Cinequest coming in March

January 30, 2020January 29, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

You'd expect a major film festival in the South Bay to celebrate technology as well as movies. And that's what you get at Cinequest. Yes, like other Red Carpet Festivals, Cinequest showcases plenty of films that have not yet been seen in the Bay Area, with filmmakers in attendance. But it also showcases new (and … Continue reading Cinequest coming in March

Berlin & Beyond showcases German-language films

January 20, 2020January 19, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

Of course, the Bay Area has a German language film festival. Berlin & Beyond opens Friday, February 7 to Thursday, February 13. It will screen 18 feature films and a program of seven shorts. Screenings will take place at the Castro, the Goethe-Institut, the Vogue, and for the first time in the East Bay, the … Continue reading Berlin & Beyond showcases German-language films

What’s Screening: January 17 – 23

January 17, 2020January 18, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

What's in Bay Area outarthouse cinemas this week? A hilarious disaster. A real and tragic disaster. And movies by Spielberg, Forman, Fellini, Lumet, Keaton, and Varda. But no film festivals. <Sorry about that. I was running a fever when I wrote that.> The Week's Big Event A Airplane! 40th anniversary, Castro, Sunday, 3:00They're flying on … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 17 – 23

The 54 Bay Area Film Festivals in 2019

January 15, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 2 Comments

By my count, the Bay Area hosted 54 film festivals this year. Of course, that depends on how you define a film festival. A 90-minute program of feline videos called The Cat Film Festival is not a festival. And yet a selection of films that call itself a series just might be one. My definition: … Continue reading The 54 Bay Area Film Festivals in 2019

Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA

January 14, 2020January 13, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

I spent Saturday at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), watching three movies I'd never seen before. Fritz Lang's Indian Epic The day started with two Fritz Lang action flicks, The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb. These are two movies the way Kill Bill are two movies. It's one story, with the … Continue reading Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA

IndieFest celebrates films between the cracks

January 13, 2020December 23, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

Amongst Bay Area film festivals, SF IndieFest is a hard one to classify. It's not about a genre (documentaries, noir) nor focused on a certain type of person (Jews, Asian Americans), and it's not big and flashy like the red-carpet festivals (SFFilm Fest, Mill Valley). Let's say IndieFest is a festival for films that fell … Continue reading IndieFest celebrates films between the cracks

What’s Screening: January 10 – 16

January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 ~ Lincoln Spector

What's in the Bay Area's best movie theaters this week? Three new movies - two about capital punishment. A farewell to Agnès. Noir by Graham Greene, Charles Laughton, and Leigh Brackett. And comedies from the west, down under, and outer space. But no film festivals (I don't count Sketchfest). New films opening A Clemency, Embarcadero … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 10 – 16