April was a month jam-packed with activities. Technically I had my “spring break” from school, but that happened to coincide with the TCM Classic Film Festival, so it wasn’t really a break. It was AWESOME, but it wasn’t a break. Be sure you check out all of my coverage (including really fantastic interviews with the likes of Tippi Hedren, Rick Baker, Thelma Schoonmaker and more) at YAM Magazine. Almost as soon as I got back from TCMFF, the San Francisco International Film Festival began (it runs through Thursday, May 3rd). You can find all my coverage of that fest (which right now is not much, but after the fest is over there will be more things) also at YAM Magazine. I’ve seen so many foreign films during this festival that I probably would not have seen otherwise. I’ve also seen a few U.S. releases that will be coming out this fall, but I want to tell you I think you should write them down and remember to see them when they do, most notably Robot & Frank and the documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, both of which are being released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Also this month I dropped by my favorite bookstore in San Francisco, Aardvarks on Church st., and bought books that I couldn’t really afford, but just had to have. The one I’m reading right now is called François Truffaut: Correspondence, 1945–1984 and it is the best of books. If you are a fan of Truffaut it is a must. Actually, even if you are not a fan (and why aren’t you?!) I think you’d get a kick out of this book. As always, after the cut there is the full list of new-to-me films and I’ve chosen five films from that list that I particularly loved.

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