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  • Events

    Mexico Rising: The Films of Nicolás Pereda

    Oct 20, 2011

    YBCA screens five films by 27-year old Mexican auteur Nicolás Pereda in this lauded retrospective, justifiably making its San Francisco debut after playing earlier this year to acclaim in points east. Deadpan comedy 'Juntos' plays Thursday. More info ybca.org.

  • Events

    Taiwan Film Days

    Oct 14, 2011

    SFFS's Taiwan Film Days opens Friday with director Wang Chi-tsai's well modulated dark comedy 'Formosa Mambo' and an accompanying post-screening party at SF Film Society | New People Cinema. The now annual showcase closes Sunday evening with Chienn Hsiang's riveting 'Ranger.' More info at sffs.org.

  • October 11, 2011

    Taiwan Film Days

    Oct 14, 2011

    SFFS's Taiwan Film Days opens Friday with director Wang Chi-tsai's well modulated dark comedy 'Formosa Mambo' and an accompanying post-screening party at SF Film Society | New People Cinema. The now annual showcase closes Sunday evening with Chienn Hsiang's riveting 'Ranger.' More info at sffs.org.

  • Home

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • October 6, 2011

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • Reviews

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • September 29 2011

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • Home

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • October 6, 2011

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • Reviews

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • September 29 2011

    Gordon-Levitt's Chances Better than '50/50'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 30, 2011

    Up-and-comer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so good he compensates for the cancer comedy's shortcomings, even if he can't erase them.

  • Festivals

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • Home

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • september 22 2011

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • Festivals

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • Home

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • september 22 2011

    SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen

    Adam Hartzell
    Sep 22, 2011

    Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.

  • Festivals

    Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

    Jackson Scarlett
    Sep 2, 2011

    Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  • Home

    Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

    Jackson Scarlett
    Sep 2, 2011

    Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  • September 8 2011

    Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

    Jackson Scarlett
    Sep 2, 2011

    Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  • July 19, 2011

    Last Showing: 'Harold and Maude'

    Jul 22, 2011

    SF institution The Red Vic Movie House celebrates both its anniversary and its closure with screenings of house favorite 'Harold and Maude'—perhaps the quintessential quirky romantic comedy. Those who haven't seen 'Harold and Maude' since its release will delight to revisit its many Bay Area locations and Cat Stevens soundtrack. Red Vic promises a "special birthday treat" for Monday's attendees. More info redvicmoviehouse.com

  • July 19, 2011

    Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski

    Jul 22, 2011

    PFA opens Hands Up! with a double-bill of Polish New Wave legend Jerzy Skolimowski's early European works, 'Deep End' and 'The Shout,' both featuring bleak comedy, dynamic camera work and soundtrack contributions by then-avant touchstones (Can and Genesis, respectively). The series runs through August 25, see Dennis Harvey's in-depth coverage here. More info bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  • Festivals

    Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus

    Matt Sussman
    Jun 25, 2011

    It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.

  • Home

    Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus

    Matt Sussman
    Jun 25, 2011

    It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.

  • June 30, 2011

    Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus

    Matt Sussman
    Jun 25, 2011

    It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.

  • June 21, 2011

    'Oki's Movie'

    Jun 23, 2011

    Prolific producer, art-house fave and proponent of "radical banality" Hong Sang-Soo juxtaposes moments from a young woman's relationships with two men, a year apart, in the formalist comedy/romance ‘Oki's Movie.’ Screens at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. More at ybca.org.

  • June 21, 2011

    'I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'

    Jun 23, 2011

    Potent period nostalgia and Peter Sellers' impeccable comedic timing ignite this goofy ode to tuning in, turning on, and wondering... what now? This dippy comedy was an inspiration for Mike Meyer's 'Austin Powers' franchise. More at sfmoma.org.

  • June 21, 2011

    'Oki's Movie'

    Jun 23, 2011

    Prolific producer, art-house fave and proponent of "radical banality" Hong Sang-Soo juxtaposes moments from a young woman's relationships with two men, a year apart, in the formalist comedy/romance ‘Oki's Movie.’ Screens at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. More at ybca.org.

  • Home

    Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

    Michael Fox
    Jun 13, 2011

    An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  • June 16, 2011

    Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

    Michael Fox
    Jun 13, 2011

    An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  • Q & A

    Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

    Michael Fox
    Jun 13, 2011

    An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  • June 7, 2011

    ‘Playtime’

    Jun 8, 2011

    The 1967 nearly dialogue-free comedy ‘Playtime,’ which is the fourth feature and the most notably boldest piece from late French filmmaker-actor Jacques Tati, plays at Castro Theatre. More at castrotheatre.com.

