I'd be hard put to name another documentary that feels so much like a narrative feature. Not that Steve James' Hoop Dreams looks like a fiction film; it most certainly does not. The hand-held cameras, extreme lenses, and low video resolution makes it look like the cinéma vérité documentary that it is. But James and … Continue reading Hoop Dreams (my Blu-ray review)
Who are they? My review of Lambert & Stamp
B+ Music documentary Directed by James D. Cooper I don't know if I enjoyed this movie so much because it was very well made, or simply because it's about The Who--a band that I have been a fan of for more than 40 years. I doubt if Lambert & Stamp would be of much interest … Continue reading Who are they? My review of Lambert & Stamp
Comic noir down under: Kill Me Three Times (my review)
A Comic thriller Written by James McFarland Directed by Kriv Stenders As Alfred Hitchcock well understood, a good thriller can carry a heavy load of dark humor. And since this particular thriller stars Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), you come in expecting more laughs than thrills. But make no mistake, Kill Me … Continue reading Comic noir down under: Kill Me Three Times (my review)
Ex Machina asks what it means to be human (my review)
A- Science fiction Written and directed by Alex Garland I've learned to confront new big-screen science fiction with lowered expectations--especially when it deals with man-vs.-machine conflicts. So I went in to Ex Machina expecting to be disappointed. But the disappointments (for the most part) never came. Even the final act was intelligent and surprising--and I … Continue reading Ex Machina asks what it means to be human (my review)
What’s Screening: April 3 – 9
The Tiburon International Film Festival officially opens Thursday, although the first movie screening will be the following Friday. But here are a few movies actually playing this week: B+ Girlhood, Elmwood, opens Friday. Considering Marieme’s family situation, it’s no surprise she’s doing badly in school. Her mother works long hours and is rarely home. There’s no … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 3 – 9
Death and families: Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (Blu-ray review)
No horror movie can come close to the fear, dread, and dark hatreds of Ingmar Bergman's great chamber drama, Cries and Whispers. To watch it is to face the end of a slow and painful death by cancer. But that's not all. This film, centered around four women and set almost entirely in one house, … Continue reading Death and families: Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (Blu-ray review)
French Girls in the hood in Girlhood (my review)
B+ Coming of age drama Written and directed by Céline Sciamma When we first meet Marieme (Karidja Touré), she's part of a school all-girl football team. Soon afterwards, an unseen counselor tells her that her grades aren't good enough to get her into high school. (Apparently high school has requirements in France.) she's failed the … Continue reading French Girls in the hood in Girlhood (my review)
Richard Gere, Guillermo del Toro, and the rest of this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival officially launched at a San Francisco press conference Tuesday morning. It opens Thursday, April 23 with Alex Gibney’s tech documentary, Steve Jobs: the Man In the Machine. Two Thursdays later, on May 7, it will close with Experimenter, a history-based drama about psychologist Stanley Milgram, who did some … Continue reading Richard Gere, Guillermo del Toro, and the rest of this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival
The 50-hour science fiction movie marathon
I promised back in 2012 to tell you about the 50-hour science fiction marathon. As we just passed the 40th anniversary of the event, I think the time has come. For more than two days in March, 1957 1975, I sat with hundreds of other crazy people and watched 25 feature motion pictures starring aliens, … Continue reading The 50-hour science fiction movie marathon
Silent Film Festival announced
With live music, great movies, knowledgeable guests, and enthusiastic audiences, and all set in the beautiful Castro Theater, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival is easily one of the best movie-going experiences that the Bay Area has to offer. And this intense, silent movie immersion experience is getting longer. This year, the festival is expanding … Continue reading Silent Film Festival announced
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