The Mill Valley Film Festival continues through Sunday. Both the Petaluma International Film Festival and The Arab Film Festival open today and also run through Sunday. I've placed my Mill Valley capsules at the end of this newsletter. A A Star is Born (1954 version), Castro, Monday. The second and best of three versions of … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 11 – 17
Month: October 2013
Mill Valley Film Festival Report: Costa-Gavras Tribute
Greek/French filmmaker Costa-Gavras has been making slick, exciting political films since the 1960s. His works have attacked Fascism, Communism, American foreign policy, and a Pope. Friday night, he stepped up onto the stage at the Rafael's downstairs auditorium to discuss his career and screen his latest film. But he didn't step up on time. The … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Report: Costa-Gavras Tribute
What’s Screening: October 4 – 10
The season's big event, the Mill Valley Film Festival, continues through the week and a bit beyond. A much less ambitious festival, Hong Kong Cinema, opens today and runs through the weekend. I've listed Mill Valley events at the bottom of this newsletter. B When Comedy Went to School, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, opens Friday. This … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 4 – 10
Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Audiences first saw Charlie Chaplin on a movie screen on February 2, 1914. (Thousands had already seen him live.) On that day, his first Keystone one-reeler, "Making a Living," premiered to audiences who were not, reportedly all that excited. But with his second flick, "Kid Auto Races in Venice," he became a sensation. In other … Continue reading Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Did You Hear the One About the Documentary? When Comedy Went to School
B Documentary Directed by Mevlet Akkava and Ron Frank I didn't know it at the time (after all, I grew up in Los Angeles), but I was raised on Catskills Mountain humor. Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye, and Buddy Hackett taught me to laugh. As I grew older, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, and Tom Lehrer took … Continue reading Did You Hear the One About the Documentary? When Comedy Went to School
