SF Sketchfest 2016

Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and Rifftrax.com return to SF Sketchfest for a sixth edition of RiffTrax Shorts -- the guys will take on some of the worst PSA, educational, scientific and promotional shorts of yesteryear, and riff them into submission.

Joining the terrific trio are guest riffers John Hodgman ("The Daily Show"), Adam Savage ("Mythbusters"), Paul F. Tompkins ("Best Week Ever"), original MST3K writers and performers Mary Jo Pehl and Bridget Nelson, and frequent RiffTrax Presents team Cole Stratton ("Pop My Culture Podcast") and Janet Varney ("The Legend of Korra").

www.rifftrax.com $30 All Ages

It doesn’t take a psychic to tell you that you’d be hard pressed to TOP THAT when you join SF Sketchfest and Peaches Christ for their celebration of the 1989 cult classic “Teen Witch!” Peaches and her bevy of drag queens will cast a spell on film stars Robyn Lively (Louise), Josh Miller (Richie) and Mandy Ingber (Polly) with a screening and shenanigans at the beautiful Castro Theatre! $22 All Ages

Hard to believe, but it's been 25 years since we were first introduced to Steven Spielberg's grown-up Peter Pan (the wonderful Robin Williams), his trusty sidekick Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), and a look at the world of Never Never Land in a way we'd never seen it before, complete with the nefarious Captain Hook (the dazzlingly- tressed Dustin Hoffman) and a very unique group of Lost Boys.

Join SF Sketchfest in celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "Hook" with special "Lost Boy" guests Dante Basco (Rufio) and James Madio (Don't Ask) for a Q&A hosted by Alamo Drafthouse's Henri Mazza, and participate in our interactive viewing party with props we'll provide you when you arrive. Costumes encouraged! Bring the kids! $20 All Ages

SOLD OUT --  Tickets may be available at the door night-of. See http://sfsketchfest.com/x/how-to-purchase/ for info.

Are you ready to go back to Blaine, Missouri, the Stool Capital of the World? Where Corky got Bonnie a wonderful pantsuit? And where Libby Mae always has a place at the Dairy Queen? And where Ron is teaching Sheila to change her instincts, or at least ignore them? And where a young Dr. Pearl sat next to the class clown and studied him? SF Sketchfest is proud to present the Sesquicentennial + 20 event with a screening of the classic film "Waiting For Guffman" and Q&A with some of the core team who created this wonderful comedy. Please don't invite any Bastard People. $30 All Ages

Yes, it's been 30 years since "Top Gun." But never mind that. It's been 25 years since the hysterical parody "Hot Shots!" debuted and we're celebrating!

Watch as Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) flips for Ramada (Valeria Golino), goes to war, and saves the day alongside cohorts Kent (Cary Elwes), Wash-Out (Jon Cryer) and Admiral Tug Benson (Lloyd Bridges, in a hilarious and ridiculous performance).

Legendary comedy filmmakers Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft will be on hand for a special screening and Q&A. Director and co-writer Jim Abrahams is 1/3 of the infamous ZAZ trio, alongside David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, who created the comedies "Airplane!, "The Naked Gun," "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Top Secret." Co-writer Pat Proft co-wrote the "Naked Gun" trilogy as well as the screenplays for "Police Academy" and "Bachelor Party." $10 All Ages

SF Sketchfest welcomes screen legend Alan Arkin back to the festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of this classic Cold War comedy. When a Soviet submarine, commanded by Lieutenant Rozanov (Arkin, in an Academy Award-nominated role), accidentally runs aground in a quaint New England town, it causes ridiculous mass hysteria among the townspeople. This acclaimed award-winning film tells a tale that is strangely relevant even in 2016. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film also stars Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint and Jonathan Winters. Alan Arkin, who started as an improv comedian in the Second City troupe and went on to become a major star of the stage and screen, will sit down for an extended conversation with Boulder International Film Festival producer Ron Bostwick after the screening. Arkin's many screen roles include "The In-Laws," "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," "Wait Until Dark," "Edward Scissorhands," "Argo," and "Little Miss Sunshine," for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. $25 All Ages

Attention MST3K fans: THE MADS ARE BACK! "Mystery Science Theater 3000" stars Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu are taking movie riffing back onstage in their new live show. Watch with Frank and Trace as they screen one of the worst movies ever made and “riff” (or "comedically make fun of," for the uninitiated) live in the same style as the Peabody Award-winning TV series. $25 All Ages

This Fellini-inspired Comedy Film, written and directed by Michael Meehan, features a large comic cast, and stars SF Comedians JOHNNY STEELE and REGGIE STEELE as SFPD homicide detectives , who find half eaten bodies turning up all over San Francisco.

The Monster, (Jorge Scott) , pursued by a mute gunman on a unicycle ( Meehan), causes panic in the city, but well armed seniors, ( Valerie Meehan, Roberta Borgonovo, Pat Hunter, Jeannie McMillan ) lock and load to nail this menace.

The mayor,( Kevin Meaney) and the police chief( Michael Pritchard) don’t seem too concerned, as they’ve been paid off by nefarious Krazy Kola executives, ( Dan Spencer & James Svatko) , and aided by murderous fixer Nakamura ( James Van Harper), who are marketing a dangerous new beverage that causes people to “sell their eyes for it”.

13 year old Urban Ranger,( James Schmalz) sent out by his troop leader,(Christopher Meehan) to get his “Golden Scat” badge, finds and befriends the Monster after he is wounded by the mute hunter. The hunter is then distracted by the luscious acrobat( Dwoira Galilea), who questions his motives.

