You may have already noticed a change in the weekly schedules. I'm now grading movies like a school teacher. If I place an in front of a film title, it's not to be missed. If I give one an , missing it is a top priority. And when I mark a film with a , … Continue reading New Icons; Berlin & Beyond

Sickness kept me out of movie theaters for a couple of weeks. And when I finally felt up to going out, what did I see? Blood Diamond. Big mistake. Writer Charles Leavitt and director Edward Zwick tried to create an entertaining thriller and a lesson on the diamond industry’s horrible toll on African lives. But … Continue reading Bloody Diamonds!

In case you haven't heard, we cinephiles won the struggle to save the 4Star last week. For nearly three years now, the theater's owners, Frank and Lida Lee, have been at odds with the owners of the property, the Canaan Lutheran Church. The Lee's wanted to keep running the 4Star as a movie theater--something it's … Continue reading 4-Star Saved

Here's a list you can really use: The Best Unavailable Films of 2006. I attended a lot of festival screenings this year, so it's not surprising that many of the best movies I saw didn't get a wide--or even an art house--release in this country. Since I lack the resources to produce the Bayflicks Second … Continue reading Best Films You Haven’t Seen

Another one of those busy weeks. If you're not as overwhelmed as I am, perhaps you'll have time to see some movies. Recommended: Flags of Our Fathers, 4Star, ongoing. The film that Saving Private Ryan  should have been. According to director Clint Eastwood and screenwriters William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis, raising the flag on … Continue reading Movies for the Week of December 1, 2006