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FILM
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Squatters are not a group of folks that I’d previously associated with cinema, but I’m not afraid to admit that I was wrong. “In 2019, a radical group calling itself the Cinéma La Clef Revival Collective forced their way into the derelict building which housed La Clef (The Key), a ’70s-era cinema,” The Beacon explains. The French collective revitalized the space, which had shuttered in 2015 because the owners wanted to sell the property for redevelopment. Booo! La Clef Revival has fostered a community-programmed space for “squatter’s cinema” ever since, shouting a gargantuan “fuck you” at exclusionary rental practices and vampiric landlords and developers. Show up to this screening series throughout March for a selection of squat-centric flicks like Occupied Cinema, Winstanley, and many others. One of my personal faves, Robinson’s Garden, will screen later in the month—it’s a clear-cut punk statement offering up a rare glimpse of a multicultural Tokyo sans city pop and financial prosperity. Not to gush too much, but the film draws from underground No Wave aesthetics (think Jim Jarmusch) to tell an anticapitalist story of a bohemian drug dealer who discovers an abandoned building lush with vegetation. Promise you’ll dig it. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City)
LIVE MUSIC
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If you were a fan of Florence and the Machine before they really took off (I’m talking circa “Kiss With A Fist“), then perhaps Australian singer-songwriter Angie McMahon can recreate your fondness for that era. Aside from having a similar voice to Florence Welch, her songs are equally punchy, raw, and oozing with unabashed freedom. She will support her sophomore album, Light, Dark, Light Again, which tackles universal topics like heartbreak, depression, and anxiety with unrelenting catharsis and empowerment. Don’t miss an opening set from folk troubadour La Ren. AV
(The Crocodile, Belltown)
FILM
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Talking Heads leader David Byrne took stories and headlines from tabloid magazines and gave them new life in True Stories. Byrne plays a nameless narrator in a giant cowboy hat as he observes the fictional town of Virgil, Texas prepare for its sesquicentennial (150th) “Celebration of Specialness,” which is sponsored by computing manufacturing plant Varicorp Corporation. The film explores creativity, culture, and the strengthening grip of consumerism in the flyover states, featuring an early John Goodman performance and wide empty Texas skies. The film itself is like a dream, surreal and beautiful. FORMER STRANGER STAFF WRITER JAS KEIMIG
(Here-After at the Crocodile, Belltown)
READINGS & TALKS
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If you haven’t had a chance to read James Beard Award-winning local writer Geraldine DeRuiter’s fierce, incendiary viral essay “I Made the Pizza Cinnamon Rolls from Mario Batali’s Sexual Misconduct Apology Letter,” go do that right now. Her hysterical review of an absurd meal at the Michelin-starred restaurant Bros. is equally worth your time. Luckily for us all, DeRuiter has brought her scathing wit to a new collection of essays entitled If You Can’t Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury. She’ll drop by Book Larder for a chat with local author Becky Selengut, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
(Book Larder, Fremont)
FILM
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Teen movies really hit their stride once the youngins started hanging out in malls in the early ’80s. Suddenly, teens were more visible, and with that visibility came more complex and rebellious young roles on screen. Local filmmaker Jeremy Cropf will chat about some of the most enduring teen films of the last 40-odd years in this series, which includes screenings of Jennifer’s Body, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and more alongside hybrid lectures on teen representation with themes corresponding to high school grades (“Freshman Year: The Invention of the Teenager,” “Sophomore Year: Dark Comedy and Social Satire,” and so on). Show up if you’re into Euphoria. LC
(SIFF Film Center and Virtual)
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If you consider life to be both an endless pursuit of beauty and philosophical challenges, I humbly suggest that you watch more ’60s- and ’70s-era Italian films. Viva Italia! makes it easy—the selection of straordinari film italiani boasts rare 35mm prints and 4K restorations, will start with a three-flick tribute to Marcello Mastroianni, and includes a screening of the unmatched Pasolini drama Mamma Roma. Chef’s kiss. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown)
FOOD & DRINK
