FILM: In Being Michael Madsen, the titular star "turns the tables on notorious paparazzo, Billy Dant, by hiring a trio of documentary filmmakers to chronicle Dant's life, loves, and troubles." Crafty! The film also stars David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, and Virginia Madsen. Screens at The Roxie. READING: Michael Layne Heath and William Taylor Jr. read in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday (and of being our first gay Republican president!) at Dog Eared Books. *......

All of you YouTube addicts out there are probably familiar with many of the "absoludicrous"* found video clips from Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett's touring Found Footage Festival (*Mr. T makes an appearance in the "Celebrities Who Teach" series). The critically-acclaimed event will be in San Francisco tonight and tomorrow night at the Roxie Red Vic at 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and this Sunday at the Parkway in Oakland for a 5 p.m.......

Theatrical Releases April 13th, 2007 We haven’t seen everything on the roster for this week but we have seen Hot Fuzz and we strongly suggest it. Hot Fuzz does for cop/buddy action films what Pegg, Wright and Frost’s Shaun of the Dead did for zombie films. Fuzz is every bit as researched and diligent as was Shaun. Afterwards you can hit the pub and discuss which you think is funnier. ...

We were originally going to put a cursory summary of Partners in Preservation's program in Day Around The Bay, but after poking around on the website, it's so cool that we've elevated it to a stand-alone post. American Express, in connection with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund, will give $1 million to historic sites around the Bay Area. The way they'll determine who to give the money to and......

Looking for a good cause to support? Everyone's favorite Mission art house theater, the Roxie, is hosting a special benefit tomorrow night (Sunday July 30) to raise funds to restore their marquee. At 7 pm, before the showing of State of Fear (a documentary about Peruvian terrorists), the Roxie is hosting a reception, along with live Peruvian music, with all proceeds going to fix up the sign. Tickets are $15, and you can buy them......

Our friends at The Roxie Film Center love SFist readers! They love them sooooo much, that they want to give a few lucky readers passes for themselves and a guest to any of their screenings of The Outsider between Friday, April 7 and Thursday, April 13. No, no one will be saying "Stay gold, Ponyboy" in this documentary about filmmaker James Toback, writer and director of movies like Black and White, Fingers, and Bugsy.......

"I want to put the awe back in superhero movies," says filmmaker Michael Sparaga, "The characters have sort of become blasé about what they could do, as well as the people watching them." His movie, Sidekick, screens as part of SF Indiefest on Thursday and Saturday at 4:30pm at The Roxie, has no shortage of awe: mild-mannered comic enthusiast Norman is bowled over to discover a coworker with superpowers. As a sidekick, Norman loyally......

Will the rain ever stop? Hope it didn't rain too hard on your New Year Eve's festivities, readers, as some of your favorite SFist staffers close out 2005 and ring in oh-six. We also finished our Fisties of the Year! Did your favorites win? In other news, Al Gore is moving into Chris Daly's district (and down the block from Gavin), BART fares are going up, and hey! The Roxie's not going to close! Also -- check out the pictures from our first annual SFist Christmas party -- we hope you had a good time. Welcome SFists Sarah, Chuck, and Karen -- and check out our interview with local author (and sometimes-commenter!) Judy B. Party picture by Paolo. Check out our flickr! ...

The name on everybody's lips is gonna be..... The New College Roxie Film Center! Ending years of nail-biting and speculation, the Roxie Theater on 16th and Valencia has been saved from shuttering by its neighbors the New College. The New College received an anonymous $200,000 donation earmarked to pay off the Roxie's debts and to turn the theater into a nonprofit. Bill Banning, who used to own the Roxie, will stay on as a film programmer, but the day-to-day operations have been turned over to new executive director Allyce Bass and the New College Media and Film Studies department chair Mary Ellen Churchill. The Roxie will continue to screen movies, but will also double as a classroom during the day, and they'll have special events there too. The Roxie Film Center will have its grand opening on April 7. Cineaste Gavin Newsom'll be there, and issued the following statement: "As small independent theaters struggle, New College and the Roxie are keeping the spirit of independent film alive." Truly, the language of cinema -- it's universal! ...

Wow. After the splendor that was the San Francisco International Film Festival, we're just bushed. Still, we'll forge ahead and force ourselves to see some movies this weekend, we guess. The things we do! The Sex Worker Arts Festival winds down this weekend with several film screenings at The Roxie Saturday and Sunday. Support your local sex workers and check out some of this provocative (both intellectually and erotically) cinema.......

SFist wasn't gonna see The Ring Two, but then we saw that LaSalle didn't like it! We were completely emotionally damaged by The Ring (in fact, we were mor frightened by it that we were by the original, such cinematic plebians are we) that we didn't really want to see a lesser sequel. LaSalle's contempt ignites our interest, however, and will probably stop by The Metreon to check it out. If you're still up......

SFist is so &%#$# sick of the blizzard of press surrounding Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow that we could puke....