Last week, I told you about three film festivals running in February. Here are three more. Modern Cinema SFMOMA, February 1 - 18 (only Fridays and weekends) Both SFMOMA and SFFILM, the two organizations behind this event, call this a film series. But when a series allows you to see eight feature films in three days, … Continue reading More February Film Festivals
Category: Festivals
The First Film Festivals of 2018
It's been a month since the last Bay Area film festival. But that changes this coming Friday. Here are two film festivals starting in January. For Your Consideration Rafael, January 5 - 11 Not just any subtitled movie can qualify to be nominated for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. Each country can put forth one … Continue reading The First Film Festivals of 2018
Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
Instead of listing my top ten movies of 2017, I'm giving you my top 15 moviegoing experiences of the year. What's the difference? I consider the theater, the quality of the print or digital source, the enthusiasm of the audience, and live onstage supplements such as musical accompaniment and filmmaker Q&As. I also consider the … Continue reading Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
Six Silent Films in One Day
I spent Saturday at the Castro Theater, attending the San Francisco Silent Film Festival's Day of Silents. They screened six feature-length movies, all with live musical accompaniment, starting at 10:00AM and ending a little after 11:00PM. The five intermissions ranged from 30 minutes to an hour. Here's what I saw, in the order I saw … Continue reading Six Silent Films in One Day
A Weekend of Silents in Early December
Need more silent films in your life - on the big screen with live accompaniment? You'll find the first weekend of December very satisfying. First, there's A Day of Silents, a one-day festival at the Castro on Saturday, December 2. Then, on Sunday, December 3, the Rafael will screen Buster Keaton's last silent feature, Spite … Continue reading A Weekend of Silents in Early December
Doc Stories Report: Obama’s team in The Final Year
My wife and I attended the Doc Stories festival Saturday afternoon at the Vogue. The movie in question was an inspiring but also deeply sad documentary about Obama's foreign policy team, The Final Year. Director Greg Barker introduced the film, promising us that "For the next 90 minutes, Donald Trump will not be president." If … Continue reading Doc Stories Report: Obama’s team in The Final Year
Upcoming Festivals: Silents, Docs, and a Hold in the Head
Take a look at the Current Festivals section in the right-hand column of this web page. As I write this, on Friday, October 20, I've got links there to 14 film festivals currently running or coming up soon (three of them will close this weekend). I thought I'd tell you a bit about the ones … Continue reading Upcoming Festivals: Silents, Docs, and a Hold in the Head
Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
If you're wondering why I stopped covering the Mill Valley Film Festival before opening night, the reason was medical. I caught the mother of all colds, and didn't want to ruin everyone else's moviegoing with my coughing and hacking. I was finally healthy enough to attend on Sunday, the very last day of the festival. … Continue reading Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
My Day of Four Noirs
I spent Monday watching Film Noir at the Roxie and the Castro. The Roxie screenings were a press event for their Gallic noir festival, The French Had a Name For It, which runs in early November. The Castro screenings was the first double bill in the series I Wake Up Dreaming. This wasn't a press … Continue reading My Day of Four Noirs
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 4: Human Flow
Tuesday's Festival Preview was supposed to be my last piece on the Mill Valley Film Festival before opening night. But I attended a press screening Wednesday for a film that I didn't realize was in the Festival. It is screening in the Festival. So here's one more capsule review: A Human Flow The world we live … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 4: Human Flow
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