I saw three films on Thursday, the first full day of the San Francisco International Film Festival. The first was very good. The other two were deep disappointments. City of the Sun This breathtakingly beautiful documentary examines a small, dying mining town in Georgia (the country, not the state). The people work, struggle, and keep … Continue reading Miners in Georgia, miners in Iceland, and kids in LA: The First Full Day at SFFilm Fest
Month: April 2018
What’s Screening: April 6 – 12
Robert Redford, Ingrid Bergman, Laurel and Hardy, and a week of animation…if you're not planning on attending the big festival in San Francisco. Festivals The Oakland International Film Festival opened last Tuesday (sorry I didn't tell you about it earlier) and runs through Saturday The San Francisco International Film Festival continues through this week and … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 6 – 12
A Kid Like Jake and Opening Night at SFFilm Fest
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival, also known now as the SFFilm Festival, opened last night at the Castro with a screening of A Kid Like Jake. As opening nights go, it went well. The show began only a few minutes after the official 7:00 starting time. Executive Director Noah Cowan took the stage … Continue reading A Kid Like Jake and Opening Night at SFFilm Fest
Hitchcock and Others at the Stanford
If you like to be scared out of your theatre seat, you may want to visit the Stanford over the next two months. Silicon Valley's classic movie palace opens its new series, Hitchcock and Other Masters of Suspense, this Friday. It closes Sunday, June 10. All films will be screened in 35mm. The series starts … Continue reading Hitchcock and Others at the Stanford
Chaplin Diary, Part 9: The Kid
As Chaplin's methods slowed down while he chose to make longer films, it was inevitable that a year would come without a single new Chaplin comedy. The first such year was 1920; there would be many others. Everyone wanted him to make more movies. His distributer, First National, had signed him up for eight short … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 9: The Kid
April at the Castro
For almost two weeks of this month, the San Francisco International Film Festival will take over the Castro. But since I'm covering that festival elsewhere, I'll stick here to the other two and a half weeks. San Francisco's grand movie palace will screen 19 feature films from the 20th century; in other words, movies that … Continue reading April at the Castro
SF Silent Film Fest Bigger (and hopefully better)
How much moviegoing can a man in his 60s take in a short period of time? Come late May and early June, I think I'm going to find out. This year's San Francisco Silent Film Festival will last a full four days; five if you include opening night (Wednesday, May 30). That's one more day … Continue reading SF Silent Film Fest Bigger (and hopefully better)
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