SFIFF presents live ‘Vampyr’ score with Mercury Rev and Simon Raymonde
Fans of classic film and live music are in for a special treat next week, as the San Francisco Film Society has commissioned its latest world premiere merging the two mediums. On Monday, May 2, the San Francisco International Film Festival will continue its celebration of classic film intertwining with contemporary music by presenting Vampyr with Mercury Rev and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). As the first program in the Live & Onstage section of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival, two members of Mercury Rev (Jonathan Donahue, Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak), Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins, Jesse Chandler of Midlake, [...]
Seoul Brothers: Go-Go 70’s at the SFIFF
When writer/director Ho Choi released his rollicking rock and roll picture in Korea in 2008, it debuted during trying economic times, not making the impact it perhaps deserved to make. One hopes that increasing exposure at international festivals will bring it to a wider and more enthusiastic audience. The film, originally titled Gogo Chilship, could be described as a Korean version of The Commitments, Alan Parker's widely successful story of a group of Dublin musicians who form a soul band. This comparison would be reductive, to be fair, and Choi deserves credit for crafting a film that deploys a number [...]