Category: Marcus

Presidio Kabuki Presidio Kabuki Presidio
Head ‘em up, move ‘em out

For some reason, my Scooter turned right on Polk, then left on Filbert to the Presidio and through the Presidio to the Film Society. I was going to a nine o”clock wrap up meeting. As I approached the building, it looked freakin” deserted. Wait a minute, the meeting is at the Kabuki!

I walked in late and Graham Leggat, the Executive Director, was going over some specifics of the load-out. We have to have all our stuff out of the building by 1:30. He then launched into an extended, gracious and heartfelt thank you to all us staff, as only he can do.

That left the load-out. The Publicity gang started moving boxes of file folders, the file cabinet, lamps, chairs and all. Richard had it totally organized and in no time we were back in the Presidio.

Nice Festival.

Would you do it again?

That’s what Tiffany, our National Publicist, asked me once the Festival dust had cleared.

Publicists three: Tara, Cindy, Tiffany

Continue reading “SFIFF50 DAY SIXTEEN — Friday” →

Paste up, La Vie en Rose

Last Red Carpet before the spectacular La Vie en Rose, described by the director (short, chubby, 30ish, with an eyebrow ring, a backwards cap and an entourage of about eight French people) as a portrait of Edith Piaf, not a bio-pic. It’s now in distribution in the US after playing in many major Festivals, including Bro Tom‘s Atlanta Film Festival. La Vie en Rose is a must-see, Piaf fan or not.

Non, je ne regrette rien.

Day off
Continue reading “SFIFF50 DAY FOURTEEN — Wednesday” →

Sorting, Cooking

I spent the afternoon sorting press clippings to get ahead of Bill, who is targeting clippings to be sent to individual filmmakers.

Then on to my real fun, cooking Cotelettes de Porc au Cidre and Kale Mashed Potatoes for Carol and Sarah before they went to see Gardins in Autumn.

When they left I took a “half-hour nap,” and was conked out until 2am.

Audience of One

A watching day, not a working day.

Visit these links for a full description of Audience of One, then an irreverent review/commentary. They will get you in the mood to relate to my comments below.

Michael Jacobs, the director was present for a Q&A after the film. It was amazing to me that he shot the film by himself and put it together with the help of a part time editor.

Imagine, he heard about Richard Gazowsky, pastor of the Voice of Pentecost Church in San Francisco who had been told by God to make the finest movie ever made. Jacobs went to a service and said to himself, “I want to make a film about this guy,” and asked Gazowsky for permission to document the making of Gravity: The Shadow of Joseph.

Okay, it’s one thing to follow a guy around San Francisco for a while, but Gazowsky was going to Italy with his whole cast and crew to film for two weeks. When Jacobs confirmed that they were actually going, he bought his own ticket and followed.

Now that takes balls!

I hope Jacobs gets distribution, so you all can see it. It’s bizarre and funny and sad, and like nothing you have seen before.

Members Screening, Kubuki x 2, Bushi Tei, Last Days of Yassar Arafat

The last Sunday of the Festival, Film Society Members are treated to a Bonus film at 9:30am. This truly is a bonus — not a Festival film — and this year it was Lars von Trier‘s new film The Boss of It All, a low budget deadpan farce and really good. It’s playing in San Francisco now, and I highly recommend it.

After, we had brunch at Bushi Tei, a very cool, nontraditional Japanese restaurant up Post Street from the Kubuki. Our waiter, a twenty-something caucausian, was extremely cordial and perfectly correct, but obviously new at the job. His plight was complicated by some kind of transition in their beverage license, so he had to serve our wine in — very elegant — coffee cups. The food was superb, both visually and in the mouth.

We continued the day with The Other Half, a Chinese film about a young lawyer who interviews battered and estranged women in a Chinese industrial town. I thought it sensitive and interesting; Carol and Sarah didn”t.

Carol and Sarah stayed on for The Last Days of Yassar Arafat, which I had seen, an excellent documentary.

My notes:

Documentary

A film by Sherine Salama

“For many years I”ve traveled between Australia and Palestine,”

Yassar Arafat makes public appearances and conducts press conferences, but he very rarely grants private interviews. Ms Salama, through her political connections in Palestine, was promised an interview. She arrived from Australia, at the President’s Compound in Ramala in September 2003, but it wasn”t until November of 2004, after a few trips back and forth, that she was able to interview Arafat. Hers was the last interview of Arafat’s life. Although about 80% of the film is waiting, the setting, the Palestinian people and the scenes of Arafat himself are enlightening and interesting. He passed away in Paris on November 11, 2004. The scenes of the delivery of his casket back to the Compound in Ramala are amazing.

“To this day the exact cause of Arafat’s death is unknown.”

Big day. Long day.

Home day, Clip clip, Clay, C: Delirious

I spent most of the day at home, catching up with stuff, Hung a kitchen grid, put cleaning junk in the bathroom drains, changed batteries in the pepper grinder, hey, a welcome relief.

For my official duties, I clipped and pasted at home, then spent the evening until 10 o’clock passing out press tickets at the Clay Theater, which was hosting Festival films for this night.

Meanwhile, Carol and Sarah took in the Centerpiece film at the Kabuki, Delirious, starring Steve Buscemi, and were delirious with delight.