In this week's Ask Mick LaSalle column, the SF Chronicle reviewer answered a reader who asked if he could "you name any American movie from the last 20 years that might be for the ages?" His answer was, for the most part, intelligent, but not entirely. And the problems started at the top, when Mick … Continue reading Technology, Classic Films, and Mick LaSalle
Category: Technical
Undead Pixels Mar Digital Projection
I’m a fan of digital projection. But I’m not blind about its faults. And one of the biggest problems with digital projection is the dreaded stuck pixel. Suddenly, you’ve got a distracting dot on the screen. When it happens, it’s worse than a scratch on a print, and it doesn’t go away until it’s fixed. … Continue reading Undead Pixels Mar Digital Projection
Film, Digital, and the Current Castro Calendar
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
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
How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2013 Edition
For the second year in a row, I've done a survey of current films to determine how many are digitally shot and how many are still captured on film. In 2012, I was surprised to discover that just over half of the films that might have been shot on film (I explain that distinction below) … Continue reading How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2013 Edition
Rethinking Dial M for Murder
The last time I saw Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder on the big screen, or in 3D, was the first time any paying audience had seen it in decades. That was in 1980, at San Francisco's York Theater. I finally experienced the film properly again Thursday night at the Rafael, and it's a much … Continue reading Rethinking Dial M for Murder
The Big Trail: A Big Western Shot on Big Film
Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail is not by any stretch of the imagination a great film. But it's fascinating, historically unique, and beautiful to look at. I caught it Sunday night at the Pacific Film Archive. I'd seen it before--on Turner Classic Movies--but this was my first Big Trail big screen experience. It deserves the … Continue reading The Big Trail: A Big Western Shot on Big Film
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
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