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The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 15-29, 2004)
As in recent years, the "home" of the festival is the AMC Kabuki 8, though other venues include the glorious Castro Theatre and, stretching into other corners of the Bay Area, the invaluable Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and the Century Cinema 16 Mountain View. The SFIFF—which kicks off April 15 with a screening and party for Jim Jarmusch'... -
22nd SFIAAFF (Mar. 4-21, 2004)
FESTIVAL DATES:
San Francisco: March 4 - 11, 2004 (primary venues: AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, Castro Theatre)
Berkeley: March 5 - 10, 2004 (venue: Pacific Film Archive)
San Jose: March 19 - 21, 2004 (primary venue: Camera 3 Cinema)
This year's festival will kick off with a gala screening and reception for Hero, Zhang Yimou's swordplay extravaganza... -
Cinequest 14 (Mar. 3-14, 2004)
Cinequest 14 opens March 3 with a gala screening and reception for the Norse film United, in its U.S. premiere (at the San Jose Repertory Theatre), followed by a gala reception (with special festival guests) in the San Jose Ballroom at the San Jose Marriott. Closing night will round out the festival with The Conscientious Objector. The evening will... -
Film Festivals
Every year, Groucho attends a few of the Bay Area film festivals. His coverage resides below.... -
WonderCon 2008 preview
For the complete skinny on countless hours of "fanboy" programming, head on over to www.comic-con.org.
This year's Wonder-Con—to be held at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center Feb. 22-24, 2008—brings Hollywood back to SF once more. Among the many Special Guests are Steve Carell & Anne Hathaway (Get Smart); James McAvoy (Wante... -
2007 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. Away from Her 2. Brand Upon the Brain! 3. 3:10 to Yuma 4. Forever 5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 7. No Country for Old Men 8. Ratatouille 9. Persepolis 10. Syndromes and a Century
Runners-up: Into the Wild, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, I'm Not There, The Savage... -
300: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Bates furthers his postmodern push to enhance conventional orchestral scoring with the electric energy of rock music. -
SF Indiefest
Since 1999, SF Indiefest has provided a venue for quirky and "homeless" films. Though some of those films end up with distributors or even a wide release, the fest prides itself on championing little films from the heart and the guts (Sundance's shadow, the Slamdance Film Festival, provided some inspiration in this regard). In fact, SF Indie hosts... -
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—The Complete Recordings
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy has always been about scale: epic grandeur in cinemas, extended editions appearing in theatres and on DVD and, of late, the Complete Recordings editions of Howard Shore's Oscar-winning soundtracks. Though The Two Towers score suffered from the Academy's brief embargo on nominating scores... -
Serenada Schizophrana (Danny Elfman)
Danny Elfman let his muse run free for Serenada Schizophrana, a symphony commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra in New York. Following the world premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2005, Sony Classical has released the work as a CD/SACD (Super Audio CD). Scored for three flutes, three oboes, three clarinets, three bassoons, six F... -
United Nations Association Film Festival
Established in 1998 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Association Film Festival (or UNAFF) is a product of the collaboration between the grassroots nonprofit United Nations Association (UNA) and the Stanford Film Society. Perhaps more than any other film festival, U... -
Hollywoodland: Music from the Motion Picture
An appropriately moody sampler of 1950s music. -
Scoop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The classical cues often take on the tenor of a Warner Brothers cartoon score, and the Latin tracks make a sly or even campy counterpoint. -
Frameline 30
SCROLL DOWN FOR CAPSULE REVIEWS!
