Get ready for a massive injection of cinema. The 61st San Francisco International Film Festival opens April 4 and closes two weeks later on April 17. And you know what that means? For the third year in a row, the SFilm Fest conflicts with Passover. You would think that someone would check a Jewish calendar. The … Continue reading This year’s San Francisco International Film Festival announced
Category: Festivals
Previews of the Dark Side of the Dream
Attaining the American Dream isn't easy. Sometimes, it's impossible. The Dark Side of the Dream, a four-day film festival at the Roxie, screens six double bills that dramatize the ways our system doesn't work. The films date from 1933 to 1964. Most of them could be reasonably categorized as noir. The festival runs March 23 … Continue reading Previews of the Dark Side of the Dream
Closing This Year’s Noir City
Noir City closed Sunday with a masterpiece…and a pretty good B picture. I finally saw The Big Heat, and I saw it under about the best conditions possible. Following the theme of this year's festival, each double feature included a relatively expensive A picture (noirs were never hugely expensive) and a very cheap B picture. … Continue reading Closing This Year’s Noir City
Saturday at Noir City
Saturday is always the biggest day at Noir City, with two double bills. Yesterday, each double bill had one relatively expensive A picture, and one very cheap B picture. Money talks; in each case, the A was better than the B. All these movies came out in 1950. Matinee: The Underworld Story & Southside 1-1000 … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City
Thursday Night at Noir City
I couldn't go movie-watching Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. But Thursday night, my wife and I managed to get to the Castro for another Noir City double bill. This time, the films were both from 1948. The A picture, I Walk Alone, was pretty damn good. The B picture, Bodyguard, was pretty damn silly. I Walk … Continue reading Thursday Night at Noir City
Berlin & Beyond Previews
What should you see at the Berlin & Beyond film festival? What should you avoid? I've seen three of the films. Here's what I thought of them. A- Welcome to Germany A very funny comedy with a serious heart, predictable, but not too predictable. A well-off couple, with their children grown and gone, bring a … Continue reading Berlin & Beyond Previews
Darkness in the Castro: The First Weekend at Noir City
I can't catch every movie in Noir City, the Castro-based festival of dark movies filled with crime, corruption, and great-looking hats. But I did manage to see all six films screened on Saturday and Sunday. This year's theme matches a big- or moderate-budget A picture with a low-budget B picture. The films are being presented … Continue reading Darkness in the Castro: The First Weekend at Noir City
Cinequest opens late February
I have yet to attend CineQuest, despite it being one of the three major Bay Area film festivals. The problem is geographic. I live just north of Berkeley, and I really hate getting to the Peninsula. It's a long drive, usually through bad traffic. Public transportation options aren't great, either. But for those who live … Continue reading Cinequest opens late February
Modern Cinema Festival Previews
Want to know what classic films you should catch at the upcoming Modern Cinema festival? Here are six movies I can recommend, along with three others that I vaguely remember liking. All of the films will be screened at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theater. A+ Lawrence of Arabia, Sunday, February 18, 1:00 Lawrence isn't just the … Continue reading Modern Cinema Festival Previews
IndieFest Previews
Here are four films that will screen next month at IndieFest, ranging from excellent to pretty bad. But mostly they're good. Curiously, the best ones were musically oriented. A Stuck This amazing film, like no other I've seen, gets to the heart - or more correctly, six hearts - of living in the big city. … Continue reading IndieFest Previews
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