Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #1

The 65th SFFilm Festival will take place April 21 – May 1, 2022, with screenings at various venues around the Bay Area. This year, the festival program features over 130 film from 56 countries, so there are plenty of options for everyone.

We’ll bring you spotlight coverage of many of the films leading up to and during the Festival. Here’s a look at five features and a short to get things started — get your tickets before they sell out!

1.) THE EXILES
(USA, Taiwan, France, China, 2021. 96 min)

A fascinating documentary that spotlights legendary Chinese documentarian Christine Choy (Who Killed Vincent Chin?) as an avenue into revisiting the massacre at Tiananmen Square and three high profile exiled dissidents. Produced by Steven Soderbergh and winner of this year’s Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize, The Exiles takes an honest look at the active erasure of history, and exemplifies the power of documentary filmmaking to preserve memories, events, and movements.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., April 23rd, 3:00pm at the Victoria Theatre
– Sun., April 24th, 2:00pm at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive

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Noise Pop Preview: Fast Times Presents

Amid mask mandate confusion (NOTE: venues are still mandating masks in SF, so MASK UP AND DON’T KILL YOUR BARTENDER), uncertainty in Ukraine, and a general malaise of life, I forgot about Noise Pop this year! But, my good friend Ashley Graham of Fast Times Presents reminded me that there is still joy in this world, and if you feel safe, she’s got a nice assortment of events this week. And if you don’t feel safe going out, you should re-listen to our interview with her from late 2020! Continue reading “Noise Pop Preview: Fast Times Presents”

Interview: George Chen of Zum Audio

George Chen has been a friend of Spinning Platters for many, many years. In fact, we’ve interviewed him before! And I’ve appeared on his podcast, Sup Doc to discuss 2020’s documentary on The Go Go’s. With all the years I’ve known him, we’ve never talked about his record label, Zum Audio. So we decided to chat about Zum’s history as well as his upcoming Noise Pop Showcase! It’s happening at Bottom Of The Hill on Tuesday, February 22nd, and features Body Double, The Acharis, and My Heart, An Inverted Flame. You should buy your tickets here and then read the interview: Continue reading “Interview: George Chen of Zum Audio”

Film Feature: Chad’s Top 10 (Double Feature) Films of 2021

2021 was a good year for movies, and not much else. The box office, and inevitably the upcoming Oscars ceremony, won’t be evident of such, but the quality of filmmaking and storytelling this year was noteworthy. As I began constructing my Top 10 Films of the Year, I realized that not only was it challenging to narrow it down, but there were a handful of appropriate film pairings — equal in stature, themes, and style. While I admit this list is somewhat a cop out, here’s my Top 10 Double Features of 2021 (all released after the 2021 Oscar ceremony on April 26th). I do believe they represent the best films that I’ve seen released this year:

  1. In the Heights / West Side Story

This ‘New York song and dance’ double feature is an obvious duet. On the positive side, both films surprised audiences (and critics) with an abundance of colorful energy, and on the flip side, both films feature male leads with some troubling choices in their personal lives. In any other year, or perhaps ten years ago, these two films would be atop the box office and Oscar predictions, especially the one where Steven Spielberg directs his first musical that is an adaptation of another movie that won Best Picture.  This year they’ll both have to settle for being two overflowing-with-life musicals that will become more and more appreciated over time.

Continue reading “Film Feature: Chad’s Top 10 (Double Feature) Films of 2021”

Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2021

After having to watch the bulk of our films from our living rooms in 2020, the slow but sure return to cinemas in 2021 was more than welcome. And the year rewarded us with many Top 10 list worthy contenders. I’ve narrowed mine down to the list below. You can also check out fellow film writer Chris Piper’s list here, as well as my 2020 list hereNow stop reading lists, and go seek these out! 

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2021”

Film Feature: Chris Piper’s Top 10 Films of 2021

Chris Piper's Top 10 films of 2021
Chris Piper’s Top 10 films of 2021

Films make a big comeback in 2021

2021 in American cinema was remarkable in how it seemed so… normal. Whatever the numbers say, my feeling was that the year started a little slowly, then found its footing around March, then kicked into something like a normal gear over the summer. As fall approached, and it seemed to me more theaters reopened, a slate of films pretty much like those in 2019 awaited. Winter seemed to bring somewhat larger than normal crop of smaller-budget films, and here we are, at the end of the year with a number of solid films released, awards season in full swing, and waiting for Oscar noms in just over a month.

So here are my top 10 films of 2021. See these 10 films in any order you want, preferably in the theater, but on your couch if you must. Here’s hoping for more of more of the same in 2022. Continue reading “Film Feature: Chris Piper’s Top 10 Films of 2021”

Outside Lands 2021 Diary

A special thanks to Paige Parsons for providing us with so many lovely photos this year. You should follow her on Instagram, as her feed will bring you many bursts of joy. 

Outside Lands was the first concert I remember going on sale in the dark days of SIP. It sold out in two minutes, and my husband and I looked into our souls and wallets and sprung for VIP. And then, I wound up getting a press pass. Anyway! I was very very excited to go, and it’s been a long time since I reviewed anything.  Continue reading “Outside Lands 2021 Diary”

Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Outside Lands 2021 Poster

I honestly wasn’t sure I’d get to post a “Top 10 From The Bottom Half Of The Outside Lands Poster” post this year. Delta hit shortly after 2021 was announced, and I started getting scared. However, after Lollapalooza gave excellent data about music festival infections, and the Bottlerock showed EVEN BETTER DATA, I’m feeling pretty confident that SF’s premier music festival is going to be a safe and fun affair. So here are my personal picks for the Outside Lands undercard. The full line-up is here, as well as the schedule, so you can start making the hard decisions about who you are going to see. The fest runs from October 29th-31st. Continue reading “Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Outside Lands 2021 Poster”

Outside Lands 2021 Night Shows Announced!!!

One of my least favorite things about multi-stage music festivals is, well, having to decide who to see when multiple acts are playing at once… Remember having to pick between NERD and Carly Rae Jepsen in 2018? THAT WAS EVIL!!! How did I manage? By buying a ticket to see Carly Rae at her Outside Lands night show at The Independent the night before. That show was pretty much pure magic. Are you looking for a purely magical experience that’s slightly more intimate than your regular Outside Lands? Feast your eyes on their Night Show schedule: 

To buy tickets, simply go here! The 2020 Eager Beaver presale starts Wednesday, September 22nd at noon PT, and the 2021 Outside Lands Ticket Holder presale begins Thursday, September 23rd at noon PT. Those passholders should be getting an email with a passcode shortly. If there are any tickets left, the general public gets their shot Friday, September 24th at noon PT. Good luck! 

EP Preview: “Nice Try” by Habibi AND TOUR DATES

 

Habibi was one of like five bands to get to complete their 2020 tour before the world shut down. And their good fortune did not end there… Anywhere But Here landed the band on a slew of year-end lists, enough to get the attention of the legendary label Kill Rock Stars, which is AMAZING news because there were six years between the band’s self-titled debut and second record!

While the band is in the studio working on LP #3, they have treated us with an EP of cover songs from some of their favorite performers. The first single is a cover of the Kleenex classic “Nice,” translated into Farsi by lead singer Rahill Jamalifard. The EP, called Nice Try, will be ready for your ears very soon. You can watch this countdown clock with bated breath like I have to know the minute it’s read! And they are also going on tour! Check out the dates below: Continue reading “EP Preview: “Nice Try” by Habibi AND TOUR DATES”