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The pop-up-turned-cult-favorite-bakery Ben’s Bread Co. is kicking off a new collaborative pizza pop-up series on Wednesdays this month, featuring some of their pals in the industry. The series continues this week with married couple and Gravy co-owners Dre Neeley and Pepa Brower, followed by chef Cam Hanin of Lupo and Guerilla Pizza Kitchen on March 20, and finally, Andrew and Ruel Gregory of Post Alley Pizza on March 27. Expect plenty of pizza, side dishes, dessert, and drinks each night, available for takeout or patio dining—menus will be released closer to each date. JB
(Ben’s Bread, Phinney Ridge)
LIVE MUSIC
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Along with being a prolific songwriter in her own right, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) has the ability to transform an existing song, breathing new life into old classics (as evidenced by her wildly popular cover of Phil Phillips’ “Sea of Love”). On her latest release, Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, Marshall recreates Bob Dylan’s famously bootlegged Manchester Free Trade Hall performance (frequently mislabeled as the “Royal Albert Hall Concert”), complete with the exact setlist and infamous crowd heckles. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this faithful tribute with songs like “She Belongs To Me,” “Mr. Tamborine Man,” and “Like a Rolling Stone”—lord knows you won’t be hearing these at an actual Dylan concert (he’s too cool, he will never give the people what they want.) AV
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)
READINGS & TALKS
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Queer icon and activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, who penned the Lambda Award-winning memoir The End of San Francisco and approximately one million other essays, stories, and books, is back with Touching the Art, which Kirkus Reviews describes as being chock-full of “frank, intimate reflections on art, life, and their often complex intersections.” For this conversation, Sycamore will be joined by Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the Fox.
(Central Library, Downtown)
FILM
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Washington-born Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, the patron saint of bang-sporting Gen X-ers everywhere, will head to the Egyptian for a special screening of his favorite film, Aki Kaurismäki’s Drifting Clouds. The flick feels a little like Gibbard’s music—it’s full of wry humor and gentleness set against a frigid Helsinki backdrop, and it explores the strength of a romantic relationship amid financial struggles. After the film, VIP ticket holders can drop by Life on Mars to chat cinema with Gibbard and fellow fans. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill)
READINGS & TALKS
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Allow me to fangirl over New York Times staff writer Eric Kim for a minute. His tuna mayo rice bowl recipe has quickly become my go-to WFH lunch and hyperfixation food du jour (add a little cucumber and avocado, scoop it all up with seaweed sheets, and thank me later). I adore his poignant, lovely food writing (see: this ode to wonton chicken salad and this romantic paean to midnight pasta). And I love how craveable and nostalgic his recipes are—I mean, how could you not want to make cheesy peanut butter noodles, gochujang caramel cookies, black sesame Rice Krispies treats, or matcha latte cookies topped with a cloud of old-school boiled milk frosting? With the advent of his debut cookbook Korean American, I can’t wait to add even more of his recipes, including gochugaru shrimp and grits, caramelized kimchi baked potatoes, and gochujang-buttered radish toast, to my repertoire. In addition, the book also includes personal essays on his upbringing as the son of two Korean immigrants in Atlanta and provides context on the history of Korean American cuisine. He’ll chat with local author J. Kenji López-Alt about the book at this event. JB
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)
EXHIBIT
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The Museum of Pop Culture has unveiled a new long-term exhibit that asks visitors to consider their role as creators and consumers of modern pop culture. The 2,400-square-foot showcase will feature 80+ artifacts, films, and interactive experiences that range from Judy Garland’s iconic gingham dress from The Wizard of Oz to Kim Kardashian’s gaudy neon sneaker pumps (side note: can you imagine what pieces would look like if styled together? Iconic.) The exhibit will dig deeper than a traditional artifact display with thought-provoking questions about appropriation, celebrity culture, and representation. Be one of the first to see the display at this opening party featuring music from 8-Bit Brass Band and DJ Wax Witch, a K-pop dance-along, curatorial panels, and other festive activities. AV
