I love a good turn-off-the-brain action movie--one where the hero gets to dispatch multiple bad guys without remorse but with plenty of clever quips. But the older I get, the more I begin to wonder if there's something inherently wrong with these pictures. Do they teach us that we can solve our problems by killing … Continue reading Violence as Light Entertainment–The Moral Question
What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
In festival news, the Roxie's I Wake Up Dreaming noir festival opens tonight and runs into next week. Also opening tonight: After Dark Action Films at the Balboa; it runs through Tuesday. B+ Last Call at the Oasis, Embarcadero, Shattuck, opens Friday. Water covers most of Earth's surface, yet the human race is rapidly running … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
Darling Companion
D+ Character-driven comedy Written by Lawrence and Meg Kasdan Directed by Lawrence Kasdan I hate watching good actors, some of whom I've admired for decades, struggle through a bad script. That made Darling Companion a very difficult movie to sit through. Here we have a character-driven comedy almost entirely lacking in either fully developed characters … Continue reading Darling Companion
Last Call at the Oasis
B+ Documentary Directed by Jessica Yu How do you judge a political documentary? Artistic and technical merit? How well it argues its case? Is it entertaining? How important is the subject? Do you agree with what it says? Jessica Yu's examination of the water crisis looming over the human race does reasonably well on all … Continue reading Last Call at the Oasis
Summing Up This Year’s San Francisco International Film Festival
It's over. Two weeks of very heavy, mostly serious cinema in San Francisco--and none of it even near a BART station. Over those weeks, I saw 15 new feature films. If you include the three I saw at press screenings before the festival, and the two on screeners (DVDs sent to press), the total was … Continue reading Summing Up This Year’s San Francisco International Film Festival
SFIFF Closing Night: Don’t Stop Believin’
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended with a blast of rock and roll. B+ Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey I've never been a fan of Journey, but this music documentary made me a fan of the band's new lead singer, Arnel Pineda. He's charismatic, energetic, down-to-earth, and funny. He also has a great … Continue reading SFIFF Closing Night: Don’t Stop Believin’
What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
No festivals this week, which is kind of a relief. But I'm starting this newsletter with a wonderful gem I saw at the San Francisco International Film Festival: A Headhunters, Clay, Shattuck, Piedmont, opens Friday. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) leads the good life. He’s rich, powerful, and has a beautiful wife. But even his high-paying, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
May Day at the SFIFF: A Sobering Documentary and a Boring Swashbuckler
I got a surprise when I stepped out of the Montgomery BART station on my way to the San Francisco International Film Festival. I ran into a Occupy-themed May Day protest blocking Market St. That provided two dilemmas. First, should I go to the festival, or take part in the protest? Second, when I decided … Continue reading May Day at the SFIFF: A Sobering Documentary and a Boring Swashbuckler
Headhunters
A thriller Written by Lars Gudmestad and Jo Nesbø, from the novel by Ulf Ryberg Directed by Morten Tyldum Shit happens, sometimes literally, in this scary, effective, funny, gruesome, and utterly entertaining thriller from Norway. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) leads the good life. He's a headhunter--in the modern, corporate meaning of the term. He helps … Continue reading Headhunters
Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
I first saw Unforgiven soon after its 1992 release. Everyone else was calling it a masterpiece, but I was deeply disappointed. Last Saturday, no longer remembering clearly why I didn't like it, I saw it again. Now I view it in much the same way as Apocalypse Now. For most of its runtime, it is … Continue reading Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
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