Today is Black Friday--a very appropriate date to open Another Hole in the Head Film Festival. It runs through December 19, and is the only Bay Area film festival at the moment. A RiffTrax Live Presents Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, various theaters, Thursday. The very title should tell you that Santa Claus Conquers the … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 29 – December 5
Month: November 2013
Music, Fame, and American Insanity: My Blu-ray review of Robert Altman’s Nashville
For an all-too-brief time in the 1970s, the Hollywood studios financed and released serious art. They greenlit films without likeable heroes, clearly-defined villains, or conventional, three-act plots. They even financed Robert Altman, who did his best work during that time. And Nashville was unquestionably one of his best. It's tragic, funny, thoughtful, and filled with … Continue reading Music, Fame, and American Insanity: My Blu-ray review of Robert Altman’s Nashville
French New Wave Friday at the PFA
The two films I saw Friday night at the Pacific Film Archive were not officially a double bill, yet they worked very well as one. Both were of the French New Wave, and made when the Wave was truly new--1961 and '62. They have more in common than that. Both films have a female protagonist … Continue reading French New Wave Friday at the PFA
What’s Screening: November 22 – 28
Not much is happening in festivals this week. Cinema by the Bay opens today and continues through Sunday. That's all until next week. On the other hand, you can see one family movie written and directed by Brad Bird on Saturday, then another one on Sunday. In fact, it's a very family-friendly newsletter this week…if … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 22 – 28
Life as we all must some day know it: My Blu-ray review of Tokyo Story
Before watching the Blu-ray Sunday night, it had been years since I'd last seen Yasujirō Ozu's 1953 masterpiece, Tokyo Story. I remember loving the film, but I wasn't ready for the emotional wallop it delivered. Perhaps my own mental state contributed to the experience--I've seen my son get married and lost two close relatives this … Continue reading Life as we all must some day know it: My Blu-ray review of Tokyo Story
Comic Perfection: My Blu-ray Review of City Lights
A great comedy seamlessly mixes a good story, an intelligent observation on the human condition, and a lot of laughs. Everything works together, and only on the third or fourth viewing do you become aware of how the filmmakers balanced all these ingredients, so that the gags and the emotional reality compliment each other instead … Continue reading Comic Perfection: My Blu-ray Review of City Lights
What’s Screening: November 15 – 21
In festival news, New Italian Cinema continues through Sunday, and the Chinese American Film Festival keeps going until Tuesday. The United Film Festival opens today and runs through Sunday. After a few day's hiatus, 3rd i's South Asian Film Festival returns for one more day on Saturday. B- Persistence of Vision, Rafael, Thursday, 7:00. Filmmaker … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 15 – 21
The Bay Area needs another film festival like it needs…
Like a herd of zombies hungry for human flesh, the 10th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival will take over the Balboa on November 29 and not let go until December 5. Then it will move to the New People Cinema, where it will continue to devour brains until the 19th. We think … Continue reading The Bay Area needs another film festival like it needs…
No Capital in the Bay Area
I got an email this morning with the subject "CAPITAL Has Been CANCELLED." "Wow!" I thought. Maybe Obama really is a socialist. Of course, it was about Costa-Gavras' latest film, Capital. Apparently the film's American distributor decided against releasing it in the Bay Area. That seems pretty weird to me. I can't imagine a better … Continue reading No Capital in the Bay Area
My Thoughts on Star Trek: The Motionless Picture
Monday evening, I watched the very first Star Trek theatrical feature, Star Trek:The Motion Picture. The last time I saw it was 34 years ago, when it played in first run at the now gone Berkeley Theater. I watched it again for two reasons: the Blu-ray fell into my hands, and I wanted to see … Continue reading My Thoughts on Star Trek: The Motionless Picture
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