More San Francisco International Film Festlval news trickling in. Mike Leigh receives this year’s Founder's Directing Award. If you’ve never heard of the “Founder's Directing Award,-- that’s because it used to be the Film Society Directing Award. Before that it was the Kurosawa Award--and I can’t think of a better name than that for honoring … Continue reading More SFIFF News
Asian American Film Festival Preview
With the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival less than two weeks away, this seems like a good time to fill you in on the four films screening that I've seen: A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers: It's a bit silly to review the opening night selection as a movie; you're not going to … Continue reading Asian American Film Festival Preview
This Week At the Movies
Cinequest continues and the Irish Film Festival plays its full run this week. See below for comments. Around the Bay. Sparse and utilitarian, Alejandro Adams’ low-key drama gets right to the point, then tells its dysfunctional family story without pyrotechnics. Single dad Wyatt (Steve Voldseth) is so remote and disconnected from his five-year-old son (Connor … Continue reading This Week At the Movies
Romulus, My Father
Family drama Written by Nick Drake, from the memoir by Raimond Gaita Directed by Richard Roxburgh Nothing’s worse than a serious, character-driven drama that fails. A bad comedy will probably provide some laughs, and a bad action movie some thrills. But if a drama doesn’t work as a whole, the parts don’t amount to much, … Continue reading Romulus, My Father
Oscars at the Rafael
I just came back from the big Oscar shindig at the Rafael. I’m sorry to say I was disappointed. I arrived early and entered the main, downstairs theater to plop my stuff down on a seat. That’s when I discovered that my general admission ticket gave me the right to sit in the last four … Continue reading Oscars at the Rafael
The Band’s Visit
[B] Comedy Written and directed by Eran Kolirin Kurt Vonnegut called unusual travel suggestions "dancing lessons from God." A small Egyptian police orchestra does quite a rumba when they accidentally arrive in the wrong Israeli town in Kolirin’s gentle comedy. There’s nothing political about this Arabs-meet-Jews movie. Neither politics nor religion ever come up. No … Continue reading The Band’s Visit
Around the Bay
A Family drama Written and directed by Alejandro Adams Sparse and utilitarian, Alejandro Adams' low-key drama gets right to the point, then tells its dysfunctional family story without pyrotechnics. Single dad Wyatt (Steve Voldseth) is so remote and disconnected from his five-year-old son (Connor Maselli) t hat he leaves the child home alone--and that's in … Continue reading Around the Bay
This Week At the Movies
The big news this week: The Oscars. Several Bay Area theaters will host their own Oscar telecasts, with comic commentary, costume contests, and other frivolity. See Oscars Away from Home for details. Wednesday night the Balboa celebrates its 81st Birthday with a screening of Douglas Fairbanks' The Black Pirate. Not his best work, but fun. … Continue reading This Week At the Movies
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Family Fantasy Written by: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, and John Sayles, from the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black Directed by Mark Waters Basically a horror movie for pre-teens (and all ages above), The Spiderwick Chronicles hits almost every note right. It starts off with a family in crisis--a nice, normal crisis of the … Continue reading The Spiderwick Chronicles
Tiburon International Film Festival
Just a quick note to tell you about the Tiburon International Film Festival, which runs from March 13 to the 21st. According to the press release, it’s “showcasing over 225 films from 94 countries.†The Festival opens (and not at the Castro, for a change, but at Tiburon’s own Playhouse Theater) with a Spanish comedy called … Continue reading Tiburon International Film Festival
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