You probably already know and love Some Like It Hot, Groundhog Day, City Lights, Annie Hall, The General, and Duck Soup. They're classics. But an awful lot of great comedies never reached that status. Some were wrong for their time. Others were hits, but were largely forgotten over the decades. Some are just acquired tastes. … Continue reading Forgotten Laughs: Comic gems that few remember
Month: May 2017
What’s Screening: May 26 – June 1
Crooks, comedy, Soviet science fiction, and a Dinner with Andre grace Bay Area movie theaters this week. Festivals We just had one documentary festival, but another, DocFest, opens Wednesday. It runs for more than two weeks. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens Thursday. Promising events My Dinner With Andre, Roxie, Tuesday, 7:00 Everybody was … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 26 – June 1
What’s Screening: May 19 – 25
Philip Marlowe, a tour of Europe, and a lot of rock 'n' roll grace Bay Area movie screens this week. But no film festivals. New films opening A Long Strange Trip, Clay, Aquarius, Rafael, Thursday, 7:00 The Grateful Dead played great music for nearly 30 years, building up the most devoted fanbase in rock history. … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 19 – 25
Paris Can Wait, and it’s a pleasant trip
B- Travelogue romance Written and directed by Eleanor Coppola The best compliment I can give Eleanor Coppola's narrative feature debut is pleasant. Paris Can Wait is not particularly funny or dramatic. Although the plot revolves around whether two people will sleep together, it's not sexy. In a few scenes, it opens modest insights into the … Continue reading Paris Can Wait, and it’s a pleasant trip
The first Filmex, and my first film festival
We've been cleaning our house lately, and I stumbled upon a fascinating relic of my youth: The program for the first film festival I ever attended. It was the inaugural Los Angeles International Film Exposition, also known as Filmex. This was in November of 1971. I was a senior at Hollywood High School, only two … Continue reading The first Filmex, and my first film festival
What’s Screening: May 12 – 18
Musicians, comedians, painters, documentaries and dogs appear on Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals Doclands continues through Sunday. Here are two movies screening at the festival: A Long Strange Trip, Sunday, 2:00, AT RUSH. Tickets may be made available at showtime The Grateful Dead played great music for nearly 30 years, building up the … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 12 – 18
From the Ashes comes the death of coal (we hope)
Is it possible to make an optimistic documentary about climate change in the age of Trump? Michael Bonfiglio manages to do just that in From the Ashes. I saw the Bloomberg Philanthropies documentary Wednesday night at a special screening., hosted by San Francisco mayor Ed Lee. The film will probably not receive a theatrical run … Continue reading From the Ashes comes the death of coal (we hope)
The cure for another superhero summer: What’s coming up at the Pacific Film Archive
Going to the movies in the summer usually means brainless superhero movies. But thanks to the Pacific Film Archive, you can have far better options. Yes, I know that we're all supposed to call it BAMPFA now, but I prefer the traditional name, or PFA for short. Whatever you call it, UC Berkeley's art house … Continue reading The cure for another superhero summer: What’s coming up at the Pacific Film Archive
Film and Television
We cinephiles had an expression back in the 1970s: "Film is art. Television is furniture." Today, you can barely tell the two mediums apart. We watch movies, uncut and in the right aspect ratio, at home on large televisions. And we even watch television in movie theaters. These used to be two different mediums. Now … Continue reading Film and Television
What’s Screening: May 5 – 11
Film preservation, rock 'n' roll, a seductive Housemaid, and three film festivals grace Bay Area screens this week. Festivals CyberiaVR continues through Sunday Want something international but on the dark side? A Rare Noir is Good to Find opens tonight and runs through Monday. I recommend two films from the festival below. DocLands opens Wednesday Worth … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 5 – 11
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