I spent last night at the Castro, where I saw two crime thrillers by the great Samuel Fuller: House of Bamboo and Underworld USA--all part of the Noir City festival running through Sunday. The evening got off to a late start. Due to an error, the starting time was advertised as 7:00 in some publications … Continue reading Noir City Report: 2 by Sam Fuller
Category: First-person Report
Two By Howard Hawks
I attended the first night of the Pacific Film Archive's Howard Hawks retrospective last night. The opening pictures, The Crowd Roars and Tiger Shark, made an odd choice. Made in 1932, soon after his classic Scarface, these are not amongst his best work, his earliest work, or his best early work. They're merely pretty good … Continue reading Two By Howard Hawks
Jeanne Moreau & Louis Malle: A Night at the Pacific Film Archive
Every great movie star is unique, but few achieve the respect, at least among serious cinephiles, that Jeanne Moreau enjoys. Like all great stars, she's blessed with beauty, talent, and charisma, has worked hard at her craft, and was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. In her case, the … Continue reading Jeanne Moreau & Louis Malle: A Night at the Pacific Film Archive
Miracle Mile: A Little Miracle I Just Discovered
I discovered a rare gem Friday night--a modestly-budgeted Hollywood film from 1988 called Miracle Mile. I’d never heard of it before, and have no idea if it ever played the Bay Area. Without a doubt, this is the very best dark and suspenseful romantic comedy I’ve ever seen about the end of civilization as we … Continue reading Miracle Mile: A Little Miracle I Just Discovered
Once in a Lifetime at ACT
Why would a movie blog cover a piece of live theater? When the play is about the movies. Last night, my wife and I attended a preview performance of the American Conservatory Theater’s new production of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman ’s 1930 Broadway hit, Once in a Lifetime. A broad farce about Hollywood, … Continue reading Once in a Lifetime at ACT
Vitaphone Shorts at the PFA
Last night I attended the screening of ten Vitaphone shorts at the Pacific Film Archive. It was part of their current UCLA Festival of Preservation series. Vitaphone was Warner Brother's early talking film technology, synchronizing image on film with sound on phonograph discs. The system was used for features—the best known being The Jazz Singer—but … Continue reading Vitaphone Shorts at the PFA
Two Forgotten Films From the Early 70’s
Friday night I attended the opening screenings in the Pacific Film Archive’s new series, The Outsiders: New Hollywood Cinema in the Seventies. These were not classics that everyone knows and loves, but movies of their time that few remember today: The Heartbreak Kid and The Landlord. The Heartbreak Kid When you think of the edgy … Continue reading Two Forgotten Films From the Early 70’s
The UC Theatre: A Memory
I’ve seen a lot of movie theaters close. It always hurts. But none hurt as much as Berkeley’s UC Theatre. There were years when I went there three or four times a week. Even more than the Castro, the UC was my shrine to the art and joy of cinema. It closed its doors for … Continue reading The UC Theatre: A Memory
Days of Heaven At the Cerrito
I first saw Terrence Malick’s historical, visually poetic epic, Days of Heaven, in 1978. It was brand new back then, and I saw it in 70mm, at San Francisco’s now-defunct Regency II. I saw it a second time last night at the Cerrito. I’m pleased to report that it is still a great film. Which … Continue reading Days of Heaven At the Cerrito
Silent Film Festival, Opening Night
I attended both San Francisco Silent Film Festival opening night screenings last night at the Castro. I didn’t attend the party, which conflicted with the second show. That was an easy choice. Upstream The festival opened with a newly discovered John Ford film. Thought lost for decades, a tinted print of Upstlream turned up recently … Continue reading Silent Film Festival, Opening Night
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