Movies and TV

Ahmed Bharoocha, left, and Devin Das play insurance agents in the horror comedy “Keeping Company.” (Courtesy FilmFreeway)

Dozens of offbeat flicks online in SF IndieFest

Local films, comedies, dramas, docs stream in 23rd showcase

Ahmed Bharoocha, left, and Devin Das play insurance agents in the horror comedy “Keeping Company.” (Courtesy FilmFreeway)
Niousha Jafarian is superb in Kourosh Ahari’s “The Night.” (Courtesy IFC Midnight)

‘The Night’ cleverly melds horror and marital strife

‘Dear Comrades’ rivetingly depicts life in the 1960s Soviet Union

Niousha Jafarian is superb in Kourosh Ahari’s “The Night.” (Courtesy IFC Midnight)
Denzel Washington is excellent as a deputy sheriff who becomes obsessed with finding a killer in “The Little Things.” <ins>(Courtesy Warner Bros.)</ins>

‘The Little Things’ a well-made but flawed thriller

John Lee Hancock film feels like it needs an update

Denzel Washington is excellent as a deputy sheriff who becomes obsessed with finding a killer in “The Little Things.” <ins>(Courtesy Warner Bros.)</ins>
The charismatic Adarsh Gourav, left, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas star in “The White Tiger,” Ramin Bahrani’s adaptation of the novel by Aravind Adiga.<ins> (Courtesy Netflix)</ins>

‘White Tiger’ takes in-depth look at India’s caste system

‘Identifying Features’ depicts human effects of Mexico’s drug wars

The charismatic Adarsh Gourav, left, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas star in “The White Tiger,” Ramin Bahrani’s adaptation of the novel by Aravind Adiga.<ins> (Courtesy Netflix)</ins>
“Beautiful Something Left Behind” is an extraordinary documentary about young children whose parents have died. <ins>(Courtesy Roxie)</ins>

Dead reckonings in ‘Beautiful Something Left Behind,’ ‘No Man’s Land’

Films take on death — one gracefully, the other awkwardly

“Beautiful Something Left Behind” is an extraordinary documentary about young children whose parents have died. <ins>(Courtesy Roxie)</ins>
Dr. Martin Luther King in Sam Pollard’s ‘MLK/FBI’. (Courtesy of IFC Films/TNS)

The superb documentary ‘MLK/FBI’ clearly connects the past to our troubling present

Justin Chang Los Angeles Times Among the many archival materials excerpted in…

Dr. Martin Luther King in Sam Pollard’s ‘MLK/FBI’. (Courtesy of IFC Films/TNS)
From left, Leslie Odom Jr., Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Aldis Hodge star in the fascinating “One Night in Miami.” (Courtesy Amazon Studios)

Four famed Black heroes gather in riveting ‘One Night in Miami’

‘Some Kind of Heaven’ digs into life at a huge Florida senior community

From left, Leslie Odom Jr., Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Aldis Hodge star in the fascinating “One Night in Miami.” (Courtesy Amazon Studios)
The appealing Anthony Mackie, left, and Damson Idris star in “Outside the Wire.”<ins> (Courtesy Netflix)</ins>

For a paranoid android, try ‘Outside the Wire’

Not so memorable sci-fi action flick will pass the time

The appealing Anthony Mackie, left, and Damson Idris star in “Outside the Wire.”<ins> (Courtesy Netflix)</ins>
“Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir,” about the Bay Area-based Chinese American novelist, is among the films being presented by the Roxie during the virtual Sundance Film Festival 2021. (Courtesy KPJR Films)

Roxie theater shows Sundance film fest titles

Screenings, gatherings online from Jan. 28-Feb. 3

“Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir,” about the Bay Area-based Chinese American novelist, is among the films being presented by the Roxie during the virtual Sundance Film Festival 2021. (Courtesy KPJR Films)
Claire Dunne plays an Irish woman who goes on a self-discovery journey in “Herself.”<ins> (Courtesy Amazon Studios)</ins>

A woman builds a house in appealing ‘Herself’

