It’s always good to laugh, and an evening of Buster Keaton, with live accompaniment, should supply the entertainment. I just got my first press release concerning this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, which will run from April 19 through May 3. As is the festival’s custom, they leak several major events to the press [...]
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I spent last night at the Castro, where I saw two crime thrillers by the great Samuel Fuller: House of Bamboo and Underworld USA–all part of the Noir City festival running through Sunday. The evening got off to a late start. Due to an error, the starting time was advertised as 7:00 in some publications [...]
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I’ve previewed two films that will be screened at the upcoming German Gems festival. Here’s what I thought of them. Both films will screen at the Castro on Saturday, January 14 B+ Above Us Only Sky (Über uns das All), 4:30. Writer/director Jan Schomburg gives us a sad yet sexy story about the secrets that [...]
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At least two film festivals will play the Bay Area in January, both at the Castro Theater. First off is the modest German Gems, which will take over the Castro for one day–Saturday, January 14–to screen five German features. The films include a documentary on nuclear power, a missing-person psychological thriller, and a drama about [...]
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I know people who use the word showmanship to refer to a high technical quality in motion picture presentation—usually referring to old-fashioned technology. I don’t. When I think of "showmanship," I don’t think of movies. I think of circuses, magic shows, and rock concerts. Showmanship isn’t about technology, but about live human beings putting on [...]
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Here’s a quick preview of two films I’ve been able to preview for the Mill Valley Film Festival: B- Small, Beautifully Moving Parts, Sequoia, Saturday, October 8, 4:00; Rafael, Monday, October 10, 9:00. Sarah, a young, very pregnant technology geek (Anna Margaret Hollyman), sets out to find her estranged, irresponsible living-off-the-grid mother. Sarah’s unique personality [...]
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This morning I received a blurb advertising the Mill Valley Film Festival’s Centerpiece presentation of My Week with Marilyn. Here’s how the blurb described the film’s historical setting: In his memoir, The Prince, the Showgirl and Me, Colin Clark chronicled an epochal moment on the set with the legendary Laurence Olivier and luminous Marilyn Monroe, [...]
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Here’s a trio of current and upcoming events: San Francisco Latino Film Festival This film festival opened Friday, and I didn’t even know about it. My apologies. It runs in the City, Berkeley, Marin, and San Jose through the 25th. Check the web site to see what’s playing. Kevin Smith’s Red State Kevin Smith—the writer [...]
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The kids are back in school. The sun is setting a little earlier. The big-budget special effects extravaganzas are giving way to the occasional thoughtful film. You know what that means. This year’s Mill Valley Film Festival can’t be far behind. This is the other big general film festival for Bay Area cinephiles, after the [...]
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I wrote this review after seeing Cracks at the 2010 San Francisco International Film Festival. I was under the impression it would receive a theatrical release and therefore held back the full-length review. As it turns out, it did get a theatrical release, but it didn’t spread to the Bay Area. Since it’s available on [...]
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