Here are four films I recently saw for the first time. Curiously, the two new movies are both better than the two new-to-me movies. Proof that vintage cinema isn't always great cinema. A Bros (2022); still in theaters This is the best and most original romantic comedy I've seen since Annie Hall. The characters are real and … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: Bros ֍ See How They Run ֍ Contempt ֍ Car Wash
What’s Screening: Sept 30 – Oct 6
I wrote this newsletter in September, and I expect it will still be September when you read it. And yet, this blog post seems very much like October. All the classic movies I'm recommending this week were made to scare you out of your pants. And most succeeded. Festivals & Series Mill Valley Festival Green … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 30 – Oct 6
Stuck at home? Celebrate silent films if you can’t go to a theater
Today, if you have the time, watch a film with printed titles instead of dialogue. After all, today is Silent Movie Day. With the exceptions of the Sebastopol and the Elmwood, the theaters and festivals don't seem to care. If you're not a silent film fan, and you're wondering what's so special about 100-year-old movies, … Continue reading Stuck at home? Celebrate silent films if you can’t go to a theater
More Mill Valley Movies
Here are the last five films I've seen and reviewed for this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. This time, there are two documentaries and three fiction films. They go from excellent to pretty bad. A Town Destroyer This local and very short documentary (55 minutes) does something rare in today's political docs: The filmmakers look … Continue reading More Mill Valley Movies
What’s Screening: Sept 23 – 29
I suppose I should say something about Jean-Luc Godard – he was the last of that band of outsiders that created the French New Wave and changed cinema. I like some of his early works, such as Breathless and Vivre Sa Vie. But he eventually broke with his friends and became way too didactic to … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 23 – 29
The Mill Valley Film Festival is coming
Marin County, 1977, cinematic history was made! That was Star Wars. But a few miles away, in the same year, the first Mill Valley Festival opened. As far as I know, it took place entirely in the valley. By 2015, the festival's growth made me joke that it should be called the "Marin County Film … Continue reading The Mill Valley Film Festival is coming
What’s Screening: Sept 16 – 22
If you like old movies in real theaters, you can see Kurosawa's best, the flick that made Spielberg famous, the first great vampire movie, Billy Wilder's look at American business, Hitchcock in 3D, and a Kubrick double bill. Plus two festivals. Festivals & Series The SF International South Asian Film Festival opens Friday and closes … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 16 – 22
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of September
At the end of every month, The Criterion Channel removes some of their films to make room for more. Here are some of the films that will go away at the end of August: Full recommendations A Raging Bull (1980) Martin Scorsese put a cap on 70's cinema with this study of boxer Jake La … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of September
What’s Screening: Sept 9 – 15
Want to see an old movie in a real theater? This week in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can see some of the best from Akira Kurosawa, Richard Linklater, Walt Disney, Luis Buñuel, two from Francis Coppola, Nicolas Roeg (directing David Bowie), Elaine May, and a whole day of watching works by Pier Paolo … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 9 – 15
Movies I’ve recently seen: The Asphalt Jungle ֍ Tahara ֍ Honk for Jesus ֍ Elvis
Here's another four random films. This time, most of them are recent. But the best is the only oldie. A- The Asphalt Jungle (1950) There's no one main character in this noir by John Huston. Instead, we get to know six very different criminals as they set out together to steal a fortune in diamonds. … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: The Asphalt Jungle ֍ Tahara ֍ Honk for Jesus ֍ Elvis
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