A- drama Written & directed by Ruben Östlund The carefully controlled, not-quite-natural outdoor experience of a fancy ski resort becomes a metaphor for the veneer of a troubled marriage in this Swedish drama set in the French alps. Tomas and Ebba (Johannes Kuhnke and Lisa Loven Kongsli) take their two young children on what is … Continue reading Force Majeure: Vacation isn’t what it used to be
Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
I love digital projection. After a long period of skepticism, I embraced the new technology enthusiastically years ago. To my eyes, a well-transferred DCP looks better than any projected film format except Imax. And yet, I'm excited about Christopher Nolan's Interstellar coming out on real, to-goodness film. This is despite the fact that I have … Continue reading Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
What’s Screening: October 31 – November 6
I just found out about the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival, which has been running for almost two weeks and is still not over. Sorry about that. Here are some other current festivals: The American Indian Film Festival opens Saturday and runs through this week and beyond. The San Francisco Dance Film Festival starts its … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 31 – November 6
Four surprising facts from early film history
Historical reality has a way of conflicting with the what we all assume. Here are four totally surprising, unintuitive facts about the early days of cinema. Animation preceded live action The first moving images weren't photographed. They were drawn. Parlor toys such as the Zoetrope used multiple illustrations to create the illusion of movement--as cartoons … Continue reading Four surprising facts from early film history
Book vs. Movie: The Shining
I read Stephen King's novel The Shining in the late 1970s, not too long after its publication. It scared and thrilled me like no other work of fiction. I still remember the frustration of not being able to physically turn pages faster. This past Friday night I finally saw Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation at … Continue reading Book vs. Movie: The Shining
What’s Screening: October 24 – 30
No festivals this week, but some good movies. And a lot of scary ones. I'm putting the Halloween movies--which make up the bulk of this newsletter--at the bottom. B+ 2001: A Space Odyssey, Castro, Sunday and Monday. I used to worship Stanley Kubrick’s visualization of Arthur C. Clarke’s imagination, but it hasn’t aged all that … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 24 – 30
Jayne Mansfield’s Car
I wrote this review in 2012, expecting that the film would eventually be released theatrically. It never happened--at least not in the Bay Area. However, as it's available on disc and pay-per-view, I've decided to publish the review. C Drama Written by Tom Epperson & Billy Bob Thornton Directed by Billy Bob Thornton When Sling … Continue reading Jayne Mansfield’s Car
What’s Screening: October 17 – 23
The Bay Area ReelAbilities Disabilities Film Festival closes Sunday. The Arab Film Festival continues through the end of this week. The Petaluma International Film Festival opens its three-day run today. And Bertolucci – A Film Series, takes up one glorious day on Saturday. Bertolucci – A Film Series, Castro, Saturday. Here's your chance to see … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 17 – 23
Opera in the multiplex
Wednesday night, I finally saw an opera in a movie theater. I liked the experience. I've known about the Met Opera HD series for years. But I've never been a huge opera fan, so it took me awhile to get to one. I picked a good one, Verdi's Macbeth. While I'm not that big on … Continue reading Opera in the multiplex
Tombstone as Myth: My Darling Clementine on Blu-ray
By all rules of the western genre, John Ford's My Darling Clementine shouldn't work. The plot, the primary motivations, and the action all but disappear for the whole middle part of the movie. And yet it's one of the greatest westerns ever made. Ford's westerns, at their best, danced along a thin line between reality … Continue reading Tombstone as Myth: My Darling Clementine on Blu-ray
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