In a miracle of miracles, Captain Kirk and H.G. Wells time travel to 1980s San Francisco. Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone cross swords in early California. Pedro Almodóvar can take kink to another level, but unlike Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, you can't share a cigarette in a Bay Area movie theater this week. Festivals … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 30 – September 5
Month: August 2019
The Miracle of the Fiddler on Broadway & Elsewhere
A- Showbiz documentary Directed by Max Lewcowicz The documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles argues that 1964's Broadway sensation, Fiddler on the Roof, is more than just a musical. It suggests that, by following three sisters who chose their own husbands rather than accepting their father's choices, it's a feminist play well ahead of its time. … Continue reading The Miracle of the Fiddler on Broadway & Elsewhere
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Magnificent Seven, Godard Mon Amour, Go Bernadette, Damn Yankees, & An Autumn Afternoon
Disappointments from Donen, Linklater, and Ozu. But a couple of good movies, too. B+ The Magnificent Seven (1960) Netflix Blu-ray The American remake of The Seven Samurai is a large scale, entertaining, but occasionally overly sentimental western. A small Mexican village knows that a gang of bandits will soon swoop down and take their crops. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Magnificent Seven, Godard Mon Amour, Go Bernadette, Damn Yankees, & An Autumn Afternoon
What’s Screening: August 23 – 29
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Indiana Jones searches for the Holy Grail, rich people can't leave the room, tempers get hot in Brooklyn, a band says goodbye, and a vampire haunts Tehran. And only one film festival. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues. Read my preview. The Week's Big Event A+ … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 23 – 29
Fall movies at the BAMPFA
Summer vacation is nearly over. Kids will soon be in school. Adults, and maybe some really smart kids, will go to the BAMPFA to see movies that don't show up at your local multiplex. From late August well into November, the Berkeley Art Museum's movie theater will screen seven new film series, along with continuing … Continue reading Fall movies at the BAMPFA
Aquarela: The many shapes of water
A (if you see it in the right theater) visual documentaryDirected by Victor Kossakovsky This visually stunning documentary doesn't tell us much about water. But it sure shows us a lot. And what we see is astounding, beautiful, and awesome. The filmmakers show us the familiar H2O in its most beautiful, extreme, and dangerous forms. … Continue reading Aquarela: The many shapes of water
Before Armstrong: Moon Missions from Méliès to Kubrick
I should have written this article weeks ago. But I got the idea a month too late. On or around July 20, The Rafael, The New Parkway, and The Roxie celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. But most of their programs centered on documentaries. But why not celebrate the anniversary with a series of fictitious … Continue reading Before Armstrong: Moon Missions from Méliès to Kubrick
What’s Screening: August 16 – 22
Aside from the obvious, here are a few worthwhile films screening in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues through the month. Read my preview. New films opening A After the Wedding, Embarcadero Center, opens Friday Two of our greatest American actresses, Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore, … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 16 – 22
Life becomes complicated After the Wedding
A drama Written & directed by Bart Freundlich Two of our greatest American actresses clash and make beautiful drama together in After the Wedding. What else can you expect when you put Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore in the same movie. Adding Billy Crudup to the mix makes it better yet. Writer/director Bart Freundlich brings … Continue reading Life becomes complicated After the Wedding
Jirga: A long wait for the good stuff
D+ Post war drama Written and directed by Benjamin Gilmour The final third of this Australian film, set and shot in Afghanistan, just may bring tears to your eyes. But you'll have to sit through the dull and unbelievable other two thirds first. Australian war veteran Mike (Sam Smith), burdened with guilt, goes back to … Continue reading Jirga: A long wait for the good stuff
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