Wesley Morris, Sidney Poitier, and the San Francisco International Film Festival’s State of the Cinema Address

Wesley Morris, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Critic at Large for the New York Times, gave this year's State of the Cinema Address. His theme: The Radicalization of Sidney Poitier. It was in the Victoria Theatre on Saturday afternoon, and it was wonderful. Coming on stage in a snappy red suit, he warned that he would give spoilers … Continue reading Wesley Morris, Sidney Poitier, and the San Francisco International Film Festival’s State of the Cinema Address

Music and exercise: Friday at the San Francisco International Film Festival

I caught two movies Friday, a music documentary at the Roxie and a very unique coming-of-age story at the New Mission's Theater 1. B+ Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music Like The Wrecking Crew, Soundbreaking looks at how music--specifically rock and roll--is created in the studio. But it isn't about session musicians. It's … Continue reading Music and exercise: Friday at the San Francisco International Film Festival

SFIFF: Tom McCarthy, The Station Agent, and this year’s Kanbar Award

The San Francisco International Film Festival's Kanbar Award used to go to a screenwriter. Now they've expanded it to "storytellers," which can mean just about anyone who works in film. And so screenwriters remain the least visible people making movies. This year, the award went to Tom McCarthy, who is a screenwriter, as well as … Continue reading SFIFF: Tom McCarthy, The Station Agent, and this year’s Kanbar Award