Feb 1: Midnight In Paris (Castro Theatre) Midnight in Paris might be Woody Allen‘s first great comedy in decades, but it was worth the wait. The film follows an author (Owen Wilson) ...
Latest News
SF IndieFest 2012: “4:44 Last Day On Earth”, “Bullhead” and “Gandu” Reviews and Trailers
4:44 Last Day On Earth
How would you spend your last days on Earth if you knew the world was going to be destroyed in the morning? That’s the premise in Abel Ferrara‘s (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant) claustrophobic new movie, starring Willem Dafoe and newcomer Shanyn Leigh in where the two play a Manhattan couple coming to terms with their final moments of existence.
Ferrara’s choice to shoot the majority of the film in one setting with a minimal amount of takes made me feel as if I were watching a play – not at all a bad thing, especially when the lead actor is Dafoe. This play setting, along with the ‘sky is falling’ scenario practically begs for fueled performances to which both Dafoe and Leigh delivered. The actors made the most of their surroundings and turned their emoting skills on high, only occasionally finding themselves being caught in fits of overacting. This is where the movie falters, when the attention pays too much to the acting and not the scenario. Still, the little bursts of over-the-top moments weren’t enough to detract me from the movie as a whole.
4:44 Last Day On Earth is a depressing way to kick off a film festival, yet not as depressing as kicking it off with a bad movie. Fans of both doomsday scenarios and movies that show close-ups of Willem Dafoe’s pubic region should walk away eerily pleased from this one.
Read More…
February’s Poll: Which Nominee is Most Deserving of the Best Picture Oscar?
I hope people don’t put too much stock into the Oscars. I hardly ever agree with the nominations let alone the winners. This isn’t about your favorite movie of the year because there would be way to many possible answers. Instead, we just want to know what best picture nominee deserves the Oscar the most. You can vote on our sidebar or by following the jump Read More…
January 2012 Poll Results: Which of Steven Spielberg’s last 10 films is your favorite?
Can’t say I’m shocked about this one – “Saving Private Ryan” was voted as the best of Spielberg’s last 10 films. I Was surprised that “Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull” got any votes whatsoever.”Catch Me If You Can” was closest behind “Private Ryan” which is interesting as we just published an article pointing out the flaws of bio-pics. “Catch Me If You Can”, as fun as it is, leaves much to be desired in the character department. Follow the jump to see the full results. Read More…
Noir City 10 Festival Recap: Vera Caspary’s “Bedelia” and “Laura”
On January 22nd, 2012, a tribute to Vera Caspary was presented as part of the Noir Film Festival at The Castro Theatre. The festival started on January 20th and ended on the 29th, showing classics such as Mr. Dynamite, Gilda, The House On Telegraph Hill, Point Blank, Unfaithfully Yours, Naked Alibi, The Great Gatsby and many other noir works of art. As cited before, Vera Caspary was honored with a double feature night of her own writing work, including the hardly known british “Bedelia” and the very famous Otto Preminger adaptation of “Laura”. Reviews of Bedelia and Laura after the jump
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos – Review and Trailer
Man, Yuichi Shinbo and the folks over at Funimation sure know how to spin a yarn. You know, when I first heard that they were coming out with Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star Of Milos, I wondered cynically to myself where in the hell they were going to bring the plot this time. I mean they’ve kind of taken this world to the limits of where it can go. All the cards are on the table so to speak. This is probably a good thing though, I doubt anyone wants any more flying magic Nazis trying to take over Amestris. Read More…
New To San Francisco Theaters Starting Friday, January 20th
Gunfighters, Alzheimers, alchemy, tobacco, and 3D dancing. What do these things have in common? They’re all featured in new films opening this week in San Francisco theaters. To see the full list of films and where they’re playing follow the jump.
Drive – Review and Trailer
Last night at The Lumiere, I decided to watch a movie that would change my perspective on action films. We all know the story: stay close to Enter The Dragon, The French Connection, The Seven Samurai or even Die Hard. Action movies are usually not supposed to be subtle or delicately complex. That is why I fell in love with Nicolas Winding Refn – also director of Bronson and Valhalla Rising, which I haven’t seen yet, but might give them a chance. The impeccable direction of the movie, followed by a great screenplay taken by the book, Drive, from James Sallis and adapted by Hossein Amini, made my legs shake when leaving the theatre. There is nothing like the feeling of catharsis, and I tell you – Drive does that to you without previous expectations. Read More…
The Hustler – Review and Trailer
*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
Pool hustler films are similar to gangster films. We imagine dark pool alleys with shady people illegally gambling. This world is entertaining because it is dangerous and different. We can easily imagine these worlds, and we can also imagine the plot lines that typically govern them. Hot shots with lots of skill who try to make it big by rising through the ranks but lose. This results in a crisis of confidence where they must re-examine their lives and rise above their problems to succeed. This type of story is not novel to cinema, but is the basis of many films (most Tom Cruise films). “The Hustler” by Robert Rossen is a film that is the centerpiece of this genre but also the antithesis of it. Read More…
