Earthquakes and monsters. Oh, my. I didn’t see a single new movie last weekend, but I still managed some intense movie-going. A good chunk of it had to do with technology--either movie technology or plate tectonics. It started Friday night with both. My wife and I went to Earthquake at the Pacific Film Archive--part of … Continue reading Earthquakes and Monsters

What does it mean when three movies with similar but unusual subjects come out almost simultaneously? Are they tapping into something in the national psyche? Not if they're from different countries. So far this year, three films about parent-baby separation hit Bay Area theaters. In each one, a criminal deprives a mother of her baby. … Continue reading Stealing Children

Prepare yourself for a lot of movie-going. Graham Leggat, the new Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, announced the 2006 San Francisco International Film Festival this week. It runs April 20 through May 4. The numbers, as always, are big: 97 features and 130 shorts from 41 countries, including 38 west coast, 12 … Continue reading Coming Soon: The San Francisco International Film Festival

The big one is coming. Actually, the big one came a hundred years ago. What’s coming is the big anniversary of the big one. I’m speaking, of course, of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Expect a lot of ink devoted to it in the local press, including sobering discussions of our unprepared conditions, comparisons with … Continue reading Earthquakes

I don't usually send out a newsletter on Sunday, but next Friday will be too late to talk about the 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. I caught two Festival events Saturday at the Castro, both very much worth talking about. As part of its tribute to actor James Shigeta, the Festival screened … Continue reading Addendum: Asian American Film Festival

Bayflicks lacks a links page, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love other web sites. Here are a few: SF360, a sort of local news site for the independent film scene, officially launched this week (this is called a news hook in the journalism biz). It’s still taking form, but it already looks good, with … Continue reading Links

There's nothing I can say about the Oscars that you haven't read elsewhere, so I'll just go directly to my weekly recommendations: Recommended: Valley Girl, Castro, Friday, 7:00. Was there ever a less promising film to become a classic? Made on a miniscule budget, financed by people more concerned with tits than story, with a title ripped off … Continue reading Films for the Week of March 10, 2006

Sometimes you just can't get to a movie theater. Or there's nothing playing that you want to see. Or you just don't want the hassle. That's why we have DVDs. This week, I'm going to ignore the real thing and give you a couple of home theater recommendations. Let's start with the big one--in more … Continue reading DVD Recommendations

Cutting to the chase, this week. Sorry, but I don't have time to write more than the bare bones. Okay, one comment: Two big festivals are hitting the Bay Area simultaneously: Cinequest (which I discussed last week) and the Tiburon International Film Festival. I'll be providing only partial lists of the films they're showing. Check … Continue reading Movies for the Week of February 24, 2006

Where are you going to watch the Academy Awards? (Yes, I know, many of you wouldn't dream of watching them. Please excuse my absurd fascination with meaningless exercises in self-congratulations.) These days, thanks to many of the theaters I track here at Bayflicks, the Oscars can be a communal experience--even if you're not nominated. The … Continue reading Oscar Parties and Festivals