The Pacific Film Archive is still on its winter hiatus, and will remain so until January 12. But the January/February schedule is out, so we have some idea of what’s ahead. This is an auteur heavy schedule, with four series devoted to particular filmmakers (two American, two French): Henri-Georges Clouzot, Howard Hawks, Robert Bresson, and [...]
Filed under: Theaters | Leave a Comment »
You may have heard recently that the Castro is converting to live theater and giving up regular movie screenings. I’m happy to report that the rumor is false. I first heard it via a tweet from Roger Ebert. It seemed plausible. Revival cinema hasn’t been economically healthy for a long time. So I emailed my [...]
Filed under: Theaters | Leave a Comment »
The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, which runs the Vogue, is joining forces with current Balboa manager Gary Meyer to keep that theater open. (I bet you didn’t even know it was in danger of closing.) The Balboa was built in 1926, making it one of the oldest continuing movie theaters in the Bay Area. [...]
Filed under: Theaters | Leave a Comment »
I know people who use the word showmanship to refer to a high technical quality in motion picture presentation—usually referring to old-fashioned technology. I don’t. When I think of "showmanship," I don’t think of movies. I think of circuses, magic shows, and rock concerts. Showmanship isn’t about technology, but about live human beings putting on [...]
Filed under: Festivals, Technical, Theaters | Leave a Comment »
I recently realized that I could put together a pretty good series on Hollywood in the 70s from DVDs and Blu-ray discs in my home collection. Then I discovered that the Pacific Film Archive had a better one on the way using 35mm prints. In other words, I only recently took a look at the [...]
Filed under: Theaters, Upcoming & Local | Leave a Comment »
I’ve seen a lot of movie theaters close. It always hurts. But none hurt as much as Berkeley’s UC Theatre. There were years when I went there three or four times a week. Even more than the Castro, the UC was my shrine to the art and joy of cinema. It closed its doors for [...]
Filed under: First-person Report, Theaters | 3 Comments »
I just came home from a two-day mini-vacation, and what do I find? The Red Vic will definitely close on July 25—less than three weeks away. This seemed likely back in March, but it’s an absolute fact, now. Among the final films are Babe, Stop Making Sense, Touch of Evil, and The Last Waltz. The [...]
Filed under: Theaters | Leave a Comment »
The Roxie is undergoing more organizational changes. The biggest change: They’ll be mixing more live theater with films. On weekends, you’ll get a half hour of live entertainment before the movie. I don’t have time to really evaluate the announcement, so I’ll just do something horribly unprofessional. I’ll just pass on their press release, unedited: [...]
Filed under: Theaters | Leave a Comment »
In 1980, the Red Vic became a movie theater and devoted itself to repertory cinema. Back then, its competition was from other revival houses. Today, most of that competition is gone, and it struggles to compete with DVDs and Netflix. The competition is much harder. Those who read today’s Chronicle Datebook section know that the [...]
Filed under: Theaters | 1 Comment »
I’m sitting in the Niles Essenay Silent Movie Museum, waiting for the Laurel & Hardy show to begin. First thing that hit me when I entered the lobby was the significantly larger store. Unfortunately, I arrived at the last minute and didn’t have time to explore it. Continuing at intermission: Just watched Three Stooges short, [...]
Filed under: Comedy, Theaters | 1 Comment »
