Amity

Two Saturdays ago, I went to see Amity at the San Francisco Film Society's Cinema By the Bay series. It screened at the Viz.

Amity starring Greg Cala & Michael Uimari; directed by Alejandro Adams; (2012)

Alejandro Adams is a well regarded Bay Area director.  I know he has an association with Cinequest.  Not having seen any of his films, I was curious to see one.  Before the screening, I read a post by Adams on the SFFS blog.  Nominally about Amity, the post becomes a bit of a confessional as Adams shares details about his life.  I thought the post a little odd but if a director could be so honest in what was ostensibly a marketing opportunity, it boded well for the film.  During the Q&A after the film, I was reminded of this passage from Adams' post.

I don't know how my producer feels about the scene, whether she's egging me on or rolling her eyes. We don't talk much. We're divorcing, slowly, just passing the three-year mark. We're in the middle of a custody battle that looks like the climactic shootout of The Wild Bunch but in much slower motion. Three years, Gatling guns still tearing through flesh. I could make it sound less dramatic, but sprinkling potpourri on a pile of dog shit can only do so much. 

Before the film, my initial reaction was "Three years is a long time to get a divorce."  After the film...well I'll get to that later.

Amity is the story of Greg (Greg Cala), a divorced father of a girl graduating high school.  Receiving graduation photos from his daughter, Greg decides to fly to the city where his daughter lives and surprise her by renting a limousine for her graduation night.  His expectation is that she will want to spend her graduation night with him as they cruise the city in the limo.  He has no right to this expectation as it appears that the two are one step from estranged.  In hindsight, the photos were probably sent to him out of politeness.  The first part of the film establishes that Greg is essentially a jerk; the type of jerk who is constantly talking to hide his insecurities, thinks he is funnier than others do and is barely in control of his deep-seated frustrations and sense of impotence.

After being disabused of any notion that his daughter wants to spend her graduation night with him, Greg decides to cruise the town in the limo with Michael (Michael Uimari), the driver.  The scene where Greg absolves his daughter over the phone is one of the few glimpses the audience has of Greg laid emotionally bare.  There is a second instance later in the film which serves as the emotional climax.  Michael is uniquely suited to deal with Greg as he was a counselor in the Army.  As the two men drive aimlessly around town, Greg attempts to bond with Michael who has a stoic demeanor.

Eventually and without any setup scene, Greg is able to get five women into his limo.  This is the 26 minute scene referred to in Adams' blog post.  As they drink alcohol (the exception being Michael), Greg and the women begin to share parts of their emotional selves with each other.  The women are dressed for a night on the town so I wondered how they ended up in the back of limo with a stranger and his limo driver but that's not important.  The women (and to lesser extent Greg) become increasingly drunk and reveal intimate details of their lives which they would not otherwise share.  Greg continues his aging fratboy swagger until a pivotal moment when he reveals the pain associated with his daughter's rejection.  The reaction is silence until it is interrupted by laughter from Marya (Marya Murphy), one of the five women.  This enrages Greg and the threeway dialogue between Greg, Michael and Marya serve as the dramatic crescendo of film.

Cala delivers a powerful performance of a pitiful man while Uimari's restrained performance serves most as a sounding board for Greg's inappropriate and vulnerable comments.  Murphy is memorable in the small but key role as, what I considered, Greg's female equivalent.  Watching the 26 minute scene, I thought it was like Greg looking in the mirror when speaking with Marya.  They both put up defensive barriers which are fortified with alcohol.  Greg, at an especially low point, lowers his guard and shares part of himself to only to be laughed at derisively.  I could easily imagine Greg doing the same in the past.

The synopsis for the film stated "Amity unflinchingly presents a version of masculinity that is deeply insecure, sadistic and ultimately powerless."  That sums up the film nicely.  As the credits rolled, I felt like I had been punched in the gut.  Although I'm nothing like Greg, there were a few moments where I empathized with him more than I felt comfortable with.  So I did something unusual.  I stuck around for the Q&A.  The film started at 9:30 PM so it didn't end until nearly 11.  I was anxious to get home but the film combined with Adams' "inside baseball" post portended something beyond the typical Q&A.  Usually, Q&A sessions are dominated by some ass in the audience who seems more interested in sermonizing than asking questions.  I find Q&A's boring for the most part.

