Frameline continues through the week. A Katyn, Kabuki, Rafael, opens Friday. In the spring of 1940, Soviet special forces massacred over 15,000 Polish prisoners of war, including the father of future filmmaker Andrzej Wajda. After the war, Stalin’s government insisted that the Nazis were to blame and suppressed the truth. Wajda tells the story of … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 19 – 25
Month: June 2009
Bayflicks Slowing Down for Awhile
My life is extremely busy these days. I have little time to see movies, let alone write about them. I don’t foresee that changing for a couple of months, at least. For that reason, I’m putting Bayflicks on semi-hold. I’ll try to post the weekly newsletter, although it will probably be short. And if I … Continue reading Bayflicks Slowing Down for Awhile
What’s Screening: June 12 – 18
Frameline, the LGBT festival, opens Thursday at the Castro. Other than that, not much to report, if only because I’ve been just too busy. But a very special event is happening tonight in Fremont: A Around the Bay, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Friday, 8:00. Sparse and utilitarian, Alejandro Adams' low-key drama gets right to … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 12 – 18
Around the Bay and My Personal Appearance
A small film I’ve been championing for over a year, Alejandro Adams' Around the Bay, comes to the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum this Friday night (June 12). This low-key drama never got a theatrical release, and isn’t available on Netflix. You don’t get many chances to see it. You can read my original review. … Continue reading Around the Bay and My Personal Appearance
Kurosawa Diary, Part 9: Ikiru
After the overlong, stultifying mess of The Idiot, we come to one of the great masterpieces of world cinema. The title, Ikiru, means “to live” (or so I’ve been told), and I’d be hard pressed to think of a better film about the mortality that shapes and shadows our lives. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 9: Ikiru
What’s Screening: June 5 – 11
Life isn’t scary enough for you? Have no fear! Or better yet, have some. Another Hole in the Head Film Festival opens Friday for a two-week run, mostly at the Roxie. Charlie Chaplin Days, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Saturday and Sunday, all day. Chaplin spent his second year of filmmaking largely in Niles, and … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 5 – 11
Ryan’s Daughter at the Rafael
I caught the presentation of Ryan’s Daughter at the Rafael, last night. It was part of their Films of My Life series. This time around, the honored guest was Pixar writer/director Andrew Stanton, the creator of WALL-E. Why would someone known for family pictures pick Ryan’s Daughter, a film that somehow got a PG rating … Continue reading Ryan’s Daughter at the Rafael
The Parkway May Reopen
It seems that an Indiana-based Midwestern theater chain called Motion Picture Heritage is in talks with the Parkway’s owners about reopening the beloved Oakland theater. See this Chronicle article for details.
Silent Film Festivals
It’s June. For most of the Northern Hemisphere, that means warm, sunny days. But in the Bay Area, it means cold, fog, and silent movie anticipation. This year as in every year, late June and early July bring us two weekend-long silent film festivals. This year, personal issues will keep me away from the San … Continue reading Silent Film Festivals
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