Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home

Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.

Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home

Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.

Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home

Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SF Film Society | New People Cinema Opening

Celebrating the grand opening of the SF Film Society | New People Cinema, a state-of-the-art venue for art, independent and world cinema, San Francisco Film Society offers an open house reception and ribbon cutting with food, drink, musical performances and screenings in the theater itself throughout the night. More info at sffs.org.

San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

'Carmen Jones' with Kalup Linzy

SFMOMA's Opera on Film series continues with a screening of Otto Preminger's 'Carmen Jones,' based on George Bizet's 'Carmen' but recast as a WWII-era yarn with an all-black cast featuring Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge, who received an Oscar nom for her performance. Screening will be preceded by an introduction and live performance by entrancing New York artist Kalup Linzy. More info at sfmoma.org.

Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

'Diva'

SF Museum of Modern Art's Opera on Film series screens Jean-Jacques Beineix's under-appreciated 'Diva' on Thursday. The Caesar Award-winning romance/thriller hybrid deftly handles a complex, opera-centric plot littered with brilliant pop-art inspired chase scenes and features a number of standout performances, including those by Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon and real-life opera singer Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez. More info sfmoma.org.

Jonathan Richman presents 'Vengo'

The Modern Lovers frontman and man-about-town Jonathan Richman presents Tony Gatlif's 'Vengo', a Spanish gitano drama/musical featuring performances by noteworthy modern flamenco fixtures. Richman and flamenco master Kenny Parker will perform at screening. More at redvic.com.

'The Cove' Benefit Screening

Louie Psihoyos' and Roc O'Barry's immersive, award-winning eco-doc 'The Cove' screens with a live performance by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and post-film discussion with both directors at the Smith Rafael. Ticket sales benefit the Earth Island Institute and Save Japan Dolphins. More at cafilm.org.

'Wings of Desire'

Wim Wenders' gorgeous time capsule 'Wings of Desire,' later remade as 'City of Angels,' features striking views of Berlin from the air and an electrifying musical performance by Nick Cave. Wenders regular, master thesp Bruno Ganz stars. Plays at Red Vic, more info Redvic.com

Vintage Kinski Uncorked at YBCA

YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.

Vintage Kinski Uncorked at YBCA

YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.

Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

Stone Tour Cultivates the City

Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

Stone Tour Cultivates the City

Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

Stone Tour Cultivates the City

Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

Sketchfest: 'Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman'

The Castro Theatre hosts as SF Sketchfest and Midnight Mass present Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman, which will offers a screening of Mel Brooks’ ‘High Anxiety’ and drag queen music performances including exchanges with Cloris Leachman. More at castrotheatre.com.

Radical Light: Post-Conceptual Performance

Jordan Biren, Tony Labat and Anne McGuire appear in person for the Radical Light program Post-Conceptual Performance: Video, 1977 to 1997, which looks at the artist's body as the medium in works by Biren, McGuire, Labat, Leslie Singer, Doug Hall and Cecilia Dougherty. More at press.bampfa.berkeley.edu/radical.

Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

'Casino Jack'

George Hickenlooper’s final film, ‘Casino Jack,’ features Kevin Spacey in the true story of Jack Abramoff, a Washington D.C. lobbyist whose unabashed greed and reckless behavior throws him and his colleagues into a world of thugs and criminals who solve problems the old-fashioned way. More at landmarktheatres.com.

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area

The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area

The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area

The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area

The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.

'All Good Things'

Director Andrew Jarecki revisits disquieting themes from his celebrated documentary ‘Capturing the Friedmans’ in his debut narrative feature, ‘All Good Things,’ which boasts riveting performances from actors Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. More at landmarktheatres.com.

SFFS Special Presentation: Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats in Solo Performance

San Francisco Film Society presents the world premiere of John Darnielle’s score to Mauritz Stiller’s silent masterpiece ‘Sir Arne’s Treasure.’ The celebrated singer-songwriter plays live at the Castro Theatre to accompany the film. More at sffs.org.

SFFS Special Presentation: Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats in Solo Performance

San Francisco Film Society presents the world premiere of John Darnielle’s score to Mauritz Stiller’s silent masterpiece ‘Sir Arne’s Treasure.’ The celebrated singer-songwriter plays live at the Castro Theatre to accompany the film. More at sffs.org.

