What’s Screening: June 2 – 8

~ Lincoln Spector

Several vintage films from famous directors will screen in Bay Area theaters this week. There are films by Steven Spielberg, Louis Malle, Philip Kaufman (in person), Jean-Luc Goddard, Richard Lester, Pedro Almodovar, Brad Bird, Bob Fosse, Sergio Leone, Blake Edwards, John Waters, and two from Mike Nichols.

But we’ll start with two films from the little-known but brilliant Sean Baker.

Festivals & Series

Another chance to see (theatrically)

A Tangerine (2015), 4-Star
֍ Tuesday, 5:30pm
֍ Wednesday, 7:30pm

Sometimes a movie blows apart every concept you had about what a motion picture can be. Sean Baker’s tale of a transgender prostitute out for justice creates just that sort of magic. Fast, frenetic, funny, and sad, Tangerine looks like no other movie I’ve ever seen, in part because it was shot entirely on iPhones. And yes, that works, allowing the filmmakers to capture the tarnished glamour of today’s Hollywood (the neighborhood, not the industry). The most exciting and original new film I saw in 2015. Did I tell you it’s a Christmas movie? Read my full review.

A- The Florida Project
(2017), 4-Star,
֍ Tuesday, 7:30pm
֍ Wednesday, 5:00pm

Cheap motels, filled with desperate people, abound on the edge of Disney World. Sean Baker’s touching film concentrates on children staying in these motels. Most of all, there’s Moonie (Brooklynn Kimberly Prince), a little girl living with her fun, free-spirited, but irresponsible mother. The kids run around unsupervised, and every time they run through the parking lot or a busy street, your heart misses a beat. The motel manager (Willem Defoe) watches over the kids the best he can, which isn’t much. An amazing journey into a part of America you’ve probably never experienced.

Theatrical revivals

A+ Raiders of the Lost Ark (1991), various theaters, I don’t have the times.

The first Indiana Jones movie doesn’t have much of a story. The plot is just an excuse to take us from one action sequence to another. But these action sequences are amongst the best filmed. They’re brilliantly choreographed, exciting, and despite the fast cutting, completely clear. A river of comedy runs through it all, reminding the audience not to take the story seriously. Warning: There’s a thin vein of unthinking racism. Also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Read my full essay.

A A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Rafael, Sunday, 4:15pm

When United Artists agreed to finance a movie around a suddenly popular British rock group, they wanted something fast and cheap. After all, the band’s popularity was limited to England and Germany, and could likely die before the film got into theaters. We all know now that UA had nothing to worry about. The Beatles are still popular all over the world. What’s more, Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night still burns with outrageous camerawork and editing, subversive humor, and a sense of joy in life and especially in rock and roll.

A The Graduate (1967), Vogue, Wednesday & Thursday, 7:30pm

I’ve seen this classic romantic comedy many times, but each time I get more respect for director Mike Nichols. The revolutionary staging and camerawork weren’t just art for art’s sake; it sets the mood and heightens the characters. Consider the opening credits, with Ben (Dustin Hoffman in his breakthrough role) standing on an airport’s moving walkway while others pass him by. That tells you a lot about this young man. And as I get older, I feel far more empathy for the film’s villainess, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bankcroft).

A- Elevator to the Gallows (1958), 4-Star, Friday, 7:00pm

Miles Davis Birthday Bash: Edelman Family Jazz Band! Louis Malle launched his directing career, and arguably the New Wave, with this noir tale of a perfect crime gone wrong. Laced with dark, ironic humor, the film cuts back and forth between a murderer trapped in an elevator (Maurice Ronet), the murderer’s lover wandering the streets searching for him (Jeanne Moreau in her breakout role), and two young lovers enjoying a crime spree in a car stolen from the murderer. And all of it is set to Miles Davis’ powerful jazz score. Read my Blu-ray review.

A- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), 4-Star, Thursday, 7:30pm

Men are jerks and women are crazy. At least that’s the view of Pedro Almodovar’s comedy of infidelity. The picture starts like a reasonably serious comedy, sprinkling a few laughs in with the character development. Yet several touches suggest something wilder (consider the décor and the detergent commercial). By the half-way point, the movie is as wacky as classic American screwball comedy–and considerably bawdier. Carmen Maura stars as the primary woman wronged, with an impossibly young Antonio Banderas playing the son of the man who wronged her.

B+ Vivre sa vie (1962), BAMPFA, Friday, 7:00pm

35mm! Very formal in structure, this early Jean-Luc Goddard feature uses intertitles to separate its 12 “scenes.” Together, they explore the main character’s journey from music store clerk to prostitute. Occasionally charming, funny, sexy, and informative, Vivre sa vie can also at times be quite boring. You develop an attachment to the lead character, yet you don’t get to know her in depth. Goddard seems completely neutral here, without the didactic political preaching that would mar his later works. Part of the series Ambassador of Cinema: Tom Luddy’s Lasting Influence at BAMPFA. Introduced by Sheldon Renan and Jean-Pierre Gorin.

