Great films can affect you in different ways. Some make you laugh, cry, or think. But the Talking Heads concert movie, Stop Making Sense, makes you want to jump out of your seat and dance. I saw this 1984 film two or three times long ago at the UC Theatre, and people were dancing in … Continue reading A+ List: Stop Making Sense at the Elmwood
Month: July 2017
What’s Screening: July 14 – 20
Talk about an embarrassment of riches. The Bay Area has an overwhelmingly large selection of cinematic treats this week. Festivals Music Week, which I only found out about yesterday, opens today runs through Thursday. Modern Cinema opens Thursday The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival also opens Thursday. Read my reports and capsule reviews. New films … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 14 – 20
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Big Sick, The Little Hours, and Tom Jones
Here's another three movies I've seen recently. A The Big Sick (2017), California Theater (Berkeley) This romantic comedy/drama is like no other I've seen. For one thing, it's based on a true story, written by the couple it happened to, and stars half of that real-life couple. Also, the plot is entirely unique. Boy meets girl. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Big Sick, The Little Hours, and Tom Jones
Dawson City: A Hidden Treasure Trove in an Artic Swimming Pool
C+ Film history documentary Directed by Bill Morrison In 1978, Michael Gates of Dawson City stumbled on a huge collection of 35mm nitrate film, buried in a former swimming pool below a torn-down ice rink. The once-thriving Yukon mining town sits less than 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The film stock was much … Continue reading Dawson City: A Hidden Treasure Trove in an Artic Swimming Pool
What’s Screening: July 7 – 13
Anti-Nazis, pro-Buddhists, Bugs Bunny, Charlie Chaplin, and Akira Kurosawa liven up Bay Area movie screens this week. But, for the second week in a row, no film festivals. New films opening A- 13 Minutes, Opera Plaza, opens Friday In 1939, Georg Elser attempted to assassinate Hitler. This spellbinding and sometimes gruesome drama cuts back and … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 7 – 13
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Baby Driver, L’Atalante, & Marriage Italian Style
Three move movies I've seen recently - at home and in theaters. A Baby Driver (2017), Shattuck Cinemas This very entertaining crime thriller provides some of the best choreographed action I've seen in years. More importantly, it's built around an engaging and original character. Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a very young and extremely talented getaway driver. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Baby Driver, L’Atalante, & Marriage Italian Style
13 Minutes: The difference between life and death in Nazi Germany
A- Historical drama Written by Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer and Fred Breinersdorfer Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel This spellbinding and sometimes gruesome story about Nazi Germany feels very relevant today. It's a must see, even though it will probably turn your stomach. No matter how much you like 13 Minutes, you probably won't want to see it twice. … Continue reading 13 Minutes: The difference between life and death in Nazi Germany
A+ List: Seven Samurai on the big screen
Sunday night, I saw one of cinema's greatest masterpieces, The Seven Samurai, at the Pacific Film Archive. It was the first time I'd seen it on the big screen in maybe 35 years. Which isn't to say that I hadn't seen it plenty of times at home. I've owned this epic on Laserdisc, DVD, a … Continue reading A+ List: Seven Samurai on the big screen
Warner Brothers at the Stanford
The four original Warner Brothers fought their way into the Hollywood mainstream in the 1920s. They achieved major studio status when they bet on sound and turned the business topsy turvy. In the 1930s and '40s, they made a reputation for tough, gutsy, left-leaning crime movies. They also made musicals, swashbucklers, and the occasional western. … Continue reading Warner Brothers at the Stanford
Jewish Film Festival Preview, Part 2
Here's four more movies that will screen at this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. As usual, I've listed them from best to worst - although there are no real turkeys in this batch. You can also check out my first collection. A Fanny's Journey In occupied France, a school mistress attempts to smuggle a … Continue reading Jewish Film Festival Preview, Part 2