Essential SF: Anne McGuire

San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

Essential SF: Anne McGuire

San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

Essential SF: Anne McGuire

San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

Essential SF: Anne McGuire

San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

Roman Polanski Shorts with Live Music by Sza/Za

Taking the legendary director of 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'Chinatown' and 'The Pianist' out of headlines and back to his filmmaking and geographic roots, this program pairs a live performance by Warsaw electro-acoustic duo Sza/Za with early Polanski shorts at Letterman Digital Arts Center’s Premier Theater. More at sffs.org.

‘Straight to Hell Returns’

'Straight to Hell Returns,' Alex Cox’s re-tweaked version of his bloody spaghetti western parody, featuring performances by Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch and Courtney Love, arrives at the Roxie Theater in time to scare up some laughs on Halloween. Director Alex Cox appears in person to talk about the film's added scenes or anything else you have in mind. More at roxie.com.

‘Poltergeist’ with JoBeth Williams in Person

Marc Huestis presents the '80s horror classic at the Castro Theatre with a tribute to star JoBeth Williams preceding the screening. This special event includes (of course) a live performance, and it's titled ‘Poltergayest, A Horrific Fashion Show.’ An autograph signing concludes the night’s otherworldly celebration. More at castrotheatre.com.

Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival offer plenty to chew on in the series Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film. Mervyn LeRoys’ ‘Little Caesar’ has Edward G. Robinson as an Italian gangster in a breakout performance. The series plays through the month of October. More at ybca.org.

Montgomery Clift Double Feature

Montgomery Clift's birthday brings two of his most revered performances to the Castro screen: Fred Zinnemann’s ‘From Here to Eternity,’ and Elia Kazan’s ‘Wild River.’

Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

'Cecil Taylor: All the Notes'

Free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor is captured in performance and interviewed in Christopher Felver’s documentary ‘Cecil Taylor: All the Notes’. A discussion between Felver and California Poet Laureate Al Young follows the screening at the Smith Rafael Film Center.

'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.

'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.

Rubio Rolls Cameras in 'Too Perfect' Orinda

Drawing from reality, and yoga practice, an independent production team catalogues childhood's end.

Rubio Rolls Cameras in 'Too Perfect' Orinda

Drawing from reality, and yoga practice, an independent production team catalogues childhood's end.

Getting Shatnered with Thrillville

William Shatner has survived as a unique sort of elder showbiz statesman, one who is willing to be the butt of jokes because he is in on them.

'Utopia' in San Francisco

I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.

SFIFF53: Ephemeral Film and Music, Live & Onstage

If you imagine the S.F. International Film Festival as an circus tent, with Opening and Closing nights the main supports, the other tent poles are interactive live experiences.

Freak Flag Flying at YBCA

YBCA has sustained a major place in S.F.'s cultural landscape without receiving the due it would have had its mission been narrower and more easily defined.

San Francisco Cinematheque's Spring Action

The spring edition of the Cinematheque calendar is making the rounds, and my copy is dog-eared with wishful thinking. Grab your datebook for a rundown.

Sam Green's 'Utopia' at Sundance

I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.

Sam Green's 'Utopia' at Sundance

I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.

Nao Bustamante's 'Silver and Gold' in Park City

The late, great Jack Smith was all about the strange sway classic Hollywood movies, particularly obscure stars and low-budget yet opulent art direction, have had on us.

Nao Bustamante's 'Silver and Gold' in Park City

The late, great Jack Smith was all about the strange sway classic Hollywood movies, particularly obscure stars and low-budget yet opulent art direction, have had on us.

Catherine Galasso's 'Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice'

Catherine Galasso talks about her performance piece Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice, which features dance, theater and projected video.

Frazer Bradshaw on "Everything Strange and New"

Susan Gerhard caught up with the director of an Oakland-shot domestic drama whose first-time feature was chosen for Sundance.

Yes Men Take On the World

The documentary chronicles several large-scale pranks devised in the hopes of fooling corporate/government event attendees and/or the media.

SFFS's Debut Cinema by the Bay

A new, four-day showcase of local filmmaking doubles as a forum for the region's influence as subject and setting for filmmakers beyond the bay.

