IndieFest continues through Sunday (I was wrong to say it went only to the 20th). Most of the screenings now are at the Shattuck. And Cinequest opens Wednesday and runs through March 8. And don't forget that Sunday, you can watch the Oscars on the big screen at the Balboa, Castro, Cerrito, Lark, Parkway, Rafael, … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 20-26
Kurosawa Diary, Part 3: Drunken Angel
I watched the Drunken Angel DVD Saturday night, the most recent film in my Kurosawa saga (Kurosaga?). I had seen it several times before, including a Voom Network HD broadcast a few months ago. In other words, this wasn't a new discovery or a rediscovery. Drunken Angel represents a major step towards mature Kurosawa. It … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 3: Drunken Angel
Kurosawa Diary, Part 2: First Post-War Films
Still playing catch-up. Kurosawa became a great artist in the post-war years of American occupation, but he couldn't seem to make two good films in a row. He would make a good, really good, or even great motion picture, then follow it with an out-and-out turkey. He didn't break this cycle until he followed Ikiru … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 2: First Post-War Films
Kurosawa Diary, Part 1: The War Films
I embarked on a long and slow journey in late December. I undertook the task of watching all 30 of Akira Kurosawa's films in chronological order. Those I don't own, I would rent from Netflix. For some stupid reason, I didn't think to include my readers in the experiment. Having seen the error of my … Continue reading Kurosawa Diary, Part 1: The War Films
Asian American Film Festival Coming Right Up
Got another festival coming up. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, now in its 27th year, opens March 12 and runs through March 22 at twelve locations in San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose. Like most festivals with the words "San Francisco" in its name, it opens at the Castro, although the festival's … Continue reading Asian American Film Festival Coming Right Up
What’s Screening: February 13-19
The Silent Film Festival Winter Event happens on Valentine’s Day this year, and has one great romantic masterpiece, F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise. It also includes Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality, the horror comedy The Cat and the Canary, and the Russian comedy A Kiss from Mary Pickford. All films will have live accompaniment. And it all … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 13-19
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Woody Allen has Little Children disease, and I'm not talking about his sex life. My wife and I finally caught his latest film last night, and like the Kate Winslet sex-in-suburbia drama from a few years back, it suffers from way too much narration. An experienced and arguably great filmmaker like Allen should know that when you … Continue reading Vicky Cristina Barcelona
What’s Screening: February 6-12
IndieFest continues all this week and most of next, mostly at the Roxie. Academy Award Nominated Animated Short Films and Academy Award Nominated Live Action Short Films, Embarcadero, Rafael, Shattuck, opens Friday. The name says it all. Christmas in July, Stanford, Friday. "If you can't sleep at night, it's not the coffee, it's the bunk." … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 6-12
The Wrestler
Yes, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei both give outstanding performances; in Rourke's case, it was as physically risky as it was emotionally so. And yes, the movie took me into a subculture I had never seen before--that strange pseudo-sport called Pro Wrestling--which I'll probably never look at the same way, again. These guys aren't really … Continue reading The Wrestler
What’s Screening: January 30 – February 5
One festival closes, and a few days later, another opens. Noir City continues through Sunday at the Castro, and IndieFest opens Thursday for a 16-day run at the Roxie. And the Roxie is closed for renovations. I Was Born, But . . ., Pacific Film Archive, Wednesday, 3:00. Ozu's late (1932) silent comedy/drama sees the … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 30 – February 5
Bayflicks 