Charlie Was My Co-Pilot- Celebrating Chaplin Days

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By Gary Meyer. (May 13, 2025)

“A day without laughter is a day wasted” -Charlie Chaplin

I can’t imagine a more wonderful spring weekend than the Charlie Chaplin Days in Niles (Fremont), California, May 16-18. Starting with a tour of Eugene O’Neill’s house where Chaplin’s wife Oona grew up, the celebration includes plenty of restored Chaplin films made by the Essanay Studio on the big screen  with audiences laughing uncontrollably at times. There are live presentations, rare footage and photos seen for the first time since they were made, walking tours, rides on a vintage diesel train, and the annual Charlie Look-Alike Contest. Continue reading →

Women Scientists Fascinated By Bats

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A Profile of Filmmaker Kristin Tièche

By Noma Faingold.  (May 1, 2025)

Kristen Tièche walks into Le Café du Soleil, a French bistro in the Lower Haight, with unremarkable décor, clutching her little black mixed-breed dog, Zizou. She rode her bike from her Inner Richmond home. It’s mid-afternoon. As she places a glass of white wine, accompanied by a glass of water, at a window table, she mentions that her day is tighter than she realized, having already spent time at a volunteer garden, followed by a shower. “I have people coming over to my place at 5:30,” she said.

Kristen Tièche – Photo by Noma Faingold

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Isaac Julien Dreams A World

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By Noma Faingold (April 16, 2025)

Watching the 28-minute, 10-screen film/art installation, “Lessons of the Hour,” by British artist/filmmaker Sir Isaac Julien, isn’t as overwhelming as one might think. In fact, the flood of images, sounds and words, dedicated to the life of writer, orator, philosopher, and social justice activist Fredrick Douglass (1818-1895), a former slave, allows the viewer to absorb and interpret the immersive experience in their own way.

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Barbarella Gives a Physical-According to AI

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By Gary Meyer and his AI bestie  (April 15, 2025)

When I read that (not my) POTUS was getting his physical from a Dr. Barbabella I misread it as the French satirical science fiction comic strip heroine created by Jean-Claude Forest and subsequent popular movie starring Jane Fonda, “Barbarella.”  I wondered what ChatGBT could do with that. You will note in the comic strip balloons there are misspelled words and the bottom panels are partially cut off sometimes. ChatGBT  wants to be sassy and hip in its responses.

I asked for : “BARBARELLA as a doctor treating Donald Trump.”

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Return to Berlin & Beyond 2025 

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By Meredith Brody

(March 26,2025)

What are my strategies for choosing what to see at a beloved SF film festival when much of what is offered are unknown titles? Sometimes all it takes for me to want to see a movie is a word or two.

Berlin & Beyond Film Festival

While perusing the twelve film lineup of the upcoming Berlin and Beyond Film Festival, the 29th iteration presented by the Goethe-Institut, this happens several times. Continue reading →

THE JOYS AND CHALLENGES OF MAKING A FILM ABOUT MARCELLA HAZAN

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Director Peter Miller talks with Geneva Anderson

(March 20, 2025- foods mentioned with an * behind them open to recipes)

Marcella Hazan is the secret ingredient that made Italian cuisine irresistible to Americans. Through her cookbooks and teaching, she taught home cooks to focus on fresh ingredients and master simple techniques to unlock flavor, which is what truly matters in food.  Emmy and Peabody Award winning director Peter Miller’s thoroughly engaging new documentary, “Marcella,” which just won a Taste award for best feature, masterfully pieces together Hazan’s life (1924-2013) and legacy.

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A Feast of Cinematic & Culinary Delights

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A Marcella Hazan tribute dinner, 17 food-related films, and Michelin Chef Yoshinori Ishii’s masterclass on Japanese cuisine highlight a wine country festival starting Wednesday with 90+ events.

By Geneva Anderson

(March 16, 2025)

The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF), March 19-23, offers an extravaganza of groundbreaking cinema, food, and fun spread over five days in glorious Sonoma, the heart of the wine country. All films are screened at venues in or within walking distance of the historic town square making SIFF one of the country’s most laid back and enjoyable festivals.  The full line-up includes over 90 films.

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SUDDENLY SOMETHING CLICKED

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An excerpt from Walter Murch’s upcoming book on “The Languages of Film Editing and Sound Design”

Award winning editor Walter Murch will be in conversation after a screening of “Her Name Was Moviola” on Friday, March 21 at the Smith Rafael Film Center @ 7pm. He will discuss the kind of editing equipment used for decades with celluloid and how his work has changed in the digital age. Moviolas and other equipment will be on display. For full information and to buy tickets go here.

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