I don't expect Santa to come down my chimney, but I do expect a lot of good movies to come down my Internet connection next month. The Criterion Channel will offer a lot of movies worth watching. Here are just some of the movies, and some of the collections of movies, that will become available … Continue reading What’s coming in December on the Criterion Channel
Author: 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.
Big Roadshows of the ’50s and ’60s (mostly the ’60s)
When I was a child, and well into my adolescence, big, expensive movies played theatrically in a special, spectacular way that disappeared almost 50 years ago. A major motion picture would play in only one, very large theater per major city. The ticket prices were higher, but you got something out of it. When you … Continue reading Big Roadshows of the ’50s and ’60s (mostly the ’60s)
What’s Screening: Nov 27 – Dec 3
There's not much in the drive-ins this week, or at least not much that I can recommend. But if you like Scorsese, you can join a conversation about Goodfellas this Saturday. I can recommend three new, streaming documentaries, and you can revisit two of the best films of the 1990s. Special online events A+ Thrillville … Continue reading What’s Screening: Nov 27 – Dec 3
Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
Thanks to COVID, you'll probably be having Thanksgiving at home with very few people. Zoom might help. But to really get you into the holiday spirit, watch one or more of these movies: - - - - - - - - - In a conventional year, you might have trouble with crowded highways and over-full … Continue reading Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
What we lost when the theaters closed
Please indulge me my nostalgia. As 2019 turned into 2020, none of us really knew what would soon happen. Looking back at the first months of this year, it seems amazing how many great films were available theatrically in real, hard-top movie theaters; some of them even using physical film. And you didn't have to … Continue reading What we lost when the theaters closed
What’s Screening: November 20 – 26
This week in pandemic movie watching, we have a talk with Charlie Chaplin's son and two new films in actual theaters. What's more, Coppola, Coogler, Spielberg, and Leone just might entice you to the drive-in. And we even have a virtual festival. Festivals Berlin & Beyond in Focus opened yesterday and closes Saturday Special online … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 20 – 26
The Last Vermeer: Hunting Nazis as escapist entertainment
B+ Historical mystery Written by James Mcgee, Mark Fergus, & Hawk Ostby, from the book The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez Directed by Dan Friedkin Art, fame, and Nazis make a potent mix in this story set in the Netherlands immediately after the fall of the Third Reich. The new government is publicly … Continue reading The Last Vermeer: Hunting Nazis as escapist entertainment
Collective – interesting story/boring movie
B- Documentary Directed by Alexander Nanau My press release calls this Romanian film a "docu-thriller." It's certainly a documentary, but it's not very thrilling. You won't be sitting at the edge of your seat. It's difficult to care about the protagonists because we never really know anything about them except for their work. Catalin Tolontan, … Continue reading Collective – interesting story/boring movie
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: In the Heat of the Night, Shampoo, The Great Train Robbery, & a lot more
I've recently been revisiting movies I liked long ago, which is probably why I'm giving so many good grades out this time around. But there's a real stinker in the collection, as well. A- In the Heat of the Night (1967) The Best Picture winner of 1967 is one really good noir. You already know … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: In the Heat of the Night, Shampoo, The Great Train Robbery, & a lot more
What’s Screening: November 13 – 19
A few hardtop theaters are opening up, but despite all the precautions they're taking, I'm still not ready to visit one. But a lot of fine films are playing in makeshift drive-ins. Festivals The Napa Valley Film Festival closes Sunday So does the Transgender Film Festival New films opening B The Climb, in real movie … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 13 – 19
