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
Category: SFFilm (San Francisco International Film Festival)
SFIFF Sunday: Fishy Documentary & Resisting the Nazis
Much of what I end up watching at the San Francisco International Film Festival is a matter of pure serendipity. I pick the film that's about to start playing. But there are also times when I very much want to see a particular movie. Saturday afternoon and evening, I did one of each. And serendipity … Continue reading SFIFF Sunday: Fishy Documentary & Resisting the Nazis
SFIFF: Animated Shorts
This afternoon, I dropped in at the New People Cinema for a show of animated shorts. This series will not screen again at the festival. You'll inevitably find wonderful and disappointing works in any such collections. I'll just tell you about my favorites. Tram: A commuter tram filled with businessmen heads off into the world … Continue reading SFIFF: Animated Shorts
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
SFIFF Preview: The Last Step
Last night, as the San Francisco International Film Festival opened, I found time to preview one more festival film. C The Last Step, New People Cinema, Saturday, May 4 7:00, Wednesday May 8 6:15, Thursday May 9 1:00. Astonishingly, considering recent crackdowns, the Iranian film industry can still make daring, cutting-edge cinema. Unfortunately, not everything … Continue reading SFIFF Preview: The Last Step
What’s Screening: April 26 – May 2
The San Francisco International Film Festival runs through this week and beyond. And the Playground Film Festival, which will screen six stage play adaptations throughout the Bay Area, starts Friday. My comments on SFIFF screenings are at the end of this very long newsletter. B+ The Source Family, Roxie, Thursday through next Sunday. Not what … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 26 – May 2
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
Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey
B+ Music Documentary Directed by Ramona S. Diaz Note: I wrote this review after seeing this documentary at last year's San Francisco International Film Festival, with the intention of posting it just before the theatrical release. Then I filed it away and forgot about it. When the movie opened last month at the New Parkway, I … Continue reading Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey
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