We've got two festivals this week, but both close Sunday: Noir City and the Bay Area International Children's Film Festival. But only three days later, the Pacific Film Archive will open again for business in its new digs. B- 45 Years, Embarcadero Center, Shattuck, Aquarius, Rafael, opens Friday Not much happens in Andrew Haigh's chamber drama … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 29 – February 4

This week's film festivals: SF Sketchfest continues through Sunday. And Noir City opens Friday and runs through the week and beyond. And now, some movies: B+ Aferim!, Opera Plaza, opens Friday Racially-based slavery wasn't limited to the Americas in the 1800s. As this disturbing and odd black and white film shows, it was common in … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 22 – 28

In festival action, both SF Sketchfest and Berlin & Beyond continue through this week. A+ The Adventures of Robin Hood, Balboa, Thursday, 7:30 Not every masterpiece needs to provide a deep understanding of the human condition; some are just plain fun. And none more so than this 1938 Errol Flynn swashbuckler. For 102 minutes, you … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 15 – 21

SF Sketchfest (only partly a film festival) continues through this week and keeps going. Meanwhile, Berlin & Beyond (very much a film festival) opens Thursday. B+ The Hateful Eight, Alamo Drafthouse New Mission, Cerrito, still running I'm giving this a B+ because it's not being presented in 70mm. If it was, I'd give it an … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 8 – 14

We've got two sort-of film festivals opening this week. The Rafael isn't calling For Your Consideration a festival, but a concentration of 13 films in seven days qualifies by my book. It opens today (Friday) and runs through Thursday. SF Sketchfest, which opens Thursday, is clearly a festival, but movies are only one part of … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 1 – 7

No film festivals this week, but there are still a whole lot of theaters screening Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I have tickets for this Thursday). Here are some other films screening around the Bay this week. A- Spotlight, Piedmont, Shattuck, already playing A quartet of dogged and determined journalists at the Boston Globe blows … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 25 – 31

We're in the traditional no-film-festival season. But there's a series going on at the Roxie, Far, Far Away and Yet So Close: Science Fiction In San Francisco, that feels very much like a festival to me, so I'm treating it as one. B+ Time After Time, Roxie, Saturday, 2:30; Sunday, 3:30 & 9:30, Tuesday, 9:30 … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 18 – 24

No festivals this week. But the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission opens Thursday with a movie you're probably aware of--even if you couldn't care less: Star Wars VII: The Franchise Awakens…or something like this. Unlike that big event, here are some movies I have opinions about: B+ Hitchcock/Truffaut, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, Rafael, opens Friday This is … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 11 – 17

Only one festival this week, and it's only a one-day festival: A Day of Silents. I plan to be there. A Janis: Little Girl Blue, Rafael, Roxie, opens Friday Janis Joplin's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. But in reality, it came out of the pain and joy and despair and sexuality of a … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 4 – 10

After the November rush, things are slowing down. No film festivals this week. But we still have movies. A- The Wonders, Opera Plaza, Rafael, Shattuck, opens Friday Mexican magical realism clearly influenced this Italian comic drama about a struggling counter-cultural family of farmers and beekeepers. Nothing happens that is physically impossible, but writer/director Alice Rohrwacher … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 27 – December 3