Category: Features

Final SFIFF Spotlights: Alex of Venice/Begin Again

Spinning Platters brings you two final spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which closed on Thursday with Chris Messina’s film Alex of Venice at the Castro, with many of the cast there for a fun Q&A. You can check out the Festival award winners here, and be sure to keep your eye out for many of these films as they are released throughout the year.

Alex of Venice
(USA 2014, 87 min)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Messina in Alex of Venice.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Messina in Alex of Venice.

The Mindy Project’s Chris Messina makes his directorial debut with this emotionally rich drama about the dissolution of a marriage. In the Q&A following the film, Messina cited Kramer vs. Kramer, Hannah and Her Sisters, and All the Real Girls as influencing his picture, and, indeed, all the best tonal elements of those films can be felt here. Strong performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as workaholic environmental attorney Alex, Katie Nehra as her more free-spirited sister, and Don Johnson as their actor father on the verge of a health crisis solidly anchor the film. Messina, as Alex’s unhappy husband George, and young Skylar Gaertner as Alex and George’s son Dakota round out the cast nicely, with Gaertner’s portrayal just as nuanced and sensitive as Justin Henry’s in Kramer vs. Kramer. A side story about Alex’s father appearing in The Cherry Orchard is a bit of a heavy-handed metaphor, but that’s just one small quibble with an otherwise excellent first feature. Continue reading “Final SFIFF Spotlights: Alex of Venice/Begin Again”

SFIFF Spotlights #8: The One I Love/Coast of Death/Night Moves

Spinning Platters brings you even more spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which ends today, May 8th. Program notes and tickets available here.  There are only a few screenings left, so hurry to catch the last showings, and you can also see many of the films as they open widely throughout the year.

The One I Love
(USA, 2014, 91 min)

Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass stand agape in THE ONE I LOVE
Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass stand agape in THE ONE I LOVE

Romantic comedy meets The Twilight Zone, Charlie McDowell’s obscure relationship dramedy is a wonderful piece of bizarre metaphorical fiction.  The story focuses on an unhappy married couple, Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass, who go to a beautifully secluded rural home to rekindle their love. Immediately, anomalies involving the adjacent guest house occur, and the film starts toying with our minds, offering continuous scenarios that beg the question, ‘how would I handle this?’  A quirky tone keeps the film upbeat, but the twists lead the characters down varied emotional routes, resulting in a whole new meaning to “couples therapy.”

The One I Love SFIFF Page: http://www.sffs.org/festival-home/attend/film-guide/the-one-i-love

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #8: The One I Love/Coast of Death/Night Moves”

SFIFF Spotlights #7: Boyhood/Pioneer/Freedom Summer/Little Accidents

Spinning Platters brings you more spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which continues through this Thursday, May 8th. Program notes and tickets available here.  There is still plenty of time to catch some screenings, and you can also see many of the films as they open widely throughout the year.

Boyhood
(USA 2014, 162 min)

Life awaits young Mason (Ellar Coltrane) in Boyhood.
Life awaits young Mason (Ellar Coltrane) in Boyhood.

Stunning, remarkable, and amazing don’t begin to do justice to Richard Linklater’s new movie. Filmed over the course of 12 years using all the same actors, the picture follows young Mason (a captivating Ellar Coltrane) from the ages of six to 18; in one scene he’s maybe 8, and maybe 30 minutes later, he’s 12, in seamless transitions that will leave you astounded. The film could have just as easily been called Childhood or Parenthood (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette are equally terrific as Mason’s parents), as it’s about nothing less than the ephemeral nature of time and the meaning of life itself. Is life just a series of events – marriages, divorces, birthdays, graduations? What can we count on in life besides change? Breathtakingly original and achingly poignant, Boyhood is sure to be on many critics’ top ten list at year end; I know it will be on mine.

Screenings:

  • Opens July 18th at the Landmark Embarcadero Cinema

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #7: Boyhood/Pioneer/Freedom Summer/Little Accidents”

Spinning Platters SFIFF Interview: David Zellner, writer/director — Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER
KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter has been spreading buzz around the festival circuit.  The Zellner brothers’ new modern fable is a sight to see, a surreal experience to witness, and a cinematic treasure to behold.  David Zellner, who co-wrote, directed, and plays a crucial supporting character in the film, sat down with me outside the theatre in which it was screening to discuss the film:

Can you give us a brief history of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter?

