Three Identical Strangers and their strange, entwined lives

May 30, 2018April 20, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

A Documentary Directed by Tim Wardle As I write this review (in April), Three Identical Strangers is the best new documentary I've yet seen this year. In 1980, 19-year-old Robert Shafran, Edward Galland, and David Kellman met each other and discovered they were identical triplets, separated at birth. Even their adopted parents didn't know that … Continue reading Three Identical Strangers and their strange, entwined lives

Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Disobedience, Vagabond, A Song is Born & Pope Francis

May 29, 2018May 29, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

Two films about religion, one about music, and another about the end of the hippies. Three of these four films were made by world-respected great directors, and all three disappointed. B+ Disobedience (2018), Albany Twin What do you do when your former husband marries your former lover - and all within a very close, religious community? … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Disobedience, Vagabond, A Song is Born & Pope Francis

Summer at the Pacific Film Archive

May 28, 2018May 27, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

The Pacific Film Archive (or, as they'd prefer I call it, BAMPFA) pretty much shuts down in the second half of May. But come June, the movies come back. Here are the ten series running from June through August: Bergman 100: A Summer Interlude (June 1–July 15) This subdivision of the PFA's year-long Bergman 100 … Continue reading Summer at the Pacific Film Archive

Love & Bananas (but mostly elephants)

May 23, 2018May 21, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Documentary Directed by Ashley Bell The title Love & Bananas, along with the photos used to promote this documentary (including the ones below), suggest a joyful movie about the loving relationship between humans and elephants. And yes, there is a good deal of upbeat, lovable footage about these giant land mammals. But that's only … Continue reading Love & Bananas (but mostly elephants)

After revisiting 2001, I put it on my A+ list

May 21, 2018September 12, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

After seeing Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen for the first time since - well, at least ten years - I realize that it's a much better film than I remembered. (For what it's worth, that last time was also in 70mm at the Castro.) I know now that it's as … Continue reading After revisiting 2001, I put it on my A+ list

Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris

May 17, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

Frst After completing The Pilgrim, Charlie Chaplin was finally free of his First National contract. He could now concentrate on making features for United Artists - the company he created with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. But Chaplin had a problem: Edna Purviance. She'd been his leading lady for eight of his nine … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris

2001: Not like 1968

May 15, 2018July 8, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

Like a lot of people, I'm looking forward to the new 70mm presentation of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was not quite 14 when I fell in love with this epic science fiction extravaganza in its original release. For at least a decade, it was my all-time favorite film. It was the first … Continue reading 2001: Not like 1968

Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Isle of Dogs, An American in Paris & A Man for All Seasons

May 14, 2018 ~ Lincoln Spector

I see a lot of films for very specific reasons - they're part of a film festival, I'm reviewing them, and so forth. The others are ones that I just want to see…or see again. Here are three of those others: A- Isle of Dogs (2018), Cerrito After the whimsy of Moonlight Kingdom and The Grand … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Isle of Dogs, An American in Paris & A Man for All Seasons