I'm in New York City right now, visiting my son and daughter-in-law. This evening, we went to an art house cinema I didn't know existed to see a Ernst Lubitsch film I had never heard of. The theater is the Antohology Flm Archives in lower Manhatan. The movie was Broken Lullaby, also known as The … Continue reading Rare Lubitsch in New York
Month: March 2014
What’s Screening: March 28 – April 3
Yet another identity film festival, Czech That Film (yes, that's really the festival's name), runs Sunday through Wednesday. On that same Wednesday, the Sonoma Film Festival opens its own five-day run. And then, on Thursday, the Food & Farm Film Fest opens. And if you're not going to a festival, you can check out any … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 28 – April 3
Comedy and Popularity: Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman on Blu-ray
It might be possible to watch Harold Lloyd's 1925 masterpiece, The Freshman, without laughing, or without hoping that the protagonist will win the popularity he so deeply wants. But it wouldn't be easy. Every shot in this film is brilliantly designed to make you either laugh or care--or both. Lloyd's "glasses" character truly came into … Continue reading Comedy and Popularity: Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman on Blu-ray
TCM Classic Film Festival coming to Hollywood (and I wish I could be there)
I generally only write about Bay Area film festivals. In fact, all too often, I don't have time to cover them properly. And yet here I am, writing about a festival that's four hundred miles away. And there's simply no practical way for me to attend. It is, of course, Turner Classic Movies' TCM Classic … Continue reading TCM Classic Film Festival coming to Hollywood (and I wish I could be there)
What’s Screening: March 21 – 27
The only local film festival this week is CAMMFest, which closes on Sunday. C+ Le Week-End, Albany, Embarcadero, Guild, Kabuki, Rafael, opens Friday. On their 30th anniversary, a very unhappy English couple go to Paris for a weekend. Whether they even hope it will rekindle something seems unlikely.This dark and depressing drama about a marriage … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 21 – 27
The Castro in April
I just checked the Castro's Coming Soon page to see what's playing in April. The information is limited, but it has some intriguing offerings. Sing-Along Beauty and the Beast: For a split second, I thought this might be Jean Cocteau’s post-war masterpiece, which would be odd since that one isn't a musical. On the other … Continue reading The Castro in April
Before Monday: My review of Le Week-End
C+ Drama Written by Hanif Kureishi Directed by Roger Michell If the shockingly misleading trailer for Le Week-End makes you want to see the movie, don't. It is not, as you may have been led to believe, a romantic frolic about an aging couple rekindling their romance in the city of lights. Quite the opposite. … Continue reading Before Monday: My review of Le Week-End
Kurosawa has fun: My Blu-ray review of Hidden Fortress
In Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa used the samurai genre to examine the limits of human knowledge and objectivity. In Seven Samurai, he told an epic story of small-scale war and a feudal system in crisis. In Throne of Blood, he adapted Macbeth to meditate on fate. In The Hidden Fortress, he pretty much just had fun. … Continue reading Kurosawa has fun: My Blu-ray review of Hidden Fortress
What’s Screening: March 14 – 20
What's going on in Bay Area film festivals? Cinequest ends its 2014 run on Sunday. And CAMMFest (formerly the Asian-American Film Festival) continues through the week and beyond. Here are some interesting films screening around the bay. B+ Eat Drink Man Woman, New People Cinema, Monday, 6:20. Ang Lee's third feature and second art house … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 14 – 20
The Producers & Take the Money and Run at the PFA
Friday night I saw a disappointing print of a great movie, and a great print of a disappointing movie. Guess what! I'd rather see a great movie than a great print. I attended a double bill of late 60's comedies by first-time American directors, both of whom would become major filmmakers--Mel Brooks and Woody Allen. … Continue reading The Producers & Take the Money and Run at the PFA
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