As the cast members spoke about their thoughts and experiences in making the film, Murphy stated she was also the producer which made for a busy shoot.  It took a moment for me to put two and two together.  Did she just say she was the producer?  The same producer Adams is divorcing?

As I am pondering this possibility (and wishing I had the courage to ask about their connection during the Q&A), Adams said something to the effect that he was worried he would turn out like Greg.  At that point, my mind started spinning with the implications.  The two characters whom I considered two sides of the same coin are portrayed by the director and producer of the film who are also husband and wife and getting divorced.  There was a scene in the film, which established that Greg's daughter is Class of 2009.  2012 minus the 3 years which they've been getting divorced equals 2009.  Were they separated during the filming?  Even if they weren't, it's likely their relationship was strained.  How much of the characterizations were autobiographical?  Adams could hide behind Cala but why would Murphy agree to play the character if there was any hint that it was intended to showcase her negative qualities?

When I got home, I looked on IMDB and indeed, Murphy's states she is married (and separated) from Adams and was the producer of all of Adam's film.  Perhaps Adams post served its marketing purposes better than I initially gave him credit for.  Amity is a cuttingly poignant film in its own right but armed with passing knowledge of Adams & Murphy, the film is elevated to an uncomfortably intimate glimpse into their lives which fits perfectly with the subject matter and tone of the film.  Whatever issues exist between Adams & Murphy, if Amity is indicative of their collaboration, I'm saddened that they likely won't be making film together anymore.

Argo

Unable to see any of the films of 2012 Chinese American Film Festival at the 4 Star in late October, I consoled myself by seeing Argo at that theater.

Argo starring Ben Affleck; with John Goodman & Alan Arkin; directed by Ben Affleck; some Persian with subtitles; (2012) - Official Website

Following up on his 2010 film, The Town, Affleck is becoming a director held in high regard in certain quarters.  I haven't seen The Town but not from lack of interest.  Having now seen Argo, I am more anxious to see The Town.

Argo tells the story of the "Canadian Caper" - a covert, CIA operation to smuggle (exfiltrate in CIA parlance) six US government workers out of Iran during the 1979-81 hostage crisis.  The six Americans had taken secret refuge in the home of Canadian ambassador to Iran.  Using a fake science fiction film (also called Argo) as a cover story, CIA operative Tony Mendez and the six men & women posed as location scouts and left Iran under fake Canadian passports.

A shaggy & bearded Affleck plays Mendez as a man with little in the way of explanation as to why he is in his profession.  Affleck's Mendez is a haggard looking rebel with the Agency.  He enlists make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and Hollywood producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to set up a dummy production company for Argo.  Chambers actually won an Academy Award for his work on Planet of the Apes (1968).  Siegel is a composite character which Arkin plays to the hilt.

Argo does not delve into the psyches of any of its characters.  The characters do what they do and their situation drives the film and creates the drama.  I guess when the backdrop is the Iranian Hostage Crisis, you can afford to let the plot be the primary focus.  That was just fine with me as too often character motivations get in the way of a good story.

Certainly Affleck took some liberties with the facts but Argo is a very well crafted suspense/thriller film with unexpected humor.  The opening scene where the Iranian students overrun the US embassy is nicely done and sets the tone for the film which is almost documentary in tone.  Argo reminded of another recent film:  United 93; although Argo lacked the clinical detachment of United 93.  Victor Garber (who was very good as Jennifer Garner's father in Alias) as the Canadian ambassador, Bryan Cranston as Mendez's CIA boss and the six actors who played the American diplomats delivered memorable performances.

New Potrero Theater

One item I forgot to mention yesterday in the section of my post which listed all the cinematic options over the holiday weekend was the New Potrero Theater (NPT).  I read about the NPT from the San Francisco Silent Film Festival blog.  The NPT, located at 312 Connecticut Street on Potrero Hill, is screening silent films on November 9 (8 PM) and  November 10 (1 PM and 8 PM).  There is an open house (with refreshments) starting one hour before each showtime.  The feature film being screened is F.W. Murnau's Sunrise preceded with (what I presume to be) a short film program called 1930s Potrero Hill Home Movies.  Tickets are $5 and proceeds go to the "Potrero Branch Library."  The screenings are being sponsored by the Potrero Hill Archives Project.

