I spend much of Saturday afternoon and evening with screenwriter Robert Towne and several hundred of his fans. Towne won this year’s Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting. After clips from films he’d written (and in some cases directed), Towne sat down with Eddie Muller of the Film Noir foundation. Their talk went on so … Continue reading SFIFF: Robert Towne
Category: Festivals
SFIFF: Orz Boyz
I just saw Orz Boyz, a Taiwanese comedy about young boys with a lively fantasy life that helps them (and hinders them) in dealing with their harsh realities. Very disjointed, and occasionally difficult to follow in ways that I suspect have more to do with my ignorance of Taiwanese culture than actual problems with the … Continue reading SFIFF: Orz Boyz
Films You Can See Again and Films You Can’t
There are two kinds of movies at film festivals--those that have been picked up by an American distributor, and those that haven't (there's also a gray area: films that distributors are negotiating over). The difference is important when you're deciding what to see. If a film doesn't have an American distributor, chances are you will … Continue reading Films You Can See Again and Films You Can’t
SFIFF: Thursday, Part II; Stranded
After Time to Die, I grabbed a quick bite and went to see Stranded: I've come from a plane that crashed on the mountains--my fifth documentary of the week. Once again, the director was there in person. But instead of bringing his star and cinematographer, Gonzalo Arijon brought his very young daughter, who shyly hung … Continue reading SFIFF: Thursday, Part II; Stranded
SFIFF: Thursday, Part I; Time to Die
I decided to let serendipity pick my Thursday movies at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Serendipity was good to me. Simply on the basis of being there when they started and being able to get a ticket, I saw Time to Die and Stranded: I’ve come from a plane that crashed on the mountains. … Continue reading SFIFF: Thursday, Part I; Time to Die
SFIFF: Medicine for Melancholy
A man and woman wake up together, hung over and embarrassed (they don't even know each others' names). In the course of 24 hours, they flirt and fight, run errants together, and visit some of the sites of San Francisco. But will they become a couple? One could describe Medicine for Melancholy as the African-American … Continue reading SFIFF: Medicine for Melancholy
SFIFF: Errol Morris
Last night, documentary Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, Fog of War) stepped onstage and received this year’s Persistence of Vision Award. He accepted the award, he talked onstage with Professor B. Ruby Rich , he braved two separate Q&A sessions with the audience, and he screened his new film, Standard Operating Procedure. And he … Continue reading SFIFF: Errol Morris
SFIFF: Ice People
I missed Ice People at the Kabuki Saturday, but I borrowed a DVD from the press library and just watched it. I'm glad I did. Anne Aghion's narration-free documentary observes the people living in the most remote place on Earth (at least on dry land), Antarctica. To be precise, the scientists, undergrads, and support staff … Continue reading SFIFF: Ice People
SFIFF: Sunday at the PFA
I spent Sunday at the Pacific Film Archive, watching the East Bay edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival. I caught three films, two great, one lousy. Oddly, the two great ones both centered around women who could reasonably be described as sociopaths. One problem with the PFA: Since food and drink are banned … Continue reading SFIFF: Sunday at the PFA
SFIFF: The Warlords
After spending most of yesterday at the Kabuki, I headed to the Castro to see The Warlords. A big, historical epic staring Jet Li seemed worth crossing town. It wasn't. Huge, cumbersome, and melodramatic, The Warlords succeeded primarily in being loud. Set during the Taiping Rebellion, it stars Li as a general who turns a … Continue reading SFIFF: The Warlords
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