San Francisco International Film Festival – Page 3

SFIFF59 Spotlights #1: Microbe & Gasoline / Dead Slow Ahead / Very Big Shot / Granny’s Dancing on the Table

SFIFF59

It’s that wonderful time of the year, again! Yes, time for the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF). The 59th edition of SFIFF will be hosting its two week celebration and screenings of incredible cinema from around the globe — April 21 through May 5. Year after year, Spinning Platters is here to provide you with tons of SFIFF coverage before, during, and after the event. Let’s start you off with four spotlights you should check out when SFIFF59 rolls around…

Microbe & Gasoline
(France, 2015, 105 min, Global Visions)

A scene from Michel Gondry's MICROBE AND GASOLINE will play at the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival, on April 21 - May 5,2016. — A scene from Michel Gondry’s MICROBE AND GASOLINE will play at the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival, on April 21 – May 5,2016.

Writer/director Michel Gondry’s newest cinematic entry may be his most charming to date. The whimsical tale of two adolescent friends (nicknamed Microbe and Gasoline) building a mobile tiny house for a chance to roadtrip across France to meet girls and explore the world is everything you’d want it to be — funny, inventive, and entertaining. Gondry’s usual DIY visual panache is less on display — maintaining focus instead on the two young lead characters whose conversations and musings on life transcend audience age groups. You’ll love Microbe & Gasoline!

Screenings:

Sunday, April 24rd, 6:00pm, Victoria Theatre
Tuesday, April 26th, 5:30pm, Alamo Drafthouse

Tickets available here.

Continue reading “SFIFF59 Spotlights #1: Microbe & Gasoline / Dead Slow Ahead / Very Big Shot / Granny’s Dancing on the Table“

SFIFF58 Final Spotlight: The End of the Tour/Golden Gate Awards

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This post must begin with a huge thank you to the entire SFIFF58 staff. Thank you! From the awesome crew that ran the press lounge, those manning the box office, the publicists, and programmers, to the volunteers and event coordinators, your tremendous effort was not overlooked or taken for granted by us covering the festival for Spinning Platters. We can’t thank you enough. We can’t wait for next year! Here’s a last look at one final film (appropriately titled) and the festival winners at this year’s SFIFF Golden Gate Awards:

The End of the Tour
(USA, 2015, 106 min., Big Nights)

Based on Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky’s Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, The End of the Tour depicts Lipsky’s conversations with author David Foster Wallace during the home stretch of his Infinite Jest book tour. Breaking out of his Apatow-produced shell, Segal proves he is ready for more dramatic roles with his honest and understated portrayal of the late author, who committed suicide in 2008. Comprised mostly of dialogue amidst some gorgeously shot muted midwest colors, The End of the Tour never loses our attention as the two central figures discuss universal topics that we are sometimes too afraid to face, or too afraid to hear.

Info available here.

Continue reading “SFIFF58 Final Spotlight: The End of the Tour/Golden Gate Awards”

SFIFF58 Spotlights #7: Welcome to Me/Very Semi-Serious/Two Shots Fired

The 58^th San Francisco International Film Festival closes tomorrow, Thursday, May 7^th, but that still leaves you time to see some films, including the closing night film, Experimenter (with Winona Ryder in attendance for the Q&A!). The screening is at 7:00pm at the Castro Theatre, and info and tickets are available here.

In the meantime, we’re spotlighting three other films that played during the Fest. And be sure check back after Thursday for our final wrap up.

Welcome to Me
(USA, 2014, 86 min, Marquee Presentations)

Alice (Kristen Wiig) and Gabe (Wes Bentley) form a connection.

Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids alum Kristen Wiig stars in director Shira Piven’s new film, but the picture is no lightweight comedy. It has some rich laughs, to be sure, but, ultimately, it’s a smart, compassionate, and serious look at mental illness and the narcissism of new social media and reality TV platforms. Wiig plays Alice, a Palm Desert former veterinary nurse with borderline personality disorder who wins the lottery and decides to invest her winnings in a local talk show hosted by, and entirely about, her. The film deftly explores the collision between mental and cultural illness, and Wiig continues to flex the dramatic muscle we saw in last year’s The Skeleton Twins by giving her bravest performance yet. A stellar supporting cast, helmed by Tim Robbins as a patient but firm therapist, and the wonderful Joan Cusack, channeling her famous Broadcast News character, help to shape the picture’s serio-comic tone. Wes Bentley, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini, and Jennifer Jason Leigh nicely complement the proceedings as well, but this is Wiig’s show all the way, and she’s absolutely masterful. Put this one on your must-see list now.

