Four more films that are new to me. As usual, I'm sorting them by quality. A Stalker (1979), Filmstruck This slow, strange, allegorical fantasy from the great Andrei Tarkovsky gets under your skin. A guide, called a stalker, takes two other men on a journey into a strange place called The Zone. We never find out … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Stalker, Bad Education, Bardelys the Magnificent, & Carry on Cleo
Category: Film Noir
Film Noir
John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, the Devil, and a certain black bird: Sunday at the Castro
Sunday I attended the Castro John Huston/Humphrey Bogart double bill of Beat the Devil and The Maltese Falcon. Much as I love Falcon, Devil was the real attraction. I had only seen it once before, long ago, and wasn't impressed. But the Film Foundation recently restored the movie, reconstructing director John Huston's original cut. This … Continue reading John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, the Devil, and a certain black bird: Sunday at the Castro
The final day of this year’s Noir City
There was a time when Noir City rarely showed movies made after the early 1960s. Not this year. The last two films screened at the festival are so new they were both shot digitally. And, of course, they were both screened off of DCPs, as well. Victoria This German thriller was shot in a single, … Continue reading The final day of this year’s Noir City
Another Saturday at Noir City
I haven't been able to visit Noir City during the week this year, but I did manage to see three of the four films that screened Saturday. Movies from 1970s America made up the matinee double bill. Films from the turn of the 21st century made up the final one. Here are the movies, in … Continue reading Another Saturday at Noir City
Sunday at Noir City
Americans invented Film Noir, but the French named it. So it seems appropriate that on the first Sunday of this year's festival, Noir City presented a double bill of French crime thrillers. The two films have something else besides nationality between them. Both deal with gangsters who have young children. This always complicates things. Rififi … Continue reading Sunday at Noir City
Saturday at Noir City
I caught three of the four movies screened at Noir City Saturday. To varying degrees, I liked all of them. I missed all but the last 15 minutes of Kansas City Confidential, and not only because I've already seen it. I was marching in the streets of Oakland before the lure of noir got to … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City
The Handmaiden: Too long for its own good
B- Erotic noir Written by Seo-Kyung Chung and Chan-wook Park, from the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters Directed by Chan-wook Park Some films really do need to run well over two hours; others don't. The Handmaiden falls into the latter category. At 80 or 90 minutes, this would have been a really fun movie. But at … Continue reading The Handmaiden: Too long for its own good
Mifune and The Handmaiden at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Quick notes on two films screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Both films have one more screening at the festival, and both will soon get a theatrical release. Mifune: The Last Samurai I caught this documentary at the Lark Friday night. Director Steven Okazaki introduced the film, describing his first Mifune experience: The Seven … Continue reading Mifune and The Handmaiden at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Janus, Criterion, Coen Brothers, and James Schamus: Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I started the day with Wesley Morris' State of Cinema address. But as I've already written about that presentation, I'll skip it here and go to the two other events I attended. Mel Novikoff Award: An Afternoon with Janus Films & the Criterion Collection Every year, the Festival gives the Mel Novikoff Award to "an … Continue reading Janus, Criterion, Coen Brothers, and James Schamus: Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Sunday Classical Music Noir Citys
Sunday's Noir City was all about classical musicians; dark, evil, down-and-dirty classical musicians. Well, not quite. Humoresque Talent isn't enough to make you a great musician. You need to work hard. You have to devote yourself to your art. And you have to sleep with Joan Crawford. In Humoresque, John Garfield plays a brilliant young … Continue reading Sunday Classical Music Noir Citys
Bayflicks 