Yesterday I attended press screenings of two films that will play at the San Fran International Film Festival. Both of them will have regular (or at least limited) runs after the festival, so they're not now-or-never opportunities. I've written longer reviews of each, which will go live just before their post-festival releases. Adoration, Kabuki, Saturday, … Continue reading SFIFF Preview
Category: Festivals
Coppola and SFIFF
I wish I could figure out a way to maintain this blog, see movies, raise a family, and earn a living. I've had to let the blog slip, recently. In fact, for the first time in years, I didn't attend the press conference for the San Francisco International Film Festival. In case you haven't heard, … Continue reading Coppola and SFIFF
60’s Westerns SFIFF: Robert Redford & Sergio Leone
They keep dribbling out more news about the upcoming San Francisco International Film Festival. Last week, they announced that Robert Redford will receive the Peter J. Owens Award for acting. (No, Peter J. Owens wasn't an actor; he was a philanthropist.) He'll receive the award at a big, expensive, black-tie affair April 30. But the … Continue reading 60’s Westerns SFIFF: Robert Redford & Sergio Leone
Tiburon Film Festival
The press release for the Tiburon International Film Festival arrived last night, and I only just got around to opening it. Some interesting stuff in the lineup. A Warner Brothers tribute will include a screening of The Jazz Singer. The legendary cinematographer and sometime director Haskell Wexler will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by … Continue reading Tiburon Film Festival
More Revivals at the SFIFF
The San Francisco International Film Festival just announced two more revivals planned for the upcoming festival. That's in addition to The Lost World. The movies are A Woman Under the Influence and Le Amiche. I saw John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence--an extremely harrowing and raw drama about a housewife going insane and a … Continue reading More Revivals at the SFIFF
Lost World at SFIFF
This year's San Francisco International Film opens April 23, and even though the official press conference is more than a month away, bits of information are trickling in. Here's one: The 1925 version of The Lost World will screen May 5, with live accompaniment by the "genre-busting pop band" Dengue Fever. Based on Sir Arthur … Continue reading Lost World at SFIFF
Asian American Film Festival Coming Right Up
Got another festival coming up. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, now in its 27th year, opens March 12 and runs through March 22 at twelve locations in San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose. Like most festivals with the words "San Francisco" in its name, it opens at the Castro, although the festival's … Continue reading Asian American Film Festival Coming Right Up
The Best Films You Couldn’t See in 2008
I saw a lot of great movies this year. Unfortunately, quite a few of them never got released in this country. They screened at local festivals, but didn't get picked up for commercial exhibition--even by the small, independent distributors who pick up the good stuff that the Hollywood studios and their faux independent subsidiaries, don't … Continue reading The Best Films You Couldn’t See in 2008
Blue Angels
Now here's something odd: Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel was one of the first German talkies. As was common in the days before dubbing and subtitles, the movie was shot twice--once in German, and once in English. The German version is widely considered a classic. (Personally, I find it interesting, and Marlene Dietrich wonderful--it … Continue reading Blue Angels
United Nations Film Festival
Worried that October doesn't have enough film festivals? Here's another. The 11th United Nations Association Film Festival runs October 19-26 in various Bay Area location. It will screen 41 films from assorted countries. This year's theme is Blue Planet, Green Planet. I have not seen any of the films listed, and between other festivals, Jewish … Continue reading United Nations Film Festival
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