A Drama Written & directed by Alfonso Cuarón Opens Friday What an amazing film! Alfonso Cuarón, after making Children of Men and Gravity, returns to his native Mexico to create a loosely-plotted study of Mexico City, 1970-71, through the eyes of an indigenous maid who works for a comfortable middle-class family. At first, Roma seems … Continue reading Roma: Alfonso Cuarón recalls his childhood
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.
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: More FilmStruck binge watching
With Thanksgiving finished, I had a chance to watch more movies before FilmStruck goes away. Only three more days left in the best streaming service ever. A Being There (1979), FilmStruck Peter Sellers gave the best performance of his life as Chance, the Gardener (AKA Chauncey Gardner), a mentally deficient TV addict who knows only about … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: More FilmStruck binge watching
Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
With his last starring film, A King in New York (1957), Charlie Chaplin finally remembered that he was first and foremost a clown. For the first time since The Great Dictator, he's made a movie that is more than sporadically funny. And yet he manages to give it a serious side as well. Which isn't … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
Gracing Bay Area screens this week: Scheming politicians, idealistic politicians, black superheroes, trouble on the road, nightmares of fascism, and a horrific film festival (that's horrific in a good way). Festivals Another Hole in the Head Film Festival opens Wednesday and will continue to frighten you for a couple of weeks. Read my preview. Preview … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
Movies I’ve Seen Recently: Lolita, A story from Chikamatsu, Cluny Brown, & The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Here are four more movies I've recently discovered or rediscovered. A Lolita (1962), FilmStruck I'm not sure if Kubrick's take on Nabokov is a very funny tragedy or a very sad comedy, but it's certainly about reprehensible people. James Mason carries the tragic vibe as the intellectual obsessed with a teenage girl but who cares only for himself. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Seen Recently: Lolita, A story from Chikamatsu, Cluny Brown, & The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Winter at the BAMPFA
The Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) recently announced its winter schedule, running from December through February, with eleven different film series. These are the ones that caught my eye: The Puppet Master: The Films of Jirí Trnka Dec 1–19 This Czech animator turned a kiddie genre into political satire. I saw his version of … Continue reading Winter at the BAMPFA
What’s Screening: November 16 – 22
The week that ends in Thanksgiving doesn't have much for cinephiles…at least not this year in the Bay Area. But we do have the Addams Family, Charlie Kaufman, angels over Berlin, and three movies shot in three-strip Technicolor. Also, three film festivals. Festivals The 3rd i South Asian Film Festival reincarnates itself for one day … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 16 – 22
