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
Month: December 2013
What’s Screening: December 27 – January 2
No festivals this week, but we do get a new year. And some movies. New Year's Eve Family Carnival Night, Alameda, Tuesday, 7:00. The Alameda is promising a magician, clowns, games, a raffle, and, yes, movies. The whole thing is sponsored by the Alameda Pinball Museum, as a memorial for Craig Wolff and a benefit … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 27 – January 2
Upcoming Festivals: Subtitled Noir and Subtitled German
We think of film noir as a very American genre…which is kind of weird. After all, the very word noir should remind us that the French recognized a unique style and gave it a name. So I'm happy to tell you that in its12th installment, Noir City goes international. There will be films from Spain, … Continue reading Upcoming Festivals: Subtitled Noir and Subtitled German
What’s Screening: December 20 – 26
Sorry, folks. No festivals this week. I think that has to do with some holiday that Fox News wants to go to war for. B Go for Sisters, Opera Plaza, opens Friday. John Sayles at his most conventional; in all but the details, you’ve seen this film before. A pair of mismatched protagonists join forces … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 20 – 26
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
Finishing up the PFA’s 4K Series
Within the space of 48 hours, I attended the last three screenings at the Pacific Film Archive's series The Resolution Starts Now: 4K Restorations from Sony Pictures. With these screenings, there was no Grover Crisp to discuss the technology and how it effects the art. Aside from very brief introductions from the PFA's Steve Seid, … Continue reading Finishing up the PFA’s 4K Series
A Century Ago: The Films of 1913
Thursday night, I drove to the Rafael to see A Century Ago: The Films of 1913. This is the latest edition of an annual event--one that was just becoming possible a scant decade ago. And, in its current form, it won't be possible for much longer. In 1910, people still went to movies primarily to … Continue reading A Century Ago: The Films of 1913
What’s Screening: December 13 – 19
This week begins on a Friday the 13th. How appropriate for the last week of this year's Another Hole in the Head Film Festival. Which is also, as far as I know, the last Bay Area film festival of the year. But outside of festivals, we've got a lot going on this week. Noir City … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 13 – 19
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
