Here's what I saw on my first day at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Filmmaker Q&As followed all three films. Journeys Beyond the Cosmodrome The festival is presenting this program as a feature preceded by a short. But these are really two very short documentary features. So, I'll give each one a quick review. … Continue reading A space-age orphanage, cinematic sound, & trying to get pregnant: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Category: Comedy
Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
I wrote an article a couple of years ago about Forgotten Laughs - comedies that are worth watching, but never attained classic status. I overlooked Support Your Local Sheriff from 1969, which is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Mel Brooks, and … Continue reading Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire
B+ Comedy Written by Dan Kleinman & Sameh Zoabi Directed by Sameh Zoabi The plot of this Israeli/Palestinian comedy is entirely farcical, but the actors play it straight. Therefore, you can believe in the main character and root for him, despite the absurd situation. None of this sacrifices the laughs. That main character, the young … Continue reading Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire
Say hello to The Farewell
B+ Dramatic comedy Written and directed by Lulu Wang Chinese and Chinese Americans don't always see eye-to-eye. These generational clashes provide a lot of the laughs in The Farewell. But writer/director Lulu Wang keeps the existential pain of mortality always in the foreground, reminding us that something very serious is happening along with the humor. … Continue reading Say hello to The Farewell
Comedies at the end of the century
Good comedies come rarely these days. But 20 years ago, as the 20th century came to a close, the American film industry made and released a lot of very funny movies. Some of them were overlooked. Others did well, but bad sequels tarnished their reputations. Many are still loved. One is among the most beloved … Continue reading Comedies at the end of the century
The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
The first thing you should know about Marcel Pagnol's 1938 comedy, The Baker's Wife, is that it's very, very funny. The second thing you need to know is that it's also sweet and humane, especially as this story of adultery in provincial France comes to its end. My wife and I saw it at the … Continue reading The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
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
