The SFFilm Festival opened Friday, and I watched my first two films. I tell you about them below. But first, if you're having technical problems getting your movies into your home, here is some technical advice. Get the movie onto your computer or device Soon after you bought an e-ticket for a festival film, you … Continue reading SFFilm Day 2: Tech, Dominoes, and Returning Home
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.
What’s Screening: April 9 – 15
Aside from the SFFilm Festival, here's what's happening in Bay Area cinema this week: Five art house theaters are preparing to open. You can ask questions about flipbooks and Shiva Baby. Two movies from last year will play in 35mm. And at the drive-in, you can watch Tootsie, Into the Spider-Verse, A Star Is Born, … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 9 – 15
The Producers on Blu-ray
A desperate has-been Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and a timid, neurotic accountant (Gene Wilder in his first major role) plan a bit of larceny that will make them a fortune - if the play they produce flops. But if it's a hit, they'll go to jail. No wonder they select a play called Springtime for Hitler. … Continue reading The Producers on Blu-ray
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Man in the White Suit | He Who Gets Slapped | A New Leaf | Bamboozled
Here are four more movies I've seen in the last few weeks. A- The Man in the White Suit (1951)I doubt no other movie is remembered for a single, recurring, and very funny sound effect. The story: Alec Guinness plays a brilliant but unrecognized scientist trying to create a cloth that repels dirt, never wears … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Man in the White Suit | He Who Gets Slapped | A New Leaf | Bamboozled
SFFilm Festival Preview Part 3: Skies of Lebanon | Rita Moreno | Sex, Revolution & Islam | Tove | Nudo Mixteco
The SFFilm Festival opens this Friday. (If the title sounds strange, it used to be the San Francisco International Film Festival.) I plan to write nothing more about the fest until opening day. All the movies mentioned below will be available for streaming throughout the run of the festival. And remember that you can follow … Continue reading SFFilm Festival Preview Part 3: Skies of Lebanon | Rita Moreno | Sex, Revolution & Islam | Tove | Nudo Mixteco
What’s Screening: April 2 – 8
What's happening this week in Bay Area movie-watching? Mank appears in a real movie theater! Virtually, you can stream the rip-roaring silent melodrama The Signal Tower, along with dramas by Ryan Coogler and Nicholas Ray. And at the drive-in, you can revisit Casablanca, Mary Poppins, Wall-E, and more. But no festivals. New films opening in … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 2 – 8
SFFilm Fest Preview, Part 2: I’m Fine | We Are as Gods | Censor | Poppy Field
My next set of SFFilm Festival films include a homeless mother trying to keep her daughter from the hard truth, a documentary about the founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, a horror movie about horror movies, and a Romanian gay, closeted policeman. A- I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking) Within minutes of the film's start, I … Continue reading SFFilm Fest Preview, Part 2: I’m Fine | We Are as Gods | Censor | Poppy Field
SFFilm Fest Preview: Part 1: Son of Monarchs | Cryptozoo | The Spokeswoman | Supercool
Here are four films that will be available during this year's SFFilm Festival. We've got a drama with one foot in Mexico and the other in the U.S., an animated fantasy for adults, a Mexican documentary, and a so-called comedy. A Son of Monarchs This story of a young man between two countries doesn't really … Continue reading SFFilm Fest Preview: Part 1: Son of Monarchs | Cryptozoo | The Spokeswoman | Supercool
What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
What do we have in Bay Area movies this week? A drummer losing his hearing, a couple of virtual cinema suggestions, and Moses splitting the Red Sea in a real theater (just in time for Passover). At the drive-in, you can watch some of the best of Hitchcock, Wilder, and the Coens, along with a … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
The return of the SFFilm Festival
The SFFilm Festival (formerly named The San Francisco International Film Festival) didn't happen last year - even in a virtual form. By the time the theaters were closed, SFFilm didn't have time to create a whole new kind of festival. But by the end of 2020, anyone paying attention knew the basics of enjoying a … Continue reading The return of the SFFilm Festival
