We think of film noir as a very American genre…which is kind of weird. After all, the very word noir should remind us that the French recognized a unique style and gave it a name. So I'm happy to tell you that in its12th installment, Noir City goes international. There will be films from Spain, … Continue reading Upcoming Festivals: Subtitled Noir and Subtitled German
Category: Festivals
The Bay Area needs another film festival like it needs…
Like a herd of zombies hungry for human flesh, the 10th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival will take over the Balboa on November 29 and not let go until December 5. Then it will move to the New People Cinema, where it will continue to devour brains until the 19th. We think … Continue reading The Bay Area needs another film festival like it needs…
Steve McQueen and 12 Years a Slave
I attended the Mill Valley Film Festival screening of 12 Years a Slave Friday night. Absolutely amazing. True story: In 1841, Con artists kidnapped Solomon Northup--a free-born African American living in upstate New York--and sold him into slavery down south. Movie: This film shows us the horrors of slavery through the eyes of an educated … Continue reading Steve McQueen and 12 Years a Slave
Mill Valley Film Festival Report: Costa-Gavras Tribute
Greek/French filmmaker Costa-Gavras has been making slick, exciting political films since the 1960s. His works have attacked Fascism, Communism, American foreign policy, and a Pope. Friday night, he stepped up onto the stage at the Rafael's downstairs auditorium to discuss his career and screen his latest film. But he didn't step up on time. The … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Report: Costa-Gavras Tribute
Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Audiences first saw Charlie Chaplin on a movie screen on February 2, 1914. (Thousands had already seen him live.) On that day, his first Keystone one-reeler, "Making a Living," premiered to audiences who were not, reportedly all that excited. But with his second flick, "Kid Auto Races in Venice," he became a sensation. In other … Continue reading Special Charlie Chaplin Day at Castro in January
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
I've managed to preview three (well, two and a half) features that will screen at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Here's what I thought of them: A Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine If a film makes me cry, it gets an A. This documentary about the horrific, homophobic murder of a young gay … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
This year’s Mill Valley Film Festival Announced Today
In the Bay Area, we have film festivals for Jews, Arabs, Irish, atheists, Asians, South Asians, Asian Americans, blacks, gays, and gay blacks. We have festivals for people who love silent movies, film noir, comedy, and horror. And we have film festivals for people who just love movies. The Mill Valley Film Festival is one … Continue reading This year’s Mill Valley Film Festival Announced Today
Coming on Yom Kippur: The Atheist Film Festival
The Bay Area's fifth annual Atheist Film Festival plays one day--Saturday, September 14--at the Roxie. That's Yom Kippur. I'll assume it's a coincidence. I also assume that it won't hurt the box office much. I have nothing against atheism. The belief that there is no God is a perfectly reasonable one, and nothing to be … Continue reading Coming on Yom Kippur: The Atheist Film Festival
Silent Film Festival Report: Sunday
Kings of (Silent) Comedy Of course it was funny. There was really no question about it. This was my first chance seeing "Mighty Like a Moose" and "The Immigrant" on the big screen, and both were wonderful that way. The cartoon, "Felix Goes West," wasn't of the same quality, but it delivered enough laugh to … Continue reading Silent Film Festival Report: Sunday
SF Silent Film Festival Report: Saturday
This was an exceptionally exhausting day at the festival. I saw five programs, and lacked the stamina for a sixth. Windsor McCay, His Life and Art Animation historian John Canemaker narrated this entertaining lecture/film presentation on the work of the brilliant cartoonist, vaudeville performer, and animation pioneer Windsor McCay. The presentation covered his ground-breaking comic … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival Report: Saturday
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