Apr 2, 2013
Festival
The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 25–May 9) announces that Neil Jordan’s Byzantium (England/Ireland 2012), Douglas Kass’ Emptying the Skies, James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now (USA 2013) and Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s The Way, Way Back have been added to the Festival schedule.
Emphasizing the gothic sensibility that has been missing from recent vampire fare, Byzantium follows the adventures of two women as they attempt to keep their blood-sucking identities under wraps. Having been discovered at their former flat, “16-year-old” Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and her volatile older companion, Clara (Gemma Arterton, who can also be seen in SFIFF56’s Unfinished Song), move to a seaside town where the latter seduces a hapless man and wriggles out of him a place for them to stay (and to lure their prey). Meanwhile, Eleanor forms a bond with a sickly boy named Frank and begins to tell him her story. As her tale unfolds visually (and in voiceover), the reasons behind the pair’s transformations are revealed and a different kind of mythology-one that shuns females from the blood-sucking “brotherhood”-is established. Augmenting the baroque story with striking visuals, Jordan brings remarkable panache to this rich addition to the genre, 18 years after his classic Interview with a Vampire. Byzantium plays Thursday May 9, 8:15 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. The film is distributed by IFC Entertainment.
Emptying the Skies documents the work of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a small group of European activists devoted to intervention when hunters, trappers and animal traders break natural protection laws. This work-in-progress documentary, inspired by Jonathan Franzen’s New Yorker essay of the same name, depicts the group’s work with disarming frankness and sometimes shocking footage. From working in Cyprus to rescue migrating warblers and thrushes trapped by lime sticks that act like glue on the birds’ feet and wings to freeing song birds ensnared by vast mist nets in Italy, CABS members risk their lives to save our avian friends. While certainly having the moral upper hand, the members can also be confrontational and show a willingness to bend the rules in order to go about their mission. The film also discusses CABS’s work with various agencies and legal entities in order to build not only authoritative backing, but also community support for year-round prevention. Franzen (an executive producer of the film) himself admits that “these guys occupy a grey area,” but that whatever one might think of them, “they’re performing an act of love.” Most animal lovers, and even those who are not, will likely agree. Emptying the Skies plays Saturday May 4, 8:30 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Smashed, is the rarest of teen films: one told with truth, humor and compassion. Handsome and witty, the hard-drinking Sutter Kelly (Miles Teller) is the life of his high-school parties, but he’s also finding it harder to put down the bottle afterwards. After passing out on the lawn of resident school “good girl” Annie (Shailene Woodley, The Descendants), Sutter develops an unlikely friendship with the girl and begins to face his demons. Unexpectedly nuanced in its portrait of teenage friendship and young-adult life, The Spectacular Now offers up the usual school dances, late-night recriminations and college-application moments, but takes just as much pleasure in framing the world around its characters; here, a walk in a forest, and the way sunlight streams through the trees, hold as much joy as an upcoming prom. Winner of the Special Jury Award for Acting (Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley) at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film also stars Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The Spectacular Now plays Monday May 6, 6:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. A24 will open the film in theaters this summer.
When setting out on vacation with his mother Pam (Toni Collete) and her new boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carrell), 14-year old Duncan is put into the way, way back of Trent’s station wagon, thus beginning a trying, pivotal summer in which the youngster struggles to assert himself. Seemingly forgotten amidst the clumsy and sometimes selfish world of adults, Duncan disengages by exploring the beach community where he has landed. When he stumbles upon a local water park, the manager, Owen (Sam Rockwell), sensing a kindred outsider, takes a quick liking to him and the two form a fast bond. Owen’s quick wit and nonsensical, hilarious one-liners loosen Duncan up, making it easier for the boy to get comfortable and to establish his own identity. The water park becomes a refuge and a place of camaraderie, fun and solace. Still, as the summer rolls on, it remains to be determined whether Ducan’s newfound confidence will be enough to guide him through life after the summer. Co-writers/directors Nat Faxon (Ben and Kate) and Jim Rash (Community), winners of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (with Alexander Payne) for The Descendants, have crafted a poignant, funny and heartfelt film that speaks to the misfit in all of us. The Way, Way Back plays Saturday May 4, 6:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. Fox Searchlight Pictures will open the film in theaters this summer.
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56th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 25–May 9 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and New People Cinema in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 in attendance.