Musicians, comedians, painters, documentaries and dogs appear on Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals Doclands continues through Sunday. Here are two movies screening at the festival: A Long Strange Trip, Sunday, 2:00, AT RUSH. Tickets may be made available at showtime The Grateful Dead played great music for nearly 30 years, building up the … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 12 – 18
Tag: documentaries
What’s Screening: September 21 – 27
The Third I South Asian Film Festival continues through Sunday (and will resurrect for one day next week). If you're looking for a strange, out-door movie-going experience, the Brainwash Movie Festival returns tonight and plays through Sunday. Berlin & Beyond, the Palo Alto Int'l Film Festival and Hong Kong Cinema all open Thursday night. B- … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 21 – 27
What’s Screening: September 7 – 13
The Iranian Film Festival runs through the weekend. But a whole lot of festivals are coming near the end of the month. A Samsara, Embarcadero, Shattuck, opens Friday. Ron Fricke (Baraka) provides us with a succession of stunningly beautiful, and occasionally shocking images, accompanied by a hypnotic musical score and almost no other sound. I … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 7 – 13
What’s Screening: July 20 – 26
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through the week. I've placed my Festival capsules below the Goyish ones. A- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Bridge, Thursday, 7:00. Corrupt political bosses appoint a naive, young idealist (James Stewart) senator because they think he’s stupid. The second and best film in Frank Capra’s common-man trilogy, Mr. … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 20 – 26
What’s Screening: July 6 – 12
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens Thursday. Wings, Castro, Thursday, 7:00. Primarily remembered as winner of the first Best Picture Oscar (except that the award wasn’t called Best Picture back then), Wings was until a few months ago the only silent film so honored. I saw Wings many, many years ago, and remember being … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 6 – 12
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
What’s Screening: April 27 – May 3
The San Francisco International Film Festival continues through the week, but the Tiburon Intl. Film Festival ends tonight. I've placed my festival recommendations and warnings at the end of this newsletter. Man of Aran, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum (although this is a talkie), Sunday, 4:00. Early documentarian Robert Flaherty's third feature (his first was … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 27 – May 3
SFIFF Report: Jacque Tati & Barbara Kopple
It's been an unusual day at the festival. Here's what I've seen: Master Class: Malcolm Turvey: Tati, Chaplin and the Democratization of Comedy I started the day with professor Malcolm Turvey, lecturing on Jacque Tati and how his comedy related to what he described as the "classical comedy" of Chaplin, Keaton, and other silent clowns. … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Jacque Tati & Barbara Kopple
What’s Screening: April 20 -26
Both the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Tiburon International. Film Festival opened last night. I've placed festival entries at the bottom of this newsletter. B Attenberg, Elmwood and one of the Lee Theaters, opens Friday. You have to adjust yourself to the slow pace here. Writer/director Athina Rachel Tsangari examines the life and … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 20 -26
SF International Film Festival Preview
So far, I've been able to preview two films (both documentaries) that will play at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival. Here's what I think of them. I've also included capsules of two classic films that will be screened. New Films B+ Women with Cows, Kabuki, Saturday, April 21, 3:30; Pacific Film Archive, Monday, … Continue reading SF International Film Festival Preview
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