Over the last weekend I watched two interesting films at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). Both presentations involved actual live people along with moving pictures. My Grandmother Friday night, my wife and I attended a screening of the 1929 silent Soviet comedy, My Grandmother, with musical accompaniment by a little-known jazz duet called … Continue reading Soviet bureaucracy & Vietnam: Two nights at BAMPFA
Category: Comedy
Three cinematic views of the Pray Away the Gay movement
Tuesday night I watched the new Netflix documentary, Pray Away, directed by Kristine Stolakis. It's a very good film, that won't be seen by as many who need to see it. This is the third feature-length film I've seen about gay conversion therapy, where Christian fanatics (I assume that in real life there are Jewish … Continue reading Three cinematic views of the Pray Away the Gay movement
The Producers on Blu-ray
A desperate has-been Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and a timid, neurotic accountant (Gene Wilder in his first major role) plan a bit of larceny that will make them a fortune - if the play they produce flops. But if it's a hit, they'll go to jail. No wonder they select a play called Springtime for Hitler. … Continue reading The Producers on Blu-ray
Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
Last week I told you about a Preston Sturges series available on The Criterion Channel. This week, I'm telling you about two other series on the Channel intended just to entertain. One is about the most loved comedian of all time. The other was one of the first filmmakers to use the medium to tell … Continue reading Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 1: Preston Sturges
Criterion offers the important works of Bergman, Tarkovsky, and Antonioni. But movies aren't entirely intended to make you feel miserable. In the middle of March, The Criterion Channel adds three series spotlighting great auteurs who used their genius to make people laugh. The first, and the only one yet streaming on the Channel, is Preston … Continue reading Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 1: Preston Sturges
The Mimic can’t copy a good movie
C- Comedy Written and directed by Thomas F. Mazziotti Red Square Pictures advertises this new movie as a comedy. That kind of makes sense. It's not realistic enough to be a drama. It has no suspense or thrills. Jaunty background music reminds you to laugh. And although it is "Based on a true story," it's … Continue reading The Mimic can’t copy a good movie
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
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
Funny and scary movies
I'm expected to write about horror movies this time of year. But these days, real life is scary enough. So, I'm recommending a few horror comedies and some truly scary movies with a comic touch. Instead of listing the films best first, I'm listing them from the funniest to the scariest - my opinion, of … Continue reading Funny and scary movies
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
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