The bad news: The Castro Theater is no longer a movie theater. The good news: Other Bay Area theaters are showing plenty of vintage movies. Theaters closings The end of the Castro For decades, the Castro Theatre has been the perfect movie palace for opening a film festival or just for watching vintage cinema. And … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 21 – 27
Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn?
D- No real genre Written and Directed by Radu Jude This film starts with hardcore porn. A very happily-married couple are doing just about everything and enjoying it immensely. And yes, the sex is real. Unfortunately, in the fiction of the movie, that video was caught on the husband's smartphone, and somehow, it got onto … Continue reading Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn?
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of January
Want to experience something frightening? A lot of Alfred Hitchcock movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel at the end of January. But this is not only about the Master of Suspense. Movies by Billy Wilder, Nicholas Ray, Julie Dash, Elia Kazan, George Stevens, and more will also disappear. See them before February. Full recommendations … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of January
What’s Screening: January 14 – 20
I have stopped going to movie theaters because of Omicron. I just don't think it's safe - even though I wear a mask and have all the right shots. I'm not the only one who thinks that way. The Film Noir Foundation has postponed this year's Noir City festival. And the New Parkway has gone … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 14 – 20
Three Women Blu-ray
I usually only review Blu-rays of films that I already know and like. I want to explore how a film I know is good is getting a worthwhile presentation. I consider the quality of the image, the sound, and the extras. But with Ernst Lubitsch's 1924 silent melodrama, Three Women, I was buying a pig … Continue reading Three Women Blu-ray
Losing Berkeley’s California Theatre
The California Theatre, Berkeley's only true movie palace, is in danger of disappearing. I suspect that the California will be gone within months. Built in 1913, this is one of the last Art Deco movie theaters in the Bay Area. Inside and out, the California felt like you were entering a glorious adventure. Like other … Continue reading Losing Berkeley’s California Theatre
Sloan Science & Don’t Look Up
A huge comet will hit the earth and destroy all life within months. The good news: It's a movie, and a metaphor for the climate crisis. Rather than months, in real life we have a few years to fix the problem. This year's Sloan Science in Cinema Prize goes to Adam McKay, the writer and … Continue reading Sloan Science & Don’t Look Up
What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
I dedicate this week's newsletter to film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022). Considering what Omicron is doing all over the world, we have a surprising number of vintage movies playing in real theaters. We've got major works from Peter Jackson, F.W. Murnau, Wong Kar Wai, The Coen Brothers, … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
Matrixes: Kung Fu, digital effects, and ridiculous stories
I was never a fan of The Matrix franchise. The very concept of these films bothered me since I saw the first one (I'll go into this below). I saw the first two movies when they were relatively new, with no desire to see more. I skipped the third movie when it came out. But … Continue reading Matrixes: Kung Fu, digital effects, and ridiculous stories
Parallel Mothers: What you heard at the maternity hospital
A- drama Written & directed by Pedro Almodóvar Some movies are easy to review, but not this one. If I'm not careful, I can ruin the movie for you - and not just in the last act. Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, Parallel Mothers, contains some important surprises over its two-hour runtime, and each new revelation … Continue reading Parallel Mothers: What you heard at the maternity hospital
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