Mifune documentary enjoyable and enlightening

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Documentary Directed by Steven Okazaki If you have any interest at all in Japanese cinema, you're bound to enjoy Mifune: The Last Samurai, a love letter to the legendary movie star. Even if you already know a great deal about Toshiro Mifune, you'll probably learn something new. For instance, I discovered through this film that … Continue reading Mifune documentary enjoyable and enlightening

To Pixar and Beyond: Animating the business end of filmmaking

~ Lincoln Spector

You'd expect a book on the history of Pixar to include lots of drawings, models, and frame blowups. But you'll find only words in Lawrence Levy's To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History. But then, To Pixar and Beyond is not about animation, design, or storytelling. It's not even … Continue reading To Pixar and Beyond: Animating the business end of filmmaking

Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes for laughs in Rules Don’t Apply

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Romantic comedy Written and directed by Warren Beatty Story by Beatty and Bo Goldman Don't be fooled by the posters. Rules Don't Apply isn't a thriller. It's a romantic comedy. Warren Beatty returns to the director's chair for the first time this century, wringing laughs out of billionaire recluse Howard Hughes. (He also returns … Continue reading Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes for laughs in Rules Don’t Apply

Brando, Magnini, Powell, Pressburger, the deep South, England & India: Saturday night at the PFA

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

My wife and I attended two screenings at the Pacific Film Archive Saturday night. This was not a double bill. The Fugitive Kind The PFA series Anna Magnani: Eternal Soul of Italian Cinema just keeps rolling along, and now it's getting into the great Italian actress' American films. This 1960 drama co-starring Marlon Brando was … Continue reading Brando, Magnini, Powell, Pressburger, the deep South, England & India: Saturday night at the PFA

Elle: Very much a Paul Verhoeven movie

~ Lincoln Spector

B- Mystery/drama Written by David Birke; from the novel by Philippe Djian Directed by Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven's new film, Elle, is silly, tasteless, and unbelievable. And kind of fun to watch. But then, that's what you should expect from the man who made Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and Showgirls. Paul Verhoeven makes strange, violent, disturbingly … Continue reading Elle: Very much a Paul Verhoeven movie

FilmStruck offers great films and poor tech

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 11 Comments

As soon as I heard about FilmStruck--the new movie-streaming collaboration from Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection--I eagerly waited for it to open its virtual doors. When it went online November 1, I signed up right away. But as my two-week free trial came to an end, technical and web design issues forced me … Continue reading FilmStruck offers great films and poor tech