It's kind of weird to wake up, eat breakfast, and go into my home office for a film festival. Here's what I watched on the last day of this year's Charlie Chaplin Days. The Whiz Bang Talent Show, Trivia Quiz, Lookalike Contest and Goodtime Hour! As with Saturday, I started with a 10:00am Zoom event. … Continue reading The Last Charlie Chaplin Days of 2020
Month: June 2020
Saturday “at” Charlie Chaplin Days
There are problems with virtual film festivals. You don't run into old friends or meet new ones. And when you get up and walk out of the theater, you just might enter a kitchen needing to be cleaned. Nevertheless, here it goes. Meet David Robinson I started my viewing at 10:00am on Zoom with a … Continue reading Saturday “at” Charlie Chaplin Days
Friday at Charlie Chaplin Days
I experienced my first virtual film festival Friday. While it's nowhere as fun as the real thing, it has its advantages. No commuting. The festival I'm following from home is Charlie Chaplin Days, run by the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. I'm writing this quickly, so if I let through some spelling or grammatical errors, … Continue reading Friday at Charlie Chaplin Days
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 26 – July 2
This week, through closed Bay Area movie theaters and into your home, you've got Stanley Kubrick, Ray Harryhausen, Spike Lee, Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald, and some talented artists you've never heard of. And a few conversations over the Internet. Virtual Festivals Frameline continues through Sunday. Read my preview. Charlie Chaplin Days opens today and closes … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 26 – July 2
Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things
A- entertainment documentary Directed by Leslie Woodhead About halfway through this documentary about the great singer, it occurred to me that it has very little performance footage. Seldom do you actually see her moving while she sings. Far more often, especially in the first half of the film, director Leslie Woodhead shows photos of Fitzgerald … Continue reading Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things
The Last Tree: From one mother to another
B- Coming of age drama Written and directed by Shola Amoo A young boy suffers through exceptionally difficult transitions early in this coming-of-age drama. He's thrown out of a loving and safe environment into one much more frightening and cruel. It's stomach-turning. You can see how this childhood turns the boy into the sort of … Continue reading The Last Tree: From one mother to another
Babyteeth, puppy love, & cancer
A Family drama Written by Rita Kalnejais Directed by Shannon Murphy Drugs, a wild boyfriend, and worst of all, cancer, take over a distressed family in this Australian drama. Babyteeth could have been a very mawkish weepy, trying to pull tears out of your eyes. Instead, the filmmakers treat its characters and situations on a … Continue reading Babyteeth, puppy love, & cancer
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Secrets and Lies, Da 5 Bloods, & The Nutty Professor
A Secrets and Lies (1996), Criterion Channel Mike Leigh's unique way of working with actors brings out the best in everyone in this small story of a family in multiple crises. Maurice is doing well as a photographer; he knows how to bring out a smile among his customers. But he's having trouble with his … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Secrets and Lies, Da 5 Bloods, & The Nutty Professor
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 19 – 25
This week you can go Zoom with James Bond or track and field sensation Guor Marial (but watch the movies first). And speaking about movies, here are seven other films available via virtual cinema - mostly documentaries. Also, two film festivals. Virtual Festivals Charlie Chaplin Days opens today. Read my preview. Frameline opens Thursday. I … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 19 – 25
LGBTQ & Silent Comedy: Two upcoming virtual festivals
Two annual Bay Area festivals will run in virtual mode in the next two weeks: Frameline Website; Thursday June 25 - Sunday, June 28 In its 44th year, the world's oldest LGBTQ film festival is smaller this year, bringing only 19 feature films, along with shorts, into your living room. To make it more like … Continue reading LGBTQ & Silent Comedy: Two upcoming virtual festivals
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