If you want to understand Italian neorealism, the desperation of poverty, or simply the power of cinema, you have to see Vittorio De Sica's masterpiece, The Bicycle Thief (AKA Bicycle Thieves or Ladri di biciclette). You'll find it deservedly on any short list of great motion pictures. This film pits the desperately poor against the … Continue reading Thoughts on The Bicycle Thief
Month: November 2014
What’s Screening: November 7 – 13
Quite a few festivals this week: The American Indian Film Festival continues through Sunday French Cinema Now also runs through Sunday And so does the San Francisco Dance Film Festival The South Asian Film Festival closes on--you guessed it--Sunday. But it will pop up again for one day next week. The Napa Valley Film Festival … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 7 – 13
Force Majeure: Vacation isn’t what it used to be
A- drama Written & directed by Ruben Östlund The carefully controlled, not-quite-natural outdoor experience of a fancy ski resort becomes a metaphor for the veneer of a troubled marriage in this Swedish drama set in the French alps. Tomas and Ebba (Johannes Kuhnke and Lisa Loven Kongsli) take their two young children on what is … Continue reading Force Majeure: Vacation isn’t what it used to be
Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
I love digital projection. After a long period of skepticism, I embraced the new technology enthusiastically years ago. To my eyes, a well-transferred DCP looks better than any projected film format except Imax. And yet, I'm excited about Christopher Nolan's Interstellar coming out on real, to-goodness film. This is despite the fact that I have … Continue reading Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
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