  • May 31, 2011

    ‘The Best & The Brightest’

    Jun 2, 2011

    Josh Shelov’s comedy ‘The Best & The Brightest’ plays at Roxie Theater before its wide release this summer. The film features Neil Patrick Harris and Bonnie Somerville as yuppies from New York fighting to get their daughter into an elitist private kindergarten. More at roxie.com.

  • Festivals

    Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival

    Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
    May 25, 2011

    Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.

  • Home

    Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival

    Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
    May 25, 2011

    Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.

  • May 26, 2011

    Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival

    Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
    May 25, 2011

    Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.

  • April 28, 2011

    Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 26, 2011

    A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.

  • Festivals

    Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 26, 2011

    A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.

  • Home

    Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 26, 2011

    A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.

  • April 28, 2011

    SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises

    Susan Gerhard
    Apr 23, 2011

    Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.

  • Festivals

    SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises

    Susan Gerhard
    Apr 23, 2011

    Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.

  • Home

    SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises

    Susan Gerhard
    Apr 23, 2011

    Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.

  • April 7, 2011

    Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 1, 2011

    Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  • Home

    Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 1, 2011

    Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  • Reviews

    Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 1, 2011

    Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  • 03.31.11

    SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events

    Susan Gerhard
    Mar 29, 2011

    SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.

  • Festivals

    SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events

    Susan Gerhard
    Mar 29, 2011

    SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.

  • Home

    SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events

    Susan Gerhard
    Mar 29, 2011

    SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.

  • Home

    Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy

    Michael Fox
    Mar 9, 2011

    Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.

  • In Production

    Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy

    Michael Fox
    Mar 9, 2011

    Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.

  • March 10, 2011

    Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy

    Michael Fox
    Mar 9, 2011

    Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.

  • Home

    'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen

    Dennis Harvey
    Mar 4, 2011

    Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'

  • March 10, 2011

    'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen

    Dennis Harvey
    Mar 4, 2011

    Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'

  • March 3, 2011

    'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen

    Dennis Harvey
    Mar 4, 2011

    Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'

  • Reviews

    'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen

    Dennis Harvey
    Mar 4, 2011

    Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'

  • February 22, 2011

    Ariel Award Best Picture 'Nora's Will'

    Mar 4, 2011

    Mariana Chenillo’s comedy ‘Nora’s Will' (Cinco Dias Sin Nora), winner of seven Mexican Ariel Awards, including best picture, actor, supporting actress and screenplay opens at the Smith Rafael as well as Landmark's Bridge and Shattuck. More at cafilm.org and landmarktheatres.com.

  • March 1, 2011

    Ariel Award Best Picture 'Nora's Will'

    Mar 4, 2011

    Mariana Chenillo’s comedy ‘Nora’s Will' (Cinco Dias Sin Nora), winner of seven Mexican Ariel Awards, including best picture, actor, supporting actress and screenplay opens at the Smith Rafael as well as Landmark's Bridge and Shattuck. More at cafilm.org and landmarktheatres.com.

  • Feb 3 2011

    Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest

    Matt Sussman
    Feb 3, 2011

    SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.

  • Festivals

    Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest

    Matt Sussman
    Feb 3, 2011

    SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.

  • Home

    Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest

    Matt Sussman
    Feb 3, 2011

    SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.

  • Home

    Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 24, 2010

    The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

  • November 24, 2010

    Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 24, 2010

    The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

  • Reviews

    Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 24, 2010

    The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

  • November 16, 2010

    ‘Life During Wartime’

    Nov 16, 2010

    Writer-director Todd Solondz revisits familiar themes and characters in his latest offering, a sequel to 1998’s critically acclaimed ‘Happiness.’ In ‘Life During Wartime’ Solondz proves he is one dark comedy’s most serious players as he further dissects the struggles of the Jordan family. Plays at the Red Vic on $7 night. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  • Festivals

    New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 14, 2010

    'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

  • Home

    New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 14, 2010

    'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

  • November 11, 2010

    New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 14, 2010

    'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

  • November 18, 2010

    New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 14, 2010

    'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

  • October 12, 2010

    Arab Film Festival

    Oct 14, 2010

    Lyes Salem’s dark comedy ‘Masquerades’ opens the Arab Film Festival at the Castro; it tells the story of Mounir, a young Algerian misfit who informs the whole town his narcoleptic sister Nim is engaged to a handsome, wealthy foreigner. The festival runs October 14–24. More at arabfilmfestival.org.

