Movies and TV

Director Nisha Ganatra works on the set of “The High Note.” (Courtesy Glen Wilson/Focus Features)

Director Nisha Ganatra sings praises of her ‘High Note’ cast

Tracee Ellis Ross, Dakota Johnson star pop music-themed flick

Director Nisha Ganatra works on the set of “The High Note.” (Courtesy Glen Wilson/Focus Features)
SF Sketchfest’s Live from the Archive online series features a tribute to Fred Willard. (Courtesy photo)

SF Sketchfest opens plentiful comedy archive

Presenter offers free tribute to late great Fred Willard

SF Sketchfest’s Live from the Archive online series features a tribute to Fred Willard. (Courtesy photo)
Lily Collins is good in the ultimately disappointing thriller “Inheritance.” (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)

‘Inheritance,’ ‘Lovebirds,’ ‘Painter’ share crime scenes

Secrets, romance, murder, art and theft in new digital releases

Lily Collins is good in the ultimately disappointing thriller “Inheritance.” (Courtesy Vertical Entertainment)
Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker) and Shaggy (voiced by Will Forte) are back in yet another comic cartoon adventure. (Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

Jinkies! New ‘Scoob!’ misses magic of the originals

Weak chemistry, unfamiliar voice cast mar computer-animated mystery

Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker) and Shaggy (voiced by Will Forte) are back in yet another comic cartoon adventure. (Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
“The Wolf House,” a political, surrealistic film by Cristobal Leon and Joaquin Cocina, screens at the Roxie. (Courtesy photo)

Vivid Chilean stories stream at Roxie virtual cinema

‘Wolf House’ a wild trip, ‘Santiago, Italia’ a hopeful documentary

“The Wolf House,” a political, surrealistic film by Cristobal Leon and Joaquin Cocina, screens at the Roxie. (Courtesy photo)
H.P. Mendoza’s San Francisco-set “Fruit Fly” closes CAAMFest Online: Heritage at Home on May 22. (Courtesy CAAMFest)

Jam-packed Asian Pacific American Heritage Month goes online

Share culture in books, food, films, fine art, music, panels

H.P. Mendoza’s San Francisco-set “Fruit Fly” closes CAAMFest Online: Heritage at Home on May 22. (Courtesy CAAMFest)
Karen (Otmara Marrero, left) meets the mysterious Lana (Sydney Sweeney) while trying to recover from a broken heart at a lake house in “Clementine.” (Courtesy Oscilloscope)

Good on VOD: ‘Clementine,’ ‘How to Build a Girl,’ ‘Rewind,’ ‘Plagiarists’

New drama, comedy, doc and experimental films worth streaming

Karen (Otmara Marrero, left) meets the mysterious Lana (Sydney Sweeney) while trying to recover from a broken heart at a lake house in “Clementine.” (Courtesy Oscilloscope)
Amber Havard and Rob Morgan star in “Bull.” (Courtesy Samuel Goldwyn Films)

‘Bull,’ ‘Deerskin,’ ‘Capital’ newly streaming

Rodeo drama satisfies, killer jacket comedy offers whimsy over substance

Amber Havard and Rob Morgan star in “Bull.” (Courtesy Samuel Goldwyn Films)
A mercenary (Chris Hemsworth) must protect the son (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) of a drug lord in “Extraction.” (Courtesy photo/Netflix)

‘Extraction’ and ‘1BR’ are among four new movies worth streaming this week

Mercenaries, sexual taboos and evil cults populate our latest batch of recommended films

A mercenary (Chris Hemsworth) must protect the son (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) of a drug lord in “Extraction.” (Courtesy photo/Netflix)
Lovie Simone stars as Selah. (Courtesy photo/Amazon Studios)

‘Selah and the Spades,’ ‘Abe,’ on this week’s home-viewing menu

Teen clique dramedy makes the grade; boy chef tale delivers family fare

Lovie Simone stars as Selah. (Courtesy photo/Amazon Studios)
Anthony Daniels in character in the C-3PO suit on the set of “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.” (Courtesy/Lucasfilm/Disney)