B+ The Birdcage, (1996), New Parkway, Sunday, 9:10pm

The American movie version of La Cage Aux Folles is warm and loving entertainment. And when it’s appropriate, it’s side-splittingly hilarious. A middle-aged, very gay couple must pretend that they’re not only straight, but also culturally conservative (Robin Williams and Nathan Lane). Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest play the conservatives they must trick. Directed by Mike Nichols from a screenplay by the amazing Elaine May.

B+ Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), BAMPFA, Wednesday, 7:00pm

Phil Kaufman‘s San Francisco-based remake of the classic alien invasion movie isn’t quite as good as the low-budget, 1956 original, although it comes close. One by one, Donald Sutherland’s friends and loved ones turn into emotionless pod people, and he knows that he too will be lost if he can’t stay awake. A very good sci-fi thriller. Part of the series Ambassador of Cinema: Tom Luddy’s Lasting Influence at BAMPFA. Introduced by director Philip Kaufman.

B+ The Martian (2015), Rafael, Saturday, 1:00pm

Science on Screen presentation: Matt Damon plays an astronaut left behind and assumed dead, when his companions are forced to abandon a Mars mission and get back to Earth. He must find ways to survive, while NASA, after discovering their mistake, tries a seemingly impossible rescue. Suspenseful and entertaining, and one of the most accurate science fiction films ever. But one thing bugs me: The scenes on Earth look like America today, as if there were no changes in consumer technology or fashion in decades. Read my longer report.

B+ The Iron Giant (1999), 4-Star, Saturday & Sunday, 11:00am

The young hero of Brad Bird’s first feature befriends a massively-huge robot from outer space. The robot seems friendly enough, even though there’s good reason to believe he was built as a weapon of mass destruction. Using old-fashioned, hand-drawn animation with plenty of sharp angles, Bird creates a stylized view of small-town American life circa 1958. The result straddles between satire and nostalgia and treats most of its inhabitants with warmth and affection. A good movie for all but the youngest kids.

B+ Cabaret (1972), New Mission, Monday, 3:10pm

Back in the spring of 1973, I was angry (although not surprised) when the “obviously commercial Godfather” beat Bob Fosse’s Weimar-era musical for the Best Picture Oscar. Time proved me wrong, and while I wouldn’t today put Cabaret in the same class as The Godfather, this story of decadence in pre-Nazi Germany is still a dazzling piece of style with an important message about the loss of freedom.

B A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Balboa, Tuesday, 7:30pm

Sergio Leone’s second film and first western is a blatant, almost scene by scene rip-off of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. A lone gunfighter, incredibly talented at killing, wanders into a small town torn apart between rival gangs. Disgusted by their behavior, the gunfighter offers his services to both gangs, playing them against each other. Dollars provides reasonable entertainment, mixing action, suspense, and comedy, even if it doesn’t stand up to the original.

C+ Victor/Victoria (1982),Thursday, Cerrito, Elmwood, Sebastopol, 1:00pm

Free! Julie Andrews plays a woman playing a man, who is playing a woman, and all of it in nightclubs circa ’30s Paris. James Garner plays an American gangster who discovers issues with his sexuality. Robert Preston plays a man who knows exactly what kind of man he is – and it’s not conventional. The film’s treatment of homosexuality was very liberal for a Hollywood film made in 1982. But the movie stretches far too long for the story. Most of the jokes don’t land well, but there is one perfect bit of slapstick that could have been done by a young Buster Keaton. Written and directed by Blake Edwards.

C But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), New Parkway, Thursday, 6:45pm

This very broad satire of homophobia and gay conversion therapy has its heart in the right place. But that’s not enough. Jamie Babbit’s heavy-handed direction ensures that most jokes miss the funny bone. Even the usually hilarious Cathy Moriarty can only seldom provoke laughter. And when the heroine finally gets a chance to save the day with her cheerleading skills, it’s obvious that star Natasha Lyonne didn’t train enough for the part.

F Female Trouble (1974), 4-Star, 5:30pm

This has been a popular underground comedy for almost 50 years. But why? It tries only to be gross, without being funny (I laughed, lightly…twice). It simply follows a bunch of truly awful people sometimes being nice but mostly being horrible. It might have been better if I had seen it with a full theater of fans.

Frequently-revived classics

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Published by Lincoln Spector

Lincoln Spector writes about cinema, technology, and cinema technology. From 1986 through 2008, he wrote Gigglebytes, the first technology-oriented humor column. From 1977 through 2016, he wrote PC World's Answer Line column and blog.

2 thoughts on “What’s Screening: June 2 – 8”

  1. No A+ for Hard Day’s Night? Whatever slight deficiencies you attribute to Lester’s film preventing it from achieving top-dog status I think are mitigated by the fact that for almost 60 years Hard Day’s Night has held up as both great screen entertainment and a visionary piece of social history.

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