  • October 5, 2010

    Judd Apatow in Conversation with Dave Eggers

    Oct 7, 2010

    The preeminent voice of mainstream American comedy struggled long and hard as a standup before successes '40 Year Old Virgin,' 'Knocked Up' and 'Funny People.' Writer, producer and director Judd Apatow sits down to discuss his life and work with Bay Area author and screenwriter Dave Eggers at the Herbst.

  • September 21, 2010

    Elegant Perversions: The Cinema of João César Monteiro

    Sep 22, 2010

    Pacific Film Archive celebrates the iconoclastic Portuguese filmmaker João César Monteiro with a curated collection of his films. This week's programs offers Monteiro's figurative and literal journey through Portugal with 'Trails' (September 24) and an exaltation of sensual pleasure, 'God's Comedy' (September 25).

  • Home

    'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 9, 2010

    'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  • Reviews

    'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 9, 2010

    'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  • September 16, 2010

    'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 9, 2010

    'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  • September 9 2010

    'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 9, 2010

    'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  • Home

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • Reviews

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • September 2, 2010

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • Home

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • Reviews

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • September 2, 2010

    Going McCarey's Way

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 2, 2010

    A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  • 08-12-10

    Schneider and Zanuck on the Highs of 'Get Low'

    Jessica Sapick
    Aug 6, 2010

    Filmmakers working with Duvall, Murray and Spacek talk about humor, perseverance, and process.

  • Home

    Schneider and Zanuck on the Highs of 'Get Low'

    Jessica Sapick
    Aug 6, 2010

    Filmmakers working with Duvall, Murray and Spacek talk about humor, perseverance, and process.

  • Q & A

    Schneider and Zanuck on the Highs of 'Get Low'

    Jessica Sapick
    Aug 6, 2010

    Filmmakers working with Duvall, Murray and Spacek talk about humor, perseverance, and process.

  • 07-21-2010

    Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx

    Dennis Harvey
    Jul 16, 2010

    A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.

  • Home

    Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx

    Dennis Harvey
    Jul 16, 2010

    A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.

  • Reviews

    Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx

    Dennis Harvey
    Jul 16, 2010

    A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.

  • Q & A

    On the Road with 'Joan,' Stern and Sundberg Talk Big Picture

    Michael Fox
    Jun 14, 2010

    The makers of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work speak about their latest, as well as the state of documentary filmmaking.

  • Q & A

    Bowden Exposes San Francisco in Full Picture

    Michael Fox
    Jun 7, 2010

    San Francisco filmmaker Jon Bowden brings a second comic feature, The Full Picture, to screens.

  • Reviews

    Looking for Comedy in Ken Loach's 'Eric'

    Dennis Harvey
    May 28, 2010

    It s not a laugh-out-loud film, but Looking for Eric can be considered a comedy…in comparison to just about any other Ken Loach movie you could name.

  • Reviews

    Looking for Comedy in Ken Loach's 'Eric'

    Dennis Harvey
    May 28, 2010

    It s not a laugh-out-loud film, but Looking for Eric can be considered a comedy…in comparison to just about any other Ken Loach movie you could name.

  • Festivals

    San Francisco International Film Festival's 53rd Edition

    Susan Gerhard
    Mar 30, 2010

    Director of Programming Rachel Rosen and programmers Rod Armstrong, Audrey Chang and Sean Uyehara shared thoughts on 177 films from 46 countries.

  • Reviews

    Buscemi in Fine, Droll Form in 'St. John of Las Vegas'

    Dennis Harvey
    Feb 11, 2010

    Steve Buscemi is one of those actors people are instantly happy to see on screen, even if their recall stretches no farther than, Hey, it's that guy!

  • Reviews

    Can't Stop the Musical: PFA's Classics

    Dennis Harvey
    Jan 27, 2010

    As soon as the silent era hit sound circa 1927, musicals became a leading genre worldwide. How could their appeal possibly die out?

  • Reviews

    It's 'Playtime' with Jacques Tati in New Series

    Dennis Harvey
    Jan 13, 2010

    You could make a case for Tati as the last great silent comedian even if he didn't begin making features until two decades into the sound era.

