Category: Films

Film Review: “Saturday Night”

Reitman’s take on SNL‘s first episode is as much fun as the show itself

Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) surveys sketch ideas for the first episode of his new live show, Saturday Night.

That the new film Saturday Night opens this Friday, October 11th, is no accident. Exactly 49 years ago to the date, Saturday Night, the original title of the iconic late night sketch show Saturday Night Live premiered on NBC. Director Jason Reitman’s movie, which dramatizes the chaos immediately preceding the airing of that first trailblazing episode, is the perfect homage to the long-running live program that is about to enter an incredible 50th season.

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Film Feature: Preview #3 of the 47th Mill Valley Film Festival

We’ve already shared two previews for you (here and here), but at last the day is almost upon us: the 47th Mill Valley Film Festival opens tomorrow, Thursday, October 3rd, and runs until Sunday, October 13, 2024. Screenings take place in Marin County theaters and at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). For a complete listing of all films and special programming, check out the full Festival program.

Below is our third and final preview of the Festival, highlighting two documentaries and one feature. See you at the Fest! 

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Film Review: “A Different Man”

Identities, social stigmas, and performance art make for bizarrely fun bedfellows in A Different Man

By pure coincidence, two surrealist films about physical appearance are opening in theaters one week apart, The Substance and A Different Man. The two films are vastly different but share overarching thematic similarities. The latter is a dark dreamlike comedy from Aaron Schimberg (Chained for Life). It’s also a performative showcase for its three stars, who are able to fully explore the depths of their characters. A Different Man’s story is small-scale and bizarre, but through the performances and direction, it remains grounded in an off-kilter reality that makes it highly humorous, shocking, and entertaining. Continue reading “Film Review: “A Different Man””

Film Feature: Preview #2 of the 47th Mill Valley Film Festival

The 47th Mill Valley Film Festival will take place Oct 3 – Oct 13, 2024, with screenings at theaters across the North and East Bay.

For a full view of special awards, spotlights, and centerpiece films, check out the complete festival guide. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Below is a second preview of the festival (read our first preview of six films), featuring brief looks at an additional four films:

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Film Review: “In the Summers”

Contemplative film captures joy, pain of growing up

Vicente (René Pérez Jogla) has fun with his two daughters, Violeta (Dreya Renae Castillo, l,) and Eva (Luciana Quinonez).

That In the Summers is being widely released today, just at the start of fall, as long summer days become distant memories, is appropriate. The film is a quietly moving, often profound meditation on the passage of time and the peculiar way it seems to move in slow motion for children, whose awakening to the imperfections of their parents can take years. Colombian-American filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s remarkable first feature-length film earned her both the Grand Jury Prize and the dramatic directing award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. More awards are sure to come for this affecting, unforgettable film, which is one of the year’s best.

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Film Feature: Preview #1 of the 47th Mill Valley Film Festival

The 47th Mill Valley Film Festival will take place Oct 3 – Oct 13, 2024, with screenings at theaters across the North and East Bay.

For a full view of special awards, spotlights, and centerpiece films, check out the complete festival guide. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Below is a preview of the festival, featuring brief looks at six films:

1.) MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE
(USA, 2023. 101 min.)

Writer/Director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’s feature debut is an emotional and thoughtfully comical story about family and the debilitating effects of PTSD. The stellar cast is led by Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery) and Natalie Morales (Parks & Rec) and supported by silver screen legends Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. My Dead Friend Zoe was inspired by Hausmann-Stoke’s army experience in Iraq, and he has infused his film with charm, humor, and heartbreak to tell a timely story about the epidemic of suffering among US Military veterans after returning home.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., Oct. 5th, 7:00pm at the CinéArts Sequoia
– Sun., Oct. 6th, 11:30am at the CinéArts Sequoia

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Film Review: “The Substance”

Bonkers film skewers Hollywood’s obsession with youth and beauty

Elisabeth (Demi Moore) picks up a special package at a mysterious location.

Anyone who thinks Hollywood has no original stories left should immediately go see The Substance. It’s one of the most unique, startling, and unforgettable films you’ll see this year. It also happens to be one of the most insane, visceral, and downright gory pictures in recent memory, so if you’re at all squeamish, this movie isn’t the best choice for your Friday night cinema outing.

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Film Review: “Transformers One”

Transformers One relaunches the franchise with high-octane action and surprising emotion

Good franchise reboots are easy to remember: Batman Begins, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Casino Royale, just to name a few. When a lucrative intellectual property gets tiresome or outdated, it’s common for the owners to seek a fresh take on popular characters to spark a new film or TV series (yes, ultimately to make money). After seven live-action films starting in 2007, with an uneven mixture of fun but mostly embarrassing results, the Transformers franchise is rebooting with Transformers One, an attempt to reset the cinematic dial on Hasbro’s iconic brand with animated pizzazz. Transformers One is the first CG-animated Transformers film, featuring an A-list voice cast and a surprisingly strong emotional core. It sets a fun and exciting tone for the series to build on moving forward. Continue reading “Film Review: “Transformers One””

Film Review: “Winner”

Entertaining whistleblower story offers strong performances, few insights

NSA contractor Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) makes a crucial decision as she leaves work for the day.

Whether you think she’s a traitor or a hero, you can’t argue that Reality Winner’s story is the stuff of Hollywood screenplays. Last year HBO premiered Reality, a docudrama based on a 2022 play that featured actual dialogue from FBI transcripts. Now Winner, a fictionalized, far less serious but no less entertaining take on the young woman’s story drops on streaming services. The picture may be a bit too blithe for its own good, but if you’re at all fascinated by Winner–and it’s hard not to be–you should give it a watch.

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Film Review: “Between the Temples”

Schwartzman and Kane are a winning combo in thoughtful, appealing film

Cantor Ben (Jason Schwartzman) and bat mitzvah student Carla (Carol Kane) form an unlikely friendship.

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival concluded a few weeks ago, but lucky for you its Centerpiece Narrative film opens widely today. While Between the Temples is without a doubt thematically very Jewish, it’s also very universal. Audiences of all stripes will find moments of humor, grace, and wisdom in this charming film.

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