Amazingly, The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival has been around for thirty years. Thirty years ago, the pickings may have been slim, but this year, Frameline has over 100 feature films and 18 shorts programs. The fest opens with Puccini For Beginners, directed by Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Ad... -
Frameline (San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival)
Since 1976, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival (a.k.a. Frameline, the sponsoring organization) has presented the best in queer cinema. Narrative and documentary features, programs of narrative and documentary shorts, foreign films, animation, and gala events are among the typical offerings. Every year, a Frameline Award is presented... -
WonderCon 2006 blog
Another whirlwind weekend in SF for WonderCon 2006. Aside from taking in the odd panel or wandering about the exhibition hall, I chatted with Brandon Routh and Bryan Singer (star and director of Superman Returns), J.J. Abrams (co-writer/director of Mission: Impossible III), Paul Walker and Wayne Kramer (star and director of Running Scared), Joseph... -
WonderCon 2006 preview (archived)
For the complete skinny on countless hours of "fanboy" programming, head on over to www.comic-con.org.
This year's Comic-Con—to be held at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center Feb. 10-12, 2006—touts among its many Special Guests Bryan Singer (Superman Returns); JJ Abrams (Mission: Impossible 3); Frank Miller (Sin City); Wes Craven... -
2006 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu 2. Lady Vengeance 3. Inland Empire 4. Deliver Us From Evil 5. The Queen 6. The Departed 7. L'Enfant 8. Half Nelson 9. Three Times 10. Brick
Honorable mention: Army of Shadows.
Runners-up: Curse of the Golden Flower, The History Boys, A Scanner Darkly, Pan's Labyrinth, Old Joy, Borat: Cultural Le... -
2005 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. Yes 2. Brokeback Mountain 3. Saraband 4. Syriana 5. Good Night, and Good Luck. 6. Asylum 7. Ballets Russes 8. Nobody Knows 9. Caché 10. Mysterious Skin
Runners-up: 2046, The Aristocrats, Batman Begins, The Constant Gardener, Downfall, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, A History of Violence, Kung Fu Hustle, Gus V... -
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Original Motion Picture Soundtrack -
Comic-Con 2005 blog
A seven-and-a-half hour overnight drive found me in San Diego by dawn on Thursday, with enough time to reconnoiter my hotel (500 West, a former YMCA--and it shows!) and plot a cunning plan for four days of free parking. My parking windfall is top secret, but I can offer some small advice about surviving Comic-Con, based on my first year in attendan... -
Comic-Con International
Since 1969, Comic-Con International has gathered industry professionals and celebrities, vendors, and fans to celebrate the world of comics. Over the years, Comic-Con has increasingly catered to pop-cultural areas related but not limited to comic books: science-fiction, horror, animation, card and video games. In recent years, Hollywood has learned... -
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Every year since 1996, The San Francisco Silent Film Festival has presented a knockout program of classic silent film, rarely projected onto our nation's big screens. The festival resides at San Francisco's most impressive movie palace, the historic and sprawling Castro Theatre (equipped with the Mighty Castro Wurlitzer), and the fest's reputation... -
WonderCon 2005 blog
In short, I interviewed Robbie Stamp (executive producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Bat-composers Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion and Kristopher Carter (of Batman: the Animated Series and just about every DC animation since), legendary comics artist Neal Adams (Batman, Deadman), Elisha Cuthbert and Joel Silver for House of Wax, C... -
WonderCon 2005 preview (archived)
For the complete skinny on countless hours of "fanboy" programming, head on over to www.comic-con.org.