The flyer for the events states that 312 Connecticut is "now the San Francisco Gurdjieff Society."  What is the Gurdjieff Society?  Their website is ominously lacking in information.  All it says is "For further information, two avenues are available:  A one on one meeting over coffee or attending a salon discussion."  It sounds like a pyramid scheme or something.  After a little internet "research" I found a link to the Gurdjieff Society whose website implies the Society is a self-help organization with chapters all over the world.  However, on other website, people refer to it as "a cult."  Wonderful.  Having already unknowingly associated with the Freedom Socialist Party (I am still receiving their newsletter), I'm not anxious to test the waters with the Gurdjieff Society...particularly for a film I've seen a few times.

One the other hand, I regret missing the screening at the El Rey Theater last November and I would like to see the NPT which opened 99 years ago.  How often will these old, repurposed movie houses be open to the public and/or screen films?

Of the half dozen or so filmgoing options I am considering this weekend, the NPT is the least likely but the most enticing.

The New Parkway, The Believer, The Rumpus and Samsara

This is a potpourri post; many different topics.

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As we head into Veteran's Day or Armistice Day Weekend, I have too many film choices.  I would like to see the Natalie Wood series at the Castro Theater this weekend - 8 of her films from Friday to Monday.  I've always thought Natalie Wood was incredibly sexy.

Also running from Friday to Sunday is the San Francisco Film Society's Cinema By the Bay series at the Viz.  The series features 7 programs; several of which interest me.

The Victoria Theater is featuring three nights of films in November.  On the 9th, 17th and 27th, the San Francisco Cult and Psychotronic Film Society is screening films; double features each day.  The lineup is:
The Warriors and Slaughter in San Francisco (November 9), Viva and The Frightened Woman (November 17) and Cannibal: The Musical! and Parents (November 27).

Finally, the 2013 San Francisco Documentary Film Festival (DocFest) kicks off tomorrow night for 2 weeks at the Roxie and Landmark Shattuck in Berkeley.

I haven't decided what to see this weekend.  I have not committed to any of the screenings; i.e. I have not purchased tickets or passes to any of the events.

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The New Parkway Theater has announced it is opening on November 30.  I'm not sure if its official name is the New Parkway.  Somewhere I read it was going to be called the Uptown Parkway.  It has not announced films or admission prices but has hire Will "The Thrill" Viharo to be its publicist.

I know The Fezzed One from his Thrillville traveling road show of B films.  Viharo perfected his Thrillville show at the original Parkway Theater in Oakland where he was a programmer.  After the Parkway folded in 2009 so Viharo (and his wife Monica "the Tiki Goddess" Cortes Viharo) took their show to various movie theaters each month.  I saw them at the 4 Star and their final road show at the Roxie in June 2010.  Since then, Thrillville (rechristened Forbidden Thrills) has found a permanent home at the Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda.

Viharo has started a blog counting down the days until the New Parkway opens.  It's been interesting for me to read as he reminisces about the Original Parkway.  I never went to the Parkway so I get the feeling I missed out on something special.

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Viharo, by the way, is an author of "gonzo pulp."  I've been meaning to read one of his books but haven't gotten around to it.  Here is a link to his webpage listing his works.

I've been reading quite a bit.  In addition to the Kurosawa/Mifune book I mentioned last time, I have subscribed to The Believer. which is not quite a literary journal but nonetheless book reviews, author interviews and original poems feature prominently.  I find the non-fiction essays to be fascinating.  The first issue I received printed American Isolato which hooked me.  The Believer is affiliated with McSweeney's which is affiliated with 826 Valencia which is few blocks from the Roxie.  I look forward to receiving The Believer each month.

In the most recent issue, there was an advertisement for The Rumpus.  From their website:

At The Rumpus, we’ve got essays, reviews, interviews, advice, music, film and poetry—along with some kick-ass comics. We know how easy it is to find pop culture on the Internet, so we’re here to give you something more challenging, to show you how beautiful things are when you step off the beaten path. The Rumpus is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and authentic way they know how, and to invite each of you, as readers, commenters or future contributors, to do the same. What we have in common is a passion for fantastic writing that’s brave, passionate and true (and sometimes very, very funny).

