The Castro Theatre. Carax Meets Linklater: For three consecutive Thursdays, the Castro pairs two distinctively unique filmmakers — France's Leos Carax and the United States' Richard Linklater — in double feature screenings of their respective theme trilogies: Carax's "Alex" films with Denis Lavant (Boy Meets Girl, Mauvais Sang, and The Lovers on the Bridge) and Linklater's "Before" films with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight). Thursdays. Continues through Aug. 28. $8.50-$11. Lawrence of Arabia: High-definition restoration and 4K digital projection of the legendary Peter O'Toole desert epic. Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2 & 7 p.m. 429 Castro, San Francisco, 621-6120, castrotheatre.com.
Clay Theatre. Magic in the Moonlight: Woody Allen's latest romantic comedy stars Colin Firth as a 1920s magician who tries to expose psychic medium Emma Stone as a phony, but she may have a few tricks of her own up her sleeve. Daily. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The Bawdy Caste performs onstage while the ultimate cult film plays in the background. Last Saturday of every month, 11:59 p.m. $9-$10. 2261 Fillmore, San Francisco, 267-4893, landmarktheatres.com.
Dark Room Theater. Bad Movie Night: Battle for the Planet of the Apes: Hosts Sherilyn Connelly, Mike Spiegelman, and Alexia Staniotes bid adieu (for now) to the film series set on a simian planet with strange similarities to our own. Sun., Aug. 31, 8 p.m. $6.99. 2263 Mission, San Francisco, 401-7987, darkroomsf.com.
David Brower Center. Trashed / Plastic Bag: The David Brower Center's Reel to Real film series hosts an environmentally minded double feature of Trashed, Candida Brady's feature documentary about waste disposal and pollution featuring Jeremy Irons, and Plastic Bag, Ramin Bahrani's simultaneously whimsical and bittersweet short featuring a voiceover by Werner Herzog. Wed., Aug. 27, 8 p.m. $5. 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, 510-809-0900, browercenter.org.
Embarcadero Center Cinema. Frank: Michael Fassbender is totally unrecognizable as the title character — not due to his acting, mind you, but because he wears a fake plastic head the whole time he's on the screen — in Lenny Abrahamson's oddball comedy about an absurdist art-rock band. Daily. Boyhood: Richard Linklater spent 12 years filming this universally acclaimed coming-of-age tale in which the actors grow up right before your eyes during the film's 165-minute running time. Daily. A Most Wanted Man: Anton Corbijn (Control) adapts John le Carré's espionage novel into a slow-fuse spy thriller, with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman leading a cast that also features Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams, and Robin Wright. Daily. The Trip to Italy: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon pack up their appetites and hit the road again for more droll dinner conversation in this sequel to Michael Winterbottom's 2011 comedy The Trip. Starting Aug. 29. Daily. Love Is Strange: When longtime lovers and cohabitants John Lithgow and Alfred Molina finally tie the knot after New York legalizes gay marriage, it paradoxically leads to them losing their Chelsea apartment and being forced to live apart in this new drama from director Ira Sachs. Starting Aug. 29. Daily. 1 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, 267-4893, landmarktheatres.com.
Exploratorium. Saturday Cinema: Weekly thematic film screenings presented in the Kanbar Forum by the Exploratorium's Cinema Arts program. Saturdays. Free with museum admission. Pier 15, San Francisco, 528-4444, exploratorium.edu.
Main Library, Koret Auditorium. Mondo Banana: At 60 minutes, this documentary just begins to tap into the rich cultural significance of what is thought to be the Earth's first fruit, focusing on its unique cultural role in exorcisms, folk tales, shadow plays, magic potions, shoe polish, dragon dances, and more. Wed., Aug. 27, 6 p.m. free. 100 Larkin, San Francisco, 557-4595, sfpl.org.
Oddball Films. Fight the Power: Radicals, Resistance, and Revolution: Black Panthers, anti-fascists, feminists, labor organizers, and hippie freaks take over Oddball HQ for an evening of 16mm film screenings. Thu., Aug. 28, 8 p.m. $10. Beauties, Babes, and Burlesque: Guest curator Christina Yglesias hosts a night of short films starring pin-up girls, bikini babes, and sweet cheesecake ladies from yesteryear. Fri., Aug. 29, 8 p.m. $10. 275 Capp, San Francisco, 558-8112, oddballfilms.com.
Opera Plaza Cinemas. Obvious Child: Writer-director Gillian Robespierre makes a winning debut with this fresh and unfiltered abortion comedy (no, seriously) starring Jenny Slate. Daily. Le Chef: French cuisine and comedy share the menu in Daniel Cohen's film starring Michaël Youn and Jean Reno. Daily. Finding Fela: After a string of dire (but required) sociopolitical documentaries, filmmaker Alex Gibney now turns to a more inspirational subject: Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, whose life was as revolutionary and complex as his music. Daily. Alive Inside: Joyously tear-jerking documentary about how music can be used as a therapeutic treatment for patients suffering from dementia. Daily. A Five Star Life: Sumptuous resort settings serve as the backdrop for this Italian dramedy about a middle-aged woman (Margherita Buy) whose job as a jetsetting hotel critic ensures that her life is luxurious but lonely. Daily. A Summer's Tale: Eric Rohmer's breezy beachside romance — which made waves in France back in 1996 — finally gets stateside theatrical release. Starting Aug. 29. Daily. 601 Van Ness, San Francisco, 777-3456, landmarktheatres.com.
Pacific Film Archive. Over the Top and Into the Wire: WWI on Film: BAM/PFA presents a survey of cinematic portrayals of the (Not-So-)Great War, including films by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Jean Renoir, Gregory La Cava, Alexander Dovzhenko, Stanley Kubrick, and Lewis Milestone Wed., Aug. 27, 7 p.m. 2575 Bancroft (at Bowditch), Berkeley, 510-642-1124, bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Roxie Theater. Rich Hill: Following the lives of three struggling high school boys in Missouri, this chronicle of American poverty won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Through Aug. 28. $7.50-$10. richhillfilm.com. Me and You (Io e Te): 73-year-old Bernardo Bertolucci returns to the Italian language for the first time in over a quarter-century for this intimate, almost claustrophobic coming-of-age drama. Through Aug. 28. $7.50-$10. Jamie Marks Is Dead: In this eerie independent drama, adapted from Christopher Barzak's novel One for Sorrow, a teenage boy becomes friends with one of his peers — but only after one of them is murdered first. Aug. 29-Sept. 4. Brasslands: One-night-only showing of the documentary about Balkan brass band Zlatne Uste — composed entirely of American-born players — that travels to Guča, Serbia, to compete in the Dragachevo Brass Festival. Fri., Aug. 29, 7 p.m. $10. Tentacle 8: An NSA codebreaker finds himself caught in a puzzling web of espionage in this indie thriller. Sat., Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. $10. Beautiful Moment: Free screening of a new 40-minute S.F. skate film by Dayman Cash. Sat., Aug. 30, 9 p.m. free. Sparkles Tavern / Taboo: Double feature of rare films by Curt McDowell, the sexually transgressive San Francisco filmmaker who passed away in 1987. Tue., Sept. 2, 7 p.m. 3117 16th St., San Francisco, 863-1087, roxie.com.
Viz Cinema at New People. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie: Viz Media presents the American theatrical premiere of the latest feature film in the Naruto anime series, which was released in Japan back in 2012. Fri., Aug. 29, 7 p.m. $12. 1746 Post, San Francisco, 525-8600, newpeopleworld.com.
Comments are closed.
