I went to the CinéArts Sequoia for my last 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival event: A screening of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming science fiction epic, Dune. It was not an enjoyable experience. Before the movie, Executive Director Mark Fishkin and Director of Programming Zoë Elton came to the front of the theater and brought up Daniel … Continue reading Dune at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Cryptozoo: Mythology & adult animation
A- Animated fantasy for adults Written & directed by Dash Shaw A couple walk through a forest. They stop to smoke some pot and make love. They find and climb over a very tall chain-link fence. They find something amazing. Don't be surprised; this very unusual cartoon is not about these two hippies - even … Continue reading Cryptozoo: Mythology & adult animation
Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
Last week I told you about a Preston Sturges series available on The Criterion Channel. This week, I'm telling you about two other series on the Channel intended just to entertain. One is about the most loved comedian of all time. The other was one of the first filmmakers to use the medium to tell … Continue reading Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
The Fantastic Journeys of Karel Zeman
While Ray Harryhausen was making effects-laden fantasies in the mid-20th century, the Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman was doing much the same thing behind the Iron Curtain…but with a better sense of humor. Using stop-motion animation, puppets, live action, beautiful illustrations, and a sense of comedy, he made visually striking, entertaining films that have been forgotten … Continue reading The Fantastic Journeys of Karel Zeman
Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
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
Revisiting the original Star Wars trilogy
When we talk about films that significantly influenced cinema, we generally mention classics like Citizen Kane and Rashomon. But the real big influences were surprise commercial hits such as The Jazz Singer, This is Cinerama, and, yes, the original Star Wars. These influences, of course, weren't always for the better. You could argue that Star … Continue reading Revisiting the original Star Wars trilogy
Before Armstrong: Moon Missions from Méliès to Kubrick
I should have written this article weeks ago. But I got the idea a month too late. On or around July 20, The Rafael, The New Parkway, and The Roxie celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. But most of their programs centered on documentaries. But why not celebrate the anniversary with a series of fictitious … Continue reading Before Armstrong: Moon Missions from Méliès to Kubrick
Aniara: It’s a long trip to nowhere, but it’s worth it
A Science Fiction Written and directed by Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja This slow, frightful, depressing space movie from Sweden carries a heavy charge. Unless you watch nothing but Hollywood movies, you know almost from the start how it's going to end, and it isn't going to be good. And yet there are moments of transcendent … Continue reading Aniara: It’s a long trip to nowhere, but it’s worth it
Three Days of Ray Harryhausen
We use the word auteur primarily when we talk about directors. Occasionally we call producers auteurs. But Ray Harryhausen was the only special effects engineer who can be reasonably called an auteur. He picked the stories and fleshed them out. His drawings guided the art direction and camerawork. And his model animation technique, which he … Continue reading Three Days of Ray Harryhausen
2001: A Mistake Odyssey
The more you love a film, the more you often you see it. And the more often you see it, the more you notice its flaws. And those flaws endear you to the movie all the more, because it reminds you that it was created by imperfect human beings. I don't know how many times … Continue reading 2001: A Mistake Odyssey
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