James is warned by prophet of doom ( Reed Kirk Rahlman) of the coming apocalypse, but amid the lunacy of the city, it’s just one more thing including an incarcerated soprano (Maryam Mahvi)who pines for fired Krazy Kola employee Loobey ( Conor Hamill)

As Steele and Steele wind through clues, kooks and snitches, they track down the monster, James, and the Hunter for a final showdown , the answers don’t get easier.

The city is showcased along with comedians, Will Durst, Greg Proops, Clinton Jackson, Michael O’Brien, Linda Hill, Diane Amos, David Alan Moss, Bob Sarlatte, Larry “Bubbles” Brown, Colin Mahan, Debi Durst, Geoff Bolt, Steven Pearl, Tony Sparks, Robert Hawkins ,Alicia Dattner, Marty Maceda , Jimmy Gunn and Ngaio Bealum . Also showcased are Gina Won, Tim Talbott, Howard Meehan, Kelly Pisarri, Lynn Ruth Miller, Rita Romero, Sandy Baker, Eric Ward, Scott Free , David Glaser, Joanne Green, Scott Cameron, Hang Nyguen, Christopher Ralph, Anthony Cistero, and Johnny La. And a cast of thousands.

This comedy was produced with generous support from our local community. This is Michael Meehan’s first Feature Film.
$20 All Ages

Don't miss this rare meeting between the two best purveyors of funny and weird videos, Found Footage Festival and Everything Is Terrible!

The Found Footage Festival is a one-of-a-kind event showcasing videos found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters throughout North America. Curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher take audiences on a guided tour of their latest and greatest VHS finds, providing live commentary and where-are-they-now updates on the people in these videotaped obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in a lively celebration of all things found.
The Found Footage Festival debuted its first show in New York in 2004 and has gone on to sell out hundreds of shows each year across the U.S. and Canada, including the HBO Comedy Festival and the Just For Laughs Festival. The festival has been featured on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," National Public Radio and has been named a critic’s pick in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune. The FFF can also be seen twice a week in a popular web series on The Onion’s A.V. Club, in the hit documentary “Winnebago Man,” and in their book, “VHS: Absurd, Odd and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era.”

Everything Is Terrible!
Once a millenium, something emerges from the darkest corner of the universe and enlightens us to the true meaning of being. Something so mystickal, so magickal, and so mind-splitting that all concepts before its existence sounds stupid and boring. Of course, we are talking about Everything Is Terrible! For 8 years the video alchemists at EIT!, as they are known to their adoring followers, have taken thousands of forsaken VHS tapes, chewed them up, and spit them back to their young via daily website postings, six movies, and world tours. In that time, they’ve exposed the universe to wonders such as massaging cat ladies, apocalyptic facial exercises, pizzas parties in hell, and our immortal party-god, Duane. They have also amassed over 11,000 copies of Jerry Maguire on VHS that will be used as sacred bricks in a 3 story pyramid constructed in the great American desert. Nobody could have predicted the cultural, psychological, and illuminating impact EIT! would have on our consciousness, but seeing them live in all of their bedazzled costumage shows once and for all who reigns supreme in the world of found footage! EIT!'s ever-evolving live show combined with their untouchable video curation and spastic video editing style reminds us all that in the right hands, garbage can be turned into gold! It is time pack up your copies of "Jerry Maguire" and accept the fact that your life outside of Everything Is Terrible! is utterly meaningless! Join the movement...

“There are some things on the internet that just make you feel glad to be alive. Everything Is Terrible! is one of those things.” - Village Voice $20 All Ages

SOLD OUT --  Tickets may be available at the door night-of. See http://sfsketchfest.com/x/how-to-purchase/ for info.

SF Sketchfest is thrilled to pay tribute to the iconic Sally Field with a screening of her new film "Hello, My Name is Doris" and Q&A with Sally and "Doris" director and co-screenwriter Michael Showalter.

"Hello, My Name is Doris"
After a lifetime of being overlooked and ignored, a woman of a certain age finds her world turned upside down by a handsome new co-worker and a self-help seminar that inspires her to take a chance on love in "Hello, My Name is Doris," a witty and compassionate late-life coming-of-age-story.

When Doris Miller (Sally Field) meets John Fremont (Max Greenfield), her company's hip new art director, sparks fly-at least for Doris. Her first encounter with true romance (outside of the pages of a novel) convinces Doris that she and the mostly unaware John are meant for each other. In the cluttered house she shared with her late mother, Doris mines the Internet for information on her one-and-only, guided by the 13-year-old granddaughter of her best pal Roz (Tyne Daly).

When Doris begins showing up at John's regular haunts, she wins over his Williamsburg friends with her eclectic vintage wardrobe, quirky naiveté and unironic enthusiasm for their rooftop knitting circle. Her new life brings Doris a thrilling perspective, but also creates a rift between her and her longtime friends and family, who believe she's making a fool of herself over a guy half her age. Eager for all the experiences she has missed out on, Doris throws caution to the wind and follows her heart for the very first time.

Hello, Name is Doris stars two-time Academy Award®-winner Sally Field ("Norma Rae," "Places in the Heart"), Max Greenfield ("New Girl," "They Came Together"), Beth Behrs ("2 Broke Girls," "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love"), Wendi McLendon-Covey ("Bridesmaids," "The Goldbergs"), Stephen Root ("Selma," "Fargo"), Elizabeth Reaser ("The Twilight Saga," "Mad Men"), Natasha Lyonne ("Orange Is the New Black, "American Pie"), Tyne Daly ("Cagney and Lacey," "Judging Amy"), Peter Gallagher ("American Beauty," "Covert Affairs") and Isabella Acres ("Sofia the First," "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs").

Based on a short film by Laura Terruso, "Hello, My Name is Doris" was written by Terruso and Michael Showalter and directed by Showalter. $35, 
18 and up; Children 6 and up will be allowed only with an adult. No children under the age of 6 will be allowed.