The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is the closest thing to a movie marathon I've experienced in decades. For three of its four days, it runs movie after movie from 10:00am until nearly midnight, with breaks that generally last an hour or less. Seeing everything--or almost everything--requires stamina and sleep deprivation. Attending the festival, and … Continue reading San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 1
Month: May 2014
What’s Screening: May 30 = June 5
There's at least one film festival running every day this week. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival dominates the weekend, closing Sunday. But the Green Film Festival runs through Wednesday. And DocFest opens Thursday. A- The Navigator, Castro, Sunday, 9:00. Buster Keaton in his spoiled rich boy mode, finds himself stranded on a drifting ocean … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 30 = June 5
What’s Screening: May 23 – 29
I Wake Up Dreaming continues (which sounds better than "I will continue to wake up dreaming") through Sunday. Then, after three festival-free days, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and the Green Film Festival both open on Thursday. A- The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lark, opens Friday. Once again, Wes Anderson is playing with us, and … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 23 – 29
Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
Saturday afternoon, I made my way to the Roxie to attend a program in the theater's current Film Noir festival, I Wake Up Dreaming. Like most of the 13 programs on the festival's schedule, it was a double bill (the rest are triple bills). It was a fun afternoon, but not an exceptional one. The … Continue reading Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
What’s Screening: May 16 – 22
If you're looking for dark and depressing entertainment, you might want to visit the Roxie this week. Their noir festival, I Wake Up Dreaming, opens tonight and plays through the week. That's it for festivals this week. But here's what else is going on. B+ Palo Alto, Kabuki, Embarcadero, California, Guild, Rafael, opens Friday. Based … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 16 – 22
Undead Pixels Mar Digital Projection
I’m a fan of digital projection. But I’m not blind about its faults. And one of the biggest problems with digital projection is the dreaded stuck pixel. Suddenly, you’ve got a distracting dot on the screen. When it happens, it’s worse than a scratch on a print, and it doesn’t go away until it’s fixed. … Continue reading Undead Pixels Mar Digital Projection
Palo Alto: More Dazed and Completely Confused
B+ Written and directed by Gia Coppola From the book Palo Alto Stores by James Franco High school kids lead rough lives. They’re under great pressure to get into a good university. They desperately want to break free of their parents. They have to deal with an immense peer pressure. They’re trying to work out … Continue reading Palo Alto: More Dazed and Completely Confused
Catching The Amazing Spider-Man 2 After the Festival
After two weeks watching dramas and documentaries (most of them with subtitles) at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I felt it was time to reconnect with another aspect of cinema. So I visited a multiplex and caught The Amazing Spider-Man 2--in 3D, no less. This is the sort of summer movie that makes you forgive … Continue reading Catching The Amazing Spider-Man 2 After the Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended Thursday night at the Castro with a screening of Chris Messina's directorial debut, Alex of Venice. It was not a perfect way to end the festival, but it was a good way. The crowd was surprisingly thin. There was an empty seat next to me, and the … Continue reading The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
What’s Screening: May 9 – 15
No festivals this week. But we still have some movies worth seeing. B Young and Beautiful, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, opens Friday. François Ozon’s almost-unwatchable drama about a 17-year-old girl takes a major turn at the halfway point, suddenly becoming a good film. In the first half, she goes from virgin to whore without explanation or … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 9 – 15
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