A- Espionage drama Written by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen Directed by Steven Spielberg Two superpowers, each hating and fearing the other as a military and ideological enemy, face each other off. Neither wants to back down. Neither wants to give an inch. But both know full well that if their cold war … Continue reading Pride, decency, nationalism, and the Bridge of Spies (also the Mill Valley Film Festival screening in Corte Madera)
Month: October 2015
Ian McKellen at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Sunday night, I attended the Sir Ian Mckellen tribute at the Rafael--all part of the Mill Valley Film Festival. The event started 20 minutes late; no explanation was given. Executive Director Mark Fishkin started out with a brief summary of McKellen's many awards, nominations, and honors. He has received six Olivier awards, two Oscar nominations, … Continue reading Ian McKellen at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Cars, Queens, and Eye Surgery: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
This event should really be called the Marin Film Festival. It uses theaters all over the county. But I really did spend Saturday in Mill Valley, a town that I've never quite figured out geographically. I caught three films there. B- Havana Motor Club I'm not really a fan of car racing, which may affect my … Continue reading Cars, Queens, and Eye Surgery: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Big, roadshow musical movies coming to the Bay Area
A particular kind of movie musical will soon get a lot of exposure in the Bay Area--the large-format roadshow musicals of the 1950s and '60s. These were almost always close adaptations of popular Broadway stage musicals. They were often shot and projected in large, high-definition, film formats such as Todd-AO or Super Panavision 70. And … Continue reading Big, roadshow musical movies coming to the Bay Area
What’s Screening: October 9 – 15
The Mill Valley Film Festival runs throughout the week. And the United Nations Association Film Festival opens Thursday. I've included festival films at the bottom of this newsletter. B Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, opens Friday The National Lampoon magazine was irreverent, offensive, bold, crazy, satirical, and … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 9 – 15
A+ List: Grand Illusion
Most movies are forgotten five years after their release. The masterpieces last decades. And so I continue with my survey of my all-time favorite films--my A+ list. Early in Jean Renoir's 1937 POW tale, a German officer announces that he just shot down a plane. He orders an underling to find and a capture the … Continue reading A+ List: Grand Illusion
What’s Screening: October 2 – 8
The Mill Valley Film Festival opens Thursday. And even though no one else is calling the Jack Pierce Classic Monster Movie Week a festival, it qualifies in my view. I've placed some comments about the Jack Pierce series at the end of this newsletter. A 50's noir double bill: Sweet Smell of Success & The Night of … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 2 – 8
A+ List: Goodfellas
Looking at my A+ list alphabetically, we go from The Godfather to The Godfather Part II--epic stories of American organized crime. Next alphabetically: Goodfellas--another epic story of American organized crime. And with Goodfellas, we really get down to the nitty gritty. And believe me, it's gritty. The Godfather was based on a novel; Goodfellas on a … Continue reading A+ List: Goodfellas
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