Saturday night, I attended a Mill Valley Film Festival screening at the BAMPFA, of Asghar Farhadi's new film, A Hero. Then, on Sunday, I streamed The Bears' Famous Invasion. I'll start with the more serious film. It's also the one I saw first. A Hero Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi first caught my eye with A … Continue reading A “hero” and a cartoon at Mill Valley (but not in Mill Valley)
Category: Animation
Animation
Cryptozoo: Mythology & adult animation
A- Animated fantasy for adults Written & directed by Dash Shaw A couple walk through a forest. They stop to smoke some pot and make love. They find and climb over a very tall chain-link fence. They find something amazing. Don't be surprised; this very unusual cartoon is not about these two hippies - even … Continue reading Cryptozoo: Mythology & adult animation
SFFilm Thursday & Friday
Well, I thought I was going to ignore SFFilm on Thursday, but that didn't happen. Over the last two days, I watched three films and followed a discussion about one of my favorite films of the festival. The movies B Naked Singularity You need to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy this movie, but … Continue reading SFFilm Thursday & Friday
What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
More than 75 movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel at the end of the month. Here are some that I recommend you watch before February. One brilliant filmmaker, Bill Plympton, stands out on this list. A Idiots and Angels (2008) A man so rotten he pushes a tear of empathy back into his eye … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
Sex & animation combine in Romantic Chorus
B Animated documentary Directed by Jeff M. Giordano This strange, unusual documentary studies human sexuality. But don't get too excited. It isn't exceptionally erotic, and I don't think it was intended to be so. For 84 minutes, people talk about their sex lives, their desires, and their experiences. But since this is a movie and … Continue reading Sex & animation combine in Romantic Chorus
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
The Fantastic Journeys of Karel Zeman
While Ray Harryhausen was making effects-laden fantasies in the mid-20th century, the Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman was doing much the same thing behind the Iron Curtain…but with a better sense of humor. Using stop-motion animation, puppets, live action, beautiful illustrations, and a sense of comedy, he made visually striking, entertaining films that have been forgotten … Continue reading The Fantastic Journeys of Karel Zeman
Miyazaki Mania: Another festival in 2019
Last month, I told you that the Another Hole in the Head Film Festival would be the last Bay Area film festival of 2019. I was wrong. Just this afternoon, I discovered another one. Five days after the Hole in the Head got plugged, Miyazaki Mania opens Friday and runs through Sunday at the Roxie. … Continue reading Miyazaki Mania: Another festival in 2019
The Big Bad Fox & the joys of simple animation
B Animated family fare Written by Benjamin Renner and Jean Regnaud Directed by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert Note: I saw this family comedy last year before it screened at the SFFIM Festival. It never got a theatrical fun in the Bay Area. It appears it won't get one. But it will be available on … Continue reading The Big Bad Fox & the joys of simple animation
Three Days of Ray Harryhausen
We use the word auteur primarily when we talk about directors. Occasionally we call producers auteurs. But Ray Harryhausen was the only special effects engineer who can be reasonably called an auteur. He picked the stories and fleshed them out. His drawings guided the art direction and camerawork. And his model animation technique, which he … Continue reading Three Days of Ray Harryhausen
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