The man behind C-3PO talks about his 40-plus years on “Star Wars”

Last month, the man behind one of the most famous characters in one of the all-time most popular movie franchises was in San Francisco

Anthony Daniels in character in the C-3PO suit on the set of “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.” (Courtesy/Lucasfilm/Disney)
Betty White (pictured at the Time 100 Gala in 2010) is celebrated in the Netflix documentary “Betty White: First Lady of Television.” (Photo courtesy David Shankbone NYC)

Savor the classic comedy of Betty White and Rose Marie

Streaming docs recount careers of two show-biz greats

Betty White (pictured at the Time 100 Gala in 2010) is celebrated in the Netflix documentary “Betty White: First Lady of Television.” (Photo courtesy David Shankbone NYC)
Sidney Flanigan is excellent as a pregnant teen in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” (Courtesy Focus Features)

Compelling ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ new on demand

‘Slay the Dragon,’ ‘Other Lamb’ also notable

Sidney Flanigan is excellent as a pregnant teen in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” (Courtesy Focus Features)
Jesse Eisenberg stars as Marcel Marceau in the World War II-set “Resistance.” (Courtesy IFC Films)

‘Resistance,’ ‘Vivarium,’ ‘Bacurau,’ ‘Banana Split’ on demand

New releases shock, thrill, amuse and tug heartstrings

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Marcel Marceau in the World War II-set “Resistance.” (Courtesy IFC Films)
Cherise (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, left), Robyn (Zoë Kravitz), and Simon (David H. Holmes) spend an afternoon at Championship Vinyl in the Hulu adaptation of Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity.” (Courtesy Phillip Caruso/Hulu)

Series worth streaming: ‘High Fidelity,’ ‘Anne with an E’

Different lives showcased in engrossing Hulu, Netflix shows

Cherise (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, left), Robyn (Zoë Kravitz), and Simon (David H. Holmes) spend an afternoon at Championship Vinyl in the Hulu adaptation of Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity.” (Courtesy Phillip Caruso/Hulu)
Jesse Borrego, left, and James Le Gros star in “Phoenix, Oregon,” which is being offered online, with ticket sale revenues shared with independent theaters. (Courtesy photo)

Innovative ways to view indie (and Hollywood) movies

‘Phoenix, Oregon’ streams with revenues assisting indie theaters

  • Mar 23, 2020
Jesse Borrego, left, and James Le Gros star in “Phoenix, Oregon,” which is being offered online, with ticket sale revenues shared with independent theaters. (Courtesy photo)
Sophie Lowe, left, and Morgan Saylor are excellent as sisters in “Blow the Man Down.” (Courtesy Jeong Park/Amazon Studios)

Women charm in droll comedy ‘Blow the Man Down’

Criterion streams classic German expressionist cinema

Sophie Lowe, left, and Morgan Saylor are excellent as sisters in “Blow the Man Down.” (Courtesy Jeong Park/Amazon Studios)
From left, Josh Thomas, Kayla Crome and Maeve Press is Genevieve star in Thomas’ “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” now streaming on Hulu. (Courtesy Freeform)

Stream the excellent ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Okay’

Australian comic Josh Thomas has created two great shows

From left, Josh Thomas, Kayla Crome and Maeve Press is Genevieve star in Thomas’ “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” now streaming on Hulu. (Courtesy Freeform)
Berkeley Repertory Theatre is offering the opportunity to view its production of “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” online. (Courtesy Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre)

Local arts groups stream canceled productions

Berkeley Rep, ACT selling tickets to see recorded shows

Berkeley Repertory Theatre is offering the opportunity to view its production of “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” online. (Courtesy Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre)
Sohrob Esmaili of San Francisco is among the competitors on “Spring Baking Championship, Season 6.” (Courtesy Food Network)

S.F. pastry chef vies for TV’s Spring Baking champion

Proper Hotel’s Sohrob Esmaili brings flower power to Food Network show

Sohrob Esmaili of San Francisco is among the competitors on “Spring Baking Championship, Season 6.” (Courtesy Food Network)