Ten Canoes, Lumiere, Shattuck, and Rafael, opening Friday. Don’t expect a conventional narrative made exotic by a pre-contact, aboriginal Australian setting. Ten Canoes feels more like a piece of native oral tradition recorded on film. While a heavily-accented, English-speaking off-screen narrator explains the people, actions, and motivations, we watch ten men build canoes and use … Continue reading This Week’s Movies

Since I last wrote you, I attended screenings at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Film Forum. Last night, MOMA screened a selection of D.W. Griffith Biograph shorts, with piano accompaniment, in one theater, and Alfred Hitchcock's only romantic comedy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in the other theater. A difficult choice, but schedule … Continue reading NYC2: MOMA and the Film Forum

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. I've been having Internet-connection problems (not to mention laptop hardware problems), and I decided that enjoying my New York vacation was more important than dealing with connectivity issues. Of course, the very idea of this vacation brings up a question: Why visit NYC in the … Continue reading Reporting from New York–Finally!

I'm writing this at 37,000 feet, enroute to New York, hoping my laptop's battery holds out. The inflight movie, The Last Mimsy, is drawing to an end. I didn't watch it, but my eyes are naturally drawn to moving images on a screen, so I glanced up every so often. I can't stand inflight movies--censored … Continue reading This Week’s Movies

Happy Independence Day! In its honor, perhaps today you should see a wholesome, patriotic movie. Or an independent film. Me? I'm taking my daughter to see a movie about a French rat.Sorry I haven't written much this week. I've been busy with paying work, and with preparing for a vacation. I'm flying to New York … Continue reading Independence Day and More on the Jewish Film Festival

What have I got for you this week?I started off on Friday with a newsflash of the Elmwood changing hands. Then, on Sunday, I gave you my thoughts on the American Film Institute's new, updated list of the 100 greatest American films of all time. On Tuesday, I posted microreviews of five films that will … Continue reading This Week’s Films

Just a few quick notes. The Brainwash  Drive-In/Bike-In/Walk-In  Movie Festival screens in a little over a week. I’ve never been to this two-night event (and won’t be able to make it this year), but it sounds like one of the odder events to hit the Bay Area on an annual basis. The festival presents two … Continue reading Brainwash and Elmwood in the East Bay

I've been able to preview five films playing at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in July and August. Here, from best to worst (although none is really bad), is what I think of them: My Mexican Shivah Death brings families together--even families that should probably remain apart. In Alejandro Springall's mildly comic drama (Do … Continue reading Jewish Film Festival Preview

You’ve probably heard that the American Film Institute just released a 10th anniversary edition of its “100 Years...100 Movies” list, although they’re not calling it “110 Years…100 Movies.” They also describe this as a list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, despite the fact that only American movies qualify. Of course, the AFI … Continue reading The 100 Greatest 100 Greatest Lists of All Time

Rialto Cinemas (not to be confused with the Renaissance Rialto chain) recently bought Berkeley's Elmwood theater, a regular Bayflicks.net venue. The theater is dark this week as the new owners give it some much needed renovations. The buy appears to have happened suddenly, or at least quietly. Only about a week ago I received an … Continue reading Newsflash: Elmwood Changes Hands