In festival news, Cinemadness starts tonight and ends Sunday (more on that below). But this week really means one thing for Bay Area film lovers: Napoleon, Oakland Paramount, Saturday and Sunday (plus Saturday and Sunday next week), 1:30. To call this the biggest Bay Area movie event in recent memory would be a gross understatement. … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 23 – 29
Category: Weekly Newsletter
What’s Screening: March 16 – 22
Both the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and the San Francisco Dance Film Festival continue through Sunday. The Bengali Film Fest opens today (Friday) and continues through Tuesday. B- Peaches Christ presents Pam Grier as Coffy, Jackie Brown, and herself, Castro, Saturday, 8:00. The B- grade goes to Coffy, as I haven’t seen … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 16 – 22
What’s Screening: March 9 – 15
Cinequest runs through Sunday, and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival continues through the week. The San Francisco Dance Film Festival opens Friday. A Children of Paradise, Castro, Saturday. Shot while the Nazi occupation of Paris fell apart, Children of Paradise may be the most ecstatically French film ever made. A three-hour epic … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 9 – 15
What’s Screening: March 2 – 8
The SF Green Festival opened on Wednesday, but I just found out about it on Thursday. It runs through next Wednesday. Cinequest is on and will continue to run this week and beyond. Another pre-code festival, Hollywood Before the Code: Nasty-Ass Films For a Nasty-Ass World, opens Friday and runs through the week. And the … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 2 – 8
What’s Screening: February 24–March 1
A short newsletter this week. Should that win an Oscar? Festival fans will have to drive down south in mid-week. Cinequest opens Tuesday in San Jose. Oscar Ceremony, Sunday, various theaters. Why be alone when you discover which tribute to silent films wins the bald guy. If you want to see the big show on … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 24–March 1
What’s Screening: February 17 – 23
IndieFest continues through this week, and it’s the only festival that does. However, I’ve added a new movie theater to the honor roll: the Alameda Theater. A grand old palace with a multiplex attached, it specializes in current fare, but it plays a classic film every Wednesday and Thursday. A High Noon, Alameda, Wednesday & … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 17 – 23
What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
The Elite Squad of Colonel Blimp brings up baby. If you’re feeling like a festival, IndieFest continues through this week. B Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, 4-Star, opens Friday. Captain Roberto Nascimento believes in killing "scumbags." And as an officer in Rio’s militaristic Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), he gets plenty of opportunities to do … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
What’s Screening: February 3 – 9
Beauty and the French Connection Looking Through a Glass Onion. The Mostly British Film Festival continues through the week and IndieFest opens Thursday. A Beauty and the Beast (1946 version), Castro, Thursday. I’d be hard-pressed to think of another film that’s anything like Jean Cocteau’s post-war fantasy. It’s a fairytale, told with a charming and … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 3 – 9
What’s Screening: January 27–February 2
We’re off to see Harry Belafonte, Captain Kirk, and two black birds. And if you find yourself reading this newsletter over and over again, that’s because it’s Groundhog Day. In festival news, Noir City continues through Sunday. And the Mostly British Film Festival opens Thursday. B Sing Your Song, Roxie, opens Friday. Harry Belafonte is … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 27–February 2
What’s Screening: January 20 – 26
The Wages of Separation When You Put Safety Last Noir City opens today (Friday) and runs through the week and a bit beyond. A A Separation, Embarcadero Center, opens Friday. Writer/director Asghar Farhadi demonstrates how good people can turn against each other in this harrowing tale from Iran about divorce, family responsibilities, and courtroom drama. … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 20 – 26
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