The ad was promoting Letters in the Mail.  For $5 per month, I will receive "Almost every week, three to four times a month...a letter, in the mail."  As a boy, I remember reading about "Men of Letters" who had great wit and exchanged bon mots and discussed weighty matters.  Three men whose letters have been published are Winston Churchill, Groucho Marx and George Bernard Shaw.

As I looked at the Rumpus website, I noticed the Editor-in-Chief is Stephen Elliott who I am familiar with as the director of About Cherry which I saw at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival.  As I read more, I noticed he also shared a screenwriting credit on the film...with Lorelei Lee!  That would be the same Lorelei Lee who charmed me with her articulate words and soothing voice at the Femina Potens event at the YBCA in September.  It seemed like too much coincidence between the YBCA event, About Cherry, The Believer, etc. so I took the bait and signed up for Letters.

I found approximately one half of Lee's Rumpus letter posted on the internet.


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Did I see any films?  I guess should talk about one since I'm so far behind.

Samsara; directed by Ron Fricke; (2012) - Official Website

I saw the film at Landmark Embarcadero.

Samsara has no dialog and little in the way of plot.  It films landscapes, cityscapes, people, animals, etc. The imagery can be stunning.  Two of my favorite scenes were probably meant to be critical of modern life although I found them strangely poetic.  In one scene, an office worker in a suit and tie begins to slather mud on his face like an African bushman.  I suppose it was meant to show the similarities between the two but the music and the actors manic movements were like modern dance...except I enjoyed it.

The other scene I liked had a certain balletic movement to it.  It showed the movement of pig (or maybe cow) carcasses in a sleek and modern abattoir (I've been waiting years to use that word).  The synchronized and sequential movements of the workers was like an industrial ballet.  It made my engineer's heart swoon to see the men working with crisp movement and little wasted effort.  I'm sure the director was drawing a parallel to the mind-deadening work and the dead livestock the men process but I guess I saw what I wanted to see.

Frankly, the film was pretentious.  Without words or plot, the film was a melange of images which did not resonate with me.  Perhaps I am too small minded to be open to all that was implied in the film or perhaps I am too conservative and closed minded in what I expect from a film.  Regardless, the film was a series of striking images which was left open to interpretation...like a nice coffee table book.  That's my tagline for Samsara - a coffee table book brought to the big screen.  It was impressive for what it was but ultimately superficial and limited by its genre and style.

There was a woman taking cell phone videos of the screen during the film.  I complained to the staff.  Some staff members sat in the audience during most of the screening...and the woman refrained.  As soon as the staff member left (within minutes), she started filming again.  I was very distracted by this; it may have lessened my appreciation and understanding of Samsara.

Two of Many and Prisencolinensinainciusol

In October, I saw two non-festival, non-repertory films:

The Dark Knight Rises starring Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard & Joseph Gordon-Levitt; directed by Christopher Nolan; (2012) - Official Website
V/H/S; anthology; directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (as Radio Silence), David Bruckner, Tyler Gillett (as Radio Silence), Justin Martinez (as Radio Silence), Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Chad Villella (as Radio Silence), Ti West, Adam Wingard; (2012) - Official Website

I saw Dark Knight at Daly City Century and V/H/S at the Landmark Bridge.  I don't recall if this exhibit was there the last time I visited, but the Bridge has an interesting set of letters in the display case of their lobby.  It is correspondence between a former Bridge employee and the owners during WWII.  I won't spoil anything but thought the letters were powerful with their simple language.

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I believe The Dark Knight Rises will be the highest grossing film of 2012 so there is little reason to recap the plot.  I saw the film nearly four months after its release in the United States.  In fact, I saw it during its final week of release at a first run theater in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Although mildly interested, I went to see the film more out a peer pressure than anything.  When co-workers discuss films (invariably general release), I often feel left out as I skip most general release films.  As it was with The Hunger Games, I waited until months to see the film.

