As this year's San Francisco International Film Festival reaches toward its closing night, I'm getting worn out. The rain makes it worse. But the movies are still worth watching. The Transfiguration Michael O'Shea found a new twist to the vampire genre: avoiding the supernatural. The Transfiguration is a vampire story that could, in theory, happen. … Continue reading An Urban Vampire & Experimental Shorts: Monday at the SFFilm Festival

Here's what I saw Friday at the San Francisco International Film Festival: Everything Else I couldn't help wondering if this Mexican character study was influenced of Kurosawa's Ikiru. The main character - the only real character in the movie - is a city bureaucrat completely cut off emotionally from the rest of the human race … Continue reading People remote from their emotions: My Friday at the SFFilm Festival

I dressed for rain Wednesday, but fortunately didn't have to. I saw one film, one TV episode, and one very interesting talk. California Dreams I give it a B+. I saw California Dreams at the Roxie. Ott did a Q&A after the film, but my schedule was too tight to stay for it. The film … Continue reading California, Britain, & making it in the movies: SFFilm Festival Wednesday

A scheduling error and a Jewish holiday reduced my San Francisco International Film Festival outings to three events in two days. Here's what I saw: Score: A Film Music Documentary I started Sunday at the new Dolby Theater on Market, for a documentary about music in the movies. This was my third visit to the … Continue reading SFFilm Sunday & Monday Report

Here's what I saw and heard Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival:  State of Cinema: Edwin Catmull Every year, the Festival invites someone to give a State of the Cinema address. This year, it was Dr. Ed Catmull, President of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation - two Disney divisions that push cinema … Continue reading SFFilm Saturday Report

Another rainy day at the movies, with one new good film and one rare classic. The Long Excuse Two women die in a bus accident, and their husbands deal with loss in this Japanese drama laced with gentle humor. Sachio is a well-educated, successful writer. He carries guilt; he was screwing his mistress when his wife … Continue reading SFFilm Festival Friday: Long Excuse & Early Van Peebles