Jason previews upcoming events--Docfest, MVFF, and more

I've had a bit of a lull in movie-watching, but that's going to end pretty soon.

First up, next Friday Docfest begins at both screens at the Roxie. Presented by the good people who brought you Indiefest, this is two full weeks of documentaries. In the past, circumstances have forced me to miss at least part of this festival, but this year might be the first time I see absolutely everything presented by Indiefest. For the most part, you can see everything by just staying in the Big Roxie, but the "Blues Fest Films" program only plays at the Little Roxie. Right now my plan is to see that Monday, Oct 1.

I also want to mention one film in the program. Since I can see everything, I just looked at the calendar and figured out the schedule. I didn't read the film descriptions, but there was one title that jumped out at me--"Wiener Takes All". I'm sure it's actually about wiener dogs or something like that, but as a Wiener myself, and one who sees all, I'll labor under the delusion that it's about me.

It actually should be pretty easy to see everything at Docfest, if I so choose, but it overlaps with the Mill Valley Film Festival, starting October 4. Mill Valley is a little far away from me, so I've only ever been to the weekend programs. Still, I haven't been back in a couple of years, and I miss it. So I'll have some hard decisions to make the first two weekends of October. There's also a movie that features the great Parkway Speakeasy Theater, "Go Together", so if nothing else I'll try to make it up there on Saturday, October 13 (which fortunately doesn't conflict with Docfest).

The Weekend of October 5 is actually an embarrassment of riches, as the Castro Theater hosts a weekend of classic horror movies called Shock It To Me! Again, it's unlikely I'll make it since it conflicts with Docfest, but I figure plenty of my readers will be interested, and depending on how much energy I have, I could check out the midnight movies Friday and Saturday night ("Killer Klowns From Outer Space" and "Re-Animator").

It would normally be an easy decision to go to Mill Valley at least the second weekend on Oct 13 and 14, but Oct 14 is the opening of the San Jose Jewish Film Festival. This is kind of a different type of festival, playing every Sunday and Wednesday for a week. And that opening Sunday includes an afternoon with Judd Hirsch! Other programs that excite me: The Israeli Oscar winner "Sweet Mud" which I missed at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and "The Discovery of Heaven", which was one of my favorites at their festival a few years back (they've recently started to revivals of their most popular past movies). Also, it ends with another chance to see "Black Book", one of the best movies of the year and Paul Verhoeven's best movie in...I don't know how long.

And finally, concurrent with the SJJFF, the Arab American Film Festival runs from Oct. 18-28 in the SF Bay Area (and this year they've added a Los Angeles leg of the festival. Or maybe it's been there before and I haven't noticed). So I'll do my part to promote Mideast peace--in San Francisco.

And that's it for now. If we look forward to November, there's the Latino Film Festival and the American Indian Film Festival--two festivals I've been interested in but never been to. But their schedules aren't even announced yet, so I'm not thinking about them yet.