The Dark Knight Rises is an exceeding depressing film with a horrible ending.  Since everyone has already seen it, I won't give spoiler alerts.  The scene at the end where the US Army blows up a bridge and thereby stranding orphans on the Gotham City side and likely nuclear annihilation was as depressing as anything I've seen in a general release film.  Reminding the audience that when time are tough, people will act in their own self-interest, I have to wonder what children thought as they watched it.  Containing some violence, I thought the bleak view of humanity was oppressing which is saying a lot for a pessimist like me.

Throughout the film, Batman seems indifferent to whether he lives or dies while people around him reinforce the notion that society is not worth saving.  In the end, Batman decides to fly away with a nuclear bomb to save Gotham while sacrificing himself...that is until we get a classic bait & switch happy ending.  Instead, we see Bruce Wayne living it up on the piazza in Venice with the stunning Anne Hathaway as his companion.  Did I mention that Batman received what looked to be a fatal knife wound before flying off with the thermonuclear device?  The ending made me cry...with rage that the filmmakers tacked on that inappropriate ending.

At 2 hours, 45 minutes, the film would have benefited from some editing.  What else didn't I like?  Hathaway's Selina Kyle (I don't think she ever used the feline nom de guerre) was very unlikable.  Spouting lines as if they were written by Occupy Wall Street, her Kyle is a just skilled cat burglar and poseur.  I'm also getting tired of Christian Bale growling his lines like he's impersonating Gunny Highway from Heartbreak Ridge.  Bale can convey Wayne's weariness but not so much the root psychosis which drives a grown man to wear a bat suit and endure the unendurable for a populace which doesn't deserve it.

What did I like?  Hathaway in the Catwoman suit was very nice although not any more memorable than Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry before her..  Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon was terrific.  His character arc over the three films is a sight to behold.  Also showing considerable screen presence was Marion Cotillard who doesn't have a lot to do but I couldn't take my eyes off her.  Those scenes in the Black Hole which created Bane and where Wayne is re-born were visually and emotionally worthwhile.  For guy that needs a cane to get around and with no cartilage in his knee, Bruce Wayne sure does recover quickly from a broken back.

Tom Hardy & Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Bane and the future Robin, respectively are largely wasted in my opinion.  Hardy's heavily muscled, crisp dictioned villain seemed out of place in the film. 

Nolan was certainly stylish in his direction but The Dark Knight Rises felt bloated and uninspired.

I wonder if Gordon-Levitt will carry the new series.

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V/H/S is one of these faux found footage film.  The premise is that a gang of low lives get a criminal assignment break into a house to steal a VHS tape.  The problem is that there are 100s of tapes in the house.  So they start to watch the tapes although I'm not sure how they would have known which was the right tape or why they just didn't take all the tapes and leave.  Regardless, V/H/S consisted of that wrapper segment and five short films in the guise of found VHS tapes. All told, I thought the films were quite entertaining.  I'm not a big fan of horror but these films had a certain enthusiasm about them which was infectious.

My favorite was Amateur Night (directed by David Bruckner).  Using a camera hidden in the nose-piece of a pair of eyeglasses, Amateur Night follows three men on the make at a dive bar.  The wispy Hannah Fierman is tremendous as Lily, the succubus.  A courageous performance, Fierman is nude for much of the her screen time but throws herself  head long into the role.  Creepy, frightening and oddly sympathetic, Fierman gives a bravura performance.

Also interesting was Ti West's Second Honeymoon. Immediately recognizing Sofia Takal (Gabi on the Roof in July & Green) as the wife in Second Honeymoon; I had a harder time placing Joe Swanberg who played the husband.  I think I recognized him from LOL, but I'm not sure.  The stalker in Honeymoon was Kate Lyn Sheil who co-starred with Takal in Green.  More preternatural than supernatural, Second Honeymoon featured a particularly gruesome throat-slitting.

Swanberg directed The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She was Young which takes the Gaslight premise to the Skype generation.  While not fully effective, Swanberg's segment was clever but had a Tales to the Crypt type feel which put it in contrast to the other segments.

10/31/98, directed by Radio Silence, was the most old school of the segments.  Four men (three of the actors are also credited as directors) are looking for a Halloween party but the address they've been given seems to the site of an exorcism in progress.

