It’s always good to laugh, and an evening of Buster Keaton, with live accompaniment, should supply the entertainment. I just got my first press release concerning this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, which will run from April 19 through May 3. As is the festival’s custom, they leak several major events to the press [...]
Filed under: Festivals, SFIFF, Silent Films | Tagged: Buster Keaton | Leave a Comment »
Since I first discovered Buster Keaton almost 40 years ago, I’ve considered Seven Chances one of his best features. That was an unusual opinion in the 1970s, when even Keaton fans barely knew this picture existed. But its status has been rising in recent years, and I’m hoping that Kino’s new Blu-ray release will help [...]
Filed under: Blu-ray Review, Comedy, Silent Films | 1 Comment »
With The Artist finally playing locally, I thought it would be fun to look at other post-silent movies with little or no dialog. Cinema, in its purest form, is a visual art. What it can do without words has always been more powerful than what it can do with them. If I ran my own [...]
Filed under: Comedy, Silent Films | Tagged: animation, Chaplin, comedy, Jacques Tati, Japanese cinema, Pixar, silent film | 1 Comment »
A Dramatic Comedy Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius The question with which I opened my Hugo post applies even more to Michel Hazanavicius’ new silent film: Did I–and other cinephiles–love The Artist because it is a very good motion picture, or because the story, setting, and style are so close to any cinephile’s heart? [...]
Filed under: Comedy, Reviews, Silent Films | Tagged: movies, silent film | Leave a Comment »
I sometimes wonder whether Singin’ in the Rain really is the greatest movie musical ever made. I think it is, but I may be prejudiced because Singin’ is, after all, a movie about film history–something I care very much about. Other critics and historians may have a similar prejudice. And so we come to Hugo, [...]
Filed under: Restorations, Reviews, Silent Films | 1 Comment »
Here’s a trio of current and upcoming events: San Francisco Latino Film Festival This film festival opened Friday, and I didn’t even know about it. My apologies. It runs in the City, Berkeley, Marin, and San Jose through the 25th. Check the web site to see what’s playing. Kevin Smith’s Red State Kevin Smith—the writer [...]
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I attended both San Francisco Silent Film Festival opening night screenings last night at the Castro. I didn’t attend the party, which conflicted with the second show. That was an easy choice. Upstream The festival opened with a newly discovered John Ford film. Thought lost for decades, a tinted print of Upstlream turned up recently [...]
Filed under: Festivals, First-person Report, Silent Films | 1 Comment »
Full disclosure: I’m reviewing a Blu-ray set that I don’t even have. Kino accidentally sent me the DVD set rather than the Blu-ray. In fairness, this may be my fault. When I emailed a request for a review copy, I neglected to specify what format. Luckily, the content of the two sets are identical, so [...]
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You’ve probably read about 3D movies doing disappointing business lately. Some say that today’s 3D craze is bottoming out. Others argue that, like a killer in a bad horror movie (probably shot in 3D), the stereoscopic format will rise again. But I say: Look to Hollywood’s past for perspective on 3D’s future. Will it swiftly [...]
Filed under: Silent Films, Technical | 1 Comment »
It’s June, and that means two weekends (and a few weekdays) of intense silent film activity. For those of us who love to read a movie’s dialog while listening to live musical accompaniment, summer brings added pleasures to the Bay Area. The Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival runs Friday through Sunday, the weekend of June [...]
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