In our last chapter, I managed to get the number of candidates down to 13, despite adding three additional films to the candidates list. Now I must add another, I Am Legend, bringing the number up to 14. So what can I remove? In Part III, I considered the possibility of eliminating La Vie En … Continue reading Top Ten Preparation, Part V: Final Winnowing
Month: December 2007
I Am Legend
Sci-fi horror thriller Written by Mark Protosevich & Akiva Goldsman Based on the novel by Richard Matheson Directed by Francis Lawrence I wonder if the Warner Brothers executives who greenlit this movie knew what they were getting into. You okay a big budget end-of-the-human-race scifi adventure starring Will Smith (seems a safe bet), and you … Continue reading I Am Legend
He-Man Hur and Harold Lloyd: Recommendations and Warnings
Ben-Hur (1959), Castro, Saturday. The best of the many big, long religious epics Hollywood churned out when the wide screen was a selling point, Ben-Hur doesn't quite manage to be the masterpiece that many people remember. The story is heavy-handed, especially in the final hour when the Christianity is ladled on rather thick. But it's … Continue reading He-Man Hur and Harold Lloyd: Recommendations and Warnings
New Pacific Film Archive Schedule
I just received the Pacific Film Archive’s schedule for January and February. Some interesting stuff, and some disappointing things missing. But then, those are two short months for the PFA. The Archive closes every year for U.C.’s winter break, and by the time it reopens on January 11, the month is a third gone. February … Continue reading New Pacific Film Archive Schedule
Top Ten Preparation, Part IV: Comedies
Click the links for Part I, Part II, and Part III. I have to add another film to my top ten candidates: Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman's wonderfully true-to-life comedy, Juno. And that's handy, because comedy is exactly what I want to talk about in this chapter of my ongoing quest for the Top Ten … Continue reading Top Ten Preparation, Part IV: Comedies
Juno
Dramatic comedy Written by Diablo Cody Directed by Jason Reitman The last thing I expected before the year ended was a comedy about unintentional pregnancy that was more truthful, more insightful, and just plain funnier than Knocked Up. I found one. You could go to movies for years and not find anything as good as … Continue reading Juno
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Family action movie Written by The Wibberleys Jon Turteltaub Since I don’t review films professionally, I don’t have an editor forcing me to go to movies I have no desire to see. That’s my kids’ job. And so, on opening night, I took my 12-year-old and one of her friends to see National Treasure: Book … Continue reading National Treasure: Book of Secrets
January Festivals
German-language films, foreign films that aren’t in German, and the dark side of Hollywood all come to Bay Area theaters next month. The 13th annual Berlin & Beyond Film Festival opens at the Castro January 10 for a one-week, 35-film run. The opening night feature, The Edge of Heaven, follows a father and son and … Continue reading January Festivals
Only Four Recommendations and Warnings
Since I now leave first-run Hollywood and indiewood fare out of the weekly report, my recommendations and warnings on pretty short this week. Helvetica, Roxie, opens Friday. Director Gary Hustwit clearly feels passionate about typefaces. So do the graphic designers he interviews. Some consider the ubiquitous san serif font for which the movie is named … Continue reading Only Four Recommendations and Warnings
Top Ten Preparation, Part III: Categories
Click the links for Part I and Part II. Last time I discussed this topic, I had 17 possible candidates for the Top Ten. Instead of eliminating seven, however, I've added one: Atonement. Now there are 18! The very concept of a list requires you to say that this film is better than that film. … Continue reading Top Ten Preparation, Part III: Categories
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