I dressed for rain Wednesday, but fortunately didn't have to. I saw one film, one TV episode, and one very interesting talk. California Dreams I give it a B+. I saw California Dreams at the Roxie. Ott did a Q&A after the film, but my schedule was too tight to stay for it. The film … Continue reading California, Britain, & making it in the movies: SFFilm Festival Wednesday
Month: April 2017
SFFilm Sunday & Monday Report
A scheduling error and a Jewish holiday reduced my San Francisco International Film Festival outings to three events in two days. Here's what I saw: Score: A Film Music Documentary I started Sunday at the new Dolby Theater on Market, for a documentary about music in the movies. This was my third visit to the … Continue reading SFFilm Sunday & Monday Report
SFFilm Saturday Report
Here's what I saw and heard Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival: State of Cinema: Edwin Catmull Every year, the Festival invites someone to give a State of the Cinema address. This year, it was Dr. Ed Catmull, President of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation - two Disney divisions that push cinema … Continue reading SFFilm Saturday Report
SFFilm Festival Friday: Long Excuse & Early Van Peebles
Another rainy day at the movies, with one new good film and one rare classic. The Long Excuse Two women die in a bus accident, and their husbands deal with loss in this Japanese drama laced with gentle humor. Sachio is a well-educated, successful writer. He carries guilt; he was screwing his mistress when his wife … Continue reading SFFilm Festival Friday: Long Excuse & Early Van Peebles
SFFilm Festival Thursday report
One would think that rainy days would be perfect for film festivals. After all, you're spending the day inside. But in reality, you spend a lot of time standing outside waiting in line. That's no fun in the rain. The experience can go from annoying to horrible depending on the kindness and resourcefulness of the … Continue reading SFFilm Festival Thursday report
What’s Screening: April 7 – 13
The San Francisco International Film Festival dominates Bay Area movie theaters this week. Check out my reports and recommendations. There's also the Oakland Film Festival, which I somehow missed until this morning. It opened Tuesday and closes tomorrow. Outside of the festivals, I'd have very little to talk about if it weren't for the New … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 7 – 13
SFIFF Opening Night & Landline
The San Francisco International Film Festival opened Wednesday night with the relationship comedy Landline. It was a good movie, and overall a good show. As is usual with big festival events at the Castro, most of the seats downstairs were blocked off as reserved. If you weren't some sort of VIP, you were pretty much … Continue reading SFIFF Opening Night & Landline
Heaven’s Gate becomes its own kind of hell
Saturday night, I finally saw the film that destroyed United Artists: Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as legend proclaimed. Nor was it as good as recent revisionists insist. The Heaven's Gate disaster changed Hollywood. In 1979, Cimino was riding high as the writer and director of the Oscar-winning Deer Hunter. … Continue reading Heaven’s Gate becomes its own kind of hell
A+ List: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
In late January, I revisited Raiders of the Lost Ark, and discovered that it didn't really belong in my A+ List of all-time greats. Thursday night, I revisited that series' second sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It has been my favorite in the series since I saw it in first run. With a … Continue reading A+ List: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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