A particular kind of movie musical will soon get a lot of exposure in the Bay Area--the large-format roadshow musicals of the 1950s and '60s. These were almost always close adaptations of popular Broadway stage musicals. They were often shot and projected in large, high-definition, film formats such as Todd-AO or Super Panavision 70. And … Continue reading Big, roadshow musical movies coming to the Bay Area
Category: Upcoming & Local
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
I've screened five films that will play at the upcoming Mill Valley Film Festival. Here's what I thought of them, from best to still pretty good. A Here Is Harold This very dark Norwegian comedy touches on issues of age, senility, parent/child relationships, big box stores and their effect on local businesses, and whether it's … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
This year’s Mill Valley Film Festival announced
Tuesday evening, the California Film Institute officially announced the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival. This is one of the two really big film festivals in the Bay Area (the other being the San Francisco International Film Festival). Because of the late summer/early fall dates, Mill Valley tends to get a lot of the better Indiewood … Continue reading This year’s Mill Valley Film Festival announced
September Preview
A few things to look forward to next month: After a summer recess, the Alameda relaunches its Classic Movie Series on the 15th with the Elvis Presley vehicle Blue Hawaii, which I vaguely remember seeing as a kid. My memories of the other two films--Three Days of the Condor and The Seven Year Itch--are also … Continue reading September Preview
Manos Sucias: Not-to-be-missed thriller coming to the Roxie
A Political and social thriller Written by Alan Blanco & Josef Kubota Wladyka Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka I loved Manos Sucias when I saw it at last year's San Francisco International Film Festival. But it had no American distributor, and I assumed that neither I nor anyone else in the Bay Area would ever see … Continue reading Manos Sucias: Not-to-be-missed thriller coming to the Roxie
The Castro in July
The Castro's July calendar is up--at least in its details-free "Coming Soon" version is up. Here are some highlights: July 5: Jaws plays a lot in the theaters I cover, but this time it will play on a double bill with one of the first Jaws rip-offs, Roger Corman's Piranha. Not a great movie, but … Continue reading The Castro in July
SF Jewish Film Festival: 35th edition
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which claims to be "the first and largest festival of its kind," turns 35 this summer. The 17-day collection of screenings and other events will take place all around the Bay Area. Whether it really is the first or largest, it is certainly my favorite of what I call … Continue reading SF Jewish Film Festival: 35th edition
Three Ways to See Three-Strip Technicolor at the PFA
They stopped making three-strip Technicolor movies about 60 years ago. The movies are still around, and they're still beautiful. This summer, the Pacific Film Archive will screen three different films shot in the still-loved format, and thanks to the way they're being screened, each one projected using a different technology. You can decide which is … Continue reading Three Ways to See Three-Strip Technicolor at the PFA
Summer Season at the Pacific Film Archive
You may have noticed that the Pacific Film Archive is currently closed. No big deal; it always closes for a few weeks in May and June. It will open again on June 11. But not for long. August 2 will be the last screening in the current PFA theater. When it reopens, hopefully early next … Continue reading Summer Season at the Pacific Film Archive
San Francisco International Film Festival Preview
Here are five films I've previewed for the upcoming San Francisco International Film Festival. I've arranged them in order from potential masterpiece to stinker. Except that there are no stinkers in this batch. As Dorothy Parker once said of Katherine Hepburn's acting range, these films run the gamut from A to B. Only in this … Continue reading San Francisco International Film Festival Preview
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