Cinequest: The South Bay’s Big Film Festival

January 31, 2019January 30, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

I cover SFFilm extensively, and Mill Valley pretty well, but I can't seem to get to Cinequest, the Bay Area's other big, red-carpet film festival. Part of the problem is geography; I hate going to the Peninsula. Another reason is time-related. I'm generally very busy on non-film work January through March. Which is unfortunate, because The Cinequest Film … Continue reading Cinequest: The South Bay’s Big Film Festival

Tito and the Birds tells us to love courage and pigeons

January 30, 2019January 24, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

C+ Animated family fantasy Written by Eduardo Benaim, Gustavo Steinberg Directed by Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto, Gustavo Steinberg This Brazilian cartoon has two important messages for young children: We need to overcome our pointless fears, and we should listen to the birds - especially the wild pigeons that both beautify our cities and make a … Continue reading Tito and the Birds tells us to love courage and pigeons

Saturday at Noir City

January 28, 2019January 27, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 3 Comments

This article was supposed to be about Saturday and Sunday at the Castro for the Noir City film festival. But after writing what's below on Sunday morning, and then realizing that I was under the weather, I stayed home. This year's theme is the 1950s, with each double bill representing a single year. What I … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City

British & Yiddish Film Festivals in February

January 26, 2019January 25, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

February may have been the cruelest month for T. S. Eliot, but for Bay Area movie lovers, it's not that bad. Here are two festivals running in 2019's second month. Mostly British Film Festival February 14 - 21 Vogue If you like foreign films, but hate subtitles, this is the festival for you. None of … Continue reading British & Yiddish Film Festivals in February

My Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations

January 23, 2019January 22, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 5 Comments

The Motion Picture Academy announced the Oscar nominations Tuesday morning. I'm not making any guesses, but here are my thoughts: Best Picture Roma is unquestionably the best film I saw that opened in 2018, but I doubt it will win. Alfonso Cuarón's look back at his childhood home is only the 10th foreign-language film to get … Continue reading My Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations

M & Not Wanted at BAMPFA

January 22, 2019January 21, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

I spent Sunday afternoon at the BAMPFA, where I watched a recognized masterpiece and a lesser-known disappointment. M It had been a long time since I'd seen Fritz Lang's first talkie on the big screen, and it was as wonderful as I expected. Maybe more. Lang shows us a Germany sinking into corruption, depression, and … Continue reading M & Not Wanted at BAMPFA

Movies for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 19, 2019January 14, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

If there's anyone in American history worthy of celebrating, it's the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. And so, come next Monday, we'll celebrate him by going shopping on a day where we'd usually go to work or school. After all, it's too cold and wet for barbeque. Not really the best way to honor … Continue reading Movies for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

What’s Screening: January 18 – 24

January 18, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

Harold Lloyd climbs into the public domain, Pickett and Prueher show very bad videos, and Germany frightens us in both sound and silence. Also Satyajit Ray, Christopher Guest, Ida Lupino, and a whole lot of great movies on Bay Area movie screens this week. But no film festivals. The Week's Big Event A Safety Last, … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 18 – 24

Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Logan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Great Ziegfeld, Cavalcade

January 16, 2019January 15, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector

A few months ago, I realized that I'd seen all but five Best Picture Oscar winners - three of them from the 1930s. So I set out to see all five. I saw Mrs. Miniver and Cimarron in FilmStruck's last weeks. Thanks to Netflix DVD, I recently saw the last two Oscar winners of the … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Logan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Great Ziegfeld, Cavalcade