Rabid right-wingers own cable news and talk radio, but we leftists sure dominate the feature-length documentary. I mean, when was the last time the Roxie showed an 80-minute video praising Ann Coulter? But do these documentaries serve an actual purpose? Anyone surfing through a television or radio dial can hit upon Bill O'Reilly or Rush … Continue reading Political Documentaries

"What did you think of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet?" "Oh, come on! You can't really call that Hamlet, can you? Hamlet was meant to be seen live, not canned. And why cast Kate Winslet and Julie Christie when Ophelia and Gertrude are supposed to be played by boys? And what's Branagh doing there? If it ain't … Continue reading Movies As They Were Meant to be Seen?

I don't know if the pen is mightier than the sword, but I've got a book on my desk that could make a pretty lethal club. It's called Cinema by the Bay, by Sheerly Avni, and it's a coffee table book for very sturdy coffee tables. The sucker is heavy. As the first title with … Continue reading Adulation by the Bay

If you were independently wealthy and had no friends, you could spend all of your time at Bay Area film festivals. Of course, if you did that, you probably wouldn’t stay friendless for long; you can meet some great people at these events. No sooner is the San Francisco International Film Festival over then Docfest … Continue reading More Festivals

Last week, I discussed art house theaters showing movies--especially old ones--on video rather than film, and whether I should warn readers when this happens. I forwarded the newsletter to theater managers in hope of getting some interesting replies. Their reaction was underwhelming. Only two responded. Tellingly, neither response came from a theater about which I've … Continue reading Video in Theaters, Part 2

I received an interesting email from a reader who, for professional reasons, wishes to remain anonymous. "It's becoming more common," he began, "for theaters to hold video screenings of movies (that are meant to be shown on film) without noting this in any of their publicity. Twice recently, I've commuted into S.F. to watch a … Continue reading Video in Theaters

I spent Saturday with Jean-Claude Carrière, Tilda Swinton, and John Turturro. Good company. (If you don’t recognize Carrière’s name, that just shows how badly we actor-and-director obsessed film fans disrespect screenwriters.) Yes, I’m talking about the San Francisco International Film Festival, where I devoted my day to big events with big names rather than actually … Continue reading More from the San Francisco International Film Festival

I spent last weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival; Saturday at the Kabuki and Sunday at the Castro. I had a wonderful time. On Monday I told you about Adam's Apples, Iberia, Play, and Obaba; all films that were reshown this week. Now I'll fill you in on the rest. I broke my … Continue reading Weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival

I spent the weekend at the San Francisco International Film Festival. I'll tell you more about it in my regular Friday newsletter. But I thought I should let you know about some movies you'll have an opportunity to see at the festival before Friday. I've listed them in order of quality, from the best to … Continue reading Midweek Festival Report

Another movie theater bites the dust. Without so much as a press release, Landmark Theaters quietly closed Berkeley’s Act I & II a few weeks ago. The company won’t comment on the closing, but it’s a good guess that this relatively old two-screener wasn’t making the bottom line. It was no palace, but the Acts … Continue reading Another movie theater bites the dust