B+ Romantic comedy Written and directed by Warren Beatty Story by Beatty and Bo Goldman Don't be fooled by the posters. Rules Don't Apply isn't a thriller. It's a romantic comedy. Warren Beatty returns to the director's chair for the first time this century, wringing laughs out of billionaire recluse Howard Hughes. (He also returns … Continue reading Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes for laughs in Rules Don’t Apply
Category: First-person Report
Brando, Magnini, Powell, Pressburger, the deep South, England & India: Saturday night at the PFA
My wife and I attended two screenings at the Pacific Film Archive Saturday night. This was not a double bill. The Fugitive Kind The PFA series Anna Magnani: Eternal Soul of Italian Cinema just keeps rolling along, and now it's getting into the great Italian actress' American films. This 1960 drama co-starring Marlon Brando was … Continue reading Brando, Magnini, Powell, Pressburger, the deep South, England & India: Saturday night at the PFA
Louise Brooks at the New Mission
I confess. I was wrong. I gave G.W. Pabst's Diary of a Lost Girl a B+ in this week's newsletter. I should have given it an A. Pabst's second film starring Louise Brooks is a better film than I had recalled. Or maybe the movie seemed better because the music was better. That can happen … Continue reading Louise Brooks at the New Mission
Denial at the Albany
Wednesday night, I went to the Albany Theater to see Denial. They were screening the drama in the big, downstairs theater. I thought I was going to be the only person in the audience. But as the trailers were starting, I heard someone sit down a few rows behind me. I turned around, saw a man, … Continue reading Denial at the Albany
Jean Renoir and Spike Lee at the PFA
I saw two highly-regarded classic films Saturday night at the Pacific Film Archive. This was not a double feature. They were about as different as good films can be. The Golden Coach This was my first experience with Jean Renoir's 1952 commedia dell'arte about, well, commedia dell'arte. It's also about arrogant aristocrats, starving artists, and, … Continue reading Jean Renoir and Spike Lee at the PFA
Doc Stories festival opens with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
Quick note: Yes, I've been changing Bayflicks' design a lot lately. Hopefully this one will last. Growing up with famous parents can't be easy--especially if your father left home for Elizabeth Taylor, and your relentlessly upbeat mother insisted that you follow in her footsteps. And then, decades later, a bunch of documentarians invade your privacy … Continue reading Doc Stories festival opens with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
Revisiting Rocky Horror at the UC Theatre
On Halloween night, I attempted to go back in time. Call it a time warp. I attended The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the fabled UC Theatre. I had a lot of fun, but much of the experience annoyed me. When I wrote about the UC, I neglected to mention that it ran Rocky Horror … Continue reading Revisiting Rocky Horror at the UC Theatre
Closing the Mill Valley Film Festival with 3D and Disney Animation
Yes, I know. This year's Mill Valley Film Festival closes with several screenings of Loving. But I'm not able to attend any of them. So I finished my Mill Valley Film Festival with two special presentations at the Rafael. Both events were family friendly, and had quite a few children present. The 3D Sideshow As … Continue reading Closing the Mill Valley Film Festival with 3D and Disney Animation
Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Saturday afternoon, my wife and I drove across the Bay to the Lark for a Mill Valley Film Festival screening of the thoroughly outrageous comedy Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse. We arrived at the Lark just as the rain started falling. People think that a rainy day is perfect for movie going, but that's … Continue reading Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
I spent Saturday at the Sequoia, where I caught three films in the Mill Valley Film Festival. They were all very good, and each was better than the one before it. She Started It We all know about tech industry sexism. Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed's documentary follows five young women (concentrating on two of … Continue reading Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
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