I discovered just how fun an Oscar party can be. It happened last night at the Cerrito. But I must confess: I did not, after all, come costumed as a lesbian gardener ballet dancer with an eye patch. A few people were costumed as movie characters, however, and a great many dressed up formally for … Continue reading Oscars at the Cerrito
Month: February 2011
Cinequest
With its celebration of technology and independent filmmaking, Cinequest always seemed like a festival I should attend. But San Jose a big schlep for me, and I've yet to make it. But that doesn't mean you should miss it. It runs the first 12 days of March. The festival kicks off this year with Passsione, … Continue reading Cinequest
What’s Screening: February 25 – March 3
Cinequest opens Tuesday night, if only as a reminder that not all festivals open on a Thursday. But then, the Green Film Festival opens on Thursday. And here's something strange: There's not a show in this newsletter I can give a grade to. No A's, no F's, and nothing in between. There are two movies … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 25 – March 3
Oscar Parties
The rule used to be that you watched movies in theaters and TV at home. Today, so many of us watch movies at home that we need to get out once in awhile to watch TV in the theater. And why not do it with the biggest movie night on television: The Academy Awards? Comedy … Continue reading Oscar Parties
The Leopard at the Castro
Historical epics like Lawrence of Arabia, Gandhi, and Cleopatra tell us stories about people who changed history. Others--what I call passive epics--concentrate on people whose worlds are changed by the history happening around them. Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur, and Dr. Zhivago fit into this category. Luchino Visconti's 1963 film The Leopard takes this passivity … Continue reading The Leopard at the Castro
What’s Screening: February 18 – 24
No festivals this week. A Double bill: Chinatown & L.A. Confidential, Castro, Thursday. Roman Polanski may be a rapist, but you can’t watch Chinatown and deny his talent as a filmmaker. (Not that that in any way excuses his actions as a human being.) Writer Robert Towne fictionalized an actual scandal involving Southern California water … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 18 – 24
Technical Formats and the Best Picture Oscar
If The Social Network wins the big prize this month, as many think it will, it will be the first picture to do so not shot on film. The Mark Zuckerberg biopic was shot digitally. A year ago, a lot of people thought that Avatar was going to win, and it would have achieved that … Continue reading Technical Formats and the Best Picture Oscar
Silent Film Festival Winter Event
I devoted yesterday at the Silent Film Festival Winter Event. Great way to spend a Saturday. Here are the details: It’s Mutual: Charlie Chaplin Shorts Before the movie started, I visited the retail section on the Castro's mezzanine. At the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum table, I bought a bumper sticker - "Films have a … Continue reading Silent Film Festival Winter Event
What’s Screening: February 11 – 17
IndieFest continues through the week. And the Silent Film Festival Winter Event plays Sunday. Silent Film Festival Winter Event, Castro, Saturday, all day. Regular readers shouldn't be surprised that I consider this the big event of the week. The day begins at 1:00 with a trio of Chaplin Shorts from his Mutual period, accompanied by … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 11 – 17
Academy Award-Nominated Live-Action Shorts
B+ As I promised in my last post, here are my thoughts on the five films nominated for the Best Live-Action Short Subject Oscar. They're playing, as a single feature, next week at various theaters around the Bay Area. These are, overall, a bit better than this year's animated shorts. They're also longer on average. … Continue reading Academy Award-Nominated Live-Action Shorts
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