It's over. Two weeks of very heavy, mostly serious cinema in San Francisco--and none of it even near a BART station. Over those weeks, I saw 15 new feature films. If you include the three I saw at press screenings before the festival, and the two on screeners (DVDs sent to press), the total was … Continue reading Summing Up This Year’s San Francisco International Film Festival
Month: May 2012
SFIFF Closing Night: Don’t Stop Believin’
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended with a blast of rock and roll. B+ Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey I've never been a fan of Journey, but this music documentary made me a fan of the band's new lead singer, Arnel Pineda. He's charismatic, energetic, down-to-earth, and funny. He also has a great … Continue reading SFIFF Closing Night: Don’t Stop Believin’
What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
No festivals this week, which is kind of a relief. But I'm starting this newsletter with a wonderful gem I saw at the San Francisco International Film Festival: A Headhunters, Clay, Shattuck, Piedmont, opens Friday. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) leads the good life. He’s rich, powerful, and has a beautiful wife. But even his high-paying, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
May Day at the SFIFF: A Sobering Documentary and a Boring Swashbuckler
I got a surprise when I stepped out of the Montgomery BART station on my way to the San Francisco International Film Festival. I ran into a Occupy-themed May Day protest blocking Market St. That provided two dilemmas. First, should I go to the festival, or take part in the protest? Second, when I decided … Continue reading May Day at the SFIFF: A Sobering Documentary and a Boring Swashbuckler
Headhunters
A thriller Written by Lars Gudmestad and Jo Nesbø, from the novel by Ulf Ryberg Directed by Morten Tyldum Shit happens, sometimes literally, in this scary, effective, funny, gruesome, and utterly entertaining thriller from Norway. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) leads the good life. He's a headhunter--in the modern, corporate meaning of the term. He helps … Continue reading Headhunters
Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
I first saw Unforgiven soon after its 1992 release. Everyone else was calling it a masterpiece, but I was deeply disappointed. Last Saturday, no longer remembering clearly why I didn't like it, I saw it again. Now I view it in much the same way as Apocalypse Now. For most of its runtime, it is … Continue reading Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
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