I spent Sunday at Mill Valley Film Festival. Amazingly, I was actually in Mill Valley. Here's what I saw: The 3D Sideshow 3D enthusiast and filmmaker Robert G. Bloomberg introduced this selection of shorts with a trailer to a 50's 3D movie called The Maze. He followed this with his own Frogs & Friends--a selection … Continue reading Sunday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
MVFF: A Bridge to a Border
Saturday afternoon, I made it to the Rafael for a Mill Valley Film Festival screening of Rob Nilsson's A Bridge to a Border. To be honest, I wouldn't have picked that film if I had recognized the director's name. Two years ago I caught his Maelstrom, and hated it. I'm glad to say that A … Continue reading MVFF: A Bridge to a Border
What’s Screening: October 10 – 16
The Mill Valley Film Festival finishes Sunday. But don't' despair. The Arab Film Festival opens today (Friday). The one-day Berlin & Beyond Autumn Showcase happens Saturday. And the Bay Area ReelAbilities Disabilities Film Festival opens Wednesday. Plus, there are all of these: A The Two Faces of January, Embarcadero Center, Shattuck, opens Friday; Rafael, opens … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 10 – 16
MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
Wednesday night I finally got to a 2014 Mill Valley Film Festival event--a screening at the Lark of one of my favorite westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Believe it or not, this was my first visit to the Lark. Yes, I've been covering it at Bayflicks for years, but this was the … Continue reading MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
The Two Faces of January: The Best Thrillers Take Their Time
A thriller Written by Hossein Amini, from a novel by Patricia Highsmith Directed by Hossein Amini The less you know about The Two Faces of January when you walk into the theater, the more you’re going to enjoy it. So I’m going to try talking about this thriller without giving away much of the plot. … Continue reading The Two Faces of January: The Best Thrillers Take Their Time
What’s Screening: October 3 – 9
The Mill Valley Film Festival, which opened last night, runs through this week and beyond. My festival recommendations and warnings are at the end of this newsletter. A Gandhi, Castro, Sunday, 7:00. The closest thing to a 60's style historical epic since Patton, Richard Attenborough's masterpiece follows the life of Mahatma Gandhi from his days … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 3 – 9
Little nutrition: My review of Soul of a Banquet
D documentary Directed by Wayne Wang Note: This documentary will screen twice at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Details below. I am posting a full review now because this picture was not on the Festival's list of films for which reviewers were asked to hold reviews. In his first documentary, the usually reliable Wayne Wang … Continue reading Little nutrition: My review of Soul of a Banquet
Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part II
Since I wrote Part 1, I've managed to see three additional movies that will screen at the upcoming Mill Valley Film Festival. Here's what I thought of them, in order of best to worst. A Hide and Seek Four young adults, two women and two men, move into a large and remote country house, intent … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival Preview, Part II
Kubrick in digital and on film
Digital or film? For cinephiles, that's the great controversy of our age. And the arguments get particularly agitated when talking about classic pictures made at a time when digital projection wasn't an option. But in the coming weeks, you get your chance to watch two Stanley Kubrick classics on 35mm film, and then again on … Continue reading Kubrick in digital and on film
What’s Screening: September 26 – October 2
The Iranian Film Festival runs through the weekend. And the fall's biggie, the Mill Valley Film Festival, opens Thursday. A Samuel Fuller Triple Bill: Pickup on South Street, Park Row, & A Fuller Life, Castro, Sunday. The A goes Pickup on South Street, a fantastic Cold War noir written and directed by the great Samuel … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 26 – October 2
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