Two evenings. Two movies. Two brilliant auteurs at the BAMPFA. Márta Mészáros Last Saturday night, I discovered Márta Mészáros, a new, brilliant auteur. Well, not really new. she turned 90 last year. But she's new to me. Before the movie, curator Kathy Geritz told us a bit about Mészáros. She made her first film, The … Continue reading Márta Mészáros & John Ford: Two evenings at the BAMPFA
Category: Westerns
Mill Valley Film Fest: Preview 1
Here's my first set of capsule movie reviews of films playing at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Some of these capsules are unusually short; the festival requires many of the films to be reviewed in 50 words or less. You'll probably guess which ones. A- Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Fest: Preview 1
What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
More than 75 movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel at the end of the month. Here are some that I recommend you watch before February. One brilliant filmmaker, Bill Plympton, stands out on this list. A Idiots and Angels (2008) A man so rotten he pushes a tear of empathy back into his eye … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
Early John Ford on Blu-ray with Hell Bent
You've probably never heard of Hell Bent - a very early John Ford western, made in only his second year as a director. He's credited as Jack Ford (his birth name was Sean John Feeney). And yet, sometimes you can see the greatness to come. At this point in his career, Ford was cranking out … Continue reading Early John Ford on Blu-ray with Hell Bent
A wild South African adventure in Mill Valley (actually Larkspur): Flatland
Thursday evening, I saw one of the wildest, craziest, and bizarre road movie ever to grace the Mill Valley Film Festival. And it wasn't even in Mill Valley or San Rafael. I saw Flatland at the Century Larkspur, probably the easiest Marin County movie theater to get to from the East Bay. It's a regular … Continue reading A wild South African adventure in Mill Valley (actually Larkspur): Flatland
Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
I wrote an article a couple of years ago about Forgotten Laughs - comedies that are worth watching, but never attained classic status. I overlooked Support Your Local Sheriff from 1969, which is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Mel Brooks, and … Continue reading Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
A Discovered genre: The contemporary western drama
I think I discovered a genre. It's been around for more than 60 years and has never been recognized as such. But it's worth considering. The films in this genre, or at least the ones I've seen, have all been excellent. I call them contemporary western dramas. These are not westerns, although they echo that … Continue reading A Discovered genre: The contemporary western drama
Critique of Macho: The Big Country on Blu-ray
William Wyler's big-budget, large-format, star-studded epic, The Big Country, just may be the first anti-western. It condemns, rather than celebrates, the macho behavior of the mythical cowboy. The hero only fires a gun once, and he's not aiming at anyone. Gregory Peck plays that hero, a sea captain named James McKay, who's traded in his … Continue reading Critique of Macho: The Big Country on Blu-ray
The Rider must discover his own limitations in this excellent film
A Western drama Written & directed by Chloé Zhao When we first meet Brady (Brady Jandreau), he appears to be doing brain surgery on himself. Not quite, but he's removing massive bandages and even metal staples from his head. You get the very strong feeling that he shouldn't be doing this on his own. Brady, … Continue reading The Rider must discover his own limitations in this excellent film
The Greatest Western: Stagecoach
Nine determined people face mortal danger, their own demons, and society's built-in prejudices as they journey from one town to another in John Ford's classic western from 1939, Stagecoach. I first saw Stagecoach in a film history class almost 45 years ago. It immediately became my all-time favorite western, and remains so to this day. … Continue reading The Greatest Western: Stagecoach
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