I could think of few better ways to spend a day then the way I spent last Saturday, at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival's first Silent Autumn event. Over the course of the day, we were treated to three features, two collections of shorts, and a lot of great music. Let's take the day … Continue reading Valentino, Keaton, Caligari, Laurel and Hardy: My report on Silent Autumn
Category: First-person Report
Early and Excellent Kubrick at PFA
As I discussed last week, I lost a lot of my love of Stanley Kubrick over the decades. But I didn't lose my love for all of his pictures. And amongst my favorites are his first two Hollywood pictures, The Killing and Paths of Glory. Saturday night, I revisited these favorites at the Pacific Film … Continue reading Early and Excellent Kubrick at PFA
Rediscovering The Big Lebowski
I saw The Big Lebowski at the Pacific Film Archive Wednesday night--my first time seeing the cult favorite with an audience. Now I get it. I may be the last person to realize this, but on the big screen, with a room full of people, Lebowski is an exceptional comedy. The laughs are nearly constant. … Continue reading Rediscovering The Big Lebowski
San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
One of the major problems with life is that it intrudes on watching movies. Saturday, other responsibilities kept me away from the Castro, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, until mid-afternoon. Among other things, I missed Serge Bromberg's Treasure Trove. What a pity. But here's what I saw on Saturday and Sunday. You can … Continue reading San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 1
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is the closest thing to a movie marathon I've experienced in decades. For three of its four days, it runs movie after movie from 10:00am until nearly midnight, with breaks that generally last an hour or less. Seeing everything--or almost everything--requires stamina and sleep deprivation. Attending the festival, and … Continue reading San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 1
Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
Saturday afternoon, I made my way to the Roxie to attend a program in the theater's current Film Noir festival, I Wake Up Dreaming. Like most of the 13 programs on the festival's schedule, it was a double bill (the rest are triple bills). It was a fun afternoon, but not an exceptional one. The … Continue reading Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
Catching The Amazing Spider-Man 2 After the Festival
After two weeks watching dramas and documentaries (most of them with subtitles) at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I felt it was time to reconnect with another aspect of cinema. So I visited a multiplex and caught The Amazing Spider-Man 2--in 3D, no less. This is the sort of summer movie that makes you forgive … Continue reading Catching The Amazing Spider-Man 2 After the Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended Thursday night at the Castro with a screening of Chris Messina's directorial debut, Alex of Venice. It was not a perfect way to end the festival, but it was a good way. The crowd was surprisingly thin. There was an empty seat next to me, and the … Continue reading The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I managed to get to three San Francisco International Film Festival screenings at the Kabuki yesterday. Let me tell you about it. B Bauyr (Little Brother) This seems to be the year of young boy films at SFIFF. Bauyr is the fourth such movie I’ve seen at this festival so far. It was pretty good, … Continue reading Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
SFIFF: Boyhood and an Evening with Richard Linklater
Last night at the Castro, the San Francisco International Film Festival honored Richard Linklater with their Founder's Directing Award. The event included a discussion between Linklater and actor Parker Posey, followed by a screening of Linklater's new film, Boyhood. When I arrived, more than an hour before the show, the line was already around the … Continue reading SFIFF: Boyhood and an Evening with Richard Linklater
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