Downtown San Francisco may be down to only one multiscreen movie theater (a shocking state for what is supposedly a world-class city). Still, the Mission District will reportedly hold on to its longtime bastion of independent cinema, the Roxie, after years of the operation being on shaky financial ground. Last week, it was announced that the Roxie, which is owned by a nonprofit organization that operates it with the guidance of a savvy board of directors, had raised enough money to buy the building that has housed the theater in various incarnations since 1913.
The purchase of the facility on 16th Street near Valencia was for $5 million. It includes two separate theater spaces — the Big Roxie and the Little Roxie — and Dalva, a venerable neighborhood bar. At this point, a total of almost $7 million has been donated by foundations and individuals, with the additional funds allocated for renovations, upkeep, and repairs, as well as enabling the Roxie to host more special events and bring in visiting artists.
It’s nothing short of astonishing that the Roxie has managed to pull this off in such an economically challenging climate, especially considering how many neighborhood and center-city movie palaces in San Francisco have permanently shut their doors or been repurposed. For some local cinephiles, it remains unconscionable that the historic, refurbished Alhambra on Polk Street in Russian Hill and the Metro in Cow Hollow were converted into upscale corporate fitness clubs with worldwide locations. And there’s no going back for many other locations that were shuttered. The list of closed theaters is enormous, from the Northpoint, Alexandria, Coronet, Royal, and Regency 1 and 2 to the Bridge, Lumiere, Surf, Music Hall, Cento Cedar, Pagoda Palace, and others.
Yes, the dormant multiplex at 1000 Van Ness Avenue was reopened as a deluxe Apple Cinemas movie house after it had lain fallow for many months. And the decrepit New Mission was reborn as San Francisco’s dedicated link in the stylish Alamo Drafthouse chain, offering a mix of mainstream, indie, and foreign films, and dining and drinking options at every seat. But the situation has been bleak for those who enjoy the big-screen theatrical experience, so the salvation of the Roxie is a near-miraculous happening that will hearten any true movie lover — at least, in the short term.
‘Eddington’
One thing’s sure about filmmaker Ari Aster. He’s not afraid to take chances. Of course, that can be risky. His first two major motion pictures, Hereditary and Midsommar, were stunning examples of what has come to be known as elevated horror, eschewing graphic gore for more cerebral chills. Aster’s ability to generate dread in those films was beyond amazing. Less effective was his 2023 feature Beau Is Afraid, a self-indulgent mess about the surreal odyssey of a cripplingly timid and paranoid man. Now, he has written and directed the ambitious Eddington, which despite its high-value elements and bold intentions, doesn’t hold together. Perhaps it’s because Aster tries to do so much.
Eddington is set in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic — specifically May 2020, when masking and social distancing were widely considered mandatory to stop the spread of the virulent disease. As such, it covers a recent and turbulent time in our collective experience. Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of Joe Cross, the sheriff of the small New Mexico town of Eddington, whose civic leaders hope to have a high-tech business open shop there, even as the virus roils the world. Interestingly, Phoenix also starred in Beau Is Afraid. For better or worse, his greatest gift appears to be playing misfits that can make you squirm by watching them grapple with their demons. That makes him a solid choice as the simmering Joe — a mid-level authority figure who hates and defies the Covid mandates.
Exacerbating his inner turmoil, Joe’s marriage to his wife, Louise, played by Emma Stone, is a cold affair. This appears to be hard on Joe because he’d like to have kids. At a personal crossroads, Joe decides to win the mayorship of Eddington from local Hispanic-American businessman and incumbent mayor Ted Garcia, played by the ubiquitous Pedro Pascal (about to shine as one of the stars of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie). The campaign gets more and more contentious, and the short-fused Joe is further provoked when local youths take up placards in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and start demonstrating in the heart of Eddington. Something’s gotta give — and does.
The cast is blue-ribbon, including Deirdre O’Connell as Joe’s mother-in-law and Austin Butler in a small but notable part as a new-age guru. The cinematography by Darius Khondji is upper-echelon, and some scenes are absolute knockouts with bursts of sharp satire and brutal action. But the disparate aspects of Aster’s script for Eddington — the political and social satire, the racial strife and interpersonal conflicts, the nods at the digirati, corrupt business practices, black ops trickery, and religious cults — don’t mesh coherently, nor does lead character Joe inspire much empathy. Eddington is fascinating and compelling … until it proves to be too massive an undertaking. Still, an Ari Aster misfire is more interesting than many other films out there, and his attempt to address the schisms and bad-faith enactors that are tearing America apart is a laudable one.
Eddington is currently in theaters.
‘Stick’
Apple TV+’s amiable sports-oriented sitcom Stick, created by Jason Keller, approaches golf with the same fealty that the streaming service’s Ted Lasso approached British professional soccer — as a framework to examine the human condition in a warm, amusing way. An ideal amalgamation of actor and character, the laconic Owen Wilson slips into the part of Pryce “Stick” Cahill — a former championship-level pro golfer whose life, including his marriage, has been on the skids in the wake of a family tragedy and an ugly incident on the greens. After years in the metaphorical wilderness, Pryce meets Santi (Peter Dager), an uncommonly skilled teen golf whiz, and decides to coach the boy to greatness. This results in Pryce engineering a road trip from tournament to tournament to launch Santi’s career.
Along for the ride are Santi’s pragmatic mother (Mariana Treviño), his cute and snarky nonbinary caddy/love interest Zero (Lilli Kay) — and Pryce’s one true friend and confidant Mitts (Marc Maron), because they’re traveling in Mitt’s mobile home. The relationships are funny, sometimes sweet, and occasionally poignant. Pryce’s redemption arc is agreeable, and the golf aspects of the series are well executed. Judy Greer, who plays Pryce’s ex-wife, is always a welcome presence. And it’s great to see former Bay Area comedian-turned-groundbreaking podcaster-turned-character-actor Maron nailing his turn as Mitts. The talent behind the camera includes Bill Callahan, writer and executive producer on Scrubs and Spin City, and Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, who co-directed the hit comedy Little Miss Sunshine. Not too shabby. With the season’s tenth and final episode to be released this week, one would hope that Stick remains up to par.
Stick is available for streaming on Apple TV+.
