Tag: Juliette Binoche

Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Spotlight #3

The 65th SFFilm Festival opened on Thursday and will run through Sunday, May 1st, so there’s still plenty of time to check out some new films this weekend and through next week. Here’s a look at four more offerings. 

1.) NAVALNY
(USA/Germany/Russia, 2022. 98 min)

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Back in late January, nobody knew just how relevant this documentary about Russian opposition leader, poisoning victim, and current prisoner Alexi Navalny would be just a few weeks later, as the Russians invaded Ukraine. Nominated for Sundance’s Documentary Grand Jury prize and winning both the Festival Favorite Award and the Audience U.S. Documentary Award, this portrait of courage is as relevant as it is intriguing. An eye opening look at Russian politics, director Daniel Roher’s film shouldn’t be missed.  

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., April 23rd, 4:30pm at the Castro
– If you miss Saturday’s screening, the film is also available on CNN.

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Film Review: Words and Pictures

No matter how you paint this picture, there’s only one word for it: Bad

Clive Owen pretends like he's in Dead Poet's Society.
Clive Owen pretends like he’s in Dead Poets Society.

Australian director Fred Schepisi has an impressive resume; he’s directed the critically acclaimed pictures Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, and A Cry in the Darkness, among others. So naturally it’s disheartening that his newest film, Words and Pictures, is such a disappointment, especially considering it stars two high-caliber actors – – Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche. Unfortunately, writer Gerald Di Pego (Message in a Bottle; Angel Eyes) doesn’t give them much to work with, and Schepisi’s direction seems to echo the mediocrity of Di Pego’s script.

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Film Review: Godzilla

Roaring (and lumbering) back into action!

Godzilla's so vain, he probably thinks this movie's about him.
Godzilla’s so vain, he probably thinks this movie’s about him.

In comparison to 1998’s embarrassing excuse for a blockbuster, Godzilla (directed by Roland Emmerich), most popcorn flicks look Oscar worthy.  What’s refreshing about 2014’s Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters), is that it shows off some remarkably cool modern sequences while embracing the traditional look and feel of the classic Godzilla films and the summer movies of the late 70’s that established the blockbuster sub-genre.  After the overload of monsters and CG destruction we see in movies these days, it’s a relief to know that there’s still room for a film to embrace the origins of both and still surprise us.  Welcome back, Godzilla.

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