Here's what's in Bay Area movie theaters this week: New movies about spaceflight, Shakespeare, and fascism. Old movies about kidnapping and adultery. You can spend your weekend at an Asian-American film festival, then on Monday watch Tarantino's Holocaust revenge fantasy. Festivals CAAMFest (The Center for Asian American Media Festival) continues through Sunday New films opening … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 17 – 23
Aniara: It’s a long trip to nowhere, but it’s worth it
A Science Fiction Written and directed by Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja This slow, frightful, depressing space movie from Sweden carries a heavy charge. Unless you watch nothing but Hollywood movies, you know almost from the start how it's going to end, and it isn't going to be good. And yet there are moments of transcendent … Continue reading Aniara: It’s a long trip to nowhere, but it’s worth it
All is True, but probably not
A- Drama Written by Ben Elton Directed by Kenneth Branagh First you must overcome the makeup. He doesn't look like Kenneth Branagh. He looks too much like a portrait of William Shakespeare to believe that he's human. But then he starts talking, with Branagh's voice, and you can suspend your disbelief. All is True takes … Continue reading All is True, but probably not
Welles, Lang, Kobayashi & Rock ‘n’ Roll: BAMPFA’s summer schedule
The Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive's summer program offers popular classics and little-known works. And, since it's the BAMPFA, it includes a lot of films you might want to see. Since it's the PFA, every movie must be part of a series. Here are the nine series starting in the summer: Julio Bracho and Mexican … Continue reading Welles, Lang, Kobayashi & Rock ‘n’ Roll: BAMPFA’s summer schedule
The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
The first thing you should know about Marcel Pagnol's 1938 comedy, The Baker's Wife, is that it's very, very funny. The second thing you need to know is that it's also sweet and humane, especially as this story of adultery in provincial France comes to its end. My wife and I saw it at the … Continue reading The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Satan and Adam, Herzog and Gorbachev, James Dean and Paul Thomas Anderson, and the biggest of them all: King Kong and Godzilla. Also two film festivals. Festivals CAAMFest (The Center for Asian American Media) continues through this week and beyond A The French Had a Name for It, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
Meeting Gorbachev with Werner Herzog
C+ Documentary Directed by Werner Herzog and Andre Singer Do you ever wonder about something you know little about, so you Google it or go to Wikipedia? I'm beginning to suspect that when Werner Herzog gets that feeling, he makes a documentary. This time, Herzog picked an exceptionally interesting subject to learn about: Mikhail Gorbachev, … Continue reading Meeting Gorbachev with Werner Herzog