This year's Comic-Con—held at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center Feb. 18-20, 2005—touts among its many "Special Guests" Neal Adams (famous artist of Batman, Deadman, X-Men, and other titles), John Cassaday (currently wowing 'em... -
WonderCon
The younger sibling of San Diego's infamous summertime Comic-Con, the Bay Area's own WonderCon gets the jump—by a few precious months—on Hollywood's moneyed summer movie season. Since WonderCon moved from Oakland to San Francisco, the studios have taken to sending out talent to represent their slates of genre movies at increasingly fren... -
2004 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. Hero 2. Vera Drake 3. Dogville 4. Spartan 5. Kinsey 6. Sideways 7. Crimson Gold 8. Touching the Void 9. The Five Obstructions 10. Goodbye Dragon Inn
Runners-up: Bad Education, The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Before Sunset, Shaun of the Dead, House of Flying Daggers, The Mother, The Motorcycle Diaries, Spider-Man 2, Alexa... -
The San Francisco International Film Festival
With roughly 100 feature programs each year (plus short films), the San Francisco International Film Festival traditionally emphasizes great foreign films without U.S. distribution, with a good showing of domestic independents and a smattering of great retrospective choices. The festival annually awards an Akira Kurosawa Award for lifetime achievem... -
Cinequest—The San Jose Film Festival
FESTIVAL OVERVIEW:
The Cinequest film festival takes place annually in my hometown of San Jose, CA. Ranked in recent memory by The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide as one of the top ten film festivals in the world (and don't think they'll let you forget it), Cinequest rides on the tension of celebrating "mavericks" of independent cinema whil... -
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Since 1982, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival has presented Asian-themed films from all over the globe. Presented by the Center for Asian American Media, the festival annually showcases cutting-edge narrative and documentary features, short films and videos, and a variety of other programs and special events. The festival... -
2003 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 3. The Magdalene Sisters 4. Hulk 5. Cidade de Deus (City of God) 6. Mystic River 7. American Splendor 8. Lost in Translation 9. The Station Agent 10. The Fog of War
Runners-up: House of Sand and Fog, Thirteen, Raising Victor Va... -
2001 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. Mulholland Drive 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 3. In the Mood for Love (China) 4. Djomeh (Iran) 5. Memento 6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch 7. Ghost World 8. Startup.com 9. Tape 10. In the Bedroom
Runners-up: The Pledge, Series 7: The Contenders, Waking Life, Thomas in Love, Iris, Faithless, Cure, The Ma... -
2002 Top 10
The Year's Best Films 1. Bloody Sunday 2. Adaptation 3. Spirited Away 4. The Hours 5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 6. The Pianist 7. Daughter From Danang 8. Rivers and Tides 9. Late Marriage 10. About a Boy
Runners-up: 25th Hour, Spider, Minority Report, About Schmidt, The Believer, Y tu Mamá También (And Your Mom Too), Tal... -
Top 10 Lists
On this page, you'll find my picks for the "Top 10 Best Films" of each year at the movies. For my eligibility guideline, I use the American Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences criteria of films which had premiere U.S. theatrical runs (of at least one week) between January 1 and December 31 of each year, including, of course, foreign films w... -
The 46th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 18-May 1, 2003)
The 46th San Francisco International Film Festival played at the AMC Kabuki and Castro Theatres in SF, the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, and--for the first time--at Palo Alto's CineArts Theatre.
Of the festival's films, I screened John Malkovich's accomplished The Dancer Upstairs (Click for review.), the dazzling Winged Migration (Click fo... -
Cinequest 13 (Feb. 27-Mar. 9, 2003)
THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM:
The 2003 festival (lucky 13) runs from Thursday, Feb. 27-Sunday, Mar. 9.
The festival will screen over 60 feature films in 11 days. The complete
program guide is available online at the Cinequest web site. The
Maverick tributees this year are actors James Woods (Mar. 1), Lupe
Ontiveros (Mar. 5), William H. Macy (Mar. 7),... -
The 45th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 18 — May 2, 2002)
As in recent years, the "home" of the festival is the AMC Kabuki 8, though other venues include the glorious Castro Theatre and, stretching into other corners of the Bay Area, the
invaluable Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and Landmark's Park Theatre in
Menlo Park.
With the 45th fest looming, naysayers whispered about the festival's new... -
Cinequest 12 (Feb. 21- Mar. 3, 2002)
The 2002 festival (the twelfth one) ran from Feb. 21-Mar. 3. The festival screened over 60 feature films in 12 days. Of those, I saw 35 films in 11 days. Excepting Dirty Harry, the film presentations were fine, though the festival occasionally had trouble sticking to its schedule. The crop of films was a solid one, and the tribute events impressive...