Here's just a few of the movie revivals playing in the Bay Area next month. I'm skipping the Pacific Film Archive because I've already written about it. Alamo Drafthouse New Mission Ready for a marathon of all eight Star Wars movies, starting at 1:00am on Wednesday, December 13? The downside: No late entry allowed. You'll … Continue reading Coming in December
Month: November 2017
Wide Screens and Tall Screens
A widescreen movie should be projected onto a wide screen. That only makes sense. But in recent years, most new theaters project big, widescreen movies at the same width as not-so-wide movies. To show you the full image, they shrink the picture vertically - sort of like letterboxing on your TV. This may be a … Continue reading Wide Screens and Tall Screens
Chaplin Diary, Part 1: Directing at Keystone
I'm starting out on a survey of Charlie Chaplin's work. My plan is to view every movie he wrote and directed, in chronological order. Chaplin started his movie career at Mack Sennett's Keystone studio. He entered Keystone late in 1913 with a weekly salary of $150. He left Sennett a year later, with a level … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 1: Directing at Keystone
What’s Screening: November 24 – 30
This week in Bay Area movie theaters: Swiss activists, French martyrs, Swedish knights, Spanish rebels, British rockers, and a very American Harold Lloyd. And you know what we don't have this week? Film festivals! New films opening B+ The Divine Order, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, Rafael, opens Friday Swiss women didn't get to vote until 1971. … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 24 – 30
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
Just another selection of random movies I've finally got around to seeing. A- Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Grand Lake Theatre Much better than the stagey 1974 version, and a whole lot more fun - even if it does take considerable liberties with period details and basic plausibility. Director and star Kenneth Branagh turns Hercule … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
The Divine Order: Women’s suffrage finally comes to small-town Switzerland
B+ Historical drama Written and directed by Petra Biondina Volpe Switzerland fought women's suffrage longer than other western democracies. Women didn't get to vote in that tiny country until 1971, and they had to wait another twenty years before they could vote in all elections. This feel-good drama about that struggle places the fight not … Continue reading The Divine Order: Women’s suffrage finally comes to small-town Switzerland
Sexual Abuse: The filmgoer’s Dilemma
Sexual predators in the movie business (and elsewhere) are finally getting the attention they deserve…as opposed to the attention they want. The Harvey Weinstein scandal has punched a hole in the culture and let some light in. For the moment at least, the entertainment industry isn't safe for sexual predators. In addition to Weinstein, Kevin … Continue reading Sexual Abuse: The filmgoer’s Dilemma
The Last Detail & Last Flag Flying
Richard Linklater blew me away with three great films in a row: Bernie, Before Midnight, and Boyhood - especially Boyhood. I eagerly looked forward to what he would do next. I recently got a chance to find out. Linklater's latest film, Last Flag Flying, is a disappointment. It's not bad, but it's considerably less than … Continue reading The Last Detail & Last Flag Flying
My thoughts on Blow-Up
In 1966, Londoners had to contend with rowdy, uncontrollable gangs of mimes. At least that's the impression you get from watching Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language film, Blow-Up. My wife and I had planned to see the new digital restoration of Blow-Up Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive, but I threw my back out. Sitting … Continue reading My thoughts on Blow-Up
A Weekend of Silents in Early December
Need more silent films in your life - on the big screen with live accompaniment? You'll find the first weekend of December very satisfying. First, there's A Day of Silents, a one-day festival at the Castro on Saturday, December 2. Then, on Sunday, December 3, the Rafael will screen Buster Keaton's last silent feature, Spite … Continue reading A Weekend of Silents in Early December
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