Early every month, I visit the Castro's Playlist page to see which classics they're showing digitally rather than on film. And no, I don't do this to get angry. I love film, but I also love DCP (the digital standard that's replaced film in theaters). It's more a matter of curiosity. As I understand it, … Continue reading Film, Digital, and the Current Castro Calendar
Category: Digital Projection
Chaplin at the Castro: My Report on a Wonderful Day
On January 11, 1914, a Keystone movie crew drove to Venice--a beach town near Los Angeles--to improvise a comedy around an actual event of modest interest. Only one performer came with the crew--a young British Music Hall comedian recently signed with Keystone. The comic, Charlie Chaplin, quickly put together a costume and makeup, and created … Continue reading Chaplin at the Castro: My Report on a Wonderful Day
Taxi Driver, Alamo Bay, and 4K Digital Projection at the PFA
Saturday night, my wife and I attended two screenings at the Pacific Film Archive. Both were parts of the series The Resolution Starts Now: 4K Restorations from Sony Pictures. And this time, unlike Thursday night's screening, the movies were actually projected in 4K. And they both looked fantastic. This was not a double feature. You … Continue reading Taxi Driver, Alamo Bay, and 4K Digital Projection at the PFA
DCP, Grover Crisp, & Bonjour Tristesse at the PFA
Thursday night I attended the second event in the Pacific Film Archive series, The Resolution Starts Now: 4K Restorations from Sony Pictures. This was more than just a movie screening. It was a talk by Sony's head archivist--and one of the current heroes of film restoration--Grover Crisp. Then came the movie: Otto Preminger’s Bonjour Tristesse. … Continue reading DCP, Grover Crisp, & Bonjour Tristesse at the PFA
One Downside of Digital Projection
Regular readers know that I'm a fan of digital projection--not only for today's movies but classics, as well. But I'm not a fundamentalist. Digital has its downsides. And one of those downsides is the number of great motion pictures now unavailable in any decent theatrical format--digital or otherwise. More and more classics are becoming available … Continue reading One Downside of Digital Projection
A New Schedule and a New Projector at the Pacific Film Archive
I've got the new summer schedule for the Pacific Film Archive. And the biggest news is hidden between the lines. As I looked over the printed schedule, I noticed that the PFA will screen several films off DCPs. As far as I knew, the PFA didn't have that capability. Last year, Senior Film Curator Susan … Continue reading A New Schedule and a New Projector at the Pacific Film Archive
Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I caught the Harrison Ford event Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I got a lousy seat. Near the back and over to the side. That's what I get for wasting time. After an introduction by Ted Hope, and clip reels honoring the recently-deceased donor George Gund III and, of course, Harrison Ford, David Darcy came onstage to … Continue reading Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Best Ways to See a Classic Movie
The best way to see any theatrical feature--classic or otherwise--is in the theater, preferably with a competent projectionist and an enthusiastic audience. But that's a given. I'm here to cover a more controversial topic: From what type of media should an old movie--and let's define that as any one made before 2000--be properly projected for … Continue reading Best Ways to See a Classic Movie
Lawrence of Arabia Again–This Time in a CineMark XD Theater
Seems kind of crazy. I haven't been able to go to the movies anywhere near as often as I'd like, lately. Yet I've managed to see the same film three times in the last four months. And that film is almost four hours long. But it was worth it. Although I now own it on … Continue reading Lawrence of Arabia Again–This Time in a CineMark XD Theater
Noir City in 3D
Last night I attended Noir City's first ever 3D double bill. Both films, Man in the Dark and Inferno, came out in 1953. That year was both the height of the classic noir period, and the zenith of the first 3D craze. Actually, it was the only year of the first 3D craze. Hollywood turned … Continue reading Noir City in 3D
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