About the awards Third year in a row that a film shot digitally appeared to be a likely Best Picture winner, but lost to a film shot on film. Early on I thought it was going to be a Hugo sweep, but it turned into a happy ending, after all. I liked them both, but … Continue reading Quick Comments on the Oscars
What’s Screening: February 24–March 1
A short newsletter this week. Should that win an Oscar? Festival fans will have to drive down south in mid-week. Cinequest opens Tuesday in San Jose. Oscar Ceremony, Sunday, various theaters. Why be alone when you discover which tribute to silent films wins the bald guy. If you want to see the big show on … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 24–March 1
The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 1: The Theaters
Esthetically speaking, I see no problem with digital projection. Under the best of conditions, 2K DCP projection looks better than 35mm film--and 4K looks better than 2K. An incompetent projectionist can ruin a digital presentation, of course, but with film, they can ruin the presentation and the print. As transitions go, digital hardly changes the … Continue reading The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 1: The Theaters
Blu-ray Review: Notorious (1946)
Few filmmakers could make a thriller that has the audience biting their nails about whether the champagne will run out before the party is over--or a romance where the hero treats the heroine with contempt, but the villain truly and tenderly loves her. Yet the team of Ben Hecht and Alfred Hitchcock could put all … Continue reading Blu-ray Review: Notorious (1946)
What’s Screening: February 17 – 23
IndieFest continues through this week, and it’s the only festival that does. However, I’ve added a new movie theater to the honor roll: the Alameda Theater. A grand old palace with a multiplex attached, it specializes in current fare, but it plays a classic film every Wednesday and Thursday. A High Noon, Alameda, Wednesday & … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 17 – 23
Blu-Ray Review: The Apartment
How do you top Some Like It Hot? Billy Wilder found the answer in The Apartment, a far more serious comedy about the battle of sexes. Or more precisely, about how powerful men exploit both women and less-powerful men. When The Apartment came out in 1960, critics complained that Wilder didn’t seem to know if … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review: The Apartment
What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
The Elite Squad of Colonel Blimp brings up baby. If you’re feeling like a festival, IndieFest continues through this week. B Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, 4-Star, opens Friday. Captain Roberto Nascimento believes in killing "scumbags." And as an officer in Rio’s militaristic Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), he gets plenty of opportunities to do … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
Blu-ray Review: Annie Hall
There are romantic comedies, and then there's Annie Hall. It's about a romance, and it's definitely a comedy, but Woody Allen's masterpiece works so far outside the genre that it feels like something entirely different. Annie Hall tracks a very realistic relationship--mostly in chronological order. We watch as up-and-coming standup comic Alvy Singer (Allen) and … Continue reading Blu-ray Review: Annie Hall
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
A super-violent cop cleans up the streets of Rio, but at what cost? B Political thriller Written by Bráulio Mantovani and José Padilha Directed by José Padilha Captain Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) strongly believes in killing "scumbags." And as an officer in Rio's militaristic Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), he gets plenty of chances. This … Continue reading Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Buster Keaton Shorts Coming to San Fran Intl. Film Fest
It’s always good to laugh, and an evening of Buster Keaton, with live accompaniment, should supply the entertainment. I just got my first press release concerning this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, which will run from April 19 through May 3. As is the festival’s custom, they leak several major events to the press … Continue reading Buster Keaton Shorts Coming to San Fran Intl. Film Fest
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