(MoPOP, Uptown)
LIVE MUSIC
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Elephant Gym is the Taiwanese math rock project of siblings KT and Tell Chang with drummer Chia-Chin Tu. To be honest, I shy away from anything that calls itself “math rock” because it’s typically extremely dorky. However, Elephant Gym is anything but! Their sound is loose, jangly, and cool with plenty of jazz influence (listen to their song “Feather” to see what I mean). They will play tracks from their new album, World, alongside the LA-based indie rock outfit Standards. AV
(The Crocodile, Belltown)
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Sexagenarian soul/funk singer Lee Fields is an American treasure. In 1969 he released his first single “Bewildered/Tell Her I Love Her,” and the man is still pumping out bangers—the most recent of which are on 2022’s Sentimental Fool. The soul veteran has worked with countless legendary artists—from B.B. King to Kool and the Gang—but the younger cats appreciate Fields’ work as well; Travis Scott’s mega hit “Antidote,” for instance, samples Lee Fields and the Expressions’ “All I Need” from 2014’s Emma Jean. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR JENNI MOORE
(Neptune Theatre, University District)
PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
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If you’ve ever thought, “Damn, this rave isn’t playing nearly enough Fleetwood Mac,” then the Silver Storms Ball is for you. Twirl around Stevie Nicks-style to the band’s iconic hits and deep cuts, which have been remixed for the chiffon-filled dance floor by electronic DJs Roxanne Roll and Alex Oxley. If you’re not a fan of the classic rock troupe, then you can go your own way! AV
(The Crocodile, Belltown)
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Take Tay Tay’s advice about “getting down to this sick beat” with a rave dedicated to the beloved pop princess. Expect a blend of Taylor Swift’s beat-driven jams (think: Reputation– and 1989-era tracks) along with remixes, lasers, neon decor, and strobe lights that’ll keep you in a lavender haze. This will be an excellent place for Swifties to gather and cast spells on Scooter Braun, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ticketmaster, and John Mayer, so make sure to dress for revenge. AV
(The Showbox, Downtown)
PERFORMANCE
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Lindy West, the former Stranger film editor and sharp wordsmith behind the essay collection Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, co-hosts the podcast Text Me Back with the similarly brilliant Meagan Hatcher-Mays, a lawyer and democracy policy expert. At its core, their pod focuses on making you laugh. Each week, they swallow down whatever garbage has hit the news cycle so you don’t have to—the result is like a regurgitated owl pellet in podcast form, but instead of being full of crushed bones and indigestible fur, it’s a combination of political smartiness, sincerity, and snark. Now that I’ve conjured that image for you, head to this live edition of Text Me Back, in which they’ll take audience questions and discuss their favorite animals. LC
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)
COMEDY
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A giant nerd (he’s six foot seven), comedian Brian Posehn is obsessed with Star Wars—but just the first three movies, bro. Nevertheless, he’s still worth checking out. Aside from wringing much humor from that pop-culture institution, Posehn is a master of the self-deprecating anecdote, using his huge body as a fertile source of gross, hilarious bits. “I’ve taken care of myself like I thought I was gonna get a new body,” he confesses. “I’ve treated my body like it’s a shitty motel room at spring break.” An accomplished character actor, Posehn can also extract quality comedy out of heavy metal, going so far as to record the Live In: Nerd Rage album, which includes “Metal by Numbers,” a witty demystification of this overly serious musical genre. At one point, Posehn grunts, “Here’s the part that sounds like the singer wants to fight,” which is LOL-worthy. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR DAVE SEGAL
(Neptune Theatre, University District)
READINGS & TALKS
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The spring equinox is the ideal time to bask in the beauty of Rena Priest’s poetry, which often references natural cycles and seasonal shifts. Merging traditional poetic forms and modern sensibilities, the Lummi tribal member and Washington’s sixth state poet laureate is a boundary blaster in the genre, fearlessly approaching Indigenous rights and environmentalism in her work and employing poetry as a vehicle for social transformation. (If Priest’s poetry were an actual vehicle, I think it would be an elegant sports car, accelerating from 0 to 60 in mere seconds…or maybe something more environmentally friendly, like a finely tuned bicycle. I digress.) For this talk, Priest will cap off her storied poet laureate term by discussing I Sing the Salmon Home, which gathers poetry from over 150 Washington poets, including first graders and tribal elders. LC
