The Source Family

B+ Documentary Directed by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos Hippies, drugs, free love, meditation, spiritual quests, and Los Angeles-based vegetarian restaurants. You'll find all of that in The Source Family. For me, the movie was downright nostalgic. No, I was never a member of Jim Baker’s "family," called The Source and the subject of this … Continue reading The Source Family

SFIFF The Rest of Saturday. A French Bad Marriage and American Shakespeare

I caught two pictures yesterday after Steven Soderbergh’s State of the Cinema Address. Both were shown in the Kabuki's large main theater. I liked both. B+ Thérèse In the late 1920s, Thérèse (Audrey Tautou of Amélie) marries the rich and conservative Bernard, who cares mostly about money and family honor. It's a good match economically, … Continue reading SFIFF The Rest of Saturday. A French Bad Marriage and American Shakespeare

SFIFF Friday: Chilean Black Comedy, Russian Whodoneit, and American Rockumentary

Here's what I saw at my first almost-full day at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival. I caught all of these films at the Kabuki. B- Night Across the Street Writer/director Raúl Ruiz was dying of cancer when he made this strange, surreal comedy. Not surprising that it's all about death. A moderately elderly … Continue reading SFIFF Friday: Chilean Black Comedy, Russian Whodoneit, and American Rockumentary

San Francisco International Film Festival Preview, Part 2

For all sorts of reasons--including my home network and the US Post Office--I've only been able to preview two more films that will screen at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Here's what I thought of them. Oddly, they're both about young people in the sixties and that decade's immediate aftermath. B Something in the … Continue reading San Francisco International Film Festival Preview, Part 2

SFIFF: Kanbar Award Recipient Announced

The San Francisco International Film Festival announced the recipient of this year's Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting: Eric Roth. I didn't recognize the name either. But then, screenwriters are rarely celebrated--at least as screenwriters. His best-known film is probably Forrest Gump, a big commercial and critical hit (and Oscar winner) that's no longer as … Continue reading SFIFF: Kanbar Award Recipient Announced