I spent last weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival; Saturday at the Kabuki and Sunday at the Castro. I had a wonderful time. On Monday I told you about Adam's Apples, Iberia, Play, and Obaba; all films that were reshown this week. Now I'll fill you in on the rest. I broke my … Continue reading Weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival

I spent the weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival. I'll tell you more about it in my regular Friday newsletter. But I thought I should let you know about some movies you'll have an opportunity to see at the festival before Friday. I've listed them in order of quality, from the best to … Continue reading Midweek Festival Report

Another movie theater bites the dust. Without so much as a press release, Landmark Theaters quietly closed Berkeley’s Act I & II a few weeks ago. The company won’t comment on the closing, but it’s a good guess that this relatively old two-screener wasn’t making the bottom line. It was no palace, but the Acts … Continue reading Another movie theater bites the dust

Earthquakes and monsters. Oh, my. I didn’t see a single new movie last weekend, but I still managed some intense movie-going. A good chunk of it had to do with technology--either movie technology or plate tectonics. It started Friday night with both. My wife and I went to Earthquake at the Pacific Film Archive--part of … Continue reading Earthquakes and Monsters

What does it mean when three movies with similar but unusual subjects come out almost simultaneously? Are they tapping into something in the national psyche? Not if they're from different countries. So far this year, three films about parent-baby separation hit Bay Area theaters. In each one, a criminal deprives a mother of her baby. … Continue reading Stealing Children