Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Comedy Written by Dan Kleinman & Sameh Zoabi Directed by Sameh Zoabi The plot of this Israeli/Palestinian comedy is entirely farcical, but the actors play it straight. Therefore, you can believe in the main character and root for him, despite the absurd situation. None of this sacrifices the laughs. That main character, the young … Continue reading Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire

A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA

~ Lincoln Spector

I caught three very good, but very different, films at the BAMPFA this weekend. The Traveler (1974) Friday night, BAMPFA started its new series, Abbas Kiarostami: Life as Art, with this touching story reminiscent of François Truffaut's 400 Blows. Kiarostami (1940–2016) was one of Iran's most important and influential filmmakers, and this massive series will run … Continue reading A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA

Ethiopian Jews, a dying magician, & a Soviet stand-up comic: My Last Day at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

Thursday was the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival's last day at the Albany Twin, and my last day at the festival. I saw three films. Oddly, two of them were fiction; a surprising ratio in this year's documentary-heavy lineup. None of the films I saw were followed by a Q&A. That shouldn't be surprising. Filmmakers … Continue reading Ethiopian Jews, a dying magician, & a Soviet stand-up comic: My Last Day at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Hitchcock, James Bond, Star Trek, and some other terrific double features in August at the Castro

~ Lincoln Spector

The double bill is almost a lost art, but this month you can find many excellent examples at the Castro. Let's start with Hitchcock Wednesdays (my label). Each Wednesday in August, San Francisco's best movie theater matches a feature from the master of suspense with an appropriate non-Hitchcock title: August 7: Strangers on a Train … Continue reading Hitchcock, James Bond, Star Trek, and some other terrific double features in August at the Castro

Religious fanatics and a strange honeymoon: Tuesday at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

I saw three films at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Tuesday. Two were documentaries about ultra-Orthodox Jews connecting with outsiders. The third was a dramatic comedy about a Holocaust vacation. I don't have to tell you why these are Jewish films. They're obvious. City of Joel A short fiction film, Black Hat, preceded the … Continue reading Religious fanatics and a strange honeymoon: Tuesday at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The King of Comedy, White Heat, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood, & The Bellboy

~ Lincoln Spector

Despite the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, I've managed to watch four movies that weren't particularly Jewish. A The King of Comedy (1982) Netflix DVD Martin Scorscee's meditation on celebrity and fandom (written by Paul D. Zimmerman) feels in a strange way like a much less violent Taxi Driver. Like Travis Bickle, Rupert Pupkin (Robert … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The King of Comedy, White Heat, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood, & The Bellboy

A lovable Hollywood mogul, the Holocaust & the Occupation, and the man who made Casablanca: Saturday at the SF Jewish Film Fest

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

I saw three movies at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Saturday. Two of them were documentaries, the other was a fiction film based on history. One of them was the best I've seen at this year's festival. Another was the worst. Carl Laemmle This interesting, entertaining, but conventional documentary tells us that the creator … Continue reading A lovable Hollywood mogul, the Holocaust & the Occupation, and the man who made Casablanca: Saturday at the SF Jewish Film Fest

A Daredevil Photographer and the invention of a movie camera: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival moves to Albany

~ Lincoln Spector

Thursday evening, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival spread out to the East Bay, screening films at the Albany Twin. This makes my commute much easier. The festival is still going on at the Castro through Sunday. Here are the first two films I've seen so far at the Albany. Both are about photography, but … Continue reading A Daredevil Photographer and the invention of a movie camera: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival moves to Albany