  • Festivals

    Wintering with the SF Silent Film Festival

    Dennis Harvey
    Dec 9, 2009

    Highlights from the 2009 San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event.

  • Reviews

    Feast Your Eyes: A Holiday Film Preview

    Dennis Harvey
    Nov 25, 2009

    Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.

  • Festivals

    French Cinema Now—and then

    Dennis Harvey
    Oct 29, 2009

    Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is being revived as part of San Francisco Film Society’s second annual French Cinema Now festival, which runs the week of October 29 through November 4 at the city’s Clay Theatre.

  • Q & A

    'Sorry, Thanks' Lavishes Love on the Mission

    Michael Fox
    Oct 24, 2009

    From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.

  • Festivals

    Live from Mill Valley: Woody Harrelson and Uma Thurman

    Dennis Harvey
    Oct 19, 2009

    At their respective festival tributes, the actors gave entertaining and revealing onstage interviews.

  • First Person

    A Fat Line Between Love and Hate

    David Munro
    Oct 6, 2009

    First Person: How can people respond in diametric and, at times, vitriolic opposition to the same film? Mine.

  • Q & A

    Cory McAbee and 'Stingray Sam'

    Dennis Harvey
    Sep 13, 2009

    High-concept cabaret-act favorite in the Bay Area who sidelines as a filmmaker, Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) speaks about his latest, Stingray Sam.

  • Screenwriting

    Understanding Backstory

    Lisa Rosenberg
    Aug 25, 2009

    Behind any narrative for the screen is the story that came before it—the life that shaped the central character, who arrives fully formed as your story opens

  • Q & A

    Bob Goldthwait, Fate and 'World's Greatest Dad'

    Dennis Harvey
    Aug 23, 2009

    Bay Area favorite Bob Goldthwait, whose pop culture moment seemed to expire in the mid '80s, returns with comedic vengeance via World's Greatest Dad.

  • Q & A

    Bob Goldthwait, Fate and 'World's Greatest Dad'

    Dennis Harvey
    Aug 23, 2009

    Bay Area favorite Bob Goldthwait, whose pop culture moment seemed to expire in the mid '80s, returns with comedic vengeance via World's Greatest Dad.

  • Reviews

    Whip-smart, Witty 'In the Loop'

    Dennis Harvey
    Jul 23, 2009

    Director Armando Iannucci's razor-sharp satire is about how the politics of spin can determine critical decisions on both sides of the Atlantic.

  • Screenwriting

    Beyond Words: Comedy That Sticks

    Lisa Rosenberg
    Jul 7, 2009

    What's the key to writing comedy that sticks with us, despite perhaps an overblown story line or how lost and low-down the characters seem at the time?

  • Screenwriting

    Beyond Words: Comedy That Sticks

    Lisa Rosenberg
    Jul 7, 2009

    What's the key to writing comedy that sticks with us, despite perhaps an overblown story line or how lost and low-down the characters seem at the time?

  • Q & A

    Kutner and Goldstein on 'The Snake'

    Michael Fox
    Jul 6, 2009

    Adam Goldstein and Eric Kutner discuss their debut, The Snake, an unapologetically impertinent, made-in-S.F, comedy that marks its creators as resourceful wiseguys.

  • Q & A

    Kutner and Goldstein on 'The Snake'

    Michael Fox
    Jul 6, 2009

    Adam Goldstein and Eric Kutner discuss their debut, The Snake, an unapologetically impertinent, made-in-S.F, comedy that marks its creators as resourceful wiseguys.

  • Festivals

    Another Hole in the Head

    Dennis Harvey
    Jun 4, 2009

    At a film festival called Another Hole in the Head, dedicated to sci-fi, horror and fantasy, catastrophic carnage meets comedy more often than not.

  • Reviews

    Raimi's Return to Horror: Drag Me to Hell

    Dennis Harvey
    May 29, 2009

    Despite a few flaws in story and continuity, Drag Me to Hell offers the pleasures of a first-class entertainer thoroughly enjoying himself.

  • In Production

    'In-World War:' Brant Smith's Directorial Debut

    Michael Fox
    May 20, 2009

    Michael Fox reviews Brant Smith's In-World War, a dark sci-fi comedy about a beta tester trapped in a futuristic war on terror.

  • In Production

    'In-World War:' Brant Smith's Directorial Debut

    Michael Fox
    May 20, 2009

    Michael Fox reviews Brant Smith's In-World War, a dark sci-fi comedy about a beta tester trapped in a futuristic war on terror.

