I saw two excellent films yesterday at the San Francisco International Film Festival. They had a lot in common. They were both European. Each was told entirely from the protagonist's point of view, with the lead actor in every scene, and the audience knowing nothing that he doesn't know. And I do mean he; both … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Two Frightening Films on Wednesday
Category: First-person Report
SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
Last night I attended the San Francisco International Film Festival silent movie event at the Castro--four Buster Keaton shorts (two of them actually Fatty Arbuckle shorts with Keaton in supporting roles), accompanied by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs along with guitarist Ava Mendoza. This is something of a tradition at the Festival--screening silent films with accompaniment … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
SFIFF Report: Jacque Tati & Barbara Kopple
It's been an unusual day at the festival. Here's what I've seen: Master Class: Malcolm Turvey: Tati, Chaplin and the Democratization of Comedy I started the day with professor Malcolm Turvey, lecturing on Jacque Tati and how his comedy related to what he described as the "classical comedy" of Chaplin, Keaton, and other silent clowns. … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Jacque Tati & Barbara Kopple
SFIFF Report: Saturday Evening
Caught two movies after dinner last night: A- Oslo, August 31 Anders, a recovering drug addict living in a halfway house in the country, gets a day's leave to return to Oslo for a job interview. The trip will also give him a chance to catch up with some friends. But he's lost, has no … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Saturday Evening
SFIFF Report: Alps
Today, things are crazy at the Kabuki. Japantown is hosting not only the San Francisco International Film Festival, but also the Cherry Blossom Festival. The crowds are insane. But I've managed to get through the crowds and catch a movie: B Alps I'm not exactly sure what to make of Alps. It has just enough … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Alps
SFIFF Report: The Fourth Dimension
I hit the jackpot for my second and last movie on Friday. First, they were giving out free popcorn and free beer. But the beer was only allowed in the balcony (this was in the Kabuki's big Theater 1). I don't like watching movies from the balcony, so I skipped the beer. I also hit … Continue reading SFIFF Report: The Fourth Dimension
SFIFF Report: Robot & Frank
Got off to a bad start with my first movie of the festival: Robot and Frank. They didn't let people into the theater until 5 minutes before the movie was supposed to start. Then they rushed us in and started the film quickly. As far as the movie was concerned C+ Robot & Frank, This … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Robot & Frank
Napoleon at the Paramount: An Incredible Day at the Movies
Abel Gance's Napoleon so overwhelmed me that I hardly know where to start. Despite a few slow sequences, the experience was as innovating, exciting, and entertaining as anything I've experienced as part of an audience. I doubt I have ever seen such a perfect melding of cinema and showmanship; the movie requires this special presentation, … Continue reading Napoleon at the Paramount: An Incredible Day at the Movies
Watching Casablanca, Digitally Projected, at a Big Multiplex
Last night, Turner Classic Movies and Fathom--a company that distributes high-definition operas and stage plays to movie theaters--presented Casablanca in 485 theaters--mostly or entirely big multiplexes--across the USA. Needless to say, the movie was digitally projected. The event was tied to Casablanca's 70th anniversary. In fact, the show was officially titled Turner Classic Movies Presents … Continue reading Watching Casablanca, Digitally Projected, at a Big Multiplex
Children of Paradise
Something struck me as I watched Children of Paradise Saturday at the Castro. The main characters are, at heart, all extraordinarily selfish. Even when expressing deep and undying love, they're thinking only of their own needs and desires. They want to own the object of their adoration, but they don't see that object as a … Continue reading Children of Paradise
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