Category: Festivals

Freelance Ambulance & Religious Insanity: Monday at SFFilm Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

Garfield the cat may hate Mondays, but I had a pretty good one at the SFFilm Festival…despite the light rain. I saw yet another amazing documentary, followed by a very strange narrative film. Midnight Family The Ochoa family of Mexico City have a difficult, unusual, and occasionally profitable business. They run a freelance ambulance, spending their … Continue reading Freelance Ambulance & Religious Insanity: Monday at SFFilm Festival

Tiny life, factory clashes, & water in all its forms: Sunday at the SFFilm Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

I didn't see a single narrative film Sunday at the SFFilm Festival Sunday, and only one conventional documentary. The other two features could be described as docs, but they're more about the visuals than the contents. Minute Bodies: The Intimate Lives of F. Percy Smith This 63-minute visual poem can enthrall you, amaze you, or … Continue reading Tiny life, factory clashes, & water in all its forms: Sunday at the SFFilm Festival

Boots Riley, a British Spy, & AOC: Saturday at the SFFilm Fest

~ Lincoln Spector

Film festivals are always more exciting on weekends. There's more movies to watch, and more people to watch them with. Here's what I saw Saturday at the SFFilm Festival. State of the Cinema Rapper and filmmaker Boots Riley gave this year's State of the Cinema address. As one would expect from the very political Riley, … Continue reading Boots Riley, a British Spy, & AOC: Saturday at the SFFilm Fest

A beach vacation, Connecting with food, John C. Reilly, & and a very gruesome western: Friday at the SFFilm Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

When I planned for Friday's moviegoing at the SFFilm Festival, I failed to consider geography. I started at a movie at the Roxie - in the Mission. Then I had to dash to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - in the financial district. Then to the Castro. BART and Muni Metro made a … Continue reading A beach vacation, Connecting with food, John C. Reilly, & and a very gruesome western: Friday at the SFFilm Festival

Afghan Cinema, Laura Linney, & a Dysfunctional Family: Thursday at the SFFilm Festival

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 2 Comments

Thursday was the first full day of this year's SFFilm Festival, and I managed two events that day. I liked them both very much. What We Left Unfinished Afghanistan had a strong film industry when the Soviet Union controlled the country, but it was destroyed when fundamentalist Islam replaced fundamentalist Communism. Afghan-American filmmaker Mariam Ghani … Continue reading Afghan Cinema, Laura Linney, & a Dysfunctional Family: Thursday at the SFFilm Festival

SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 3: Running from fundamentalists, standing up to fundamentalists, Raising Hell, and just being weird

~ Lincoln Spector

Here's my third and last batch of films that will screen at the upcoming SFFILM Festival (also known as the San Francisco International Film Festival). All of the films are new, and none of them are narratives. A Midnight Traveler This documentary also works as a heart-stopping thriller. A family must leave Afghanistan; the father's name is … Continue reading SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 3: Running from fundamentalists, standing up to fundamentalists, Raising Hell, and just being weird

SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 2: French noir, New York hustlers, Miles Davis, and Hilary Rodham

~ Lincoln Spector

Here's my second batch of films that will screen at the upcoming SFFILM Festival (also known as the San Francisco International Film Festival). As with the last one, it includes one old movie, and three new ones. A- Close Enemies This is the sort of movie that reminds you that the French invented Film Noir. … Continue reading SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 2: French noir, New York hustlers, Miles Davis, and Hilary Rodham

SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 1: Spaceships, a Savage family, Sex, & Satan

~ Lincoln Spector

Here's my first batch of films screening at the upcoming SFFILM Festival (also known as the San Francisco International Film Festival). A Aniara This slow, frightful, depressing space movie from Sweden carries a heavy charge. A spaceliner taking refugees to Mars (Earth has become unlivable) has an accident that sends them out to the edges of … Continue reading SFFILM Fest Preview, Part 1: Spaceships, a Savage family, Sex, & Satan

Laura Dern, Claire Denis, Claude Jarman, and John C. Reilly at the SFFILM Festival

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

The San Francisco International Film Festival, now also named SFFILM, opens Wednesday, April 10 with Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. No, it's not a remake; it's a sequel to the PBS series of the 1980s, based on Maupin's serialized novels. And yes, it has Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, and other veterans of the show … Continue reading Laura Dern, Claire Denis, Claude Jarman, and John C. Reilly at the SFFILM Festival