  • Reviews

    SFIFF52: "Lightness of Being" – Eight Wry Films

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 24, 2009

    The eight films in the San Francisco International Film Festival's Lightness of Being spotlight are Laila's Birthday, Small Crime, Mid-August Lunch, Every Little Step, (Untitled), In the Loop, Our Beloved Month of August and Still Walking.

  • Reviews

    "Observe and Report:" Seth Rogen Strikes Again

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 9, 2009

    If it grows darker than one might expect, Observe still hesitates at becoming a true black comedy; it's more medium-gray, earning stripes for breaking from current comedy norms on a moment-to-moment basis without quite arriving at an original, fully-developed whole. But Hill has a good eye, ear (the soundtrack choices are notably sharp), sense of off-kilter pacing, and, most importantly, a firm grasp on character.

  • Reviews

    César Charlone Directs 'The Pope's Toilet'

    Miguel Pendás
    Jan 27, 2009

    Oscar-nominated cinematographer César Charlone recently codirected his first theatrical feature film, a darkly comic farce about Pope John Paul II.

  • Reviews

    Bud Cort Honored at Sketchfest

    Robert Avila
    Jan 20, 2009

    SF Sketchfest pays tribute to Bud Cort with a live Q&A and screening of Harold and Maude.

  • Reviews

    Bud Cort Honored at Sketchfest

    Robert Avila
    Jan 20, 2009

    SF Sketchfest pays tribute to Bud Cort with a live Q&A and screening of Harold and Maude.

  • Reviews

    The Year in Film: What did Women Want?

    Matt Sussman
    Jan 1, 2009

    Matt Sussman draws conclusions about women and Hollywood from three big women-oriented films of 2008.

  • Q & A

    Tom E. Brown on 'Pushing Dead' and Stayin' Alive

    Michael Fox
    Dec 23, 2008

    Tom E. Brown talks about producing and funding Pushing Dead, a film about an HIV-positive writer forced to give up his daily drug regimen.

  • Reviews

    Season's Gleanings, a Holiday Preview

    Dennis Harvey
    Dec 15, 2008

    Dennis Harvey reviews some of 2008's year-end sobering dramas.

  • News & Blogs

    Québec Film Week's Unprovincial Pleasures

    Dennis Harvey
    Dec 10, 2008

    Québec's thriving regional cinema is showcased in San Francisco Film Society's latest mini-festival addition to the annual Bay Area movie calendar.

  • In Production

    Kroot's Planet Kuchar

    Michael Fox
    Nov 25, 2008

    Bay Area filmmaker Jennifer Kroot talks about her inspiration to make a documentary on legendary, underground filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar.

  • Q & A

    A Talk With Arab Film Festival's Executive Director

    Michael Fox
    Oct 13, 2008

    We sat down with Michel Shehadeh, who joined the festival earlier this year, for a wide-ranging interview on Arab film.

  • Festivals

    Mill Valley Film Festival's Maher Moment

    Dennis Harvey
    Oct 2, 2008

    Religulous is a desperately awaited and already vehemently decried film by Bill Maher and director Larry Charles.

  • Q & A

    SFFS Screen's 'Hank and Mike'

    Pam Grady
    Jul 3, 2008

    Thomas Michael remembers well the birth of Hank and Mike, the titular blue-collar Easter bunnies in director Matthiew Klinck's absurdist workplace comedy.

  • Q & A

    SFFS Screen's 'Hank and Mike'

    Pam Grady
    Jul 3, 2008

    Thomas Michael remembers well the birth of Hank and Mike, the titular blue-collar Easter bunnies in director Matthiew Klinck's absurdist workplace comedy.

  • Reviews

    Jimmy Stewart at 100

    Dennis Harvey
    May 22, 2008

    For all his lasting wholesome appeal, Stewart was an oddity: Gangly, stammering, Pennsylvania-drawling and not particularly attractive by 1930s studio standards.

  • Q & A

    SFIFF51: On the Breeding Behind "Evolution: The Musical!"

    Robert Avila
    Apr 22, 2008

    Think of it as The Sound of Music meets Quest for Fire, or Jesus Christ Superstar rocks Land of the Lost.

  • Festivals

    San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival 2008

    Erika Young
    Mar 12, 2008

    The 26th annual SFIAAFF plays in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, and kicks off with Wayne Wang's A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.