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
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Kells’ 41st annual celebration will kicked off last week and will continue with daily revelry through St. Patrick’s Day (if you’ve got the stamina). As usual, Post Alley and First Ave will be closed to traffic and covered by a large tent to support expanded celebrations, but Kells will also open its event space Hidden Gem for the festivities. There will be house-brewed beers, classic Irish dishes (corned beef, anyone?), and local musicians including the Buck Mad Boys, Máirtín Ó Huigin, and Vertigo Zoo (a U2 Tribute), playing traditional tunes. Don’t forget the bagpipes! SL
(Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, Pike Place Market, Monday-Sunday)
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The Irish Heritage Club celebrates St. Patrick’s Day throughout March with food events, a film festival
Past Event
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, a festival at Seattle Center
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, and much more. It’s the one time of the year when my mother (a woman who’s 6% Irish) makes Irish soda bread; maybe I can convince her to enter it into T.S. McHugh’s contest. The holiday weekend will include a St. Patrick’s “pirates landing” at South Lake Union on the 15th and a parade through downtown
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the 16th. SL
(Various locations, Friday-Sunday)
FILM
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A sweeping sci-fi film with origins right here in the Pacific Northwest, Dune: Part Two is a sequel that surpasses the first by leaps and bounds as it transports us back to the world first created by the late local author Frank Herbert. Picking up where its predecessor left off, it follows the young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he aligns himself with Chani (Zendaya) and the rest of the Fremen who have found a way to survive in the harsh desert climate of Arrakis. As they battle against the forces of the galaxy looking to mine the valuable resources that the planet holds, there is soon a growing sense that the greatest dangers are only just beginning. The film also digs into fears Herbert explored about the hazards of giving power to leaders who talk a big game even as they may be the villains of their own stories. Readers of said books know how this ends, but the film offers just as much to those who are going in blissfully unaware, and its stunning visuals deserve to be seen on the big screen. In all of 2024, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film as immense and well-crafted as Dune: Part Two. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR CHASE HUTCHINSON
(SIFF Cinema Downtown, Belltown, Monday-Sunday)
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SIFF Cinema Egyptian’s latest film series channels a very valid fear: that something gigantic and creepy and slimy will come along and gobble you up whole. (Hey, stranger things have happened.) March Monster Madness spotlights some of cinema history’s scariest, most iconic, and most obscure creatures, from Godzilla and King Kong (duh) to Jeff Goldblum’s hideous fly and that elegant, squid-like alien in Nope. Kaiju enthusiasts can also help select the final film in the lineup—voting kicks off on March 12 in SIFF’s Instagram stories. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, Friday-Sunday)
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New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders, who directed Wings of Desire and a mysterious terrain of canyons and neon in Paris, Texas, is known for his deliciously “slow” cinema and emphasis on desolation. Interestingly, this film (which was shortlisted for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars) feels a little more lighthearted, but I suspect that I will still come away feeling somehow devastated. Perfect Days follows a Tokyo toilet scrubber, Hirayama, whose days are filled with contentment, cassette tapes, books, and photos of trees. May we all be so blessed. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)
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The Seattle Jewish Film Festival is one of the longest-running in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. This year’s “cinemanna” includes an opening night screening of the Anthony Hopkins-fronted flick One Life and The Catskills, a “humorous and nostalgic tribute to the rise and fall of what was affectionately known as the Borscht Belt or Jewish Alps.” Viewers have the option to attend events in person or watch virtually from home. LC
