I think I enjoyed the Oscars last night more than any other time in my life. And that's not only because of the big surprise happy ending. I was part of an enthusiastic crowd at the Roxie, cheering, groaning, and applauding. And we were very well entertained during the commercial breaks. This wasn't the first … Continue reading Watching the Oscars at the Roxie Theater
Category: First-person Report
Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
I spent Saturday at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), watching three movies I'd never seen before. Fritz Lang's Indian Epic The day started with two Fritz Lang action flicks, The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb. These are two movies the way Kill Bill are two movies. It's one story, with the … Continue reading Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
New Thoughts on Fiddler on the Roof
How do Jews spend Christmas afternoon? This year, my wife and I attended the New Parkway's annual screening of Fiddler on the Roof. It was my third experience with the film (although my first at the Parkway), and it gets better every time. When I first saw the last of the big Hollywood roadshows, at … Continue reading New Thoughts on Fiddler on the Roof
My Report on the Day of Silents
I spent Saturday at the Castro Theater for the Day of Silents, a one-day event produced by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. I saw four features and eight shorts, all with live musical accompaniment. It was a wonderful day. Fatty + Buster: The Comique World of Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton One hundred years … Continue reading My Report on the Day of Silents
Tati, Caine, & Riggs: Three films I saw at BAMPFA
Over Sunday and Monday, I saw three very different films at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive…also known as BAMPFA. Here they are, in the order I saw them: Traffic After tearing down architecture in Playtime, Jacques Tati finds the humor in the not-quite-open road. Traffic isn't his best, but is still very, very funny. … Continue reading Tati, Caine, & Riggs: Three films I saw at BAMPFA
The Irishman at the Castro
Tuesday night, SFFilm hosted the Bay Area premiere of Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama, The Irishman, at the Castro. For the second night in a row, Scorsese was there in person. Since the film runs almost three and a half hours, without an intermission, Scorsese spoke for only about a minute and a half. He … Continue reading The Irishman at the Castro
Great Movies are Better on the Big Screen
Who would shell out money and travel across town to see a movie they already own on Blu-ray? I would. Nothing you can do in your own home competes with the theatrical experience. Within the last 10 days, my wife and I bought tickets and crossed town to see two favorites on the big screen: … Continue reading Great Movies are Better on the Big Screen
A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA
I caught three very good, but very different, films at the BAMPFA this weekend. The Traveler (1974) Friday night, BAMPFA started its new series, Abbas Kiarostami: Life as Art, with this touching story reminiscent of François Truffaut's 400 Blows. Kiarostami (1940–2016) was one of Iran's most important and influential filmmakers, and this massive series will run … Continue reading A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA
War and Peace on the big screen
Like almost every literate person on the planet, I never read War and Peace. But I've now seen Sergey Bondarchuk's massive film version. Last Saturday, Russia took over the Castro. The large theater was packed to the gills with people wanting to see this massive, rarely projected epic. But is this film version of War … Continue reading War and Peace on the big screen
The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
The first thing you should know about Marcel Pagnol's 1938 comedy, The Baker's Wife, is that it's very, very funny. The second thing you need to know is that it's also sweet and humane, especially as this story of adultery in provincial France comes to its end. My wife and I saw it at the … Continue reading The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
Bayflicks 