For a 27-year-old film, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing feels very much like the here and now. The only obvious difference is that when cops kill an unarmed black man, no one records it on their cellphone. By focusing on a few blocks of Brooklyn's Bed Stuy neighborhood over the course of one very … Continue reading A+ List: Do the Right Thing
Month: November 2016
Jean Renoir and Spike Lee at the PFA
I saw two highly-regarded classic films Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive. This was not a double feature. They were about as different as good films can be. The Golden Coach This was my first experience with Jean Renoir's 1952 commedia dell'arte about, well, commedia dell'arte. It's also about arrogant aristocrats, starving artists, and, … Continue reading Jean Renoir and Spike Lee at the PFA
Doc Stories festival opens with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
Quick note: Yes, I've been changing Bayflicks' design a lot lately. Hopefully this one will last. Growing up with famous parents can't be easy--especially if your father left home for Elizabeth Taylor, and your relentlessly upbeat mother insisted that you follow in her footsteps. And then, decades later, a bunch of documentarians invade your privacy … Continue reading Doc Stories festival opens with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
What’s Screening: November 4 – 10
James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Spike Lee, and the silent version of Mad Max at this week's Bay Area screenings. Festivals Doc Stories continues through Sunday If you're interested in noirs made in France, The French Had a Name For It runs through Monday Another Hole in the Head Film Festival continues through Wednesday The 3rd … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 4 – 10
Revisiting Rocky Horror at the UC Theatre
On Halloween night, I attempted to go back in time. Call it a time warp. I attended The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the fabled UC Theatre. I had a lot of fun, but much of the experience annoyed me. When I wrote about the UC, I neglected to mention that it ran Rocky Horror … Continue reading Revisiting Rocky Horror at the UC Theatre
The Eagle Huntress: Just a little too slick
C+ Documentary Directed by Otto Bell We all know that documentaries can lie to us far worse than narratives--which we go into knowing they're false. Otto Bell's doc, about a Mongolian girl who proves she's better than any man, entertains and inspires. But it feels false. Parts of the story are difficult to believe. And almost … Continue reading The Eagle Huntress: Just a little too slick
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