Kurosawa Says Noh to Shakespeare: My Blu-ray review of Throne of Blood

Akira Kurosawa went out on a limb when he made his loose Macbeth adaptation, Throne of Blood. Highly stylized and heavily influenced by Japan's noh theater, the picture holds you emotionally at an arm's length. You're never invited to identify with or even empathize with the characters. This is Kurosawa at his coldest, as if … Continue reading Kurosawa Says Noh to Shakespeare: My Blu-ray review of Throne of Blood

The Once-Great John Sayles Makes a Pretty Good Mystery in Go for Sisters

B Mystery/thriller Written and directed by John Sayles Back in the 1990s, independent filmmaker John Sayles turned out one great film after another. But he's been turning out mostly disappointments for a long time now. His latest film, Go for Sisters, didn't disappoint me, but that's only because I've lowered my expectations about this once-great … Continue reading The Once-Great John Sayles Makes a Pretty Good Mystery in Go for Sisters

Taxi Driver, Alamo Bay, and 4K Digital Projection at the PFA

Saturday night, my wife and I attended two screenings at the Pacific Film Archive. Both were parts of the series The Resolution Starts Now: 4K Restorations from Sony Pictures. And this time, unlike Thursday night's screening, the movies were actually projected in 4K. And they both looked fantastic. This was not a double feature. You … Continue reading Taxi Driver, Alamo Bay, and 4K Digital Projection at the PFA

DCP, Grover Crisp, & Bonjour Tristesse at the PFA

Thursday night I attended the second event in the Pacific Film Archive series, The Resolution Starts Now: 4K Restorations from Sony Pictures. This was more than just a movie screening. It was a talk by Sony's head archivist--and one of the current heroes of film restoration--Grover Crisp. Then came the movie: Otto Preminger’s Bonjour Tristesse. … Continue reading DCP, Grover Crisp, & Bonjour Tristesse at the PFA