Bernard Boo
667 articles written by Bernard Boo
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J.P. Chan and Cast Talk ‘A Picture of You’
In A Picture of You, a brother and sister (Andrew Pang and Jo Mei) return to their rural childhood home in Pennsylvania to sort through their recently deceased mother’s belongings. They discover shocking photos that change their perception of their...
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Anita Monga On the 2014 SF Silent Film Festival
It’s time once again for San Francisco’s silent era Castro Theatre to do what it was made to do and show eager audiences once again why silent films define what movie magic really is. Starting tomorrow, Thursday May 29th,...
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God’s Pocket
Following the recent loss of one of the best (if not the best) performers of our generation, it feels like a gift to be able to watch Philip Seymour Hoffman grace a movie screen in any capacity. It’s something...
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Documented
Putting a human face on a broad political issue is one of the most tried-and-true documentary formulas there is, and Documented maximizes the potential of the formula by delivering a clear message and presenting the human angle with palpable urgency. The film, by Pulitzer Prize-winning...
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The Double
A few years ago, Jesse Eisenberg was regarded by many (especially in the mainstream) as a less famous alternative to Michael Cera, the other squeaky-voiced, wimpy white kid taking over theaters nationwide. They’re both naturally likable and unassuming, and they...
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Nickolas Rossi On Honoring the Musical Legacy of Elliott Smith
A tasteful, haunting portrait of the life and music of late Portland icon Elliott Smith, Heaven Adores You by Nickolas Rossi also serves as a sigh of relief for Smith’s fans. The introverted musician died of mysterious stab wounds, much like another...
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Gia Coppola Talks Representing Teen Life Authentically in ‘Palo Alto’
Gia Coppola’s debut feature Palo Alto captures the struggles of modern teens better than any movie in memory. The film is based on a book of short stories by James Franco, who c0-stars in the film alongside young breakouts Jack...
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SFIFF57: Alex of Venice Red Carpet Interviews
This past Thursday we chatted with the stars of Alex of Venice, which closed out this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. Director Chris Messina, stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Don Johnson, and SFIFF57 Director of...
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SFIFF57: On the Red Carpet
SFFS Awards Night On May 1st, right in the middle of the 57th annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF57), the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) held and awards night gala, honoring some of the industry’s most vital filmmakers...
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SFIFF57: Closing Night, Alex of Venice, Night Moves, I Origins
Noah Cowan has only been San Francisco Film Society Executive Director for about ten weeks, but in that short stay his presence has lit a fire under an already lively film community. Last night, at the Closing Night screening...
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SFIFF57: The Double, Heaven Adores You, Of Horses & Men, Impossible Light
In Submarine director Richard Ayoade’s stylish Dostoyevsky adaptation The Double, Jesse Eisenberg impresses yet again in a dual performance as Simon, a pushover office drone, and his cocky, better-in-every-way doppelganger James. Though Simon has worked at the office for seven years,...
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SFIFF57: Palo Alto, The Skeleton Twins, Last Weekend, Stray Dogs
A 3rd generation filmmaker of one of cinema’s most lauded families, Gia Coppola impresses in her debut feature, Palo Alto, an adaptation of a book by James Franco (who’s also in the movie) that captures the listless, limbo-like haze of high...
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SFIFF57: Sara Dosa Talks Mushroom Hunting, ‘The Last Season’
Sara Dosa’s debut feature, The Last Season, which screens today at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas as part of SFIFF57, is a multi-layered story about Kouy Loch, a Cambodian immigrant who resisted the Khmer Rouge, and Roger Higgins, a Vietnam vet. The former soldiers,...
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Locke
Nowadays, superheroes punching each other in the face and flipping over cars is the hottest ticket in Hollywood. Steven Knight’s Locke takes an actor, Tom Hardy, who’s no stranger to the comic book movie landscape, and dares to not punch him in the...
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Fading Gigolo
After an evocative opening credit sequence featuring warm, grainy 8mm footage of old buildings in New York City that harkens back to the ’70s “director’s era”, Fading Gigolo locks its gaze on a charming book shop. Murray (Woody Allen), the owner of...