(Previously Reviewed)
Back in May I revisited the Castro, and this time took some pictures. The screening of 2009's Julia was picked by Roger Ebert, as part of his acceptance of the San Francisco International Film Festival's Mel Novikoff Award.
Bus electrical lines aside, when you approach the Castro, you know something magical is about to happen.
Like waiting in long lines! What, did I think I was the only Roger Ebert fan in the world? The line to get in stretched from the photographer-lined red carpet at the front door (wow, a red carpet! I feel like such a star), to the corner of 17th St, and from there to the corner of Hartford St.
Not to be stopped, the line continued on down Hartford St., perhaps all the way back to 18th St., making a half circuit around the block. While in line I happily chatted with a fellow film-goer who is also a regular at SFIFF screenings, and she says that this line was extraordinarily long, contrasted to the line she had been in the night before to see Robert Duvall receive the Peter J. Owens Award.
Above the entrance...
Under the marquee...
The ticket booth (though so far I've only seen tickets sold from tables set up in the foyer)...
This time around I went for a balcony seat, to take in the expanse of this gorgeous theater.
The murals on the sides of the walls seem to reach into a different time...
A close-up of that same mural...
I couldn't quite get a good picture of the ceiling fixture, but it is massive, and depicts various characters around its circumference...
So, at this point its been several months since I attended this film, so my memory is hazy, my notes are blurry, and, as always, time is short. So I'm going to quickly steamroll through this.
1. The director of the festival began the introductions, talking about how Mel Novikoff had helped preserve the Castro Theater, and how eight of the nine members of the award committee had personally met Novikoff before his passing.
2. Ebert walks in, like the rock star he is, and gets a thunderous standing ovation. It's awesome to see a writer receive this outpouring of appreciation, and especially a writer who has worked so tirelessly, for so long, to help us better understand and enjoy movies.
3. Director Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World) talks about his earlier movie, Crumb (1994), and how Ebert's recognition of that film helped launch his career. He shared an anecdote that at an audience screening of his movie, the reaction had been so poor that he stuffed the ballot box with bogus (favorable) responses before handing it over to the studio.
4. Director Errol Morris (The Fog of War) applauded Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, bringing more attention to worthy movies that have not received their due. He also celebrated Ebert as a film enthusiast.
5. Director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) said that at the Toronto Film Festival, after a screening of Juno, Ebert leaned forward in his seat, made eye contact with Reitman sitting further down the row, and gave an approving nod. Like being anointed. Reitman echoed Morris, saying Ebert has an enthusiasm for films, whereas so many other critics give the impression that they hate movie. Finally, he applauded Ebert for railing against Sarah Palin, against 3-D technology, and for being skeptical about video games (Ebert still hasn't heard the end of that one).
6. Local director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff), a long-time friend of Ebert's, talked about his beloved wife Rose, how the two of them had been fed up with Hollywood crap and decided to make their own films, and how an NC-17 rating for Henry & June had nearly killed the project. He described Ebert as a compassionate writer. He then read a commanding letter from Mayor Gavin Newsom that practically nominated Ebert for President, ending in a declaration that May 1, 2010 is Roger Ebert Day.
7. Finally, Ebert (pictured below, with his wife) addressed his fans. A recent operation has left him unable to speak, so instead his Mac laptop spoke on his behalf, reading off a speech he had prepared. He said that when he's sitting in a theater and sees "people watching the trailer to Iron Man 2 on their iPhones it makes me want to scream at the heavens!" Different forms of technology (including 3-D projection) are intruding in cinemas, distancing viewers from the film. He had some unkind things to say about several blockbusters I happen to actually enjoy, and about Angelina Jolie, but he also said that "an audience forms a personality... It is one way we become a society". That was certainly my experience being present this evening, part of a large group all celebrating the same person. Congratulations, Roger.
The seats in the balcony...
The balcony ceiling...
Molding above a superficial column on the wall...
A crest above the emergency exit...
Even the fire hose reel has detail...
An ornate light fixture...
Unfortunately, the upper mezzanine was closed off, reserved for photographers, so I didn't get any pictures there.
Trailers
None.
Julia
Ebert picked this movie for us to see, because it had been overlooked in the previous year, and so I hold Ebert accountable. Tilda Swinton is Julia, a down-on-her-luck someone (actress? ad rep?). While reluctantly attending an AA meeting, Julia is chatted up by an desperate mother who says she wants to kidnap her own son from her son's paternal grandfather. Julia thinks this is such a great idea that she decides to do it herself, cutting the mother out of the deal, and therefore hoping to keep the ransom money for herself. And indeed she does kidnap the son, embarking on an unpredictably violent crusade for the ransom.
No other movie has made me this uncomfortable. At every turn, I think Julia will suddenly recognize her error and take action to correct her course, but instead she heads deeper into malice. She doesn't just burn her bridges; she poisons the very ground she walk on, leaving no way out, no possibility to return to her former life unscathed. I wanted to untether myself from her as a protagonist; I was hoping someone, anyone would break through the door of her dingy motel room and arrest her, so that I might be free. It was as if she had kidnapped me. The camera follows her with claustrophobic proximity, making me an accessory to her cruelty toward the boy and her treatment of others.
She is thoroughly unlikeable, yet we have front row seats to a fascinating depiction of the Stockholm Syndrome, and a role reversal for her. The boy, dragged to the middle of nowhere, must rely on Julia for his survival. Julia, in turn, hounded by the authorities, the boy's grandfather, and other schemers, becomes increasingly invested in and reliant upon the boy. This movie is incredibly well done, and sick, sick, sick.
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