Tuesday the 17th (directed by Glenn McQuaid) gets the award for scariest use of pixelization.

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I've been reading a fascinating book called The Emperor and the Wolf by Stuart Galbraith IV. A dual biography of Akira Kurosawa and Toshirô Mifune, Galbraith provides insight into the men and their films (most of which I've seen over the past few years).  Galbraith makes much of the fact that his work is the first English language biography of the two men.  Among the interesting facts I've learned so far - Kurosawa's older brother (whom he was close to) committed suicide when he was a young man and Mifune grew up in China and was in his early 20s before setting foot on Japanese soil.  Both men avoided combat during WWII (Kurosawa avoided military service completely) as a result of their father's connections.

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Bonus item - I heard this song while listening to KQED yesterday and loved it.  The title of the 1972 song is Prisencolinensinainciusol.  The singer, Adriano Celentano, is Italian; he's quite popular in Italy according to NPR.

Can You Name the Capital of Lithuania?

All I know about Lithuania is that it is a "Baltic state" & a formerly part of the USSR.  Hard pressed to identify Lithuania on a map or identify a Lithuanian, I took in The Other Dream Team at the Landmark Embarcadero.

The Other Dream Team; directed by Marius Markevicius; documentary (2011) - Official Website

The Other Dream Team tells the story of the 1992 Lithuanian men's basketball Olympic team.  1992 was the Olympics held in Barcelona and the big story of the games was the US men's basketball team (aka The Dream Team) featuring Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, et al.  While the Dream Team cakewalked to a gold medal, there was considerable drama surrounding the Lithuanian team.

Rewinding to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the USSR defeated the USA in the gold medal game.  This set off panic that the US had lost its dominance in basketball.  The rally cry became let the best play.  The US had not allowed NBA players to compete in the Olympics because they did not feel they were "amateurs."  However the Soviets paid their national team members a salary/stipend so to compete on level ground, the US decided to send its pros to Barcelona and recapture the gold.  One little noticed fact about the 1988 gold medalists was that the four of the starting five were from Lithuania.  Even more amazing is that the four Lithuanians were from the same small city (Kaunas).  Two of the four would go on to play in the NBA - Golden State Warrior swingman Šarūnas Marčiulionis (from the Run TMC era) and center Arvydas Sabonis who would join the Portland Trailblazers at the relatively late age of 31 years old.  Rounding out the Lithuanian Fab Four were Valdemaras Chomičius and Rimas Kurtinaitis, both of whom had professional careers in Europe.

I can't really say I knew that much about Lithuania or their basketball team but I do recall the tie-dye shirts and merchandise they wore which resulted from financial support from the band The Grateful Dead. As it turns out, basketball has been Lithuania's national sport since the 1930s when Lithuanian-American Frank Lubin (aka "the Godfather of Lithuanian Basketball) led the national team to several European title.  After the Soviets subsumed Lithuania, their players competed on the Soviet national team.  What is frequently forgotten is that the people in the Soviet republics felt like second class citizens (with Russians being first class).  As one of the players noted during an interview, the 1988 Soviet team had more non-Russians than Russians.  It's clear that the Soviet Union was an amalgamation of nationalities and not a unified nation.

By 1992, the USSR was dissolved and Lithuania wanted to reclaim a spot on the international stage.  Led by Marčiulionis, who was playing in the NBA at the time, the Lithuanians begged for financial support as they hoped to qualify for the Olympics.  This played out amidst the backdrop of several former Soviet Republics declaring the independence and being recognized by the international community.  Indeed, the silver medal in 1992 went to Croatia, a Balkan state which was formerly part of Yugoslavia, itself a Soviet satellite.

This history and more is described in The Other Dream Team.  As much educational as entertainment, the film spends considerable time giving the backstory leading up to the Bronze Medal game which pitted Lithuania against the Unified Team or Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which is what the former Soviet Union was calling itself at the time.  Given the oppression, discrimination and bloodshed between the two nation, you would have expected the match to be more physical.  If it was, that aspect was played down in the interviews.  The lone Russian interviewed (Aleksandr Volkov) even stated that it was better that Lithuania won the game.  A tight 82-78 win for Lithuania, the game is almost a postscript to the movie.

