Perhaps it's the fog. When summer rolls around in the Bay Area, people want to go to the movies. And a sufficient number of those people want to go to silent movies, preferably accompanied by live music. You can devote three of June's five weekends to silent film. And that doesn't even include the biggest … Continue reading Bay Area Silent Summer 2013: Great Opportunities to Watch Movies with Live Musical Accompaniment
Category: Upcoming & Local
A New Schedule and a New Projector at the Pacific Film Archive
I've got the new summer schedule for the Pacific Film Archive. And the biggest news is hidden between the lines. As I looked over the printed schedule, I noticed that the PFA will screen several films off DCPs. As far as I knew, the PFA didn't have that capability. Last year, Senior Film Curator Susan … Continue reading A New Schedule and a New Projector at the Pacific Film Archive
San Francisco International Film Festival announced
The Bay Area's Big Kahuna of film festivals (or at least one of of the two Big Kahunas--the other being Mill Valley), announced most of its line-up today. The 56th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival opens April 25 and runs through May 9. As usual, the heart of the festivities will be at the … Continue reading San Francisco International Film Festival announced
This Year’s IndieFest Announced
Most film festivals fall into one of three categories: Genre festivals, like Noir City and the the Silent Film Festival, concentrate on a particular kind of film. Ethnic festivals, like the Jewish Film Festival and Frameline, concentrate on a particular kind of filmgoer. General festivals, like the San Francisco Film Festival and Mill Valley, don't … Continue reading This Year’s IndieFest Announced
Yet Another Upcoming Festival, This One With a Stiff Upper Lip
When I posted First Festivals of the New Year yesterday, I missed an important one: Mostly British Film Festival January 17 - 24 This festival celebrates British cinema--by a rather broad definition of the term--both old and new. Amongst the films you may have seen are Odd Man Out, two by David Lean, This Happy … Continue reading Yet Another Upcoming Festival, This One With a Stiff Upper Lip
First Festivals of the New Year
The holiday season isn't so festive for Bay Area cinephiles. In fact, it's a big, seasonal, film festival drought. But it won't last. Here are some festivals on the way: For Your Consideration January 11 - 17 As it does every year, the Rafael will screen a series of movies that the Academy is considering … Continue reading First Festivals of the New Year
The Coming PFA Schedule
The new Pacific Film Archive schedule arrived in the mail today, and it left me wanting to move into the screening room for a few months. Unfortunately, that's not possible, and not only because it lack beds and showers. I'm directing a one-act play to be performed on February 23, and my time will be … Continue reading The Coming PFA Schedule
The Return of the Found Footage Festival
The world is full of unwanted VHS cassettes, which is a good thing for Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett. They mine comic gold from the unwanted dregs of the video universe, which they serve up every so often with their Found Footage Festival. The results are often shocking, absurd, and pathetic. But they are also, … Continue reading The Return of the Found Footage Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
Getting ready for the Mill Valley Film Festival? Here are four films that I've been able to preview: A The Central Park Five, Rafael, Saturday, October 6, 3:30; Monday, October 8, 3:15. In 1989, a white woman was brutally raped and left for dead in Central Park. New York's finest arrested five black and Puerto … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview
This Year’s Mill Valley Film Festival Announced
As summer closes, the superhero blockbusters dry up. In their place comes a whole other genre--Oscar bait. That's okay, because these are usually the best films of the year. And if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, your first chance to catch the Oscar bait is usually the Mill Valley Film Festival. The … Continue reading This Year’s Mill Valley Film Festival Announced