So let's talk about Frameline, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender--I wish they'd come up with a single word rather than a four-consonant acronym) film festival. It runs June 18 through the 28 at the Castro, the Roxie, the the Victoria, and, in Berkeley, the Elmwood. The opening film, An Englishman In New York, … Continue reading Frameline LGBT Festival
Cerrito Closed for a Week
I just got the announcement. The Cerrito will be closed from May 20 through the 28th. Let's hope it opens on the 29th.
Kurosawa Diary, Part 7: Rashomon
And now, finally, we get into classic Kurosawa. Both from my own personal experience and its place in film history, Rashomon is in a different league than the other films I've yet seen since undertaking to watch all of Kurosawa's films (or at least all that are available) in chronological order. I've seen Rashomon more … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 7: Rashomon
Star Trek
Science Fiction I never was a Trekkie (or a Trekker), but I enjoyed the original show for some years, and became a big fan of The Next Generation and some of the first movies (especially II, III, and IV--which I always thought of as a trilogy). That put me in a good place to enjoy … Continue reading Star Trek
The Digital and Deflated Imax Experience
Regular readers may remember my enthusiastic response to The Dark Knight in Imax. I called it "the best way to present the most spectacular of Hollywood entertainments." After seeing Star Trek in digital Imax at AMC's Emery Bay multiplex last night, I have to amend that. Real, film-based Imax, in a real Imax theater, is … Continue reading The Digital and Deflated Imax Experience
What’s Screening: May 15 – 21
Yet another festival, I Wake Up Dreaming: the Haunted World of the B Film Noir, opens Friday at the Roxie and runs through the 28th. Wings, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Saturday. Primarily remembered as winner of the first Best Picture Oscar (except that the award wasn’t called Best Picture at the time), Wings was … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 15 – 21
More Thoughts on the Cerrito
I find myself wondering if the Castro's business model, or something like that, would work at the Cerrito. By that I mean revival series built around a theme (a director, a composer, or a genre), occasional first run, and renting the place out for film festivals. Few major festivals have an East Bay venue, and … Continue reading More Thoughts on the Cerrito
It’s Official: Speakeasy Backs Out of Cerrito Theater
The following statement just went out to the Speakeasy Theaters mailing list: As many of you know, Speakeasy Theaters has been experiencing extreme financial difficulty since opening the Cerrito Theater. We learned much from the closing of the Parkway. Of most importance, we learned that our patrons would have preferred more warning of its impending … Continue reading It’s Official: Speakeasy Backs Out of Cerrito Theater
Another Hole in the Head Festival
In my Worst Show On The Web talk last week, one of the hosts joked about a movie called Lesbian Vampire Killers, wondering whether the adjective Lesbian in the title referred to the vampires or the killers. I don't know the answer, but either way, that movie could quality for either of two festivals running … Continue reading Another Hole in the Head Festival
Adoration
A Drama Written and Directed by Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan makes small films about people grieving the dead and relearning how to relate to the living, yet such works as Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter never feel like simple chamber pieces. Perhaps its the open, majestic, yet cold Canadian landscape, or maybe the original ways … Continue reading Adoration
Bayflicks 