  • Reviews

    10 Reasons to See "Cinema Piemonte"

    Staff
    Feb 29, 2008

    The Associazone Piemontesi of Northern California, with the Italian Cultural Institute and Regione Piemonte, presents "Cinema Piemonte," four movies made in that beautiful region.

  • Festivals

    Noise Pop Film Festival

    Dennis Harvey
    Feb 26, 2008

    In addition to practically every extant band you’d want to see, an art exhibit, and comedy shows, there are movies at Noise Pop.

  • Q & A

    Eran Kolirin and "The Band's Visit"

    Judy Stone
    Feb 12, 2008

    Underneath The Band's Visit's poignant humor, the film subtly reflects the director's attempt to comprehend Israel's pull between the Middle East and the West.

  • Q & A

    Eran Kolirin and "The Band's Visit"

    Judy Stone
    Feb 12, 2008

    Underneath The Band's Visit's poignant humor, the film subtly reflects the director's attempt to comprehend Israel's pull between the Middle East and the West.

  • Reviews

    Cassandra's Dreamer, Woody Allen

    Dennis Harvey
    Jan 17, 2008

    Even when just stringing gags together in his early comedies, Woody raised the level of the game, making humor intellectual and the intellectual humorous.

  • Reviews

    Reviews: "Walk Hard"; "Charlie Wilson's War"

    Dennis Harvey
    Dec 18, 2007

    Judd Apatow has come to so dominate American comedy that I often find myself thinking, "If only this movie had been written by Apatow..."

  • Reviews

    Reviews: "Walk Hard"; "Charlie Wilson's War"

    Dennis Harvey
    Dec 18, 2007

    Judd Apatow has come to so dominate American comedy that I often find myself thinking, "If only this movie had been written by Apatow..."

  • Q & A

    Jessica Yu, "Protagonist"

    indieWIRE
    Dec 10, 2007

    Yu's latest doc centers on four rather damaged individuals, applying the dramatic structure of Greek playwright Euripedes to contemporary life.

  • Festivals

    The 11th Arab Film Festival

    Robert Avila
    Oct 18, 2007

    The Arab Film Festival, now in its 11th year, is featuring not just 80 movies from 13 countries, but is also including screenings in LA, a first for a Bay Area-based fest.

  • Festivals

    Mill Valley Film Festival at 30

    Dennis Harvey
    Oct 4, 2007

    The Mill Valley Film Festival turns 30 years young this year, sporting none of the girth and wobbly ankles suffered by other way-out-west fests that began life in 1978.

  • Q & A

    Finn Taylor on Natural Selection and "The Darwin Awards"

    Susan Gerhard
    Sep 10, 2007

    SF360.org spoke with director Finn Taylor about ÔThe Darwin Awards' and all the films he's directed in a Bay Area that's offered him years of inspiration.

  • Q & A

    "2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy

    Michael Fox
    Aug 24, 2007

    Delpy, who studied film at NYU in the early '90s, spoke fluent, rapid-fire English during a late-July visit to San Francisco.

  • Reviews

    Jewish Humor, After Woody

    Michael Fox
    Aug 15, 2007

    Although it's too early to write Allen off, it's also clear that he hasn't connected with younger audiences in a long time, so who's the next Woody Allen?

  • Reviews

    "This is England;" "Rocket Science"

    Dennis Harvey and Anthony Kaufman
    Aug 7, 2007

    SF360.org reviews Shane Meadows' finest directorial effort yet and an offbeat coming-of-age comic-drama.

  • Reviews

    Reviews: 'Comedy of Power'

    Robert Avila
    Apr 17, 2007

    in Claude Chabrol's latest film, Isabelle Huppert plays a judge plunging headlong into a dangerous investigation of french corruption and gender dynamics.

  • Reviews

    Reviews: 'Comedy of Power'

    Robert Avila
    Apr 17, 2007

    in Claude Chabrol's latest film, Isabelle Huppert plays a judge plunging headlong into a dangerous investigation of french corruption and gender dynamics.

  • Q & A

    Mike White's Alter Egos

    Michael Fox
    Apr 14, 2007

    White's heroes and heroines are content with their mundane lives until some uninvited intruder or unforeseen event exposes their frustration and complacency.

