Last January, I finally saw an early Cinemascope movie the way it was meant to be seen: on a big theater screen, with the original 4-track stereo soundtrack, and the full 2.55x1 aspect ratio (2.35x1 didn't become the official Cinemascope standard until 1957). And there was no physical film involved. The movie was projected digitally … Continue reading It’s still real if it’s digital
Month: March 2017
Lubitsch at the Stanford
Believe it or not, I went more than 15 years without visiting the Stanford. The problem is geographical; it's a long drive, often in horrible traffic. I don't remember when I last visited David Packard's personal movie palace, but it was before I started writing this blog in 2004. Saturday afternoon, my wife and I … Continue reading Lubitsch at the Stanford
Sonita: A suspenseful documentary about forced marriage
A documentary Directed by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Note: This exceptional documentary struck a tremendous chord when I saw at the 2016 San Francisco Film Festival. I wrote the review below at that time, but held back publication until until Bay Area viewers could see the picture.Now that Sonita is available on Netflix, I'm publishing my review. Young … Continue reading Sonita: A suspenseful documentary about forced marriage
What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
Six film festivals - two of them Jewish - grace Bay Area screens this week. Also a newly-discovered early color musical. Festivals The GLAS Animation Festival continues through Sunday Cinequest continues through this week and beyond The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival also continues through this week and beyond. The Roxie's 41 Years of … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
The Roxie celebrates 41 years as an arthouse cinema
I probably first visited San Francisco's Roxie Cinema in 1977, soon after I moved from Marin County to The City. I'm not sure, but I think my first movie there was Akira Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den. At that time, I had no idea that the Roxie was both America's oldest continuously-operated cinema and one of its youngest … Continue reading The Roxie celebrates 41 years as an arthouse cinema
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