B Comedy/drama Written by Shlomit Nehama Directed by Emil Ben-Shimon A section of a synagogue collapses, and a war breaks out amongst Orthodox Jews over just how Orthodox they will be. Not surprisingly, it becomes a war of the sexes in this light comedy. I don't know how well non-Jews will understand The Women's Balcony. … Continue reading Orthodox wars in The Women’s Balcony
Month: June 2017
The Transfiguration
B- Kind of a horror movie Written and directed by Michael O'Shea Believe it or not, Michael O'Shea found a new twist to the vampire genre: Avoiding the supernatural. Everything in The Transfiguration could, at least in theory, happen. The movie's vampire has no special powers or weaknesses. He can't turn into a bat. Neither … Continue reading The Transfiguration
A+ List: Rio Bravo
Director Howard Hawks proved his talent in many genres, including westerns. He made four of them, and the first two, Red River and Rio Bravo, are masterpieces. Both belong on my A+ List of all-time greats. And yet, they're so different that it's hard to imagine they were made by the same director. Red River … Continue reading A+ List: Rio Bravo
What’s Screening: June 9 – 15
Jane Fonda, Charles Dickens, Toshiro Mifune, Janis Joplin, and four film festivals grace Bay Area screens this week. Also, I'm adding another theater to the Bayflicks listings: The Sebastiani in Sonoma. I guess that's still the Bay Area. This non-profit primarily screens new movies, but I'll be covering their monthly Vintage Film Series. Festivals DocFest … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 9 – 15
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: In a Lonely Place, Wonder Woman, & Tiny Furniture
Here are three movies I've recently seen. I'll also tell you where I saw them. A In a Lonely Place (1950), FilmStruck Nicholas Ray critiqued masculinity in many of his films, but rarely as strongly as he does here. Early on, the movie feels like an exposé of Hollywood. Then it becomes a murder mystery. It … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: In a Lonely Place, Wonder Woman, & Tiny Furniture
The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
I love the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but it can be tiring. You spend all day, three days in a row, watching movies. Sometimes the breaks between films are less than half an hour. But the movies, the music, the discussions, and the people you can talk to make it very special. This year's … Continue reading The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
A Million and One Nights: Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
It's Tuesday, so it's time to tell you about Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. I'm won't discuss every film screened that day; just the ones I want to talk about. A lot of the films, not just on Saturday but throughout the whole festival, were new restorations. It seemed as if every … Continue reading A Million and One Nights: Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
