O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention… I can't read or listen to the prologue of William Shakespeare's Henry V without thinking that he was wishing he were writing a screenplay. He may have wondered if the stage could hold "The vasty fields of France?" Or if the … Continue reading Henry V times 2
Category: Great Films
My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
I went to the movies quite a bit in 2018, and it was often a wonderful experience. I attended six (I think) Bay Area film festivals, numerous special presentations, and just plain really good movies. In May, I flew to Rochester, New York for the Nitrate Picture Show. For four days of screenings and museum … Continue reading My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
Chaplin Diary, Part 12: The Gold Rush
As I chronologically move through Charlie Chaplin's work as a director, I now come to his first feature-length masterpiece, The Gold Rush. His 1925 epic belongs on any list of great films - including mine. I've already written two articles on The Gold Rush: a report on a screening with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 12: The Gold Rush
After revisiting 2001, I put it on my A+ list
After seeing Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen for the first time since - well, at least ten years - I realize that it's a much better film than I remembered. (For what it's worth, that last time was also in 70mm at the Castro.) I know now that it's as … Continue reading After revisiting 2001, I put it on my A+ list
2001: Not like 1968
Like a lot of people, I'm looking forward to the new 70mm presentation of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was not quite 14 when I fell in love with this epic science fiction extravaganza in its original release. For at least a decade, it was my all-time favorite film. It was the first … Continue reading 2001: Not like 1968
Great Movie; Too Bad It Sucks
Howard Hawks once described a good movie as one with "Three great scenes, no bad ones." But what do you call a film with three great scenes and two horrible ones? I call it frustrating. If I discover a great film, it's wonderful. If I discover a stinker, I'll never see it again. But when … Continue reading Great Movie; Too Bad It Sucks
Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
Instead of listing my top ten movies of 2017, I'm giving you my top 15 moviegoing experiences of the year. What's the difference? I consider the theater, the quality of the print or digital source, the enthusiasm of the audience, and live onstage supplements such as musical accompaniment and filmmaker Q&As. I also consider the … Continue reading Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
A+ List: Top Hat
Few Hollywood features have celebrated their own wholly unreal artifice like Top Hat, the best Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical. Despite its contemporary setting (contemporary for 1935, the year it was released), it contains almost nothing that suggests the real world. Thanks to that artifice, the songs, the madcap comic dialog and hijinks, and most of … Continue reading A+ List: Top Hat
Revisiting Schindler’s List
I loved Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List when I first saw it in 1993. It blew me away. Within a year or so I bought the Laserdisc (used), and watched it two or three times over the next decade. I recently revisited it for the first time in maybe 15 years - this time via Netflix. … Continue reading Revisiting Schindler’s List
A+ List: The Thief of Bagdad (1940 version)
Arabian Nights movies seem to have gone out of fashion, and that's probably not much of a loss. Most of them were laughably bad. But a few good ones got made, along with one true masterpiece: Alexander Korda's The Thief of Bagdad. With its loosely-weaved story, poetic dialog, beautiful color design, groundbreaking special effects, and … Continue reading A+ List: The Thief of Bagdad (1940 version)
