Since I write about technology professionally, I should be used to my prose going out of date quickly. But Sunday just took the cake! In my full-length review of No End in Sight, I guessed that Karl Rove has already seen this film as he likes to keep tabs on his enemies. So what happens … Continue reading My Effect on the Government

I'm tempted to say that someone should force the people running the White House to watch Charles Ferguson's riveting but depressing documentary. But what would George W. Bush get out of it? He knows that neither he nor his loyal advisors make mistakes, and therefore everything in this film must be wrong. And I suspect … Continue reading No End in Sight

Double bill: San Francisco and The Maltese Falcon, Castro, Saturday, 7:00. The Castro celebrates its 85th Birthday with two studio-era classics set in San Francisco but shot, of course, in Hollywood. The big, silly, melodramatic special effects vehicle San Francisco tries to have it both ways, celebrating the non-conformist, hedonistic, open-minded joy that--at least to … Continue reading This Week’s Movies

I wasn't going to write anything about the two great icons of European cinema who died last week. Why join the chorus of mourning bloggers writing about the same thing? Besides, I've often found Bergman's films easier to admire than to love, and I've never cared for Antonioni. But some of the idiocy I've been … Continue reading Death of the Masters

No more apologies for not posting. If I don't have time to write for Bayflicks, I don't have time--even if two icons of world cinema die on the same day. Okay. Some interesting events on the way: This weekend the Castro celebrates its 85th birthday. On Friday night, the theater will host a live concert … Continue reading Birthdays and Science Fiction

Live Free or Die Hard, Parkway, opening Friday, and Cerrito, continuing. Look, if you've got a brilliant plan for bringing the country to its knees for your own illegal profits, don't murder your employees when they cease being useful; the ones you still need will stop trusting you. And if you're going to murder them … Continue reading This Week’s Movies

Since I've posted all of the Jewish Film Festival descriptions before, this time I'm placing them at the end of the listings. She's Gotta Have It, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Saturday, 7:30. Spike Lee jumped from film school to the big time with this low-budget, extremely sexy comic drama about a life-embracing woman … Continue reading This Week’s Movies

Let me start with a list of titles: 1984 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Catch-22 The Great Gatsby Moby Dick The Old Man and the Sea The Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man Ulysses And now, another list: The African Queen Ben Hur The Godfather The Graduate Jaws M*A*S*H Psycho Sparticus At a … Continue reading Novel Thoughts

I spent Friday night and all day yesterday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. I hate missing it today, but life sometimes gets in the way of movie-going. Have I told you about the costumes? A great many people, mostly women, take the trouble to dress up for the festival. It's great to see … Continue reading Silent Night, Day, and Night Again