I can't easily pigeonhole IndieFest amongst Bay Area film festivals. It's not about a genre, such as Noir City or DocFest. It's not aimed at certain people, such as Frameline or CAAMFest. Nor is it a fancy red-carpet affair like SFFilm or Mill Valley. Instead, it focuses on low-budget, unusual, often weird films that will probably … Continue reading IndieFest coming soon
Month: January 2019
What’s Screening: January 11 – 17
Real and fake Laurel and Hardy, dogs and cats of the deadly kind, a dying bureaucrat, a desperate cyclist, a hitchhiker with a twitchy trigger finger, musical POWs, and a boy named Apu. But no film festivals. The Week's Big Event A The Apu Trilogy, Stanford, Friday through Sunday The Stanford is starting a Satyajit … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 11 – 17
Destroyer: Nicole Kidman as one tough dame
B+ Crime thriller Written by Fred Berger, Phil Hay, & Matt Manfredi Directed by Karyn Kusama Crime and grime penetrate Los Angeles in this very dark noir. The deeply dense plot works mostly as a structure for presenting atmosphere and character. But then, in the last few minutes, that plot suddenly becomes clear and everything … Continue reading Destroyer: Nicole Kidman as one tough dame
Stan & Ollie: The time two clowns cried
B- Biopic Written by Jeff Pope Directed by Jon S. Baird This is absolutely the least funny Laurel and Hardy movie I have ever seen. Of course, it's not a real Laurel and Hardy movie. It's certainly not a comedy, although it has many laughs. Stan & Ollie is a mostly sad story about the … Continue reading Stan & Ollie: The time two clowns cried
2001: A Mistake Odyssey
The more you love a film, the more you often you see it. And the more often you see it, the more you notice its flaws. And those flaws endear you to the movie all the more, because it reminds you that it was created by imperfect human beings. I don't know how many times … Continue reading 2001: A Mistake Odyssey
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Ben is Back, Stalag 17, Vox Lux, The World Is Not Enough, Ready Player One
Another five movies I've seen since my last list, in order of quality: A Ben is Back (2018), Shattuck, one of their tiny, lousy theaters This excellent drama about drug addiction turns into a crime thriller, and amazingly, despite the change in tone, it works. A nice, small-town family has its Christmas plans blown when the … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Ben is Back, Stalag 17, Vox Lux, The World Is Not Enough, Ready Player One
What’s Screening: January 4 – 10
Not much to talk about this week, but we do get dancing mice, a Claymation Mark Twain, Adam Sandler in a dramatic role, Hitchcock's best, and our first film festival of 2019. Festivals 2019's first Bay Area Film Festival, For Your Consideration, starts tonight and closes Thursday. Read my preview. New films opening B+ 2018 … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 4 – 10
You know what you’re getting when Swimming with Men
B Comedy Written by Aschlin Ditta Directed by Oliver Parker Note: I saw this British comedy at last year's Mill Valley Film Festival. I incorrectly assumed it would get an American theatrical release, and therefore, I wrote the review below. I have recently discovered that it's streaming on Vudu, Google Play. and Amazon Prime. So … Continue reading You know what you’re getting when Swimming with Men
The Best Shorts at Sundance Last Year
Short films can make you laugh, inspire you with beautiful visuals, and even break your heart. And if one of them turns out to be a stinker - well, it will be over soon. Starting Friday, the Roxie will run a program containing seven shorts that wowed audiences and judges at this year's Sundance Film … Continue reading The Best Shorts at Sundance Last Year
My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
I went to the movies quite a bit in 2018, and it was often a wonderful experience. I attended six (I think) Bay Area film festivals, numerous special presentations, and just plain really good movies. In May, I flew to Rochester, New York for the Nitrate Picture Show. For four days of screenings and museum … Continue reading My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
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