ Solves Its Case, Not Its Narrative

Everyone knows Pokemon. You show someone an image of Pikachu, and there’s a good chance they’ll be able to recognize it. Even Werner Herzog is aware of them. They are a cultural phenomena spanning video games, television, trading cards, and more, giving birth to an insatiable desire to catch ‘em all worldwide. Now we have a live action feature film: Detective Pikachu. Though this is not the first time Pokemon has seen the big screen, it is the first time it has taken on tentpole status.

You can make the claim that this film is the best video game movie ever made, but to take that title, you don’t have to do much. Detective Pikachu pretty much needed to be average in order to clear the threshold and climb to the top of the pedestal, and that’s exactly what it is While Detective Pikachu is enjoyable, it isn’t perfect.The allure of pokemon will get you in the theater, but know now that the film’s narrative alone prevents Detective Pikachu from being nothing more than an all around average film with a few bright spots.

One of the more admirable aspects of the film is how it pulls inspiration from past noirs to build its aesthetic. Being that our protagonists are detectives, it only seems fitting, and surprisingly, the genre applies itself well to the world of ‘pocket monsters.’ Not as dark and seedy as the best noirs — we are dealing with a kid-friendly property after all—, but it channels its essence in a way that melds well with the comedic direction it takes, akin to something like The Nice Guys though not as sexual. 

From the 1940 noir film that plays on the TV to the neon-lit streets of Ryme City to the playful takes on genre tropes, the film wears its influences on its sleeve. Plus, in an utterly unconventional studio decision, the film is even shot on actual film to maintain its aesthetic vibe, giving it subtle textural grain that is reminiscent of the noirs of the past. Creative decisions culminate in a consistent visual style that is surprisingly genuine. Not riffing on the genre and not using it as a crutch, but rather applying it to a narrative that suits it. 

For all its effort to replicate the noir aesthetic, the narrative itself is, well … overt. The buy in for this mystery is low, but as the story unfolds and the conspiracy unravels, it becomes progressively more absurd —when you get to the holograms, you’ll know what I mean. The film will sit you down and spoon feed you information in order to set up the next ten to fifteen minutes of antics until your next information dump. The hand holding is so egregious that ____’s arc feels underdeveloped; the lack of agency comes at the hand of self-explanation, random developments, and necessitated narrative progression which ultimately results in a lead character that is more or less a pawn with surface level characterization.

I’ll leave it unspecified, however, there’s one scene in the trailer that seems seminal to the film, but it’s completely inconsequential and could be entirely cut, only made even worse by the fact that nothing in that scene comes up later. The inclusion of moments like these and then making up for narrative shortfalls with information dumps is where the narrative feels lazy — prioritizing spectacle over logical narrative efficiency. To see a narrative devolve and become weighed down by its own doing is disappointing, especially when it starts off so well. 

Not to sign off on the narrative, but it is Pokemon. Some people may decide to forgive the narrative shortcuts the film takes just so they can see Ryan Reynolds voice a chonky Pikachu drink coffee and solve a conspiracy. And that may be a valid point for the fans. There is some worth in that. Feel free to see it for all the pocket monsters, see it for all the cute monsters running around in a noir setting, but just know that this isn’t a Double Indemnity level story. 

3/5 STARS