Millie Vanilli Biopic:  Girl You Know It’s True
| |

Millie Vanilli Biopic: Girl You Know It’s True

Roxie Theater hosted the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival’s North American Premiere of “Girl You Know it’s True“, a biopic about Fab Morvan, and the rise and fall of his band Milli Vanilli. Fab made a personal appearance in San Francisco to answer audience questions and graciously pose with admirers. A little history: Fab Morvan was…

FILM: The Peasants – a feast for the senses set in a starving rural scenario
|

FILM: The Peasants – a feast for the senses set in a starving rural scenario

I was fascinated and challenged from the moment this film started. At first I thought it was going in and out of focus or maybe the theater reel was just a bit off on timing – finally it dawned on me I was watching 2D Animation. Artist oil pastel renderings over each frame of footage….

BELLA! Film Review: Powerful Doc of 70’s Feminist Icon
| | | |

BELLA! Film Review: Powerful Doc of 70’s Feminist Icon

The historic Castro Theatre hosted BELLA!, the 2023 closing night selection of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, oldest such festival in the world. If you don’t know who Bella Abzug is, you weren’t alive in the 1970s, but trust me, you want to see this documentary of an extraordinary woman, beginning her career as…

Remembering Gene Wilder:  Tribute Doc
| | |

Remembering Gene Wilder: Tribute Doc

Remembering Gene Wilder opened the 2023 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, screened at the beautiful Castro Theatre. Side note: the SFJFF is the oldest Jewish film festival in the world. Through Interviews and archival footage we are given a back stage pass to rub shoulders with the likes of Richard Pryor, Zero Mostel, Gilda Radner,…

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Internet Sensation, Wildly Popular Film
| |

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Internet Sensation, Wildly Popular Film

Who is Marcel the Shell with Shoes On? In case you don’t know, 32 million people viewed the first of three Marcel YouTube video shorts, starting 11 years ago. Who knew that in 2022, the San Francisco International Film Festival would be screening Marcel’s feature-length debut in a 90 minute stop-motion mockumentary. The ridiculously adorable…

Both Sides of the Blade, Love Triangle Film Starring Juliette Binoche
| |

Both Sides of the Blade, Love Triangle Film Starring Juliette Binoche

Both Sides of the Blade, screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival, is the latest film by multi-award winning French director Claire Denis. This film is very, very, very French, meaning, it’s a slow burn. You will not get the familiar story arcs or happy ending, rather a slice of life where it is…