Category: Comedy

Bonsái

~ Lincoln Spector

A- Literary comic drama Written and directed by Cristián Jiménez Bonsái begins with a spoiler. Before anything else happens, a narrator tells us that Emilia will die before the end of the film, but that Julio will live, and that he will be alone. We're also told that he had been alone for a long … Continue reading Bonsái

French Cancan

~ Lincoln Spector

I finished French Cancan last night. I say "finished" because I started it Tuesday night, streaming on Hulu Plus. About 25 minutes before the ending, when the big opening night stage show begins, either Hulu or my Internet connectionI started giving me trouble. It would freeze, start, freeze, start, and so on. Forty minutes later … Continue reading French Cancan

The Intouchables

~ Lincoln Spector

B Comedy Written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano I can’t really complain about France’s latest big commercial hit. As you’d expect, it’s a crowd pleaser. Based on a true story, it follows the thorny but eventually healing friendship between a wealthy paraplegic and the African immigrant hired as his caregiver. No surprise … Continue reading The Intouchables

Darling Companion

~ Lincoln Spector

D+ Character-driven comedy Written by Lawrence and Meg Kasdan Directed by Lawrence Kasdan I hate watching good actors, some of whom I've admired for decades, struggle through a bad script. That made Darling Companion a very difficult movie to sit through. Here we have a character-driven comedy almost entirely lacking in either fully developed characters … Continue reading Darling Companion

SFIFF Centerpiece: Your Sister’s Sister

~ Lincoln Spector

Last night I attended the San Francisco International Film Festival's Centerpiece presentation, consisting of a movie, a Q&A, and a party. A- Your Sister’s Sister This film kept surprising me. The opening scene, involving a group of young adults memorializing a recently-deceased friend,  felt like The Big Chill. But the movie was about only two … Continue reading SFIFF Centerpiece: Your Sister’s Sister

SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

Last night I attended the San Francisco International Film Festival silent movie event at the Castro--four Buster Keaton shorts (two of them actually Fatty Arbuckle shorts with Keaton in supporting roles), accompanied by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs along with guitarist Ava Mendoza. This is something of a tradition at the Festival--screening silent films with accompaniment … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus