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STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN (Matt Rattner 2019)
A bittersweet coming home buddy comedy. Two comics, Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal, play the leads in Matt Rattner's debut feature written by Peter Hoare. They meet in the men's room of a bar in eastern Long Island after Schwartz's character has returned to live with his parents at 34 because he couldn't make it in standup in Los Angeles. Cryltal is a lonely, drunken dermatologist in Ben's hometown and they become pals. Thus we meet the people around them. The story has nowhere much to go, but it is fun seeing the two play together, and the various other characters, of which there are a few too many, are well differentiated.
SFJFF showtimes:
Thursday July 25, 2019 6:00 p.m. CineArts
Saturday July 27, 2019 6:05 p.m. Castro Theatre
Sunday July 28, 2019 3:25 p.m. Albany Twin
Saturday August 3, 2019 6:25 p.m. Smith Rafael
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BEYOND THE BOLEX (Alyssa Bolsey 2018)
Russian emigre to Switzerland created myriad photographic inventions. His great-granddaughter discovered who he was an what he did and made this film, a labor of many years. The invention that lives on is the classic "Swiss Army knife of portable movie cameras," the 16mm Bolex. It was used in early work by some major modern directors, and through their careers by a number of experimental filmmakers including Bruce Brown, Jonas Mekas, Darren Arronofsky, Stephen Speilberg, Christopher Nolan, Wim Wenders, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Michel Gondry. CAPSULE.
SFJFF showtimes:
Thursday July 25, 2019 6:00 p.m. CineArts
Saturday July 27, 2019 6:05 p.m. Castro Theatre
Sunday July 28, 2019 3:25 p.m. Albany Twin
Saturday August 3, 2019 6:25 p.m. Smith Rafae
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HENRI DAUMAN: LOOKING UP (Peter Kenneth Jones 2018)
A French Holocaust survivor - but he never talked about that. He came to New York at age 17 in 1950, alone, an orphan, an uncle named Sam his guardian, and through hard work, determination, and flair became a highly successful maker of iconic photographs whom nobody has heard about. Major subjects include John and Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Brigitte Bardot, Elvis Presley, and many more. This short made by the boyfriend of a granddaughter left me wishing for more.
Showtimes SFJFF:
Thursday July 25, 2019 11:40 a.m. CineArts
Friday July 26, 2019 11:15 a.m. Castro Theatre
Wednesday July 31, 2019 1:30 p.m. Albany Twin
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LOVE, ANTOSHA (Garrett Price 2019)
An elegy and a love letter to Anton Yelchin, who made 69 movies by the age of 27, bravely fought CF, loved his Russian Jewish emigre parents with a passion, had many friends, was creative, passionate, tireless, and intelligent, and then was killed in a freak accident at the gateway of his own house. He was just about to direct his own film. Tears must be shed.
SFJFF showtime:
Monday July 29, 2019 6:00 p.m. Albany Twin
Last edited by Chris Knipp; Today at 09:17 PM.
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MY POLISH HONEYMOON/LUNE DE MIEL ( Élise Otzenberger 2018)
Capsule only.
A Parisian couple of Polish Jewish origins take a trip to Poland, visiting Holocaust sites, as a kind of belated honeymoon. There is an attempt to mix the serious material with a jocular tone and weave in comic characters, which doesn't work so well. The French critics were not so happy given the overall press rating of 3.0 on alloCiné. This reminded me of what made Benigni's celebrated Life Is Beautiful hard to swallow. Some may differ.
SFJFF showtimes:
Saturday July 20, 2019 6:10 p.m. CineArts
Tuesday July 23, 2019 8:55 p.m. Castro Theatre
Tuesday July 30, 2019 6:25 p.m. Albany Twin
Sunday August 4, 2019 11:45 a.m. Smith Rafael
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ADVOCATE (Rachel Leah Jones, Phillipe Bellaiche 2019)
A doc about Lea Tsemel, the indestructible Israeli lawyer who for decades has defended Palestinians. She nearly always loses but never gives up. Remarkable. Multiple prizes, including at the Tel Aviv festival Docaviv. CAPSULE.
Last edited by Chris Knipp; 08-01-2019 at 10:57 PM.
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