Here's another crop of movies coming to this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. This selection, unfortunately, isn't as good as the last one. You can follow my Mill Valley coverage. B+ Destroyer Crime and grime penetrate the city in this very dark noir. Nicole Kidman (in a brilliant performance) plays Officer Bell, the hard-drinking, tough, unreliable … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 2
Category: Mill Valley
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 1
Alfonso Cuarón returns to his roots, the Kronos Quartet take on the Vietnam War, Maggie Gyllenhaal gets obsessed with a five-year-old, and the Big Bad Fox can't get a break. Here are four films that will screen at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival, in order from best to worst…although they're all pretty good. A … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 1
Mill Valley Lineup Announced
The Mill Valley Film Festival announced this year's lineup Thursday morning. And the big question is: Which film will win the Best Picture Oscar? Okay, the real big question is: What movies should you see? From October 4 through 14, the Festival will screen 108 feature films and 96 shorts, from 46 different countries. I … Continue reading Mill Valley Lineup Announced
Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
If you're wondering why I stopped covering the Mill Valley Film Festival before opening night, the reason was medical. I caught the mother of all colds, and didn't want to ruin everyone else's moviegoing with my coughing and hacking. I was finally healthy enough to attend on Sunday, the very last day of the festival. … Continue reading Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 4: Human Flow
Tuesday's Festival Preview was supposed to be my last piece on the Mill Valley Film Festival before opening night. But I attended a press screening Wednesday for a film that I didn't realize was in the Festival. It is screening in the Festival. So here's one more capsule review: A Human Flow The world we live … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 4: Human Flow
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 3
Here's my last batch of Mill Valley Film Festival previews. As usual, their listed from best to worst. A- The Florida Project Cheap motels, filled with desperate people, abound on the edge of Disney World. Sean Baker's touching film concentrates on children staying in these motels - especially Moonie (Brooklynn Kimberly Prince), a little girl … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 3
Mill Valley Film Festival preview, Part 2
Here are five more films that will screen at the Mill Valley Film Festival: A The Light of the Moon A young woman tries to heal emotionally after a rape. She rejects therapy. She lies about the bruises on her face. She tells the truth to her loving and attentive boyfriend, but she rejects much … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival preview, Part 2
Mill Valley Film Festival preview, Part 1
The Mill Valley Film Festival doesn't just screen new movies that haven't yet played in the Bay Area. It includes a few classics, as well. So, I'm splitting this report between classic and new films. Oddly, five of the six films below have some connection to the 1960s and '70s. The outlier, however, is the … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival preview, Part 1
Mill Valley Festival reaches 40 next month with 204 films, & one of them will probably win Best Picture
The Bay Area hosts a ridiculous number of film festivals, but two of them stand above the others: San Francisco International in the spring and Mill Valley in the fall. These are the festivals where you can see the newest independent films before they get a regular theatrical release. More importantly, you can see many … Continue reading Mill Valley Festival reaches 40 next month with 204 films, & one of them will probably win Best Picture
Mill Valley Film Festival and Oscar Predictions
If past is prologue, hundreds of Mill Valley Film Festival attendants have now seen this year's Best Picture Oscar winner. In every year since 2010, that coveted award went to a film that had its Bay Area premiere at Marin's big festival. Whatever it will be, I haven't yet seen this year's winner. Although I've … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival and Oscar Predictions