Screenings:

Opens this Friday, May 8th, in limited release in the Bay Area, including at the AMC Van Ness and the Presidio Theatres in San Francisco, and the Elmwood Theater in Berkeley. You can watch the trailer here.

Continue reading “SFIFF58 Spotlights #7: Welcome to Me/Very Semi-Serious/Two Shots Fired”

SFIFF58 Spotlights #5: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl/Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine/The New Girlfriend/Time Out of Mind

We’re midway through the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), and we’ve got more spotlights for you! There’s still a week of films and events left to go, so it’s not too late to get in on the fun; the Festival closes May 7th. Tickets and more information can be found here, and keep checking Spinning Platters for more coverage. In the meantime, here are four more Festival titles to check out:

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
(USA, 2015, 104 min, Added Programs)

Greg (Thomas Mann) and Rachel (Olivia Cooke) prepare to face the chaos of their high school cafeteria.

Mostly known for his TV work (Glee, American Horror Story), director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon was the darling of Sundance this January, deservedly winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for this outstanding, off-beat picture based on the popular novel of the same name. Funny, sweet, and sad without being maudlin, Gomez’s film has all the classic quirky charm of a Sundance hit, combined with the refreshing honesty of the best recent coming of age films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Way Way Back. When awkward Greg (Thomas Mann) is forced by his Mom (Connie Britton) to befriend Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a classmate with leukemia, he and his best friend Earl (RJ Cyler) embark on a project to make a film for her (their movies are short, altered, and hilarious versions of classics; A Clockwork Orange become A Sockwork Orange, for example, filmed with sock puppets). With terrific supporting turns by Nick Offerman as Greg’s dad and Molly Shannon as Rachel’s mom, the entire cast is first-rate. Gomez has made 2015’s first absolute-must-see film. Don’t miss it.

Screenings:

Will open widely on June 12th; check your local theater listings.

Continue reading “SFIFF58 Spotlights #5: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl/Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine/The New Girlfriend/Time Out of Mind”

SFIFF58 Spotlights #3: Shorts — Youth Works / Family Films / Animation

'A Single Life' short from the Animated Shorts Program. — ‘A Single Life’ short from the Animated Shorts Program.

SFIFF58 is underway, and we’re here to bring you all the goodies! Here’s a quick look at a few selections from three of the MANY amazing shorts programs, all of which are worth checking out at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival (April 23-May 7):

Shorts 6: Youth Works
April 25, 11:00am – Tickets & Info
Created by amazing young talent, this collection of narrative, documentary, and animated films is astounding and just a taste of the strong pool of future filmmakers we can expect to see more of down the line.

Kers
(Alexia Salingaros, USA 2014, 5 min)

Steadily shot and succinctly edited, Kers is a quick portrait of a female graffiti artist. Challenging the notions of gender roles and respected art forms, the subject reveals the struggles and lifestyle her passion has created for herself.

Continue reading “SFIFF58 Spotlights #3: Shorts — Youth Works / Family Films / Animation”

SFIFF58 Preview and Spotlights #2: The Postman’s White Nights/The Kindergarten Teacher/Fidelio: Alice’s Odyssey/The Wonders

Spinning Platters continues its coverage of the upcoming 58th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) with a spotlight on four more films. The Festival opens next Thursday, April 23^rd, and runs until May 7^th. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Today’s post looks at one film from the Masters section and three from the Global Visions section. Keep checking back for more coverage throughout the Fest!

Continue reading “SFIFF58 Preview and Spotlights #2: The Postman’s White Nights/The Kindergarten Teacher/Fidelio: Alice’s Odyssey/The Wonders”

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.

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

Spinning Platters brings you more spotlights from the 57^th 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.

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 18^th at the Landmark Embarcadero Cinema

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

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 57^th 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 2^nd, 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”