Completely free of cold symptoms, I finally got back to Festival attendance last night, making my way to the Castro for the screening of the 1925 version of The Lost World. The Cambodian-American alternative indie band Dengue Fever provided the live musical accompaniment. The event was as much about Dengue Fever as it was about … Continue reading SFIFF Report: The Lost World & Dengue Fever
Category: Music
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Musical Documentary Directed by Steven Sebring Steven Sebring spent over a decade following Patti Smith around with a camera (okay, I'm not sure how much of that time he actually devoted to the project), trying to get to the core of the cutting-edge rocker, poet, and generally arty person. He succeeds--with a great deal of … Continue reading Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
Music documentary Directed by Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden People don't recognize the name Anita O'Day the way they do Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, but as a jazz vocalist she's arguably in their class. She possessed a beautiful voice, a unique and expressive way of making familiar lyrics her own, and a phenomenal sense … Continue reading Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
Opera Jawa
Dance opera Written by Aramantono and Garin Nugroho Directed by Garin Nugroho Astonishing sensual, works like a dream. Things don't connect the way they do in the real world (or in a conventional film), but that doesn't bother you in the slightest. You're in its world, and you see no reason to want out. In … Continue reading Opera Jawa
Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée
Music documentary Written by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud and Emmanuel Gétaz Directed by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud It's sad when a great idea and an important subject lose their way. I don't know whether to blame filmmaker Pierre-Yves Borgeaud or the film's subject, singer/song-writer Youssou N'Dour, but Return to Gorée isn't the film it should have been. Part of … Continue reading Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée
West Side Story in 70mm
Note: I wrote and posted this article years before Steven Spielberg's remake. I caught the last screening of West Side Story at the Castro last night. This was the brand new 70mm print with DTS (almost as good as the original magnetic analog) sound. I'd seen the classic, Oscar-winning musical before, of course, but not … Continue reading West Side Story in 70mm
I’m Not There
Musical biopic/mockumentary/weird undefinable something Written by Todd Haynes and Oren Moverman Directed by Todd Haynes Artists should experiment, try new things, push the boundaries of their art. There can be no masterpieces without experimentation. But since experimentation involves trying something that may or may not work, failure is a real possibility. (I'm talking about artistic … Continue reading I’m Not There
Romance and Cigarettes
Musical Written and directed by John Turturro To a radical non-smoker like myself--someone who finds the act of smoking about as sexy as Dick Cheney--the very term "Romance and Cigarettes" seems odd. That's appropriate. John Turturro's musical tragi-comedy about marriage and adultery is a very odd motion picture. The songs are familiar hits, and for … Continue reading Romance and Cigarettes
Dirty Country
Music Documentary Written and directed by Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher You’ve got one night--Friday, November 9--to catch Dirty Country at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. And if you like raunchy humor, you should catch it. Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of Found Footage Fame (or Found Footage obscurity) built this documentary around … Continue reading Dirty Country
Bayflicks 