Yeah, my brother and I heard about it [the urban legend] in 2001.  The urban legend began circulating online and this was before Twitter and Facebook, so it was through message boards.  It was very cryptic, basically saying ‘Japanese woman went from Tokyo to Minnesota for this mythical fortune’.  It was so mysterious to us because of the limited information and because the idea of someone going on a treasure hunt in the modern day world was such an antiquated notion.  It’s something from the age of exploration.  Especially in a time now where there’s less mystery in the world.  Information is more readily available.  Everything is mapped out, no uncharted land.  So we liked the idea of someone on this antiquated quest, but set in the year 2001.

Is that why ‘conquistadors’ are such a prevalent theme in your film?

Continue reading “Spinning Platters SFIFF Interview: David Zellner, writer/director — Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter”

SFIFF Spotlights #6: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter / Fed Up / Stand Up Planet

Spinning Platters brings you more spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which continues through Thursday, May 8th. Program notes and tickets available here.

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
(USA, 2014, 105 min)

Rinko Kikuchi in David Zellner's KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER
Rinko Kikuchi in David Zellner’s KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER

Based on rumors, urban legends, and some odd, tragic headlines from the early 2000s, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is a modern fable that mixes an assortment of thought-provoking themes into a tonally masterful picture.  The Zellner brothers, David and Nathan, direct Babel veteran Rinko Kikuchi in the story of an emotionally lost, socially awkward, and solitary woman (aside from her closest friend, an adorable pet bunny named Bunzo) who journeys in search of the briefcase full of money that was hidden in the North Dakota snow by Steve Buscemi in Fargo.  Weird premise, yes. Fascinating character piece, you betcha!

SFIFF info about the film here.

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #6: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter / Fed Up / Stand Up Planet”

Spinning Platters SFIFF Interview: Yoav Hornung, Writer/Director, Deserted (“Nivut Golem”)

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 9.50.28 PM
Yoav Hornung’s DESERTED

In the lounge of the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), Yoav Hornung sips a cocktail.  Yoav is a young Israeli filmmaker who has his tense and reflective dramatic short film, Deserted, showing in one of the shorts programs.  I sat down with him to discuss his new film, its controversy, its funding process, and some details on his recently co-founded start-up, Veed.Me:

(Warning: Contains spoilers)

Are you enjoying bringing your film around the festival circuit?

It’s very exciting.  I worked very long on the film and it’s probably the most rewarding experience.  To see it on the big screen with other people watching it, so far it’s been amazing.

The premise is something you’re personally familiar with, can you touch on how you came up with the story for Deserted and for those who don’t know, how military obligations work in Israel?

Continue reading “Spinning Platters SFIFF Interview: Yoav Hornung, Writer/Director, Deserted (“Nivut Golem”)”

SFIFF Spotlights #5: The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir/Abuse of Weakness/The Blue Wave/Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

Spinning Platters brings you more spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which continues through Thursday, May 8th. Program notes and tickets available here.

The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir
(USA 2014, 90 min)

Which is the greater wonder - Bob Weir or the pyramids?
Which is the greater wonder – Bob Weir or the pyramids?

“Mine has been a long strange trip,” says Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir in Mike Fleiss’s fantastic new documentary about the Dead’s “other one.” Jerry Garcia may have been more famous, but Weir was a stellar musician in his own right, and, with his graciousness, intelligence, and unwavering authenticity, perhaps the band’s true heart. Weir, vital and still just as handsome in his 60s (Weir gets some ribbing for being the band’s best looking member), speaks eloquently and thoughtfully about his life and the cult of personality surrounding Garcia and the Dead. Weir’s meditative reflections, along with Fleiss’s brilliant use of still photos, new interviews and old footage, make this picture a must-see for Dead fans and anyone with even a passing interest in music or Bay Area history. Smart, funny, and poignant, this is a film worthy of Bay Area rock’s elder statesman.

