Thu., May 1
San Francisco International Film Festival The festival continues with two evening features: Newton I. Aduaka’s Ezra and Claude Chabrol’s A Girl Cut in Two. (PFA, 6:30)
Fri., May 2
San Francisco International Film Festival Two features: Lance Hammer’s Ballast, followed by Béla Tarr’s The Man from London. (PFA, 6:30)
Sat., May 3
San Francisco International Film Festival Today’s program of feature films includes Hartmut Bitomsky’s Dust, Liew Seng Tat’s Flower in the Pocket, Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain, and Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg. (PFA, 1:00)
Galaxy Quest With a surprisingly tight script, ridiculous monsters, and good special effects, this silly sci-fi spoof is exactly what it aspires to be — an apt and charming send-up of “Star Trek” culture. The idea is simple: actors from a hokey old space opera have to help real aliens who have patterned their society after intercepted reruns. But the casting is beautiful: hammy Tim Allen as the hammy captain, Alan Rickman as the grumbling serious thespian, a blond and acid Sigourney Weaver stuck in a cheesecake role, a hilariously easygoing Tony Shalhoub, and Sam Rockwell as the expendable crew member who just knows he’s going to be offed in the first reel. It’s cotton candy, certainly, bit it’s almost enough to make a space geek starry-eyed (102 min., 1999). — S.H. (EC, 3:00)
Sun., May 4
San Francisco International Film Festival Another full-day program featuring John Gianvito’s still-camera Profit motive and the whispering wind, Alexander Sokurov’s Alexandra, Ana Katz’ A Stray Girlfriend, and Barry Jenkins’ Medicine for Melancholy. (PFA, 2:00)
Superman From the destruction of Krypton (Marlon Brando does the requiem), to growing up in the Midwest, to landing a journalism gig in Metropolis and battling Lex Luthor (played with a sparkle by Gene Hackman, the best thing in the movie), this is the story of — well, Superman. Christopher Reeve does the job, turning in a smooth, polished, and seamless performance. Margot Kidder is pretty good as Lois Lane; you get the feeling she could do better than Superman. Also with Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine, and Glenn Ford. Good special effects and all that. Directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by a squad of writers including Mario Puzo (story), David Newman, Robert Benton, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster (143 min., 1978). — M.C. (EC, 1:00)
Tableau Ferraille The story of a young politician’s rise and fall, from Senegalese director Moussa Sene Absa. In French and Wolof with English subtitles (85 min., 1997). (PW, 2:00)
Mon. May 5
Works from the Eisner Prize Competition Two winners and a sampling of the competition for UC Berkeley’s highest award for creativity (total running rime 87 min.). Artists in person. (PFA, 4:00)
San Francisco International Film Festival Another pair of features: Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán’s Cochochi, followed by Peter Galison and Robb Moss’ Secrecy. (PFA, 6:30)
Tue., May 6
San Francisco International Film Festival A documentary about Augusto Pinochet’s prosecution (Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco’s The Judge and the General) and a Chinese docudrama set in a village soon to be destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam project (Jia Zhang-ke’s Still Life). (PFA, 6:30)
Wed., May 7
San Francisco International Film Festival Mahmoud al Massad’s documentary on Zarqa, Jordan (Recycle), then Aditya Assarat’s drama set on the tsunami-ravaged coast of Thailand (Wonderful Town). (PFA, 6:30)
