Let's start with something fun. Click here for a very funny and short movie parody (actually a trailer parody). Enjoy. And then consider it an object lesson in the power of editing--context completely changing the meaning of what was filmed. Editing is the great, overlooked filmmaking art. A few examples: The shooting script for The … Continue reading The Art of Editing

I guess the Oscars are now officially irrelevant. I know, a lot of my readers have considered them irrelevant for years, and while I follow them closely, I don’t take them seriously. But I’m not talking here about people in Bayflicks’ demographics. After Brokeback Mountain’s Golden Globe victory, Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film … Continue reading Oscar Nominations and the Religious Right

Now that Disney has bought Pixar, what will become of the two companies? Disney CEO Robert (anyone's better than Eisner) Iger promises to "welcome and embrace Pixar's unique culture." But didn't a Disney executive say something like that once about Miramax? Yes, this is another case of a big company swallowing up a small one … Continue reading Pixar into Disney

Life is crazy. I don't have time this week to pontificate about movies, so I'll just go directly to this week's comments and recommendations: Recommended: The Best of Youth, Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 3:00; also ongoing at the Balboa. If you live in the East Bay, Friday may be your only chance to see the … Continue reading Movies for the Week of January 20, 2006

The holidays are over and the film festivals are starting up. Assuming you're reading this on Friday, Noir City and the Rafael's For Your Consideration series start tonight, while Berlin and Beyond opened last night. Berlin and Beyond plays a variety of German-language films through Wednesday at the Castro, most new and not readily available … Continue reading More Festivals

Yes, I've redesigned the site. Hope you like it. Now, on to something more important: What’s better, Munich or The 40 Year-Old Virgin? You may as well ask if this tennis player is better than that accountant. You can’t really compare two well-made yet very different movies. But I’ll try. Welcome to Bayflicks’ Top Ten … Continue reading Bayflicks’ Top Ten Films of 2005

A couple of weeks ago I told you about some Oscar hopefuls. Here are two more, both not just hopefuls but real contenders. In fact, they’re amongst the best films currently playing in conventional multiplexes. Brokeback Mountain Ang Lee bounces back from the inedible Hulk with a sweeping romantic tragedy. As Ennis, Heath Ledger brings … Continue reading Oscar Hopefuls, Part 2

Good news: The Roxie Theater has found an angel. The non-profit New College of California is taking over the oldest continually-running movie theater in San Francisco, known for introducing new independent films that are truly independent, not Miramax independent. Renamed the Roxie Film Center, it will be, according to the press release, "a non-profit Cinema … Continue reading The Roxie’s Angel

Forget Christmas and Chanukah! December is Oscar Season. This is the time that Hollywood studios release their Oscar hopefuls. To officially qualify, a movie must come out before the end of the year. But anything that opened before November is likely to get lost in Academy members' notoriously short attention spans. Thus, this is Oscar … Continue reading Oscar Hopefuls

The end is near! At least when you watch a movie, the ending is never more than a few hours away. But what kind of ending? The general rule of thumb is that Hollywood movies have happy endings, because that’s what people want, while serious films have sad endings, because life is like that (or … Continue reading Endings, Happy and Sad