I was going to write about everything Bay Area cinephiles have to be thankful for, but death got in the way. So I'll write about Robert Altman. Young mavericks took Hollywood by storm in the 1970's, with Altman all but leading the march. But he wasn't young. At 45, he had nearly 20 years experience … Continue reading Robert Altman

It's a busy week for me, so I'll just point out that the 4Star is running a 8 Films To Die For Horror Fest today through Tuesday, just in case you're in the mood for the gruesome side of independent cinema. And now, on to this week's recommendations: Recommended: City Lights, Davies Symphony Hall, Wednesday … Continue reading Movies for the Week of November 17, 2006

Back in August, I bemoaned the lack of good big-budget action movies this summer. At that time I hadn't yet seen X-Men: The Last Stand. I loved the first two X-Men movies, but wasn't optimistic about number three as director Bryan Singer had left the franchise and the far less talented Brett Ratner had taken … Continue reading X-Men, Silent Directors, and the Oakland Paramount

A Janus Film Festival brought me my first major emersion into classic and foreign films at the idealistic age of 18. Among the movies I first saw at this and subsequent Janus festivals were The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Rashomon, The 400 Blows, and Shoot the Piano Player. (I hate … Continue reading Janus Films