SFFILM, the venerable, far-ranging festival and big dog on the local cinema calendar, was supposed to start Wednesday. To fill the void, I should have compiled a selection of challenging films from around the globe. Maybe next week. Right now, a bit of comic diversion is called for. Hereâs a batch of movies that use San Francisco locations to excellent effect.
Whatâs Up, Doc?, 1972Criterion Channel Peter Bogdanovichâs homage to â30s screwball comedies is a charming romp up and down San Franciscoâs hills. Careening from coincidence to improbability, the movie revels in the comic timing of Barbra Streisand and straight man Ryan OâNeal. Raise a glass to co-screenwriter Buck Henry, who jitterbugged off this mortal coil in January.
North Beach, 2000Fandor Telegraph Hill is the picturesque setting for this indie gem that played to a packed Lumiere at a long-ago Indiefest. Casey Peterson (who wrote the clever comic screenplay) wakes up after a one-night stand with a stripper to discover that everyoneâincluding his fiancéeâknows about the dirty deed. Co-directors Jed Mortenson and Richard Speight draw naturalistic performances from a coterie of likable twenty-somethings who handle the sparkling banter with brio and aplomb.
So I Married an Axe Murderer, 1993Amazon and other online rental platforms The other comedy that Mike Myers put out in 1993 spun the turnstiles a good deal slower than Wayneâs World 2. Itâs worth a look for its local setting, the starâs dual performances and the weirdly funny supporting cast of Nancy Travis, Anthony LaPaglia, Phil Hartman, Brenda Fricker, Amanda Plummer and Charles Grodin.
Bicentennial Man, 1999HBO Go Six years after Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams and Chris Columbus paired up again to showcase the Bay Areaâs natural and man-made beautyâas envisioned in the near and distant future. This speculative and overly sentimental fiction, adapted from Isaac Asimovâs story, follows a household robotâs progress over two centuries.
Medicine for Melancholy, 2008Amazon and other online rental platforms Barry Jenkinsâ black-and-white debut, shot during the Miami-born directorâs first time in San Francisco, won the Audience Award at (what was then called) the S.F. International Film Festival. Itâs of a piece with his later successes; that is, itâs an artful and piercing character study focused on the acute challenges of being black in America. After spending the night together, Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins stroll around town navigating their awkward connection and the larger picture.
After the Thin Man, 1936Amazon and other online rental platforms The copyright laws mystify me. How can an 84-year-old film not be in the public domain, and free to all? If you (or your children) have never seen Woody Van Dykeâs terrific S.F.-set sequel (the first of five) to The Thin Man, his immortal 1934 adaptation of Dashiell Hammettâs novel, mix a pitcher of martinis and curl up with the dog. Urbane amateur detectives Nick and Nora Charles (the sublime William Powell and Mary Astor) are on the case, though assuredly not on the wagon.
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