‘Dissident’ a doc about an intrepid Saudi reporter

Claire Dunne plays an Irish woman who goes on a self-discovery journey in “Herself.”<ins> (Courtesy Amazon Studios)</ins>
From left, Tamara Bass, Meagan Holder and Mekia Cox appear in the satisfying drama “If Not Now, When?,” an in-depth look at Black women’s emotional lives. (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)

‘If Not Now, When?’ explores Black women’s friendships with heart

Tamara Bass, Megan Good make solid directorial debut

From left, Tamara Bass, Meagan Holder and Mekia Cox appear in the satisfying drama “If Not Now, When?,” an in-depth look at Black women’s emotional lives. (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)
Kelly Reichardt’s minimalist “First Cow” is set in the 1820s American Northwest. (Courtesy A24)

The best movies of 2020

Critics laud dramas by Spike Lee, Kelly Reichardt, Steve McQueen, Eliza Hittman and Chloé Zhao

Kelly Reichardt’s minimalist “First Cow” is set in the 1820s American Northwest. (Courtesy A24)
People who are shunned because they are physically unattractive are the subject of “Happy Face.” (Courtesy Dark Star)

‘Happy Face’ takes in-depth view of individuals deemed unsightly

Clunky but genuine film tackles rarely addressed subject

People who are shunned because they are physically unattractive are the subject of “Happy Face.” (Courtesy Dark Star)
Chloë Grace Moretz is a woman on a major mission in “Shadow in the Cloud.” (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)

Get ready for anything in ‘Shadow in the Cloud’

Demented WWII-set flick has nimble filmmaking, girl power, monsters

Chloë Grace Moretz is a woman on a major mission in “Shadow in the Cloud.” (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)
Drawing from his own life, Kemp Powers cowrote “Soul,” the new film from Pixar about a music teacher and jazz player. (Courtesy DeborahColeman/Pixar)

Kemp Powers brings his expertise to ‘Soul’

Playwright adds authenticity to Pixar’s latest offering

Drawing from his own life, Kemp Powers cowrote “Soul,” the new film from Pixar about a music teacher and jazz player. (Courtesy DeborahColeman/Pixar)
Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha are convincing couple in “Sylvie’s Love.” (Courtesy Nicola Goode/Amazon Studios)

‘Sylvie’s Love’ a sexy, old-fashioned melodrama

But classy, engaging film with a Black cast lacks depth

Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha are convincing couple in “Sylvie’s Love.” (Courtesy Nicola Goode/Amazon Studios)
Gal Gadot reprises the title role in “Wonder Woman 1984.” <ins>(Courtesy Warner Bros.)</ins>

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ saves the day in 2020

Appealing superhero brings laughter, cheers and sighs

Gal Gadot reprises the title role in “Wonder Woman 1984.” <ins>(Courtesy Warner Bros.)</ins>
The funny nostalgic “A Christmas Story” airs, starting Christmas Eve, in 24-hour marathon broadcasts on TBS and TNT; it’s also streaming. (Courtesy TBS/TNT)

Christmas comforts: 15 essential movies and ‘toons bring holiday joy

Spirit-lifting classics, new and old, are online and on TV

The funny nostalgic “A Christmas Story” airs, starting Christmas Eve, in 24-hour marathon broadcasts on TBS and TNT; it’s also streaming. (Courtesy TBS/TNT)
Atsuko Maeda plays a Japanese TV show host who visits Uzbekistan for work in the affecting “To the Ends of the Earth.”(Courtesy Kim Stim)

A Japanese TV host journeys in evocative ‘To the Ends of the Earth’

‘The Last Blockbuster’ an engaging, nostalgic documentary

Atsuko Maeda plays a Japanese TV show host who visits Uzbekistan for work in the affecting “To the Ends of the Earth.”(Courtesy Kim Stim)
Billy Bob Thornton perfectly plays the title character in “Bad Santa.” (Courtesy Columbia)

Yule jewels: 14 Christmas movies break with tradition

Holiday films with a twist are online for streaming pleasure

Billy Bob Thornton perfectly plays the title character in “Bad Santa.” (Courtesy Columbia)