What’s Screening: March 29 – April 4

~ Lincoln Spector

This week’s newsletter is a bit thin. I’ve got two new films, both from England. We also have some of the best of Agnès Varda and Studio Ghibli.

Festivals & Series

New films opening

B+ Wicked Little Letters (2023), opens Friday at several theaters

I’m not sure if this is a drama or a comedy–but that’s fine. Soon after World War I, something horrible happened in the seaside town of Littlehampton. Obscene letters are getting through the British Post. The police and the government find it horrible, but several denizens of the town would like to get a nasty letter occasionally. As usual, Olivia Colman gives a terrific performance.

B+ Club Zero (2023), Lark, I’m not sure when the film will play in the Lark or anywhere else in the Bay Area

Here’s a very strange film that will leave parents considerably fearful – even though the story is extremely unlikely. A new teacher comes to a very expensive high school. She connects with five students who want to help the environment. Her solution? “Conscious Eating.” What does that mean? They stop eating. Entirely! Soon, it becomes obvious that this new teacher belongs to a cult.

Movies that play over & over

Vintage films on the big screen

A Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), BAMPFA, Friday, 7:00pm

One of the best films of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda’s Cléo From 5 to 7 follows a young woman as she wanders through Paris on a summer evening. But it isn’t just a joyful walk; she’s waiting for the results of her cancer screening. Cléo meditates on life from the point of view of a young woman who may soon be famous, or dead. There’s even a silent movie tribute starring Jean-Luc Godard. You can read my longer report, but you’ll have to scroll down a bit. Part of the series Viva Varda!

A Spirited Away (2001), 4-Star, Saturday
֍10:00am, Popcorn Palace, dubbed
֍ 1:00pm, dubbed
֍ 4:00pm, subtitled & 7:00pm, subtitled

Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece is a beautiful, complex, and occasionally scary tale of a young girl cast into a strange and magical world. The intriguing and imaginative creatures, not to mention the moral dilemmas, are beyond anything that Dorothy ever had to deal with in Oz. A truly amazing work of animation.

Too long ago to remember

Movies I can’t review

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.