Category: Drama

Drama

Independent Cinema’s 1st Threequel: Before Midnight

~ Lincoln Spector

A romantic drama Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, & Ethan Hawke Directed by Richard Linklater This isn't supposed to happen. You don't want independent, serious, thoughtful, adult-oriented cinema to have franchises. Art is not expected to have sequels--let alone threequels. And yet, the third film in Richard Linklater's Before series is a gem--as good … Continue reading Independent Cinema’s 1st Threequel: Before Midnight

Something in the Air: Radical youth of 1971 act out, then wander aimlessly

~ Lincoln Spector

B Period drama Written and directed by Olivier Assayas Youthful innocence takes strange forms. For many in 1971, it took the conflicting forms of sex-and-drugs hedonism and radical leftwing activism. They didn't always work well together. In Olivier Assayas' loose tale of French youth, the characters spend much of their time fighting the establishment and arguing … Continue reading Something in the Air: Radical youth of 1971 act out, then wander aimlessly

SFIFF Saturday: Koreans in Japan, Geek Nostalgia, and a Surreal Documentary

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

Here's what I saw Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival B Our Homeland For second-generation ethnic Koreans living in Japan, going "home" was once very important--even though "home" was the living nightmare of North Korea. In this calmly heart-breaking drama, a man in his early 40s who migrated to a Korea he'd never … Continue reading SFIFF Saturday: Koreans in Japan, Geek Nostalgia, and a Surreal Documentary

SFIFF The Rest of Saturday. A French Bad Marriage and American Shakespeare

~ Lincoln Spector

I caught two pictures yesterday after Steven Soderbergh’s State of the Cinema Address. Both were shown in the Kabuki's large main theater. I liked both. B+ Thérèse In the late 1920s, Thérèse (Audrey Tautou of Amélie) marries the rich and conservative Bernard, who cares mostly about money and family honor. It's a good match economically, … Continue reading SFIFF The Rest of Saturday. A French Bad Marriage and American Shakespeare

SFIFF Friday: Chilean Black Comedy, Russian Whodoneit, and American Rockumentary

~ Lincoln Spector

Here's what I saw at my first almost-full day at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival. I caught all of these films at the Kabuki. B- Night Across the Street Writer/director Raúl Ruiz was dying of cancer when he made this strange, surreal comedy. Not surprising that it's all about death. A moderately elderly … Continue reading SFIFF Friday: Chilean Black Comedy, Russian Whodoneit, and American Rockumentary

Saturday at the Movies: 50s 3D Horror and Early Talkie Hitchcock

~ Lincoln Spector

I attended two very different revival screenings yesterday. In the early afternoon, I visited the Castro to catch the newly-restored Creature from the Black Lagoon in all of its 3D spender. Then, in the evening, I dropped in at the Pacific Film Archive to catch a rare, early Alfred Hitchcock talkie, Rich and Strange. Both … Continue reading Saturday at the Movies: 50s 3D Horror and Early Talkie Hitchcock