Festival Report | May 18, 2012

Art Comes First at SF Cinematheque's Crossroads Fest

Films to clear your head and elevate your spirit distinguish San Francisco Cinematheque's annual weekend feast of experimental cinema. By Michael Fox   

NPR Film | May 18, 2012

'The Dictator' Rules With A Satirist's Fist

There was Ali G, Borat and Bruno — and now, in The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen has a new character to add to his repertoire: the capricious ruler of an oil-rich country who travels to the U.N. to assert his right to have nuclear warheads. By David Edelstein   

Movies | May 18, 2012

In Indie Game: The Movie, Maverick Developers Go for Broke

Forging their way through a new aesthetic frontier, these young men seem wrenched and perplexed by the flickering uncertain image of what it means to realize their own artistic ambitions. By Jonathan Kiefer   

NPR Film | May 11, 2012

'Dark Shadows': A Vampire Returns, Without His Bite

Johnny Depp stars in Tim Burton's feature-film adaptation of the cult Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, about an 18th-century vampire transplanted to the 1970s. Critic and longtime Dark Shadows fan David Edelstein says the camp sendup of the show is lifeless and unfunny. By David Edelstein   

NPR Film | May 11, 2012

Keeping The Faith With A Less Than 'Perfect Family'

When a devout mother is nominated for Catholic Woman of the Year, she engages in morally questionable activities to hide her less-than-perfect family. Critic Ian Buckwalter says the film's well-intentioned, sentimental approach undercuts an otherwise emotional family drama. By Ian Buckwalter   

Film Review | May 10, 2012

Not Enough There in 'Here'

Though the basic plot structure involves a man meeting an enchanting woman in a foreign land, the real romance is not between the characters, but in filmmaker Braden King's love for his surroundings. By Sarah Hotchkiss   

Truly CA Shorts | May 06, 2012

Plasticity

View Ryan Malloy's short film, Plasticity, which profiles three innovators who are redefining the use of urban space in San Francisco.   

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TV | May 05, 2012

Five Reasons to Watch Series 2 of Sherlock

I hate to get all "The British Do TV Better" over here, but sometimes -- this time -- the British just do TV better. By Lizzy Acker   

NPR Film | May 04, 2012

'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel': Retirement, Outsourced

A pack of cash-poor British elders ships out for India in hopes of one last stab at self-renewal in a supposedly glam hotel. Critic Ella Taylor says the ensemble comedy is likable enough, even when it wears its latent colonial instincts on its sleeve. By Ella Taylor   

NPR Film | May 04, 2012

'Headhunters': The Caper Flick, Raised To A Fine Art

A smooth corporate headhunter who moonlights as a high-end art thief runs afoul of the wrong mark. NPR's Bob Mondello says the grisly, humorous and altogether fascinating Norwegian thriller boasts thorough storytelling worthy of Hitchcock. (Recommended) By Bob Mondello