Roy Cohn, Paul Simon, the My Lai massacre, Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to save the world (before he knew about climate change), and a smattering of horror. All this and five film festivals on Bay Area screens this week. Festivals The Arab Film Festival closes Sunday The Filipino International Cine Festival opens today and closes Sunday … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 18 – 24
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.
How Roy Cohn ruined America
B+ Biographical Documentary Directed by Matt Tyrnauer Filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer makes a strong argument. His documentary, Where's My Roy Cohn?, suggests that if it were not for the famous lawyer, our country wouldn't be in such a mess. I'm not entirely convinced, but Cohn was certainly a major part of the problem. A malicious genius … Continue reading How Roy Cohn ruined America
The Hitch-Hiker, now on Blu-ray, keeps you on edge for 71 minutes
Here's a little movie that ratchets up the suspense from beginning to end. Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker grabs you by the gut. Two men on a fishing vacation (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) pick up a hitchhiker, who turns out to be a notorious, psychotic killer wanted by the police. Holding them at gunpoint, he … Continue reading The Hitch-Hiker, now on Blu-ray, keeps you on edge for 71 minutes
The State of the Industry at the Mill Valley Film Festival
This year's Mill Valley Film Festival closed Sunday. My last event happened Saturday, and it wasn't even a movie. It was a panel discussion on the State of the Industry. The question of the day was "Can anything beyond blockbusters succeed in theaters?" If you care about the theatrical experience, that's important. Sure, I watch … Continue reading The State of the Industry at the Mill Valley Film Festival
A wild South African adventure in Mill Valley (actually Larkspur): Flatland
Thursday evening, I saw one of the wildest, craziest, and bizarre road movie ever to grace the Mill Valley Film Festival. And it wasn't even in Mill Valley or San Rafael. I saw Flatland at the Century Larkspur, probably the easiest Marin County movie theater to get to from the East Bay. It's a regular … Continue reading A wild South African adventure in Mill Valley (actually Larkspur): Flatland
What’s Screening: October 11 – 17
Coming to Bay Area movie theaters this week: An aging filmmaker, rebellious students, creatures from the dead, a future that never happened, pre-Columbian America, and lots of beautifully photographed water. And six film festivals. Important message: Yesterday, October 9, I received an email from BAMPFA stating that the museum/theater was closed do to the blackouts. … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 11 – 17
Pain and Glory: A portrait of the artist as an aging man
B+ Drama Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar You can't watch a fictitious film by a major auteur, where the protagonist is also a major auteur, and not wonder to what degree the movie is autobiographical (think 8½). When I viewed Pedro Almodóvar's new film, Pain and Glory, I had to wonder to what degree … Continue reading Pain and Glory: A portrait of the artist as an aging man