Screenings:

  • Friday, May 2nd, 9:30pm, Kabuki (with Bob Weir reportedly scheduled to appear!)

Tickets available here.

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #5: The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir/Abuse of Weakness/The Blue Wave/Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon”

SFIFF Spotlights #4: All About the Feathers/The Double/Club Sandwich/School of Babel/Select Shorts

Spinning Platters coverage of the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) continues with four more film spotlights.  Program notes and tickets available at: http://www.sffs.org/festival-home/attend/film-guide

All About the Feathers (“Por Las Plumas”)
(Costa Rica, 85 min, 2013)

Allan Cascante in ALL ABOUT THE FEATHERS
Allan Cascante in ALL ABOUT THE FEATHERS

All About the Feathers is a charming tale of an unlikely friendship between a lonely security guard, Chalo, and a fighting rooster he finally purchases, aptly named “Rocky.”  The quasi-absurdist narrative, delivered calmly and steadily by first time director Neto Villalobos, is steeped in colorful characters and environments.  The film wins our hearts through Charo’s unflinching devotion to his new fowl friend and how such goodnatured care can spark close bonds with others.  Odd and hilarious, yet truly touching at its core, All About the Feathers gives us a quirky example of how it’s in our nature to fight being alone.

Screenings:

  • Tuesday, April 29th, 6:15 pm, Kabuki

Tickets: http://www.sffs.org/festival-home/attend/film-guide/all-about-the-feathers

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #4: All About the Feathers/The Double/Club Sandwich/School of Babel/Select Shorts”

SFIFF Spotlights #3: Young and Beautiful/Tonnere/No No: A Dockumentary/Chinese Puzzle

Coverage of the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) continues at Spinning Platters with four more film spotlights. Program notes and tickets available here.

Young and Beautiful
(France 2013, 93 min; French with English subtitles)

Isabelle est jeune et jolie.
Isabelle est jeune et belle.

French actress Marine Vacth is riveting in François Ozon’s drama about Isabelle, a 17-year-old high school student who loses her virginity during the summer and is working as a call girl by fall. Isabelle’s story unfolds over the course of four seasons, and we see the effect her choices have on her, her family, and her older male clients. Is Isabelle naively experimenting, working out unresolved father issues, or shrewdly and coldly wielding her newly discovered sexual power almost sociopathically? Is Isabelle even capable of forming real emotional bonds? Ozon’s intense psychological exploration of Isabelle’s choices and motivations isn’t always easy to watch – and Isabelle isn’t always a sympathetic character – but her story is deeply affecting, and you’ll be mulling over the answers to the questions the film raises long after it ends.

Screenings:

  • Monday, April 28th, 9:30pm, Kabuki
  • Thursday, May 1st, 3:45pm, Kabuki
  • Also opens at Landmark’s Opera Plaza and Shattuck Theaters on May 9th

Tickets available here.

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #3: Young and Beautiful/Tonnere/No No: A Dockumentary/Chinese Puzzle”

SFIFF Spotlights #2: Coherence/Heaven Adores You/The Two Faces of January/If You Don’t, I Will

Spinning Platters highlights some films from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which runs from April 24th through May 8th. Program notes and tickets available at: http://www.sffs.org/festival-home/attend/film-guide

Coherence
(USA, 2013, 89 min.)

Emily Baldoni in James Byrkit's COHERENCE
Emily Baldoni in James Byrkit’s COHERENCE

This low budget mind bender focuses on a dinner party of four couples on a night where a comet passes over Earth, causing some strange occurrences. Director James Ward Byrkit utilized an experimental production process by which he provided the actors with notes for each scene but no script, allowing for truly real reactions, spontaneous behavior, and improvised lines.  Perfect editing and stellar performances create a palpable tension that’s both haunting and personal.  The result is a tightly bound science-fiction indie crowd pleaser that delights with its twists and turns, keeping us guessing from the first to last frame…and afterwards.

Screenings:

  • Tuesday, April 29th, 9:45 PM, Kabuki

Tickets: http://www.sffs.org/festival-home/attend/film-guide/coherence#.U1vag-ZdVU1

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #2: Coherence/Heaven Adores You/The Two Faces of January/If You Don’t, I Will”