Slightly more than half of the Castro Theatre's April schedule is set aside for the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival (find our second week of coverage in this issue). Here are highlights for the rest of the calendar. We kick off with a film that's as iconic as it gets.
San Francisco (1936) If you've ever wondered where the song "San Francisco," with its chorus of "Open your Golden Gate, you let no stranger wait outside your door" comes from, wonder no more. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke, script by Anita Loos, this full-blooded treatment of our city's 1906 quake was a state-of-the-art, early-sound-era marvel, originally including shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, then under construction. Jeanette MacDonald, a robust young Spencer Tracy as the two-fisted priest, and Clark Gable as the Barbary Coast saloon-keeper Blackie Norton never disappoint. Tracy keeps bugging Gable to mend his wicked ways, which Blackie does once the roof falls in. Join the Castro's organist for an unofficial sing-along that's as much fun as you can get at the movies. (4/18)
Ghost World (2001) From the director-writer team of Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes (from his comic book), this tale follows the misadventures of a misanthropic art student (Thora Birch) and her gal pal (Scarlett Johansson). They fix on a self-loathing record collector (Steve Buscemi) who proves hard to house-train. With Brad Renfro and Bob Balaban.
High Fidelity (2000) Now for something not entirely different, from director Stephen Frears and actor John Cusack. The duo adapt and set Stateside British novelist/pop music guru Nick Hornby's account of a record store owner (Cusack) who's too pure for this world. Cusack addresses the camera in monologues on how every record in his life is tied to a usually failed romantic affair. Jack Black contributes a disruptive supporting turn as a rude record clerk who insults customers if he doesn't dig their taste in pop. (both 4/19)
Evolution of Organic (2017) The Trump-threatened pesticide-free food movement gets its movie. (Green Film Festival opening night, 4/20)
La La Land Sing-Along (2016) The film that had Best Film Oscar honors for about two minutes returns to the Castro for that special niche, the sing-along. Damien Chazelle's flashy, toe-tapping musical opens on what the filmmaker imagines as a 21st-century version of the Yellow Brick Road. We're pulled into a nightmarish traffic snarl at an LA freeway intersection, where we see a chorus line of motorists vaulting in and out of their vehicles. (4/21)
Raging Bull (1980) Screenwriter Paul Schrader and director Martin Scorsese's portrait of Jake La Motta, a man whose fists and thick head win him everything he's ever dreamed of before macho jealousy destroys the love of everyone who meant anything to him on the way up. Black-and-white photography keeps the ring violence from becoming repellent. At one point Jake destroys the face of a pretty young opponent while a ringside cynic quips, "He ain't pretty anymore." It's a great film that raises questions about masculinity and homophobia. With Robert De Niro (Best Actor Oscar), Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent and John Turturro. Oscar also to editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
Boogie Nights (1997) Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a powerful comedy-drama about the nutty time (late 70s-early 80s) when screen porn was a profitable business and a social phenomenon in the San Fernando Valley. With Mark Wahlberg as a 17-year-old with big dreams and the equipment to make them come true, for at least a night or two. Veteran Burt Reynolds almost steals the picture as a gruff but shrewd porn daddy. With a dream supporting cast: Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina and Philip Baker Hall. (both 4/23)
Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman (Green Film Festival closing night, 4/26)
Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock pioneered the modern horror feature with this chilly take on a secretary (Janet Leigh) who steals money from her boss, repents, and prepares to head back and face the music. Unfortunately for Marion Crane, her journey takes her to the Bates Motel, where you can check in but not check out. With a sublime ensemble including Anthony Perkins and Martin Balsam.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Anthony Hopkins did too many sequels of "Hannibal the Cannibal" Lecter. This is the one to catch. (both 4/27)
Bonnie & Clyde (1967) This Arthur Penn-directed, Warren Beatty-produced and -starring crime drama was an out-of-the-box breakthrough. LGBTQ fans may object to the de-queering of Beatty's Clyde Barrow at a time when few screen stars would come forth as gay. This is the kind of crime against celluloid that inspired Vito Russo's The Celluloid Closet. Still, a riveting if bloody crime caper with a jaunty soundtrack and an early screen turn from Gene Hackman as a member of the Barrow gang.
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (1969) Director George Roy Hill helms this adventure spoof of the title characters (Paul Newman, Robert Redford) holding up banks and trains while a corporate posse stays on their track. Both a swan song for the Hollywood Western and an iconic account of an American Robin Hood-style origin myth. (both 4/29)
Beat the Devil (1954) This John Huston-directed, Truman Capote-written, Bogart-starring adventure is a sly but deliberate sendup of Maltese Falcon-like films. With Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley and Peter Lorre.
The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston's directing debut takes an original spin on the private dick. Bogart was never better than as Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, who has to sort through a bevy of shady characters in search of a bird statue that's solid gold beneath a black paint job. A solid 100 minutes that you rewatch whenever you can. With Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond and Elisha Cook, Jr. One of the best capers filmed in San Francisco. (both 4/30)