It's autumn, so things are cooling down a bit festival-wise. Only three this week. Japanese Horror Week continues, appropriately, through Halloween Although it's mostly over, the 3rd i South Asian Film Festival will have one more day of screenings on Sunday. Doc Stories starts Thursday. D Othello, Rafael, Sunday Orson Welles and William Shakespeare often … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 30 – November 5
Month: October 2015
The Stanford and Castro in November
The Fox Film Corporation played a major role in Hollywood from 1915 through 1935. During those two decades, it turned John Ford into an A-list director, brought F. W. Murnau to America, and followed Warner Brothers closely into the sound era--investing in what proved to be the better and longer-lasting technology. But the depression hit … Continue reading The Stanford and Castro in November
A+ List: The Grapes of Wrath
By all logic, the film version of The Grapes of Wrath shouldn't have been made--let alone become a masterpiece. It's a great film based on a great novel--how often does that happen? It was directed by the revered auteurist director John Ford, but it's not really an auteurist film. It's a Hollywood movie from the … Continue reading A+ List: The Grapes of Wrath
My Fair Lady on the big screen
This Saturday morning, I finally saw the film version of My Fair Lady on the big screen--specifically, the big screen at the Cerrito. I really enjoyed it. As far as the big, roadshow musicals of the 1950s and '60s go, it's one of the best. Although, in general, those aren't my favorite musicals. I give … Continue reading My Fair Lady on the big screen
What’s Screening: October 23 – 29
We're still in a film festival glut--six of them this week. Not that I'm complaining. The Facine Filipino International Cine Festival closes Saturday The 3rd i South Asian Film Festival continues through Sunday So does the Arab Film Festival Also closing on Sunday, the United Nations Association Film Festival The one-day Food Day / Film … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 23 – 29
Truth tells the story of a disastrous hoax
B Recent historical drama Written and directed by James Vanderbilt As the 2004 presidential election came to its climax, CBS' 60 Minutes news program covered a story that should have ruined George W. Bush's chance of re-election. But an important piece of evidence turned out to be fake, turning it into a scandal about the … Continue reading Truth tells the story of a disastrous hoax
Searching for the root of all evil: My review of Experimenter
A- Biopic Written and directed by Michael Almereyda Why do so many people do what they're told, even when the orders given to them are manifestly immoral? That's what social phycologist Stanley Milgram set out to discover in the early 1960s. His testing methods were controversial, but his results could not be ignored. Michael Almereyda's engaging … Continue reading Searching for the root of all evil: My review of Experimenter
