I went to the CinéArts Sequoia for my last 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival event: A screening of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming science fiction epic, Dune. It was not an enjoyable experience. Before the movie, Executive Director Mark Fishkin and Director of Programming Zoë Elton came to the front of the theater and brought up Daniel … Continue reading Dune at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Category: Action Movies
Riders of Justice out for revenge
B Crime Thriller Written by Anders Thomas Jensen from an idea by Nikolaj Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen You know those "dad thrillers" that usually star Liam Neeson? Well, here's the Danish version, and silly as it is, it's fun - if you can stand the violence. A passenger train … Continue reading Riders of Justice out for revenge
2 overlooked Shanghai comedies
In June of 2019, I wrote an article about the excellent comedies that came out at the turn of the current century - funny movies from 1998 to 2000. Strangely, I forgot to include one of my favorites, Shanghai Noon (2000). I liked it so much that, after seeing it in a theater, I bought … Continue reading 2 overlooked Shanghai comedies
Little-known movies worth watching
A lot of wonderful movies pop into theaters for a week or two, and then they disappear. Here are five excellent films that far too few people saw. I gave them all of them an A when I reviewed them. I'm listing them by date. I decided to skip documentaries. Maudie (2016) Here's a love story, … Continue reading Little-known movies worth watching
Early John Ford on Blu-ray with Hell Bent
You've probably never heard of Hell Bent - a very early John Ford western, made in only his second year as a director. He's credited as Jack Ford (his birth name was Sean John Feeney). And yet, sometimes you can see the greatness to come. At this point in his career, Ford was cranking out … Continue reading Early John Ford on Blu-ray with Hell Bent
Swashbucklers: A needed escape from reality
Since we can't escape from COVID-19's reality, we can at least spend some time with the most escapist genre in the history of cinema: swashbucklers. Although these sword-wielding adventure movies are usually set in Europe or the Caribbean from 1500 to 1800 CE, you can find them set in ancient Greece or 19th-century China. The … Continue reading Swashbucklers: A needed escape from reality
Henry V times 2
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention… I can't read or listen to the prologue of William Shakespeare's Henry V without thinking that he was wishing he were writing a screenplay. He may have wondered if the stage could hold "The vasty fields of France?" Or if the … Continue reading Henry V times 2
Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
I spent Saturday at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), watching three movies I'd never seen before. Fritz Lang's Indian Epic The day started with two Fritz Lang action flicks, The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb. These are two movies the way Kill Bill are two movies. It's one story, with the … Continue reading Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
As December approaches, the autumn glut of Bay Area film festivals falls to few and finally none. But the last film festival of the year is one of the strangest. The Another Hole in the Head Film Festival isn't like any other. The movies it screens are rarely about poverty, divorce, or existential angst. Characters … Continue reading Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
Revisiting the original Star Wars trilogy
When we talk about films that significantly influenced cinema, we generally mention classics like Citizen Kane and Rashomon. But the real big influences were surprise commercial hits such as The Jazz Singer, This is Cinerama, and, yes, the original Star Wars. These influences, of course, weren't always for the better. You could argue that Star … Continue reading Revisiting the original Star Wars trilogy
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