Outlaw Josey Wales." And then he began perching behind the camera now and again, earning several Oscar nominations and two wins (for directing "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby") -- so far. To commemorate his 77th birthday, the Castro Theatre presents a triple-threat double-bill series, representing an odd assortment of cinematic styles.
The mini-festival starts off with "The Beguiled" -- Wales," directed by Eastwood and starring him as a fugitive Confederate guerrilla whose past catches up with him, as it is wont to do (Tue/29). Then there's a Siegel duo, "Dirty Harry," an urban Western about an uncompromising cop on a cold-blooded killer's trail, and "Escape from Alcatraz," based on the true story of a prison break consists of "Play Misty for Me," Eastwood's directing debut, in which a DJ comes to regret his one-night stand with a nutcase fan, and "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," directed by first-timer Michael ("Heaven's Gate") Cimino, co-starring Eastwood and Jeff Bridges as mean, uh, Mr. Eastwood!
-- Mark Nichol, special to SF Gate Walter Hill will never be lauded as a god among directors, but you always get your money's worth, and if he's good enough for the Pacific Film Archive, he's good enough for you. Hill, who has produced, directed and/or written a couple of dozen films, says each one is essentially a Western, regardless of its ostensible genre, so take a franchise, he is also to be thanked for these five larger-than-life films showing Wednesdays at the PFA over the next month: "Hard Times," Hill's debut effort, with Charles Bronson as a hustling pugilist in 1930s New Orleans (Wed/30), the cool, existential chase movie "The (June 13), "The Long Riders," a treatment of the Jesse James legend starring three pairs of actor brothers (the Carradines, the Keaches man's work has never been very deep, but it's always kinetic, like a kick in the head. -- Mark Nichol, special to SF Gate all screenings at 7:30 pm; $4-$8; (510) 642-1412.
It never gets old watching these three misshapen misfits hurling sarcastic remarks at the silver screen from their seats in an empty theater. And now, you get another chance to see the guys from Mystery thing live as they return to Cobb's Comedy Club. Michael J.
Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy come back as their lovable, yet Affleck-starring superhero film, "Daredevil"). Laughing and poking fun at others is always fun, but no one does it better than these guys. -- Lisa Zaffarese, SFGate Get ready to shake yer moneymaker this weekend at the 2007 Carnaval multi-cultural extravaganza.
A Brazilian vibe is just a few blocks away as the two-day street festival, with a theme of "Love Happens," draws thousands to the ever-sunny (hopefully!) Mission District to witness a melting pot of colorful Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Drench yourself in live music and dancing in a variety of festive styles: calypso, samba, Sunday morning, consisting of a long line of fabulously feathered followers and richly decorated floats.
Plus, enjoy a taste of delicious traditional food. There will also be fun activities for kids, dancing instruction, a soccer pavilion and a Bay Area Youth art contest. Time to take your hips out for a spin.
-- Lisa Zaffarese, SF Gate On Saturday, Courtney Love will appear at the last place you would expect to find her. No, not the beauty shop. The troubled actress/rock star is coming to Book Passage in bucolic Corte Madera, where she is scheduled to sign copies of her new memoir, "Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love" (released on Halloween, no less).
The signing starts at 2 p.m. But that's just one stop on her whirlwind Bay Area book tour.
On the same day, Love also has a signing scheduled at Cody's Books on Fourth Street in Berkeley (7-9 p.m.).
A day earlier, at 7 p.m. Friday, she appears at Borders in San Francisco's Mission Bay.
Keeping with her promise in the introduction, "I have always said that I would never write a book, and I really haven't," the tome is arranged scrapbook style, pulling together collages of Love's old report cards, journal entries and juvenile hall records. Oh, there are also lots of photos featuring the likes of Elton John, Hillary Clinton and Michael Stipe, along with never-before-seen shots of the 42-year-old author's daughter Frances Bean and late husband, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain.
News RSS