Remember when Imax was for documentaries and travelogues? This Monday, you can see a doc that's also a love story and seems to be perfect for the gigantic screen. Also in movie theaters this week: James Cameron's excellent sequel, the noir that broke the color line, Kubrick's horror, and vampires haunting both Iran and New … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 14 – 20
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of October
What will likely shiver your bones on Halloween? It's not the fake tombstones. Or the recorded witch voice. And not even the children's dentist bills. The true terror will be the realization that at midnight, on Halloween, many movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel. Now that's scary! So here are some of the best … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of October
What’s Screening: October 7 – 13
We're deeper into October, yet we're not seeing as many horror films this week as last. Instead, Bay Area theaters are screening two political documentaries, Robert Altman's unusual western, Jean-Luc Godard's first and best movie, one of the greatest dance routines ever put on film, and part two of Richard Linklater's brilliantly romantic trilogy. If … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 7 – 13
Movies I’ve recently seen: Bros ֍ See How They Run ֍ Contempt ֍ Car Wash
Here are four films I recently saw for the first time. Curiously, the two new movies are both better than the two new-to-me movies. Proof that vintage cinema isn't always great cinema. A Bros (2022); still in theaters This is the best and most original romantic comedy I've seen since Annie Hall. The characters are real and … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: Bros ֍ See How They Run ֍ Contempt ֍ Car Wash
What’s Screening: Sept 30 – Oct 6
I wrote this newsletter in September, and I expect it will still be September when you read it. And yet, this blog post seems very much like October. All the classic movies I'm recommending this week were made to scare you out of your pants. And most succeeded. Festivals & Series Mill Valley Festival Green … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 30 – Oct 6
Stuck at home? Celebrate silent films if you can’t go to a theater
Today, if you have the time, watch a film with printed titles instead of dialogue. After all, today is Silent Movie Day. With the exceptions of the Sebastopol and the Elmwood, the theaters and festivals don't seem to care. If you're not a silent film fan, and you're wondering what's so special about 100-year-old movies, … Continue reading Stuck at home? Celebrate silent films if you can’t go to a theater
More Mill Valley Movies
Here are the last five films I've seen and reviewed for this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. This time, there are two documentaries and three fiction films. They go from excellent to pretty bad. A Town Destroyer This local and very short documentary (55 minutes) does something rare in today's political docs: The filmmakers look … Continue reading More Mill Valley Movies
What’s Screening: Sept 23 – 29
I suppose I should say something about Jean-Luc Godard – he was the last of that band of outsiders that created the French New Wave and changed cinema. I like some of his early works, such as Breathless and Vivre Sa Vie. But he eventually broke with his friends and became way too didactic to … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 23 – 29
The Mill Valley Film Festival is coming
Marin County, 1977, cinematic history was made! That was Star Wars. But a few miles away, in the same year, the first Mill Valley Festival opened. As far as I know, it took place entirely in the valley. By 2015, the festival's growth made me joke that it should be called the "Marin County Film … Continue reading The Mill Valley Film Festival is coming
What’s Screening: Sept 16 – 22
If you like old movies in real theaters, you can see Kurosawa's best, the flick that made Spielberg famous, the first great vampire movie, Billy Wilder's look at American business, Hitchcock in 3D, and a Kubrick double bill. Plus two festivals. Festivals & Series The SF International South Asian Film Festival opens Friday and closes … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 16 – 22
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