A- Comic drama Written by Hannes Holm, from a novel by Fredrik Backman Directed by Hannes Holm Even the most warn-out, commercial plots can work when the filmmakers do something original with them. And that's very much the case with this dramatic comedy from Sweden. Consider the cliché of the crotchety old man who hates everybody, … Continue reading A Man Called Ove returns to community
Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
I spent Saturday at the Sequoia, where I caught three films in the Mill Valley Film Festival. They were all very good, and each was better than the one before it. She Started It We all know about tech industry sexism. Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed's documentary follows five young women (concentrating on two of … Continue reading Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
What’s Screening: October 7 – 13
This week we have Gene Wilder, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, dead teenagers, and a whole lot of classics that don't get screened as often as they should. Also, four film festivals, including Mill Valley. Festivals The Mill Valley Film Festival continues through this week. Check out my coverage to see what's worth catching. The Arab … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 7 – 13
Joyful Amorality: Films written by Ben Hecht
Talented screenwriters, like the best directors, put their own stylistic fingerprints onto the films they make. And few did it as well as former Chicago newspaperman Ben Hecht. At his best, Hecht's pre-war work showed a playful approach to ethics. Many of his protagonists, such as Paul Muni's gang leader in the original Scarface, appear … Continue reading Joyful Amorality: Films written by Ben Hecht
Anna Magnani, Vittorio De Sica, Teresa Venerdì, and screwball comedy at the Pacific Film Archive
Saturday night, I visited the Pacific Film Archive to see Teresa Venerdì, a 1941 screwball comedy directed by and starring Vittorio De Sica. (When the film was finally released in the USA in 1951, it was renamed Doctor, Beware.) If the phrase "screwball comedy directed by and starring Vittorio De Sica" makes your head want … Continue reading Anna Magnani, Vittorio De Sica, Teresa Venerdì, and screwball comedy at the Pacific Film Archive
What’s Screening: September 30 – October 6
Tarantino, King Kong, Mozart, and some early Halloween treats this week in Bay Area screenings. Also two new films and the opening of this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Festivals The CM SF Latino Film Festival closes Saturday The fall's big show, the Mill Valley Film Festival, opens Thursday night with several films that will … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 30 – October 6
The Lovers and The Despot
B- Documentary Directed by Rob Cannan and Ross Adam I don't think you could find a stranger story in the history of cinema. Shin Sang-ok was one of South Korea's top filmmakers--a respected director married to movie star Choi Eun-hee. They disappeared in 1978, and five years later turned up making movies in North Korea. … Continue reading The Lovers and The Despot
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 2
Here are five more films (mostly documentaries) that will screen at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. As usual, they're in order from best to worst. A Circus Kid Lorenzo Pisoni grew up as part of the Pickle Family Circus--the son of Pickle founder and director Larry Pisoni. It was not a happy childhood. In … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part 2
What’s Screening: September 23 -29
This Saturday is National Art House Theater Day, where we celebrate the kind of movie theaters I cover in Bayflicks. In the Bay Area, the Rafael, the Lark, the Balboa, the Vogue, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the New Mission are taking part. Other than that, we've got six five festivals this week (yikes!), … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 23 -29
High Noon Blu-ray Review
Small, compact, and brimming with suspense, High Noon feels nothing like the other A westerns of the post-war period--epic movies like Red River, My Darling Clementine, and The Searchers. With its 85-minute runtime and looks-like-every-other-western sets, it feels more like the forgettable B oaters Hollywood was cranking out weekly in those days. But unlike those … Continue reading High Noon Blu-ray Review
Bayflicks 