As most of you know, I love film festivals, and the 69th San Francisco Film Festival starts Friday night!
The film to see is “The Invite,” directed by Olivia Wilde who directed “Booksmart” in 2019, which was a success in that year’s film festival. It starts at 8:30 p.m. at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. It took two years to renovate the Castro, so it will be awesome to see what it looks like.
“The Invite” shows two San Francisco couples finding themselves traversing surprising boundaries of intimacy and relationships. When his wife Angela (Wilde) informs Joe (Seth Rogan) that she has invited their upstairs neighbors Pina (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) to dinner, he smolders with resentment. In an outburst of passive-aggressive revenge, he seizes the opportunity to tell them how disruptive their frequent lovemaking is.
What ensues is in Will McCormack and Rashida Jones’s adaptation of a 2020 Spanish film is tremendously funny and poignant as the straitlaced Angela and Joe find themselves surprised and challenged by the far less traditional sexual mores of Pina and Hawk. All four actors are tremendous as the banter ranges from back trouble to butt plugs, but at its heart, this smart and hilarious movie is about the immense challenges of love and sex and how to set the groundwork for repair.
The movie to see tomorrow is “Sender,” directed by Russell Goldman. Britt Lower (Severance) stars as a young woman whose online shopping habit turns terrifying when mysterious packages containing eerily personal items begin arriving. It also stars Jamie Lee Curtis. It starts at 8:30 p.m. at the Marina Theater in San Francisco.
The movie to see Sunday is “It Would Be Night in Caracas,” directed by Mariana Rondon. It’s in Spanish with subtitles. The lawlessness is afoot in Venezuela’s capital city and is vibrantly captured in this gripping adaptation of Karina Sainz Borgo’s novel from the filmmaking team behind “Bad Hair.” It starts at 8 p.m. at the Marina Theater. Go to sffilm.org to see what else is showing and ticket pricing information. If you have never been this is the time!
Opening today at the Rialto in Sebastopol is “Suburban Fury.” This is the gripping portrait of Sara Jane Moore, a single mother from suburban San Francisco who, in 1975, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford. More than a historical retelling, the film is an intimate character study. Also opening today is “Michael.” This is about Michael Jackson. An honest and riveting portrayal. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. Starring Jaafar Jackson as Michael.
For my theater fans there is “Hello Dolly” at the Santa Rosa Junior College. This is the last weekend you can see this beloved show with the beloved Laura Downing-Lee starring as Dolly Gallagher Levi, the middle-aged widow and professional matchmaker. It shows tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Call (707) 527-4307 for more information. Have a fun weekend and remember to always drive safe.