Jeffrey M. Anderson

San Francisco

Film Critic at Freelance

Film Critic at The San Francisco Examiner

Film critic for the San Francisco Examiner, Common Sense Media, and others. Former blade runner. Former saucier.

Articles

Staff Picks from Prelinger Archives centers ephemeral films

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

Not just people who like watching films, but rather for people who love film itself, what it’s made of, all it can do, and what it means. “Staff Picks from the Prelinger Archives — A Live Cinema Experience,” screening Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Vogue Theater, is the brainchild of six film archivists tasked with compiling selections of thematically linked clips from the San Francisco collection of filmed ephemera, odds and ends. The result is endlessly fascinating, and even moving.
SF-educated filmmaker makes feature debut, inspired by NorCal roots

1 month ago | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

Filmmaker Isaiah Saxon says he loves to make movies about strange creatures both hairy and human, and his feature debut “The Legend of Ochi” has some good ones, thanks in no small part to his Northern California roots. Saxon grew up in Aptos, near the Santa Cruz Mountains. Later, he lived in San Francisco for around 15 years, attending the Academy of Art University.
The Shrouds marks David Cronenberg return to body horror

1 month ago | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

“The Shrouds,” Cronenberg’s latest that opens Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission and Friday at the Roxie Theater amid a wider national release, continues to explore the now-official subgenre which involves an unholy melding of organic, human material with non-organic, invented, or technological material. The idea is that it pokes at the edges of our mortality, looking for breakthroughs, or testing for breaking points.
SF Film Festival 2025 lineup: New movies, classics screening

2 months ago | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

The San Francisco International Film Festival is back in full force for its 68th edition, screening more than 150 films from over 50 countries over 11 days next month. Billed as the longest-running film festival in the Americas, the event opens with Marina Theatrefter wildfires destroy his ranch.
Separated an unsparing look at US family-separation policy

Dec 6, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris' works have tackled some incendiary subjects before, but none have been as urgent as “Separated,” which airs Saturday at 6 p.m. PT on MSNBC. Undeniably one of the masters of documentary, easily ranked at the top of the heap alongside Frederick Wiseman and Werner Herzog, Morris not only understands how to make his films cinematic, but he’s also a crack interviewer.
Transformers One brings director Josh Cooley full circle

Sep 20, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

Josh Cooley has left behind one set of toys for another, from Woody and Buzz Lightyear to Optimus Prime and Megatron. “I think the reason I got into animation in the first place was every Saturday morning, watching ‘Transformers,’ ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘He-Man,’ ‘Looney Tunes,’ all that,” said Cooley, who recently visited San Francisco to discuss the film.
Sugarcane tells devastating story of covered-up atrocity

Aug 16, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

“Sugarcane,” co-directed by Emily Kassie and Oakland-raised Julian Brave NoiseCat, is a devastating documentary, containing images and words sure to sear the souls of anyone who comes into contact with it. But this is not to say that it’s unwatchable. Kassie and NoiseCat have gifted us a film that finds compassion and tenderness arising from the atrocities, like flowers sprouting from cracks in the concrete.
Planetwalker John Francis recounts his two remarkable vows

Aug 9, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

Anyone looking for a tonic to the spiritual fatigue of everyday events is encouraged to see husband and wife team Dominic and Nadia Gill’s wonderful short documentary “Planetwalker,” which tells the remarkable story of John Francis. It screens Aug. 9-15 at the Smith Rafael Film Center. He volunteered to help rescue oil-smeared animals, but wanted to do more. So he vowed to stop using oil-based vehicles. And that led to walking. Over the course of 22 years, he walked all over America.
Sing Sing cast owes easy chemistry to San Francisco ties

Aug 2, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

In Sing Sing Correctional Facility on the bank of New York’s Hudson River, a program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts has become the source of many stories. It took two extraordinary performers — a former San Francisco resident and a current one — to help tell one extraordinary story in the new film “Sing Sing,” which opened Friday in theaters across the country.
DiDi touts Bay Area influence on screen, behind the scenes

Jul 31, 2024 | sfexaminer.com | Jeffrey M. Anderson

‘Dìdi” feels like a coming-of-age film, along the lines of “Eighth Grade” or “Mid90s.”But director and writer Sean Wang, a Fremont native, said he believes that‘s not quite the case, since the movie’s 13-year-old hero doesn’t really come of age. “I think it’s a loose term,” said Wang, who sat down with The Examiner to discuss the film. “Almost every movie is a coming-of-age movie,” he added.