San Francisco’s Castro District is known for its historical importance in the LGBTQ community, most famously for the election of Harvey Milk as the first openly gay elected official in California’s history. The Castro in used quite differently in the new independent comedy “Bathrooms Stalls & Parking Lots.” Coming from Brazil, Leo (the film’s writer/director Thales Correa) arrives in San ... more >
MOVIES
LGBTQ shenanigans in the Brazilian-made “Bathroom Stalls & Parking Lots”
Izzy Palazzini and Oscar Mansky
Directed by Thales Corrêa
“Mike Wallace is Here”
Produced by Avi Belkin, John Battsek and Christopher Leggett
Directed by Avi Belkin
A talking head archival documentary to be sure, but with a subject such as Mike Wallace (who spent his career as a so-called talking head) there was no other way to film it. Wallace is, perhaps, the one man who defined television journalism. His demeanor was stern and his questions were sometimes strikingly blunt and he didn’t suffer fools gladly nor take BS answers to direct questions. Even ... more >
From Bulgaria with love: “Aga” by Milko Lazarov
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by Milko Lazarov
In a yurt on the snow-covered fields of northeastern Siberia, Nanook (Mikhail Aprosimov) and Sedna (Feodosia Ivanova) live following the traditions of their ancestors. Alone in the wilderness, they look like the last people on Earth. Nanook and Sedna's traditional way of life starts changing, slowly, but inevitably. Hunting becomes more and more difficult, the animals around them die from ... more >
“Wild Rose”
Jessie Buckley, Matt Costello and Jane Patterson
Directed by Tom Harper
The Rose of the title is Jessica Buckley who, as Rose-Lynn Harlan does a tremendous turn as an untamable working-class Glaswegian just out of prison after a stint for committing a petty crime. She’s a cleaning lady by trade, a Nashville-style country singer by aspiration, a mother of two and an unmanageable rebel, all within the staid contents of her small life. The twisted charm of Tom ... more >
From Brazil “Socrates” a bittersweet story about willpower and what it is you can do when the deck’s stacked against you
Christian Malheiros, Tales Ordakji and Caio Martinez Pacheco
Directed by Alexandre Moratto
Brazilian-American filmmaker Alexandre Moratto’s “Socrates” is his first feature length film. It was produced by the Querô Institute of Brazil, co-written, produced, and acted by people ranging in age from sixteen to twenty. These young film makers come from low-income communities and they received support from UNICEF. This story revolves around a fifteen year-old named Socrates who finds ... more >
“Tel Aviv on Fire,” an acid and humorous take on Palestinians, Israelis and DYIsm
Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal and Yaniv Biton
Directed by Sameh Zoabi
This Israeli film by Sameh Zoabi, an Arab Israeli, comes to us boasting a number of awards but that doesn’t prepare us for the treat of this thoroughly enjoyable and unpretentious story. “Tel Aviv on Fire” is one of those gems––think “The Band’s Visit” or “Tony Erdmann”––that grab and delight from the opening scene to the very end, with nary a slackening of rhythm. Salam (Kais Nashif, a ... more >
Marc Maron excellent as Mel in “SWORD OF TRUST”
Marc Maron, Jon Bass and Michaela Watkins
Directed by Lynn Shelton
Low-key independent character pieces are director Lynn Shelton’s specialty. With films such as “Humpday," “Your Sister’s Sister," “Touchy Feely," “Laggies," and the undervalued “Outside In," Shelton creates projects that seem gimmicky on a surface level and infuses them with deeply personal meditations on the human condition. Her uniquely easygoing writing style has proven Shelton to be one of the ... more >