SIFF Opening Gala

Last year all I got to see of the opening gala was the aftermath. It was held at the Paramount and the side street was blocked off for the after movie festivities. I was fortunate enough this year to receive two tickets so that I could actually attend this austere event. Instead of the Paramount, this year’s event was held at Benaroya Hall.

From left to right: Paul Dano, Alicia Goranson, Robert Pulcini, and Carl Spence.

Carl Spence and Deborah Person opened the festivities with a short talk about where SIFF was and where  it’s going. Other speakers included Mayor Mike McGinn.

There is always “one” movie that is shown to kick off the festivities. I’m sure that there is tons of deliberation over what it will be every year. This year the chosen movie was The Extra Man. Director Rober Pulcini along with some of the cast, Paul Dano and Alicia Goranson were in attendance and gave their short spiels about the movie.

The Extra Man is an ‘adult’ comedy based on a novel by Johnathan Ames. Take a look at IMDB if you need the plot summary. I hate myself for saying this… But I walked in wanting to love the film, but it just didn’t work for me. Every single character’s personality was enormously exaggerated. “Everyone” was overly quirky. EVERYONE. I did find many parts amusing and laughed out loud quite a bit, but as a movie overall I could of cared less what would happen to the characters by the end of the film. I still think it is worth watching, but I would never go out of my way to see it again. But that is MY opinion. Majority actually loved the film, so you really shouldn’t listen to me. haha.

End of March Magnolia Pictures picked up this film for theatrical release and they are looking towards a late July opening. Not a big surprise since it is star heavy. But it will also give a chance for the masses to form their own opinion.

The crowded masses in the main area of Benaroya Hall.

The after party was okay. Such a bland statement, I know. The food was amazingly good. Actually really took me by surprise how good the food was. The choice of booze left something to be desired though, but I understand that they are only using their sponsors, but it makes it quite limiting on what you can get. The real challenge of the whole evening was getting to the food and booze. Believe it or not, I didn’t even use my drink tickets. Please don’t fall over in shock from that statement. Yes, the line was that bad for even me to pass up free alcohol. The whole venue was just way too crowded. I’m not exactly positive what could of been done different, but the layout of where things were located really needed to be thought out more.

This is where the majority of the food was located.

I did talk to someone who purchased the VIP tickets, and he even felt that it wasn’t worth the money. He did mention that when the crowds dispersed a little bit more as it grew later in the night it was a lot more fun. People started dancing and there was plenty of room to mill about. I had a feeling it would end up like that, but I was beat tired and ready to call it a night after feeling like cattle at the feed trough. Honestly though, good food. I would of never of expected such good quality for that large of a mass of people. So thumbs up to all the participating restaurants. Even the VIP people thought your food rocked. And I don’t mean the appetizers that were served to them prior to the movie.

Absolutely fabulous shoes.

In other news: That night was a trial run on a pair of shoes I was considering on taking to Mexico. They definitely looked awesome, were much more comfortable than they appeared, and added an extra 4″ to my height. I still won’t be running any marathons in them, but I can definitely last an entire night of fun with them on.