Cinequest continues down in San Jose. Balboa Birthday Bash, Balboa, Sunday, 7:00. The anniversary celebration will include a new, silent short subject shot at the Balboa, magician James Hamilton, singer Linda Kosut, a birthday cake, and a screening of the 1926 haunted house comedy The Cat and the Canary, accompanied live by Dave Miotke. A … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 26 – March 4
Month: February 2010
SFIFF: James Schamus to Receive Screenwriting Award
I’ve just received a press release regarding the upcoming San Francisco International Film Festival (April 22 - May 6). Frequent Ang Lee collaborator James Schamus will receive this year’s Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting. In addition to writing or co-writing most of Lee’s films, Schamus also runs Focus Features, making him a art-house studio … Continue reading SFIFF: James Schamus to Receive Screenwriting Award
What’s Screening: February 19 – 25
IndieFest closed last night, but if you live near or are willing to drive to San Jose, Cinequest starts on Tuesday. A+ The Seven Samurai, Stanford, Saturday through the following Friday. If you think all action movies are mindless escapism, you need to set aside 3½ hours and watch Kurosawa’s epic masterpiece. The basic story–a … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 19 – 25
Best Films You Can Finally See
Near the end of both 2006 and 2008, I wrote Top Ten lists of very little value (you’ll find them here and here). They listed the best new films I saw at festivals over the past year that hadn’t received regular releases. These were, in a sense, lists of the best films of the year … Continue reading Best Films You Can Finally See
Kurosawa Diary, Part 12: Throne of Blood
Between 1952 and 1965, Akira Kurosawa make eleven films, and even the worst of these were near-masterpieces. His 1957 Macbeth adaptation, released in the United States as Throne of Blood, is among the most popular of those films. But for me, it’s among the least great of these films. Although Throne of Blood (or Spider-web … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 12: Throne of Blood
Coming Attractions
Just a quick note to share some upcoming events. The Stanford will start a Kurosawa festival this Saturday. The schedule has yet to be announced, but it will tentatively start with Seven Samurai. Check here for more information. And The San Francisco Silent Film Festival made an exciting announcement about their summer festival (July 15-18). … Continue reading Coming Attractions
What’s Screening: February 12 – 18
IndieFest continues through Thursday at the Roxie. And the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum runs its Mid-Winter Comedy Festival this weekend—Friday through Sunday. A The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Castro, Wednesday. Terry Gilliam followed Brazil with this big, splashy fantasy spectacular about the legendary teller of tall tales. The Baron’s alleged exploits had been filmed … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 12 – 18
What’s Screening: February 5 – 11
IndieFest runs through this week and the next at the Roxie. B+ The Music Man, Pacific Film Archive, Saturday, 5:30. One of my childhood favorites doesn’t quite look like a masterpiece anymore. But it’s still big, dazzling, funny, and filled with catchy tunes. Robert Preston carries the picture as Professor Harold Hill, the conman who … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 5 – 11
Bayflicks 