Anne, Anne, Anne: McGuire Comes Alive

Anne McGuire finds the beauty in the strange, and the strangeness in the beautiful. That's not perversity, people; that's poetry.

Anne, Anne, Anne: McGuire Comes Alive

Anne McGuire finds the beauty in the strange, and the strangeness in the beautiful. That's not perversity, people; that's poetry.

'A Wake for Analog'

A Wake for Analog honors analog experimental films like Patrolling the Ether, Bassline Baseline and Zuse Strip.

SFIFF52 Blogs: Dinosaurs, Disease, and Delirium

The Lost World, the 1925 silent fantasy

SFIFF52 Blogs: Cataloguing California

California Company Town, blends the sights and sounds of the state's economically depressed towns, industrial wastelands and failed utopian communities.

SFIFF52 Blogs: Wilkerson's Proving Strong

On May Day Eve, Travis Wilkerson performed Proving Ground, probably the first multimedia Leninist rant to have ever graced the Sundance Kabuki.

Holtzman: Psychedelic Cambodian Rock in 'Dengue Fever'

Zac Holtzman scores The Lost World with Dengue Fever, creating a sound that has been described as a psychedelic version of vintage Cambodian rock'n'roll, fueled by Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol's vocal stylings and Ethan Holtzman's organ and accordion shadings.

Walsh sets off on Rainer's parade

Bringing Rainer's work to a larger audience: Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, a feature-length documentary about the choreographer and experimental filmmaker.

SFIFF52: Jennifer Maytorena Taylor and a 'New Muslim Cool'

Jennifer Maytorena Taylor's documentary, New Muslim Cool, focuses on Hamza Perez, a Catholic hip hop artist, who converted to Islam; whose life is now a crucible of disparate urban influences.

The Buzz on H.P. Mendoza's 'Fruit Fly'

H.P. Mendoza talks about being a filmmaker in the Bay Area and the opening of his last musical, where he is both director and composer of the film 19 original songs.

'Silent Light' and Shattered Landscapes

Carlos Reygadas' third film is an unmistakably serious work, emblematic of the kind of brooding, large-canvas filmmaking which has become a rarity.

'Scott Walker: 30 Century Man'

In this documentary, Walker tells the tale of his delayed popularity the ever-more adventurous music with which he feeds his latterday cult.

Funder as Supplicant

First-Person: A program officer at the San Francisco Foundation has a sobering experience making a documentary.

Funder as Supplicant

First-Person: A program officer at the San Francisco Foundation has a sobering experience making a documentary.

Eddie Muller and Noir City

SF360.org spoke with Eddie Muller, who launched Noir City, an annual noir festival that has attracted an avid following in the Bay Area and beyond.

'Che: The Roadshow' reclaims a legend

Steven Soderbergh's fascinating portrait of legendary revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is willfully disinterested in the conventions of mainstream movies.

Dawn and David Katznelson

Katznelson, a co-founder of the Dawn festival at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, sat down to talk about Judaism, culture, film and the festival.

Contemporary Jewish Museum's DAWN

Looking for something meaningful to do Sunday at 2 a.m.? Try the all-night Dawn festival.

S.F. International Arts Festival

In addition to bringing a host of worldwide performers to the Bay Area for the first time, the San Francisco International Arts Festival (May 2-June 8), now in its fifth year, has become an indispensable showcase for collaborative work by leading Bay Area artists and their peers across all manner of geographical, cultural and disciplinary borders. The more than 40 performances in this year’s lineup, taking place at 14 separate venues across the city and in Berkeley, span the worlds of dance, music, opera, theater, visual arts and multidisciplinary work. The following four highlights are all hybrid productions with strong film and/or video components.

S.F. International Arts Festival

In addition to bringing a host of worldwide performers to the Bay Area for the first time, the San Francisco International Arts Festival (May 2-June 8), now in its fifth year, has become an indispensable showcase for collaborative work by leading Bay Area artists and their peers across all manner of geographical, cultural and disciplinary borders. The more than 40 performances in this year’s lineup, taking place at 14 separate venues across the city and in Berkeley, span the worlds of dance, music, opera, theater, visual arts and multidisciplinary work. The following four highlights are all hybrid productions with strong film and/or video components.

