What have I got for you this week?I started off on Friday with a newsflash of the Elmwood changing hands. Then, on Sunday, I gave you my thoughts on the American Film Institute's new, updated list of the 100 greatest American films of all time. On Tuesday, I posted microreviews of five films that will … Continue reading This Week’s Films

Just a few quick notes. The Brainwash  Drive-In/Bike-In/Walk-In  Movie Festival screens in a little over a week. I’ve never been to this two-night event (and won’t be able to make it this year), but it sounds like one of the odder events to hit the Bay Area on an annual basis. The festival presents two … Continue reading Brainwash and Elmwood in the East Bay

I've been able to preview five films playing at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in July and August. Here, from best to worst (although none is really bad), is what I think of them: My Mexican Shivah Death brings families together--even families that should probably remain apart. In Alejandro Springall's mildly comic drama (Do … Continue reading Jewish Film Festival Preview

You’ve probably heard that the American Film Institute just released a 10th anniversary edition of its “100 Years...100 Movies” list, although they’re not calling it “110 Years…100 Movies.” They also describe this as a list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, despite the fact that only American movies qualify. Of course, the AFI … Continue reading The 100 Greatest 100 Greatest Lists of All Time

Rialto Cinemas (not to be confused with the Renaissance Rialto chain) recently bought Berkeley's Elmwood theater, a regular Bayflicks.net venue. The theater is dark this week as the new owners give it some much needed renovations. The buy appears to have happened suddenly, or at least quietly. Only about a week ago I received an … Continue reading Newsflash: Elmwood Changes Hands

I'm back in form. I wrote four posts this week. On Friday, in Getting Back in Touch, I apologized for not writing (and a few other things), and recommended a couple of excellent films that are playing around but not in my weekly schedules. Then, on Sunday I wrote a full-length review of Knocked Up. … Continue reading This Week’s Films

Four days after the silent films leave the Castro next month, everyone will be speaking Yiddish. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival opens there on July 19 (my birthday) with Sweet Mud, an Israeli drama set on a kibbutz in 1974. It closes August 6 at the Rafael with another Israeli drama, Three Mothers. (The … Continue reading The Cinematic Mitzvah

Quiet! I don't want to hear another word! Music's okay; go ahead and play some music. Applause and laughter are fine, too. And I don't mind reading words--I just don't want to hear them. You guessed it. This is my annual "Silents of Summer" post, inspired by the two weekend-long silent film festivals that brighten … Continue reading Silent Night–and Matinees, Too

With all the movies Hollywood has made about romantic love, only a handful hint at the messy, complex, but ultimately rewarding reality. There's Annie Hall, Woman of the Year, and Dodsworth, but not much more. Curiously, and probably not coincidentally, most of these are comedies. Now we can add another picture to the list: Judd … Continue reading Serious Comedy

Lousy timing on my part. Just as I finally go commercial and add advertising to Bayflicks.net, I stop writing. Yes, as I need visitors viewing my pages I stop giving them a reason to come here. But I never was much of a businessman. Nor am I always brilliant about what films I should see … Continue reading Getting Back in Touch