Only one festival this week, but it's a big one. Frameline LGBT continues through this week and beyond. A- Your Sister's Sister,Kabuki, Embarcadero, opens Friday. This romantic sex comedy kept surprising me. I thought it was shallow; then the characters deepened. I figured out whom was going to end up with whom, and what artificial … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 15 – 21
Month: June 2012
Your Sister’s Sister
A- Romantic comedy Written and directed by Lynn Shelton Let's start with the title. Your Sister's Sister seems like a clumsy way of say your other sister or you. But since two of the three characters that dominate this movie are sisters who have to work out a close but problematic relationship, the title is … Continue reading Your Sister’s Sister
Life 2.0
When I saw this documentary at the 2010 San Francisco Film Festival, I was informed that it would likely receive a theatrical run. It never did--at least in the San Francisco Bay Area (I understand that it had brief runs in LA and NY). Since it's available on DVD and download through various outlets, I … Continue reading Life 2.0
Blu-ray Review: The Gold Rush
In 1925, Charlie Chaplin created what many consider his masterpiece: The Gold Rush. In 1942, he altered it to an extent that would make George Lucas blush. And he insisted to his dying day that the new version was the better one. This Tuesday, Criterion releases a superb Blu-ray of The Gold Rush that includes … Continue reading Blu-ray Review: The Gold Rush
Discount Movies in Newark
Rena Dein of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum just informed me of a real deal. The Cinedome 7 in Newark is now a discount theater. Top ticket price: $2.00. Tickets are only .75 cents on Mondays, if you buy a minimum of three tickets. I've never been to this theater, and have no opinion … Continue reading Discount Movies in Newark
What’s Screening: June 8 – 14
It's a gay time for film festival lovers. The Queer Women of Color opens tonight (Friday) and runs through Sunday. Then Frameline LGBT opens Thursday night. A The Wages of Fear, SF Film Society Cinema, opens Friday for one-week run. You’ll find few other thrillers this painfully suspenseful. Four poverty-stricken Europeans, desperately stranded in South … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 8 – 14
Memories of Ray Bradbury
I grew up in LA, mostly Hollywood, in the 1960s and early 70s, and I was interested in popular culture, movies, and science fiction. That made Ray Bradbury a fixture in my life. Not just someone I read, but someone I frequently saw and heard in person. My most memorable Bradbury experience happened in a … Continue reading Memories of Ray Bradbury
Roxie Fundraiser Brings in $50,000
As I noted in my May 25 newsletter, the Roxie had a fund-raising dinner at the Verdi Club on May 31st. I got a press release this morning announcing that it was a big success. Rather than trying to report on an event I didn't attend, I'll simply copy and paste the bulk of the … Continue reading Roxie Fundraiser Brings in $50,000
Pandora’s Digital Box: David Bordwell’s Book on Films, Files, and the Future of Movies
Even cinephiles who embrace the look of digital projection (and I count myself among them) have plenty to worry about. The current digital transition threatens independent theaters, independent distributors, the accessibility of older movies (especially those outside the canon), and the long-term survival of yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's motion pictures. No one has contributed to … Continue reading Pandora’s Digital Box: David Bordwell’s Book on Films, Files, and the Future of Movies
What’s Screening: June 1 – 7
It's not much of a week for festivals, but New Czech Films comes back for two more days on Wednesday and Thursday. And then there's: Charlie Chaplin Days, downtown Niles (including the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum), Saturday & Sunday, 11:00am - 4:30. Charlie Chaplin spent a year making movies in Niles (now part of … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 1 – 7
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