Noir City closed Sunday with a masterpiece…and a pretty good B picture. I finally saw The Big Heat, and I saw it under about the best conditions possible. Following the theme of this year's festival, each double feature included a relatively expensive A picture (noirs were never hugely expensive) and a very cheap B picture. … Continue reading Closing This Year’s Noir City
Month: February 2018
Saturday at Noir City
Saturday is always the biggest day at Noir City, with two double bills. Yesterday, each double bill had one relatively expensive A picture, and one very cheap B picture. Money talks; in each case, the A was better than the B. All these movies came out in 1950. Matinee: The Underworld Story & Southside 1-1000 … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City
Thursday Night at Noir City
I couldn't go movie-watching Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. But Thursday night, my wife and I managed to get to the Castro for another Noir City double bill. This time, the films were both from 1948. The A picture, I Walk Alone, was pretty damn good. The B picture, Bodyguard, was pretty damn silly. I Walk … Continue reading Thursday Night at Noir City
What’s Screening: February 2 – 8
This week in Bay Area movie theaters: The Marx Brothers, three film festivals, Spike Lee, and P.T. Anderson. Plus, live and in town, Liv Ullmann. Yes, Liv Ullmann is in the Bay Area and making appearances. And, of course, it's Groundhog Day. Repeat that: It's Groundhog Day! Groundhog Day Festivals Noir City closes Sunday IndieFest … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 2 – 8
Chaplin Diary, Part 5: Early Mutual
What happens to a performer whose contract ends just as they become the most famous and beloved person on the planet? They get tremendous artistic control and an obscene amount of money. When Chaplin signed another one-year contract, this time with the Mutual Film Corporation, he got his own production company and studio, and near … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 5: Early Mutual
Bayflicks 