  • Reviews

    Reviews: "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone"; "Mafioso"

    Max Goldberg
    Apr 10, 2007

    “I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone” puts its melodrama and comedy within a Malaysian mattress. 1962’s “Mafioso” may be the mob-chronicle genre’s ground zero.

  • Reviews

    Reviews: "Family Law"; "Amazing Grace"

    Michael Fox
    Feb 20, 2007

    Daniel Burman's smartest play was casting Daniel Hendler as his onscreen alter ego. Michael Apted's worthy Grace, reminds that period pieces make effective message movies.

  • Festivals

    Indiefest Lineup Announcement

    Miljenko Skoknic
    Jan 19, 2007

    SF IndieFest's founder/director Jeff Ross announced the ninth edition of the Bay Area's indie showcase festival

  • Reviews

    "Samoan Wedding"; "Romantico"

    Robert Avila
    Jan 16, 2007

    A delightfully funny movie on boy-men redeeming themselves from New Zealand, and Mark Becker's absorbing documentary on a musician in the Mission.

  • Festivals

    Berlin & Beyond 2007

    Dennis Harvey
    Jan 11, 2007

    Rock&Roll, romantic comedy, fantasy and adventure, among the themes of this year's festival.

  • Festivals

    Berlin & Beyond 2007

    Dennis Harvey
    Jan 11, 2007

    Rock&Roll, romantic comedy, fantasy and adventure, among the themes of this year's festival.

  • Reviews

    James Broughton, and a DVD Eden

    Robert Avila
    Dec 20, 2006

    The product of a true cinematic innovator and gloriously individual poet, Broughton's film work remains much too idiosyncratic to be deconstructed,

  • Reviews

    Written and Directed by Preston Sturges

    Max Goldberg
    Dec 13, 2006

    It would not seem to bode well for the stewardship of studio classics that Preston Sturges's indomitable comedies have been so slow to DVD.

  • Reviews

    Cheryl Eddy's Badder Santas

    Susan Gerhard
    Dec 1, 2006

    You can't imagine a critic like Cheryl Eddy,with her dazzlingly caustic skepticism, ever believed in Santa Claus.

  • Q & A

    Killing My Lobster Gets Krunk With Andrew Bancroft

    Sean Uyehara
    Nov 21, 2006

    Half of Illbilly Productions and 1/45th of Killing My Lobster, Bancroft has made claymation shorts and perhaps the quintessential rap video, Maximum Wage.

  • Reviews

    The "remake," re-made

    Michael Fox
    Sep 26, 2006

    Why do updates of Jerry Lewis flicks get more slack from critics than Zailian's "All the King's Men" and Demme's "The Manchurian Candidate?"

  • Festivals

    Ariella Ben-Dov on View-Mastery and "Women's Work"

    Susan Gerhard
    Sep 11, 2006

    The founder of the Madcat International Film Festival talks about the 2006 lineup.

  • Q & A

    Filmmaking in 48 Hours

    Susan Gerhard
    Jul 19, 2006

    Leena Prasad talks about making a sci-fi comedy featuring a pillow and a character named Mark Pantagenet, Foreign Ambassador in just 48 hours.

  • Reviews

    Four Performers on Getting "Fired!"

    Susan Gerhard
    May 19, 2006

    Four stories from familiar performers who once found themselves in the "formerly employed by" category, taken from Fired!, which plays Docfest 2006.

  • Reviews

    Four Performers on Getting "Fired!"

    Susan Gerhard
    May 19, 2006

    Four stories from familiar performers who once found themselves in the "formerly employed by" category, taken from Fired!, which plays Docfest 2006.

  • Q & A

    "Full Grown Men" On the Road

    Michael Fox
    Apr 17, 2006

    David Munro and Xandra Castleton speak about making their indie Full Grown Men and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival.

  • Q & A

    "Full Grown Men" On the Road

    Michael Fox
    Apr 17, 2006

    David Munro and Xandra Castleton speak about making their indie Full Grown Men and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival.

  • Reviews

    "Reel SF" Finds a Tough, Moody Kinda Town

    Dennis Harvey
    Apr 13, 2006

    Until the 1960s, Hollywood cast S.F. as a city where everyone was too busy brawling, floozing,and plotting intrigue to exclaim,"Look at that view!"

  • Festivals

    Tiburon Film Festival Turns a Tourist Town Around

    Louise Carroll
    Mar 9, 2006

    The newest film festival on the dock, Tiburon International, turns a tourist town around.


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