I love silent movies - especially with live music. I also love the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. You can hear various musical ensembles. People dress for the occasion (well, I don't). You can take a seat for the whole day, usually next to people you know. Between movies, you can talk to important preservationists … Continue reading The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is coming back
Category: Festivals
My Noir City 2022 experience
Sad to say, I've only seen one double bill in this year's Noir City festival - Saturday's matinee. And it looks like I won't be able to attend anything Sunday. So here are the two films I'm able to see this year: The Accused and The Killer That Stalked New York. Hopefully, you may be … Continue reading My Noir City 2022 experience
Doc Week at the New Parkway
April Fool's Day seems like a strange time to start a documentary film festival. It would be more appropriate for a mockumentary fest. Nevertheless, Doc Week 2022 opens on Friday, April 1, and ends on April 7. It happens at the New Parkway in downtown Oakland. Unlike most documentary festivals, this one doesn't focus on … Continue reading Doc Week at the New Parkway
4 films playing at Berlin & Beyond
Remember going to the Castro Theatre to attend film festivals like Berlin & Beyond? Well, they're back. The Castro's new owners, Another Planet Entertainment, will rent the movie palace for the Bay Area's annual celebration of new German-language cinema. This year, Berlin & Beyond runs from March 11 to 16. The first three days be will … Continue reading 4 films playing at Berlin & Beyond
No subtitles at the Mostly British Film Festival
When you go to an international film festival, you know you're going to have to read a lot of subtitles. But not so much at the Mostly British Film Festival. This event presents foreign films from such exotic locales as Ireland, England, and Australia - places outside of North America where people generally speak English. … Continue reading No subtitles at the Mostly British Film Festival
Noir City Oaktown
It was 3:00am. The streets were deserted. The fog was as thick as the plot of a Raymond Chandler novel. I was missing something important. I hadn't attended Noir City since 2019. A bad case of the flu kept me at home that year. At least I thought it was the flu. Within weeks, a … Continue reading Noir City Oaktown
What’s Screening: December 17 – 23
With Christmas around the corner, plenty of the vintage movies screening this week have a Yuletide theme. For instance, there's that seasonal movie where our hero climbs into a building to separate the naughty and nice. But don't despair, Die Hard isn't the only holiday movie on the big screen this week. But, as usual … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 17 – 23
UNAFF: The United Nations Association Film Festival
The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) sees itself as a "two-decade-long celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, emphasizing our readiness to resume resolute strides towards lasting solutions." It opens Thursday. Although most of the festival will happen on the peninsula - Stanford and Palo Alto - UNAFF will have one day in … Continue reading UNAFF: The United Nations Association Film Festival
Dune at the Mill Valley Film Festival
I went to the CinéArts Sequoia for my last 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival event: A screening of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming science fiction epic, Dune. It was not an enjoyable experience. Before the movie, Executive Director Mark Fishkin and Director of Programming Zoë Elton came to the front of the theater and brought up Daniel … Continue reading Dune at the Mill Valley Film Festival
A “hero” and a cartoon at Mill Valley (but not in Mill Valley)
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)
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