Russian Ark & Buena Vista Social Club: Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive

July 31, 2016 ~ Lincoln Spector

I saw Aleksandr Sokurov's Russian Ark and Wim Wender's Buena Vista Social Club Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive. The first film was part of the ongoing series Guided Tour: Museums in Cinema. The second one closed the long-running series Wim Wenders: Portraits Along the Road. But they had an interesting thing in common. … Continue reading Russian Ark & Buena Vista Social Club: Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive

The Phantom Boy doesn’t quite come together

July 27, 2016July 25, 2016 ~ Lincoln Spector

C+ Animated family-oriented fantasy crime thriller Written by Alain Gagnol Directed by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli Eleven-year-old Leo is very sick. He's in the hospital, will be for months, and he may not survive. But he has a superpower. His spirit can leave his body, fly through walls, and see and hear everything around … Continue reading The Phantom Boy doesn’t quite come together

Sunday Docs at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

July 25, 2016 ~ Lincoln Spector

I went to the Castro Sunday afternoon to catch two documentaries screening at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. It wasn't until Monday before I realized what they had in common. Both centered on a very old person. A German Life Brunhilde Pomsel, 103 when she was interviewed for this film, worked as a secretary … Continue reading Sunday Docs at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Adapting Shakespeare: Ran and Chimes at Midnight

July 20, 2016October 15, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

400 years after his death, people still love William Shakespeare. I can think of no other story teller whose works have remained popular so long. His talent, obviously, has a lot to do with it. But so is his adaptability. His plays, written with almost no stage directions, give actors and directors countless interpretations. Most … Continue reading Adapting Shakespeare: Ran and Chimes at Midnight

Late Spring at the Pacific Film Archive

July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 ~ Lincoln Spector

As people grow, the way they relate to their family inevitably changes. Some fight the change, and others accept it. I went to the Pacific Film Archive Wednesday night to see Yasujirô Ozu's 1949 masterpiece, Late Spring, about a young woman resisting change. She wants to stay with her widowed father, but he senses that … Continue reading Late Spring at the Pacific Film Archive

A+ List: The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

July 13, 2016April 2, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

Has there ever been an ingénue with a more perfectly comical name than Trudy Kockenlocker? Or a code-era Hollywood movie that so deftly outwitted the censors of its time? There are funnier movies than The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, but not many, and none this funny that flew in the face of traditional morality with … Continue reading A+ List: The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

Jewish Film Festival Preview, Part 2

July 11, 2016July 17, 2016 ~ Lincoln Spector

Since I last wrote about this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, I've seen five more films and a TV show that will screen at this year's festival. Here's what I thought of them, in order from best to worst: A The Settlers I found this documentary extremely difficult to watch, but also desperately important … Continue reading Jewish Film Festival Preview, Part 2