Month: May 2013

Something in the Air: Radical youth of 1971 act out, then wander aimlessly

~ Lincoln Spector

B Period drama Written and directed by Olivier Assayas Youthful innocence takes strange forms. For many in 1971, it took the conflicting forms of sex-and-drugs hedonism and radical leftwing activism. They didn't always work well together. In Olivier Assayas' loose tale of French youth, the characters spend much of their time fighting the establishment and arguing … Continue reading Something in the Air: Radical youth of 1971 act out, then wander aimlessly

SFIFF: The Festival Closes with Before Midnight

~ Lincoln Spector

Thursday night, this year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended at the Castro with the local premiere of Before Midnight, Richard Linklater's threequel to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. (It wasn't actually the festival's end.  Six other films screened at various theaters after Before Midnight began. The last one, Il Futuro, started at the Pacific … Continue reading SFIFF: The Festival Closes with Before Midnight

SFIFF Silent Movie Night: Waxworks with Mike Patton, Scott Amendola, Matthias Bossi, and William Winant

~ Lincoln Spector

Every year, the San Francisco Intl. Film Festival hosts a silent film event, where they match a movie--generally not one everyone has seen--with one or more musicians who enjoy a strong local following--but are not associated with silent film accompaniment. This makes sense both culturally and financially. The event, always held at the Castro, attracts … Continue reading SFIFF Silent Movie Night: Waxworks with Mike Patton, Scott Amendola, Matthias Bossi, and William Winant

Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

I caught the Harrison Ford event Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I got a lousy seat. Near the back and over to the side. That's what I get for wasting time. After an introduction by Ted Hope, and clip reels honoring the recently-deceased donor George Gund III and, of course, Harrison Ford, David Darcy came onstage to … Continue reading Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival

Cambodia, India, and the Cloud: SFIFF Documentary Sunday

~ Lincoln Spector

I saw three films at the San Francisco International Film Festival on Sunday--all documentaries. That wasn't planned. It just worked out that way. B+ A River Changes Course Kalyanee Mam's ethnographic documentary follows three struggling families in modern-day Cambodia. And while no river literally changes course, the modern world forces the film's protagonists to severely … Continue reading Cambodia, India, and the Cloud: SFIFF Documentary Sunday

SFIFF Saturday: Koreans in Japan, Geek Nostalgia, and a Surreal Documentary

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

Here's what I saw Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival B Our Homeland For second-generation ethnic Koreans living in Japan, going "home" was once very important--even though "home" was the living nightmare of North Korea. In this calmly heart-breaking drama, a man in his early 40s who migrated to a Korea he'd never … Continue reading SFIFF Saturday: Koreans in Japan, Geek Nostalgia, and a Surreal Documentary

The Source Family

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Documentary Directed by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos Hippies, drugs, free love, meditation, spiritual quests, and Los Angeles-based vegetarian restaurants. You'll find all of that in The Source Family. For me, the movie was downright nostalgic. No, I was never a member of Jim Baker’s "family," called The Source and the subject of this … Continue reading The Source Family