This week, we’ll get you pumped up for Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s new Oakland-set “Freaky Tales” coming to theaters April 4 (and it should be seen in a theater); offer recommendations for the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival and share info about a nifty retrospective of documentaries by Frederick Wiseman.
Last week, the Grand Lake Theater was the site of the Bay Area premiere of “Freaky Tales,” a raucous joyride with four interconnected, fabulous surreal fables set in 1987 Oakland. Each celebrates the spirit of the city and the genres that flourished during the era when VHS tape reigned.
The title comes from a Too Short song. The hip-hop sensation (who narrates the movie and has a cameo) and former Golden State Warrior “Sleepy” Floyd (who also has a cameo) charmed the jubilant crowd at the red-carpet festivities in a bit of light rain. Also on the scene: Berkeley native and rapper Symba, who is dynamite as Too Short in the movie.
The Grand Lake is prominently featured in the movie, especially in the opening. East Bay landmarks 924 Gilman and the Oakland Coliseum also get a moment in the spotlight.
Jay Ellis, who plays a very fictionalized version of NBA legend Floyd, and Pedro Pascal, making a surprise appearance (and who has a hilarious scene opposite East Bay native Tom Hanks in the film) received thunderous applause when they were introduced in the theater.
While Pascal didn’t have close associations with Oakland before making the film, he does now. Shooting it there was essential: “I feel like Oakland is the main character in the story,” he said on the red carpet. “To be able to shoot it in the physical landscape of what our main character is, is everything.”
Fleck, who grew up in Oakland and attended Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
While “Freaky Tales” gives Oakland a high-five, its stories aren’t told through nostalgic rose-colored glasses, and it addresses issues including racism and sexism. Mostly, though, “Freaky Tales” gets its freak on and is hella funny, and hella, gory too. It’ll be adored particularly by Bay Area moviegoers.
Continuing its tradition, The Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, presented by Goethe-Institut San Francisco, prefers quality over quantity. Now in its 39th year, its 12-film slate includes screenings at the Roxie in San Francisco on March 27-29; the Vogue in San Francisco on March 28; the Elmwood in Berkeley on March 30-31 and the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa on April 6.
The festival opens with Joachim A. Lang’s “John Cranko,” an effective, revealing, intoxicating biopic about the late South African dancer and acclaimed Royal Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet choreographer who died in 1973. Unlike many biopics, it actually shows what inspired him and depicts him crafting his work in his mind and with his dancers.
Cranko, who dealt with persecution and entrapment in London for being gay, moved to Germany in 1950. Mercurial, he was tormented by loneliness but driven by devotion to his profession and beloved by his troupe (some appear in the film’s touching finale).
In the title role, Sam Riley taps into the character’s obsession, genius and vulnerability; viewers get a real sense of how Cranko weathered heartbreak and doubt to triumph on the international dance scene. While the dance sequences alone make “John Cranko” worthwhile, the film has more to recommend. Director Lang serves up a deep portrait of a beloved, committed artist. (The movie screens at 5:30 p.m. March 27 at the Roxie and 7:45 p.m. March 31 at the Elmwood.)
A few other screenings of interest include:
“The Traitor”: The unimaginable happens to Ernst Schrämli (Dimitri Krebs) when his ambition to become a singer World War II-era Berlin leads to playing a role in siphoning Swiss military secrets to a Nazi spy. Director Michael Krummenacher explores the harrowing true story that recounts events leading to the first Swiss citizen being executed for spying and treason. (1:45 p.m. March 29 at the Roxie)
“Two to One”: This light-hearted comedy set during Germany’s 1990 reunification details one family’s master plan to snatch and exchange a lot of soon-to-expire East Germany currency. The fact that it stars Sandra Hüller (“The Zone of Interest,” “Anatomy of a Fall”) and Max Riemelt (Netflix’s “Sense8”) makes us want to see it. (3:45 p.m. March 30 at Elmwood; 1 p.m. April 6 at Jarvis)
For the schedule and tickets, visit https://berlinbeyond.com/2025/films/.
What seems like minutiae turns into compelling insights in documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s immersive films. Both curious newcomers and fans of his fly-on-the-wall observations of the everyday realities of institutions, entities and agencies will want to explore “This Is America: Frederick Wiseman–7 Dispatches” at the Roxie. Six of the films have new 4K digital restorations—enough to make it worth seeing them on the big screen. Arlin Golden, Oakland documentary maker and distributor who runs the Drunken Film Festival, co-curated the program; check out an interview he did with Wiseman here.
At 6 p.m. April 2, the program opens with “Model,” an eye opener shot in 1980 at Manhattan’s bustling Zoli Management Inc. It’s kitschy fun revisiting ’80s New York and getting a glimpse into the world of the fashion industry. Icon Andy Warhol pops in for a visit, and a bit later, two handsome models, (one strips down to his briefs and fields questions while showering) discuss what it’s like to be so darned attractive and how they entered modeling.
It’s hard to watch when models are told they don’t make the cut, for being too short or not having a portfolio that shows their range. Wiseman eavesdrops on it all, including a long TV ad shoot in which a demanding director calls the model “sweetheart” and “darling.” We also learn about “the Avon look” and see models backstage before going on the catwalk for a fashion show.
The rest of the Roxie Wiseman lineup is: “Titicut Follies” at 1 p.m. April 6; “Aspen” at 12:30 p.m. April 12; “Canal Zone” at 12:30 p.m. May 3; “Hospital” at 1 p.m. May 17; “Deaf” at 12:30 p.m. June 7 and “Welfare” at 6 p.m. June 12. Admission is $14 and a three-film pass, a fantastic deal, is $33. For details and tickets, visit roxie.com/series/.
The post Pass the Remote: ‘Freaky Tales,’ Berlin & Beyond, Wiseman retrospective appeared first on Local News Matters.