September 11, 2002

By David Fear

FIRST, THE good news: moviegoers parched from the CGI heat and jonesing for something more substantial than the latest thrill rides and distractions can return to their favorite film watering holes again after the long, hot summer. The bad news is that it often seems as though even the postadolescent pickings now come primarily in two flavors: sentimentally earnest saccharine sweet or bland literary adaptation lite. And both require a hearty gag reflex.

Bay Area cinephiles, of course, are spoiled because – Tinseltown and demographic marketing charts be damned! – we have alternative routes to our quality celluloid fixes. A handful of repertory film houses continue to pump out sold-out retrospectives, revivals, and local premieres of international favorites. Yeah sure, anyone can rent The Searchers or Baraka at their neighborhood chain video boutique, but the giddy, swooning thrill of sitting in a darkened auditorium full of strangers experiencing the same waking dream just can't be duplicated in one's living room. Not even with imported beer.

Throw in the smattering of film festivals that grace the latter half of our busy festival-packed year and the microcinema movement that has found fertile ground here, and really, who needs the latest "serious" fall movie about a group of scientists trying to stop the earth's core from overheating before it's too late? (I am not making this up.) Not you, my friends – get your pencils sharpened and your calendar primed for circling. Here's an A-to-Z(ish) breakdown of the names, the places, and the can't-miss schedule highlights to catch before the inevitable Oscar-bait winter of our discontent sets in.

Artists' Television Access The Mission District institution dedicated to showcasing independent film and video artists is cohosting this year's MadCat Women's International Film Festival (see below) and is the home of Other Cinema (www.othercinema.com), a microcinema-cum-mad scientist laboratory curated by found-footage maestro Craig "Tribulation 99" Baldwin every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Future burnt offerings from O.C. include a series on public space titled "Urban-ism" (Sept. 14-28), a documentary on schizophrenic rocker Wesley Willis (Oct. 5), Jon Moritsgu's new Hi-8 epic Scumrock (Nov. 23), and a sample-platter night of nouveau experimental gems (Dec. 21). 992 Valencia, S.F. (415) 824-3890, www.atasite.org.

Castro Theatre The old-school movie palace continues to serve up newly printed revivals (Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm, Sept. 27-Oct. 3; Cocteau's La belle et la bête, Nov. 22-27; Singin' in the Rain, Nov. 28-Dec. 4), thematic film series (a tribute to Kino International, the distribution company known for introducing dozens of foreign classics to American audiences, throughout September and November; the complete Kurosawa-Mifune collaborations, Oct. 11-31, including a week of The Seven Samurai (!); a "Men of Pre-Code Cinema" week, Dec. 4-11), and once-in-a-lifetime events (the Other Minds Film Festival, featuring DJ Spooky performing his work-in-progress score to Griffith's Birth of a Nation, Nov. 8-9; the return of "A John Waters X-Mas," Dec. 13). 429 Castro, S.F. (415) 621-6120, www.thecastrotheatre.com.

Cine Latino! Film Festival The long-standing Bay Area organization Cine Accion! presents its 10th annual festival dedicated to giving Chicano and Latin American film and video artists a forum. The opening-night festivities include the Bay Area premiere of Sundance fave Real Women Have Curves; the festival also features a series of shorts centering on the Latino horror genre. Sept. 17-29. Opening night at Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness, S.F.; festival screenings take place at New College of California, 777 Valencia, S.F. and Brava Theater Center 2781 24th St., S.F. (415) 553-8140, www.cineaccion.com.

Cinemayaat (Arab Film Festival) Now in its fifth year, this festival dedicated to countering the prevalent stereotypes of Arabic and Middle Eastern culture through cinema could not be more timely, frankly; one only wishes that certain politicians with invasion aspirations would be willing to make the trip westward and broaden their very narrow personal horizons. Oct. 3-7, Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F. (program repeats Oct. 7-9, Fine Arts Cinema, 2451 Shattuck, Berk.); closing night Oct. 12, Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F. (415) 564-1100, www.aff.org.

'Dark Wave' The San Francisco Film Society-sponsored festival of things that go bump in the psyche slithers into its fourth year of scaring the bejesus out of alt-horror connoisseurs. Check the Roxie's upcoming schedule and the S.F. Film Society's Web site for film listings and times as the date looms ever closer (cue ominous, scary laugh). Oct. 18-20, Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F. www.sffs.org.

Film Arts Foundation's Festival of Independent Cinema The good people at the FAF are setting up their 18th annual showcase of all things "indie," ranging from seminars on D.V. filmmaking to video installations and screenings. The emphasis is on the homegrown, the visionary, and the downright DIY. Nov. 13-17, venues and schedule TBA. www.filmarts.org.

Fine Arts Cinema This esoteric little East Bay art house is getting ready for a major overhaul (apartments and a café will be added on to the building), but not before presenting a new print of Godard's Band of Outsiders (Sept. 12-18) and a revival of the Russian silent Earth (Oct. 17 and 19) and playing host to the ninth annual Berkeley Video and Film Festival (Nov. 2). 2451 Shattuck, Berk. (510) 848-1143, www.fineartscinema.com.

Four Star The last of San Francisco's great Asian-market theaters, the Four Star continues to mix current releases with special programs, such as "Kung-Fu Kult Klassics" and midnight movie nights. Keep an eye out for screenings of Wong Kar-wai's debut film, As Tears Go By (Sept. 19), and the Shaw Brothers-style 1974 classic The Mad Killer (Oct. 5). 2200 Clement, S.F. (415) 666-3488, www.hkinsf.com.

