A scene from Metropia, not for the kids

If you happen to be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend and are looking for a last-minute culture fix, our suggestion is the Fourth Annual S.F. International Animation Festival. The festival's kick-off took place earlier this week, with an Opening Night screening of the new Wes Anderson movie The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

While Fox is a larger studio release, most of the festival's programming gives due time and attention to films that don't have the same hype or budget attached to them as a Pixar release—obscure international offerings, shorts, and other movies that don't usually find a place at your local cineplex. Don't get us wrong, we're still Pixar devotees, but this weekend's lineup is refreshingly challenging and less mainstream than, say, the umpeeth movie in the Shrek series. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-13T16:44:27-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/21/122656/96

Austin gets all the credit for being the arty city in Texas, and Houston residents probably like it that way: When no one's depending on you to bolster your state's reputation, you get a lot more work done! But the city where "Reality Bites" and "Rushmore" were filmed is stepping into the limelight with next month's Cinema Arts Festival Houston.

Held November 11 to 15, the fest says it focuses on "films by and about artists," offering events like a conversation with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga ("Babel") Nov. 13 and a screening of the new documentary "Yes Men Fix The World" with one of the Yes Men, who have been wreaking havoc in Washington D.C. this week with fake press conferences and silly costumes—that's on November 14 and 15. ]]> egw 2009-10-21T16:28:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/13/143047/98

A scene from Noriben, playing at this year's Hawaii International Film Festival.

Though the time for Tribeca, Cannes, and Toronto has come and gone, the film festival circuit hasn't screeched to a halt. There's Sundance to look forward to, of course, but a welcome alternative to similar large-scale hype galas are festivals held far away from Los Angeles, New York, and other metropoles.

Hawaii may not be Hollywood, but there's still creativity abound on the big island. And while it may not attract as much attention as, say, Berlin, the Hawaii International Film Festival has earned a well-respected reputation among cinema's inner circle, with people like Roger Ebert praising its East-meets-West sensibility. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-13T15:38:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/6/102857/470

It just isn't Halloween until you've had a good dose of scary movies, and the The Eerie Film Festival in Erie, PA is serving up a roster guaranteed to keep you up at night.

This year's fest kicks off Thursday night with the British zombie film Colin, which caused quit a stir in Cannes this year. The movie, which producers claim cost a mere $70, is told from a zombie's perspective. In addition to Colin, the fest will screen more than a dozen horror movies; some are terrifying while some are kitschy, like the updated version of the classic horror flick Nosferatu in 3D. ]]> cmb 2009-10-06T11:18:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/22/11132/5594

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is holding their annual Baseball Film Festival on Oct. 2-4 at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The festival will feature 13 baseball-themed movies including The Lost Son of Havana about Major League Baseball star Luis Tiant's return to Cuba and She's Baseball Mad!, a look at the role women played in building Seattle's family-friendly ballpark.

Tickets for each screening are free, and can be reserved in advance. Members can reserve their tickets now and any remaining seats will made available to the general public on Monday, Sept. 28. For more information call the Membership Department at 607-547-0397 and be sure to check our suggestions below for getting the most out of your weekend in Cooperstown.

Where to stay and eat and what to do while in Cooperstown: ]]> cmb 2009-09-22T12:38:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/15/9531/41951

With megastars like George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey touting their new projects at the Toronto International Film Festival each September, the Boston Film Festival, which kicks off this week, has traditionally been overshadowed. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of BFF which has an impressive line-up of over 30 films and 22 shorts that will be screened between September 18th and 24th. Here's how you can get the most out of the festival this weekend.

What To See:
This year, BFF is honoring Uma Thurman with the Film Excellence Award. Uma's new movie, Motherhood will open the festival on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Landmark Kendall Square Theatre in Cambridge before the official awards ceremony. The independent comedy is about a New York City mom who has no idea what challenges she is about to face while planning her 6-year-old daughter's birthday party. Tickets for the Motherhood screening are still available via Landmark Theatre for a mere $9.75.

Where to stay and eat, after the jump. ]]> cmb 2009-09-15T13:27:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/4/134136/0452

As you read this, hundreds of movie industry insiders are preparing to journey to Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off on September 10th and runs through the 19th. Publicists are hustling to make sure itineraries are locked down, young independent filmmakers are excitedly buzzing in anticipation of World Premieres, and studio heads are preparing to lead the first wave of Oscar season hype.

TIFF offers an early look at what are sure to be some of the year's most critically-lauded films, but, along with Sundance, Tribeca, and the mother of all festivals, Cannes, attending also requires the spartan wherewithal to deal with large crowds and the time crunch of back-to-back screenings.

If you'd rather not subsist off of Red Bull and doughnuts (as recent festival attendees told us is the diet of choice) and prefer to be surrounded by more laid back movie lovers, try one of the three TIFF film festival alternatives we've listed below. Pedro Almodóvar may not grace your midst, but you're still promised entertainment while parked in front of the big screen. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-09-04T15:29:46-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/