Here are the last five films I'll be previewing for this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Two documentaries, three narratives, and not a bad one in the bunch. As usual, they're in order of quality. A Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo This is one of the best documentaries about a movie star I've … Continue reading Danny Trejo, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Rosalind Chao, Isabelle Huppert, & Plastic. My last Mill Valley Film Festival previews of the year
Category: Upcoming & Local
116 features at the Mill Valley Film Festival (and one of them will probably win Best Picture)
Why does the Best Picture Oscar always go to a film that made its Bay Area premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival? I'll get to that. As one of the biggest film festivals in the area, Mill Valley attracts big names. This year, you can experience a Conversation with Olivia Wilde, meet Kristen Stewart … Continue reading 116 features at the Mill Valley Film Festival (and one of them will probably win Best Picture)
The Green Film Festival takes a step toward saving the world
The Bay Area hosts about 60 film festivals a year. Many of them are about certain types of movies (silent, noir, documentaries). Others focus on particular kinds of people (Jews, Arabs, Asian Americans). But others, such as the Green Film Festival, have a message. They want you to leave the theater ready to make a … Continue reading The Green Film Festival takes a step toward saving the world
Fall movies at the BAMPFA
Summer vacation is nearly over. Kids will soon be in school. Adults, and maybe some really smart kids, will go to the BAMPFA to see movies that don't show up at your local multiplex. From late August well into November, the Berkeley Art Museum's movie theater will screen seven new film series, along with continuing … Continue reading Fall movies at the BAMPFA
Hitchcock, James Bond, Star Trek, and some other terrific double features in August at the Castro
The double bill is almost a lost art, but this month you can find many excellent examples at the Castro. Let's start with Hitchcock Wednesdays (my label). Each Wednesday in August, San Francisco's best movie theater matches a feature from the master of suspense with an appropriate non-Hitchcock title: August 7: Strangers on a Train … Continue reading Hitchcock, James Bond, Star Trek, and some other terrific double features in August at the Castro
Gothic Tales from very scary Women
Here's another film festival, one intended to give you the willies from mid-July to late August. Modern Cinema: Haunted! (subtitled Gothic Tales by Women). It will play at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theater. SFMOMA's latest "Modern Cinema" series looks at gothic stories, most of them horror of some sort. All of them are written by a … Continue reading Gothic Tales from very scary Women
Hong Kong and Jewish Film Festivals in July
I can't properly cover all Bay Area's film festivals - especially now that I'm taking a few weeks off the blog. But I can tell you a little bit about two July festivals, even though I don't really know much about them yet. Hong Kong Cinema New People Cinema and Roxie, July 12 - 14 … Continue reading Hong Kong and Jewish Film Festivals in July
James Stewart at the Stanford
Starting this Friday, the Stanford will run a six-week series of James Stewart movies. A lot of very good films, and a few masterpieces, are on the schedule. At this point, I'm supposed to tell you why James Stewart deserves a series. But if you like movies enough to read this blog, you probably know … Continue reading James Stewart at the Stanford
Welles, Lang, Kobayashi & Rock ‘n’ Roll: BAMPFA’s summer schedule
The Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive's summer program offers popular classics and little-known works. And, since it's the BAMPFA, it includes a lot of films you might want to see. Since it's the PFA, every movie must be part of a series. Here are the nine series starting in the summer: Julio Bracho and Mexican … Continue reading Welles, Lang, Kobayashi & Rock ‘n’ Roll: BAMPFA’s summer schedule
The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
The first thing you should know about Marcel Pagnol's 1938 comedy, The Baker's Wife, is that it's very, very funny. The second thing you need to know is that it's also sweet and humane, especially as this story of adultery in provincial France comes to its end. My wife and I saw it at the … Continue reading The Baker’s Wife at the BAMPFA
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