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

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