![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Remake-movie-771x463.jpeg\")
Adrian McElwee appears in \u201cRemake,\u201d a documentary by his father Ross McElwee, screening at the Roxie in San Francisco starting July 24. (Music Box Films via Bay City News)<\/p>\n\u00a0Two new movies \u2014 one small and intimate, the other gargantuan \u2014 are recommended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s nonlinear screenplay follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, from his Trojan horse victory through a string of obstacles \u2014 a cyclops (Bill Irwin); the witch Circe (Samantha Morton); the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) \u2014 on his two-decade journey back to Ithaca.\u00a0There, the long-absent Odysseus is presumed dead, and his devoted wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), is under pressure to remarry. Her uncouth suitors include odious frontrunner Antinous (Robert Pattinson), who plans to kill Penelope and Odysseus\u2019 son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), and claim the throne. Expect a predictable but compelling homecoming and showdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Odyssey\u201d delivers\u00a0little\u00a0emotional charge. Its impact is more sensorial than moving. As a Nolan protagonist mired in a war, Odysseus lacks the tragic feel of Nolan\u2019s J. Robert Oppenheimer.\u00a0Still,\u00a0the movie is bang-up, intelligent entertainment, with gripping set pieces, stellar\u00a0performances\u00a0and worthy real-world subject matter, including\u00a0the ever-relevant topic of moral compromise caused by war.\u00a0As\u00a0Odysseus, Damon is in top form.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0believable as\u00a0a traumatized war hero who has killed many and is haunted by his transgressions\u00a0and\u00a0also\u00a0convincing as a weary, middle-aged warrior who still has what it takes to save the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other standouts include Morton, whose Circe changes men into pigs and nearly steals the movie despite her minimal screen time, and John Leguizamo, affecting as Odysseus\u2019 blind devoted servant, Eumaeus.\u00a0The cast also includes Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, and Lupita Nyong\u2019o, who plays both Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0just a movie, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0wow.\u00a0\u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d Christopher Nolan\u2019s mammoth and exhilarating action adventure adapted from Homer\u2019s epic poem,\u00a0is\u00a0in theaters.\u00a0Nolan has streamlined and modernized Homer\u2019s work, altering some details and emphasizing human powers over the godly and supernatural. Athena (played by Zendaya) is the only deity shown onscreen.<\/p>\n
Adrian McElwee appears in \u201cRemake,\u201d a documentary by his father Ross McElwee, screening at the Roxie in San Francisco starting July 24. (Music Box Films via Bay City News)<\/p>\n
Ross McElwee\u2019s \u201cRemake,\u201d opening Friday at the Roxie in San Francisco, is built around a failed effort by McElwee to turn his 1986\u00a0documentary \u201cSherman\u2019s March\u201d into fictional entertainment.\u00a0Yet\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0foremost a moving reflection by McElwee on the death of his son, Adrian, of a fentanyl overdose at age 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through voice-over and home-movie-like footage shot by both father and son, McElwee explores\u00a0Adrian\u2019s\u00a0life and identity.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0cheerful boy growing up with his parents and sister, then\u00a0a\u00a0morose teen developing his own voice, and finally a 20-something budding filmmaker battling addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McElwee, an award-winning director, examines his own filmmaking methods, which involve turning his camera on family members and editing\u00a0his\u00a0footage into documentaries to be seen by the public.\u00a0Did subjecting Adrian to this practice affect Adrian\u2019s mental health and sense of self? McElwee asks.\u00a0\u201cI used to be a filmmaker, I used to be your father,\u201d McElwee states repeatedly, his voice laced with grief.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0lots more in this multi-stranded film, from divorce and brain surgery to visits from old friends who worked on McElwee\u2019s\u00a0previous\u00a0projects, including the entertaining \u201cSherman\u2019s March.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRemake\u201d is a fascinating, heartbreaking documentary about grief, memory, responsibility and parental love.<\/p>\n
