The problem is that a guy who has no concerns and never worries about everything is, by definition, a limp character, incapable of driving a story with any urgency. Even Roger Moore’s James Bond ...

Dear Mick LaSalle: Are there any recent films that feed the soul? Alan Takeda, San Francisco Dear Alan Takeda: By “feed the soul,” I’ll assume you mean movies that leave you feeling expanded, ...

Particularly grating is when the two — beautiful — middle-aged actors, Fey and Kerri Kenney (“Reno 911!”) crack fatphobic jokes, especially at their own expense. It’s not funny, and it’s not ...

“The Amateur” expertly explores its premise, making it one of the better spy movies in years. The new Rami Malek -starrer has enough chase and fight sequences to qualify as an action movie (and a well ...

“Tori and the Muses” follows a talented young pianist who wants to compose her own music rather than practice for her recital. Unknown to Tori’s strict father, his daughter has been visited by 11 ...

As Timo is leaving his old friend Mickey to die in an icy crevice on a barren planet, he says, “Nice knowing you, have a nice death” — before adding, “See you tomorrow.” Mickey (Robert Pattinson), you ...

Five films with local ties are set to screen at the 27th San Francisco Independent Film Festival, and they could not be more different from one another. San Jose filmmaker Anthony Hand’s feature debut ...

It’s been nine years since Mel Gibson last directed a feature film. While it wouldn’t be fair to say that he’s gotten rusty, the new effort “Flight Risk” lacks the brutal cinematic energy that made “ ...

The San Francisco Symphony courts talent from far and wide — and occasionally from home. From 2006 to 2009, a young James Gaffigan spent three seasons as the orchestra’s associate conductor. Now 45, ...

Paul Schrader is clearly going through some things. The director is nobly caring for his wife, actress Mary Beth Hurt, during her long journey through Alzheimer’s; dealing with health issues of his ...

Soon enough we must “shuffle off this mortal coil,” as Shakespeare put it. And if death is inevitable, there are worse ways to go than in a Pedro Almodóvar film, where the end is dressed in pastel ...

By almost any measure, it’s been a tough year for Bay Area theater, with the closures of Cutting Ball Theater and California Shakespeare Theater contracting the ecosystem, pummeling morale and ...