Uplifting if not a little fragmented, The Other Dream Team is a crowd pleaser.  I thought it was slightly lacking in substance for such a weighty topic.  There were moments where the interviewees could not speak of their youth or tragedies which had befallen their families.  Chris Mullin related how, initially, Marčiulionis would cry upon entering a Safeway because there was so much fresh produce.  That pain seemed to be glossed over at times.  The tone of the film would have been completely different if too much time was devoted to such topics.  In some ways, it's unfair to criticize the filmmaker for the film he didn't make. Still I would have liked to have heard more about what the Lithuanians endured.

Brother, Can You Spare $3.50?

I'm so busy at work, I don't have time to post about the films I've seen.  Work, films, occasional gym visit, repeat.

Two items related to theater going in SF.

First, I wrote that the UA/Regal Cinema theater at Stonestown was charging $3.50 for all screenings.  That was way back in July.  I don't know if the theater has changed its policy or if it ever strictly adhered to a policy of "$3.50 for all screenings," but I stopped by recently to see Farewll, My Queen and was quoted an admission price of $10.50.  This was my first trip to the Stonestown Cinema since receiving an email announcing the switch to $3.50.  Rereading the email, it states "$3.50 all day, everyday."  I guess there is some wiggle room in there but the simple reading of it gives the definite impression that all screenings are $3.50.  I did not stay to ask the ticket taker about the ambiguity of "$3.50 all day, everyday" as I was on the fence about seeing Farewell, My Queen.  The unexpected change in ticket price was enough of an impetus for me to go with my backup plan which was to do some early Christmas shopping.

If the price policy has changed, I did not receive an email announcing it.  I looked on Fandango and could not purchase any tickets for $3.50 at the Stonestown Cinema.  Even the matinee price was $8 for Adults.

As I mentioned in my original post, the switch to $3.50 was not likely enough incentive for me to go to the Stonestown more frequently.  I guess it didn't incentivize other people either.  I have noticed that the theater has switched from second run general release films to second run art house films.  Currently playing are The Master, Killer Joe and Farewell, My Queen.  The latter two films have come and gone from local Landmark theaters.

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Speaking of Landmark theaters, the Lumiere closed in September.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle article, the theater was nicknamed the "Gloomier" for "both its interior ambience and the type of film it showcased."  I never heard that term used but can appreciate it because the subject matter of the films suited my tastes just fine.  I thought the Lumiere had a funky charm to it.  I recall the framed movie posters in the smallest screening room and the small photographs in the lobby.  The Lumiere had the same vibe as the late Red Vic.  Contrast that to the shabbiness of the Clay and Bridge, the pastel infused sterility of the Embarcadero or the ominous and depressing Opera Plaza.  The Lumiere was a favorite of mine even if that statement is not borne out by my attendance data.  I enjoyed riding the cable car to and fro or dining at the tiny Cordon Bleu restaurant next door to the Lumiere.  The woman at the doughnut shop at California and Polk would occasionally give me a free banana with my coffee.  I speak of these things in the past tense because (notwithstanding a dinner at Crustacean) I cannot recall the last time I was in that area if not for a screening at the Lumiere. 

I was unable to see a film during the last weekend of the Lumiere.  I was attending a Hong Kong film series at the equally imperiled Viz.  The HK series was sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) which also seems to be having hard times.  New SFFS Executive Director Ted Hope sent a letter to members asking for donations so the Film Society could make its annual budget.  Where did that come from?  How could the Society enter into a lease with New People in 2011 and run a budget shortfall in 2012?  They had to gut their Summer slate of educational programs (although I notice they have a reduced course offering this fall).  I can't help but wonder if the daily programming at the Viz became a moneypit for SFFS.

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Finally, it's the last week to see Chinglish at the Berkeley Rep.  It closes on October 21.  The play is delightful.  The first act was one of the most enjoyable theater experiences I've had in a long time.  Actress Michelle Krusiec (Saving Face) shows off her comedic talents (not to mention a rather painful looking bunionette/corn on her foot).  I highly recommend Chinglish.

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