Asia Argento, In Full Flower

Motherhood has supposedly had a slowing-down effect on Asia Argento, though at present evidence points rather wildly to the contrary. Not only does she star in this week’s San Francisco International Film Festival official opener, Catherine Breillat’s costume intrigue The Last Mistress, she also figures heavily in two other SFIFF features. Both are programmed in the culty "Late Show" section: Go Go Tales, Abel Ferrara’s most acclaimed film in years, and The Mother of Tears, a latest horror opus directed by her own fan-idolized gorehound dad Dario Argento. A couple weeks ago yet another vehicle opened commercially, Olivier Assayas’ Boarding Gate, which is entirely dominated by her feverish and highly physical performance.

Conventional logic might suggest all this visibility means it’s "breakthrough" time for Asia Argento, that moment when an actor goes from being a familiar face to a marquee name that can singlehandedly draw folks into the multiplex, or at least the arthouse. (In Europe she’s already quite well-known.) But as her project choices among other things bear out, Argento probably isn’t very interested in becoming a "star" in the conventional sense. In fact, she seems the girl most likely to run from any such fate.

Danny Glover, "Honeydripper," and Us

In Honeydripper it will no doubt be pleasure to see Danny Glover play a familiar character: The good man trying to gain a leg-up when fortune has rained on his hopes.

Art Stars of Sundance

At Sundance 2008, a swath of features, docs, installations, and projected art shared similar socio-political concerns, which they grappled with via well-honed aesthetic filters.

"Teeth" Actor Has a Sundance Flashback

Mitchell Lichtenstein's directorial debut has made Jess Weixler the newest "it girl" on the indie scene.

"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

Slow your rhythms down to this film's idiosyncratic tempo, and you'll get a striking, authentic-feeling epic that's often rivetingly tense.

"2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy

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

Jewish Humor, After Woody

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?

Jasmine Dellal on her "Gypsy Caravan"

Jasmine Dellal's affinity for Roma (or Gypsy) and new film, Gypsy Caravan is a spectacular portrait of five top-drawer Roma acts.

San Francisco Black Film Festival

Nine years' vintage makes the SFBFF a newcomer by Bay Area standards. In terms of programmatic diversity and premieres, it's got old-soul depth.

Live from Fog City

While the SF International Film Festival has always had celebrity guests, the 50th edition featured a particular concentration of unique one-offs.

Uyehara Hits High Notes on Music of SFIFF50

Thinking about the upcoming SFIFF, music may not be the first thing that pops into your head. It may not even be the second.

A Royal Family

It's a big week for Peter Morgan, partly because the SFFS announced he'll receive the Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting at the 50th SFIFF.

Reviews: "Family Law"; "Amazing Grace"

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.

"Man Push Cart" Director's New York-by-Way-of-Pakistan Story

Ramin Bahrani's debut feature follows a solitary, quiet immigrant struggling to make a go of it in New York City.

Otto Motives, A Preminger Perspective

The director, producer and sometime actor enjoyed a painless ride from well-off circumstances to well-connected beginnings to one of Hollywood's biggest names for decades.

Things You May or May Not Know About Miranda July

For close to a decade now, Miranda July has been exploring and often crossing the traditional boundaries between life and the movies.

Naut Humon, Recombinant Media Labs Explore Limits of Sight, Sound

Through Asphodel Records and RML, Humon pursues his fascination with sound's spatial properties.

Ryan Fleck: Wrestling with 'Half Nelson'

Ryan Fleck talks about his new film Half Nelson, his filmmaking career, and his creative inspirations and tastes.

Hip Hop Cinema

Film journalist Cathleen Rountree's lists five categories and 27 films of an under-discussed genre: hip hop cinema.

SFMOMA Curator on Matthew Barney

Benjamin Weil took time out from preparations for the upcoming Barney show to answer questions about the artist's "Drawing Restraint" series.

A JT LeRoy Reader

The List: How JT LeRoy went from fiction to fact in the media.

Filmmaker Ham Tran Rights an Historical Wrong

Vietnamese American filmmaker Ham Tran rights an historical wrong in his debut feature film on the Vietnam War.

Leacock-Pennebaker Tribute at SF State's Documentary Film Institute

With a Leacock-Pennebaker tribute, SF State's Documentary Film Institute proves there's no reason to "revive" cinema verite; it never died.