The Vogue Theatre\u00a0host its third annual celebration of\u00a02000\u2019s\u00a0\u201cGroove,\u201d\u00a0the cult classic set in San Francisco\u2019s underground rave scene,\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday and Sunday. Both evenings include socializing at 9 p.m. and\u00a0the\u00a0screening at 10 p.m.\u00a0Greg Harrison, the movie\u2019s writer-director, appears on both nights.\u00a0Visit\u00a0voguemovies.com<\/a>\u00a0for details.<\/p>\n The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through Aug. 2, and, as of this writing, tickets are still available for some screenings.\u00a0Visit\u00a0sfjff.org<\/a>\u00a0for more information.\u00a0Options include:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mad Dog of Europe\u201d\u00a0screens at 2 p.m.\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0at the\u00a0Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.\u00a0The\u00a0documentary looks at screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz\u2019s unproduced anti-Hitler film project, and at how it was derailed by 1930s Hollywood.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCuz You\u2019re Ugly\u201d shows at 6 p.m.\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0at the San Francisco JCC and 3:30 p.m.\u00a0July 31 at the\u00a0Piedmont Theatre\u00a0in Oakland.\u00a0On a mission to lose her virginity, a young naval trainee changes course when learning that her 15-year-old sister is pregnant in this Israeli drama.\u00a0\u201cThe Soundman\u201d\u00a0is at 8:30 p.m.\u00a0Tuesday\u00a0at the San Francisco\u00a0JCC\u00a0and 8:30 p.m.\u00a0July 30\u00a0at the\u00a0Piedmont.\u00a0A skilled sound engineer and a talented Jewish\u00a0actress\u00a0are drawn to each other in this period dramedy set at a Nazi-era Brussels radio station.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOxygen\u201d\u00a0screens at 6 p.m.\u00a0Saturday\u00a0at the\u00a0JCC\u00a0and 6 p.m.\u00a0July 27\u00a0at the\u00a0Piedmont.\u00a0A mother takes extreme action to protect her son, whose military unit is preparing to enter Lebanon, in this Israeli drama, which is screening as part of a Director Spotlight on Netalie Braun.\u00a0\u201cAmerican Doctor\u201d\u00a0is at noon July 30 at the\u00a0Piedmont.\u00a0Three American doctors from\u00a0different backgrounds\u00a0take immense risks to enter Gaza hospitals during a humanitarian mission in this documentary.<\/p>\n The Roxie Theater\u00a0hosts\u00a0a program celebrating\u00a0the Americans\u00a0With\u00a0Disabilities Act\u00a0at 1 p.m.\u00a0Sunday.\u00a0It\u00a0includes screenings of \u201cSign 504 Now!\u201d and \u201cVivien\u2019s Wild Ride,\u201d plus a panel discussion.\u00a0Visit\u00a0roxie.com.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Oakland\u2019s Paramount Theatre\u00a0at 7 p.m.\u00a0Friday presents\u00a01941\u2019s\u00a0\u201cThe Maltese Falcon,\u201d John Huston\u2019s noir classic based on Dashiell Hammett\u2019s San Francisco-set novel. Humphrey Bogart\u00a0stars as\u00a0detective Sam Spade; Mary Astor, Peter\u00a0Lorre,\u00a0and Sydney Greenstreet\u00a0costar. Visit\u00a0paramountoakland.org.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The post Movies: \u2018Remake,\u2019 \u2018Odyssey,\u2019 SF Jewish film fest, ADA films,\u00a0\u2018Maltese Falcon\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Local News Matters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0Two new movies \u2014 one small and intimate, the other gargantuan \u2014 are recommended.\u00a0 Nolan\u2019s nonlinear screenplay follows…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-406065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Oxygen.jpg\")
L-R, Dana Ivgy and Ben Sultan star in \u201cOxygen,\u201d screening at 6 p.m. July 25 at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco and 6 p.m. July 27 at Landmark\u2019s Piedmont in Oakland. (San Francisco Jewish Film Festival via Bay City News)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Vivien.jpg\")
\u201cVivien\u2019s Wild Ride\u201d \u2014 about film and sound editor Vivien Hillgrove, who transformed her life after she lost her sight \u2014 screens in San Francisco\u2019s Roxie theater\u2019s ADA Celebration on July 26. (Eric Ivey via Bay City News)<\/p>\n