As December approaches, the autumn glut of Bay Area film festivals falls to few and finally none. But the last film festival of the year is one of the strangest. The Another Hole in the Head Film Festival isn't like any other. The movies it screens are rarely about poverty, divorce, or existential angst. Characters … Continue reading Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
Category: Horror
It’s October, and that means horror movies in Bay Area theaters
Halloween is only one day, but Bay Area movie theaters celebrate it weeks ahead. Here's what's coming if you want to jump out of your seat…or merely laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. I'm skipping new movies in regular release. My recommendations These are your best options for frightful cinema: Double bill: B+ Frankenstein … Continue reading It’s October, and that means horror movies in Bay Area theaters
Gothic Tales from very scary Women
Here's another film festival, one intended to give you the willies from mid-July to late August. Modern Cinema: Haunted! (subtitled Gothic Tales by Women). It will play at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theater. SFMOMA's latest "Modern Cinema" series looks at gothic stories, most of them horror of some sort. All of them are written by a … Continue reading Gothic Tales from very scary Women
What’s Screening: October 26 – November 1
Halloween approaches, and that tells you plenty about what’s on Bay Area movie screens this week. And if you don't like scary movies, you can attend one of more of the Bay Area's current four film festivals. Festivals The United Nations Association Film Festival continues through Sunday The Berlin & Beyond Autumn Showcase opens Thursday … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 26 – November 1
The Shape of Water: A great film comes from The Black Lagoon
A Horror thriller Written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Directed by Guillermo del Toro Only Guillermo del Toro could make a grand, romantic, suspenseful, and horrifying sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. And in doing so, The Shape of Water brings up issues concerning military overreach, the abuse of science, and … Continue reading The Shape of Water: A great film comes from The Black Lagoon
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
Just another selection of random movies I've finally got around to seeing. A- Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Grand Lake Theatre Much better than the stagey 1974 version, and a whole lot more fun - even if it does take considerable liberties with period details and basic plausibility. Director and star Kenneth Branagh turns Hercule … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: EDtv, Cat People, Irma Vep, & The Body Snatcher
Here are four films I've recently revisited or seen for the first time. I bet you can guess which ones I watched on Halloween. A EDtv (1999), DVD Near the end of the 20th century, two comedies foretold the concept of reality television. The first, The Truman Show, got all the praise. But the second one, … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: EDtv, Cat People, Irma Vep, & The Body Snatcher
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Carnival of Souls, Ministry of Fear, Blade Runner 2049, & Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
In which I tell you about a classic, independent horror film, two works by German directors in America, and the sequel everyone is talking about. A- Carnival of Souls (1962), FilmStruck This low-budget horror movie works in some very strange ways. A car goes off a bridge into a deep river, and one sole survivor comes … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Carnival of Souls, Ministry of Fear, Blade Runner 2049, & Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
Upcoming Festivals: Silents, Docs, and a Hold in the Head
Take a look at the Current Festivals section in the right-hand column of this web page. As I write this, on Friday, October 20, I've got links there to 14 film festivals currently running or coming up soon (three of them will close this weekend). I thought I'd tell you a bit about the ones … Continue reading Upcoming Festivals: Silents, Docs, and a Hold in the Head
Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
If you're wondering why I stopped covering the Mill Valley Film Festival before opening night, the reason was medical. I caught the mother of all colds, and didn't want to ruin everyone else's moviegoing with my coughing and hacking. I was finally healthy enough to attend on Sunday, the very last day of the festival. … Continue reading Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival