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
Category: SFFilm (San Francisco International Film Festival)
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
SFIFF: Mataharis
I just saw Mataharis--another really good film. This character study of three female private detectives, all working for the same agency (and the same sleazy boss), follows them as their work and private life intertwine and complicate each other. The best story involves Inés (MarÃa Vázquez), the youngest of the three and the only single … Continue reading SFIFF: Mataharis
SFIFF: Just Like Home
I'm writing this at the Kabuki, and I'll be quick. I just saw a very funny comedy from Denmark called Just Like Home. It follows several people in a small town that's thrown into confusion from reports of a man running naked through the strees. Director/co-writer Lone Scherfig builds a quiet tone that works up … Continue reading SFIFF: Just Like Home
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