'Independent Exposure' Independent 16mm and D.V. shorts from all over the world get the spotlight treatment courtesy of the Microcinema International collective's twice-monthly showings. Get a taste local and global cinematic snacks in either the cozy confines of the 111 Minna Gallery (Sept. 24 and Oct. 29) or the pleasingly Arctic environment of El Rio's backyard (Oct. 1). 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna, S.F.; El Rio, 3158 Mission, S.F. (415)-864-0660, www.microcinema.com.

Jezebels Joint Microcinema The hardest-working cinephile in San Francisco, Jeff Ross, has opened up a microcinema in the Tenderloin bar Jezebels Joint, where he screens past hits from his highly successful San Francisco IndieFest and DocFest. Hoping to catch an encore presentation of N.Y. bike-messenger drama Pedal or that documentary on supergroupie Cynthia Plaster-Caster? Schedules are posted weekly, so bookmark the Web site and check regularly to see if your favorite blast from the past is coming soon. Mon.-Fri., 8 p.m., Jezebels Joint, 510 Larkin, S.F. www.sfindie.com.

Latino Film Festival The six-year-old festival showcases a variety of Hispanic and Latin American-themed works, as well as a "Youth in Video" project, in early November. www.latinofilmfestival.org.

MadCat Women's International Film Festival It's already started, but you can still catch the last half of this festival devoted to the various voices of women's cinema from Tiburon to Timbuktu. Screenings take place at El Rio, Artists' Television Access, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the PFA Theater; highlights include some ultrarare showings of shorts from British new wave elder Shirley Clarke. Through Sept. 28. Sept. 13, 20, and 27, Artists' Television Access, 992 Valencia, S.F.; Sept. 23, San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut, S.F.; Sept. 17 and 24, El Rio, 3158 Mission, S.F.; Sept. 26-29, PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft, Berk. www.somaglow.com/madcat.

Mechanics Institute CinemaLit Series The fall schedule looks solid, as film critic-lecturer Terry Galenter's salon-style screening series sets its kino-eye on New York on film in September, Hitchcock's '50s works in October, and Carole Lombard in November. In December the series hosts an evening at the Castro with local luminary David Thompson to celebrate the fourth edition of his Biographical Dictionary of Film. 57 Post, S.F. (415) 393-0100, www.milibrary.org.

Mill Valley Film Festival If you've been to any of the MVFF retrospective screenings at the Rafael Film Center (whose own upcoming Les Blank tribute Nov. 22-24 looks as good as 10 mothers), you know this festival's legacy is formidable. Expect plenty of quality premieres and much stargazing as it gears up for its 25th anniversary. Runs Oct. 3-13, Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. www.finc.org.

PFA Theater A UC Berkeley classroom, an archive, a moviegoer's mecca. The PFA's upcoming lineup is a treat for Asian-film lovers, starting with a tribute to martial arts movie legend King Hu (Sept. 23 and 30), a program of rare Japanese silents running Fridays in September, a weekend devoted to the art of Benshi storytelling accompanying films by Mizoguchi and Ozu (Sept. 13-15), and programs devoted to Ang Lee and Akira Kurosawa (November and December). Other can't miss treats include a series of offbeat documentaries, "Weird America" (Wednesdays, Sept. 18-Oct. 30), and artist in residence Rob Nilsson showing his own work and hosting a brief series on Cassavettes during the month of October. 2575 Bancroft Way, Berk. (510) 642-1412, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu.

Red Vic Movie House Still one of the best ways to catch first-run flicks before they pass into the realm of home video, the Vic has a fall lineup that also boasts some exciting documentary premieres: the Hendrix concert doc Wild Blue Angel (Sept. 19-24), the extremist church-run haunted-house portrait Hell House (Oct. 17-23), and the U.S. premiere of Chris Marker's long-awaited political essay A Grin Without a Cat (Nov. 6-12). 1727 Haight, S.F. (415) 668-3994, www.redvicmoviehouse.com.

'RESFEST' The one, the only, the original touring digital-film festival unveils Version 6.0 at the Palace of Fine Arts Sept. 18 to 22 before taking off for further pixelized world domination. Hip-hop headz take note of Breath Control, a feature-length documentary on the art of human beat-boxing starring Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie. Sept. 18-22, Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, S.F. www.resfest.com.

Roxie Cinema The Energizer bunny of local rep houses, the Roxie managed to beat the odds last spring and finally seems back on its feet with premieres of Nick Broomfield's Biggie and Tupac documentary (Sept. 18-Oct. 8) and Werner Herzog's latest, Invincible (Oct. 23-28). Expect a heaping of film noir revivals to return (including the underrated I Wake Up Screaming) and keep a lookout for revivals of 8 1/2, Come and See, and Man Bites Dog in the next few months. 3117 16th St., S.F. (415) 863-1087, www.roxie.com.

'Seventh Art' The S.F. Film Society has teamed up with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for monthly screenings and guest-speaker digressions dedicated to the art of film-narrative expansion. Be it a Dogme 95 digi-epic (Kira's Reason–A Love Story, Sept. 12), a multimedia throw-down ("On Site and Sound," visual-audio performance, Oct. 10), or a conversation with anime master Nakumura Takashi (proceeding a screening of his new film, A Tree of Palme, Nov. 14), viewers are guaranteed to be blown away to the point of forgetting there were six other arts to choose from. Second Tuesdays, 7 p.m., San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., S.F. www.sfiff.org.