(Monday-Sunday)
FOOD & DRINK
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Immerse yourself in 10 days of pure oenophilia with this behemoth event billing itself as “the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event.” The grand tasting unites more than 200 Washington wineries, 75 local restaurants, and a number of acclaimed local and national chefs, while other signature events include a swanky wine night, a dinner series, Sunday brunch, a seafood party, a casual wine night, seminars, and more. JB
(Various locations, Thursday-Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
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Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, the world-famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater evolved under the direction of Sylvia Waters and Troy Powell to become a show-stopping company that still showcases the country’s best dance talent. In the words of Zadie Smith, “Nothing prepares you for the totality of Alvin Ailey: the aural, visual, physical, spiritual beauty…Heaven.” LC
(Paramount Theatre, Downtown, Friday-Sunday)
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The newest production by Polish-born playwright Martyna Majok, whose play Cost of Living received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Sanctuary City is staged in post-9/11 Newark, where two pre-DACA “Dreamers” meet up on a fire escape to share their worries and hopes as undocumented teens. They plan to marry, but time shifts their relationship and brings up questions about sacrifice, love, and belonging. LC
(Leo K. Theater, Uptown, Thursday–Sunday)
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Agatha Christie rules, and as one of the literary canon’s most twisted storytellers, her style is a perfect fit for a musical spoof on the whodunit genre. Enter Something’s Afoot, in which 10 stranded strangers on a sprawling estate are plucked off one by one. You know the drill, so just show up and enjoy the mystery! Fifth Avenue Theatre also compares the production to the farcical antics of Arrested Development, The Office, and Schitt’s Creek, so even if you’re not “into” murder, you’ll find something to laugh about. LC
(The 5th Avenue Theatre, Downtown, Wednesday–Sunday)
VISUAL ART
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If you haven’t been enraptured by a ceramic platter lately, first of all: Same. But consider my previously platter-less perspective irrevocably changed by Generous Portions, the result of local artists Joe Max Emminger, Elizabeth Sandvig, and Dick Weiss’s collaborative painting sessions. The trio gathers on Sandvig’s sunny porch each week to gossip and paint ceramic plates with colorful enamels. (Hi guys, are you looking for a fourth friend?) The resulting pieces are layered, diary-like, and contain an element of spontaneity that only a hangout with a bestie can provide. LC
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, Tuesday-Saturday)
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Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, is one of the 20th century’s most innovative artists—she blends references to pop art and abstraction with Native perspectives on Americana and mass media in brilliant, layered compositions. This solo exhibition curates from across five decades of the artist’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures; I’m especially drawn to the Bush administration critique of War is Heck and Indian Map, Smith’s “first recognizable map of the country in which brushstrokes and drips blur states’ borders and collaged texts and photographs tell stories of the land’s vast Indigenous presence.” LC
(Seattle Art Museum, Downtown, Wednesday–Sunday)
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Curator Hannah Newman’s Sleepless Nights explores the horrors that would’ve kept Edgar Allan Poe twisting and turning at night, had he been born in the last 50 years or so: Doomscrolling, mental health struggles, grind culture, inflation, all that very scary stuff. Describing busyness as a survival tactic (“The moment we slow down, our worries catch up,” the promotional materials explain), Sleepless Nights posits that artists distract themselves by creating beauty. The exhibition, which features works by Marcelo Fontana, Pamela Hadley, Nicholas Moler-Gallardo, Jessie Rose Vala, Morgan Rosskopf, Katherine Spinella, and Newman, will unfold in a “dark room via blacklights, nightlights, phone screens, and projectors…infused with a continuous stream of audio, a background score of current events, news updates, podcasts, and other data.” Nothing we’re not accustomed to, right? LC
(SOIL, Pioneer Square, Friday-Sunday)
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