Not much to tell you this week. Still no film festivals, and only a few revivals. Being the end of Oscar Season, you can find a lot of very good new movies in theaters right now, but you already know about them. Promising events New Year's Eve & 42nd Street, Lark, Sunday, 7:15 In 1933, … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 29 – January 4
Month: December 2017
January and February at the Pacific Film Archive
Documentaries old and new, movies about movies, and films directed by Ida Lupino, Sergei Eisenstein, and Ingmar Bergman. The Pacific Film Archive doesn't simply screen films, it screens film series. Here are the series it will run over the next two months: Ida Lupino: Hard, Fast, and Beautiful (January 13–February 24): To my knowledge, Lupino … Continue reading January and February at the Pacific Film Archive
How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2017 Edition
How many theatrical motion pictures are still shot on film? Judging by my annual survey, less and less of them. Out of 23 narrative feature films currently screening in Bay Area theaters, only three were shot entirely on film. 15 were shot digitally - almost all with Ari Alexa cameras. An additional five were shot … Continue reading How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2017 Edition
What’s Screening: December 22 – 28
Not surprisingly this time of year, but you can watch It's A Wonderful Life in three different Bay Area theaters this week. And on Christmas day itself, you can make a choice between Fiddler on the Roof and Goodfellas. And how's this for a present: both of Kurosawa's Shakespeare films at the PFA? Also, the New … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 22 – 28
Christmas Movies…as picked by a Jew
Why of all people am I writing about Christmas movies? I'm Jewish. I don't even celebrate Christmas. But there's much about Christmas that I enjoy. I like the way people decorate their homes for the season. Some of the songs are catchy and call for peace and love. Attending The Dickens Christmas Fair is one … Continue reading Christmas Movies…as picked by a Jew
What’s Screening: December 15 – 21
Star Wars is taking over the multiplexes across the Bay Area (and beyond). But we still have a few old movies worth watching. Festivals Along For the Ride: A Tribute To Dennis Hopper isn't quite a film festival, but it's the closest thing we get this week. This three-day series at the Roxie starts Friday … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 15 – 21
Watching Movies at Home: On the Internet or on shiny discs
Ideally, we should watch movies is in a theater. But this is the real world, and even the most fanatical cinephiles watch a lot of films at home. But the way we watch movies at home has changed considerably in the last few years, going from physical media to Internet streaming. How is that changing … Continue reading Watching Movies at Home: On the Internet or on shiny discs
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Coco, Three Billboards…, Leningrad Cowboys…, & Faces Places
Amazingly, I really liked all four films. A Coco (2017), Coast Cinema, Fort Bragg This beautiful journey into Mexican traditions of the afterlife (via big-budget Hollywood, of course) manages to be serious, emotional, and fun. Young Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) belongs to a family of shoemakers who hate music. But music runs deep in the … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Coco, Three Billboards…, Leningrad Cowboys…, & Faces Places
Chaplin Diary, Part 2: Early Essanay
According to the Internet Movie Database, Charlie Chaplin directed 71 movies. By my count, he did 64. The remaining seven include recuts of previous films, uncompleted works, "features" that were actually compilations of shorts, promotional films, and what we now call public service announcements. Remove those, and you have 64 original movies. After his year … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 2: Early Essanay
What’s Screening: December 8 – 14
Here are some good movies to catch before Star Wars takes over the multiplexes. And no film festivals this week. In fact, in less I've missed something, no film festivals for the rest of the year. New films opening A The Shape of Water, Embarcadero Center, Alamo Drafthouse New Mission, opens Friday Only Guillermo del … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 8 – 14
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