How was the RiffTrax event at the Rafael? Hilarious. They presented and commented on a wretched 1987 Sylvester Stallone vehicle called, appropriately enough, Over the Top. Imagine Stallone as a truck driver/professional arm wrestler bonding with the 12-year-old rich and spoiled son he only just met. Okay, that’s pretty ugly. Now imagine it with Mike … Continue reading RiffTrax Report

We just had a couple of big anniversaries. Friday marked 30 years since the original Star Wars (now renamed Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) premiered and altered the film industry. And Saturday was John Wayne's 100th birthday. I'll skip Star Wars and talk about the Duke. Bay Area cinephiles don't give John Wayne much respect. How bad is this? Let … Continue reading The Duke at 100

Operation Homecoming, Red Vic, Sunday through Tuesday. Coached by professional writers, American soldiers and veterans of the Iraq war tell their stories. That's the idea behind the National Endowment for the Arts' Operation Homecoming, and the inspiration for this haunting documentary. Much of the film consists of the usual talking heads--the veterans who are telling … Continue reading Films for the Week of May 25, 2007

Any independent filmmaker who wants to make a mark in the Bay Area should make a gay-themed animated horror film about the African-American experience. Why? Because such a film would have a good chance at showing up one of the area’s June festivals. For instance, SF IndieFest’s Another Hole in the Head Festival (as in … Continue reading In a Festive Mood

I devote and dedicate Bayflicks.net to the best possible way to experience great works of the cinematic art: on film, well-projected, with an appreciative and enthusiastic audience. But what’s the best possible way to experience the worst examples of cinematic trash? With people who can crack wise at the screen--especially if those people are professional … Continue reading Mystery Science Theater 2007

Hot Fuzz, Balboa, Cerrito, continuing. Director/co-writer Edgar Wright fills every frame of Hot Fuzz with his love for mindless action movies. More precisely, he fills the splices between the frames, cutting even the scenes of quiet village life in the frantic style of Hollywood violence–accompanied by overloud sound effects, of course. (And yes, he’s smart … Continue reading Films for the Week of May 18, 2007

A year ago this month I wrote a post about the unfortunate practice of theaters showing movies on video rather than film. I’m not talking about new, experimental works created in video, or free movies in the park, but classic films (with the emphasis on film) in theaters that expect you to pay admission. After … Continue reading Real Film

A few quick, disjointed comments on the San Francisco International Film Festival. While I saw quite a few good movies, even some excellent ones, I caught nothing as fantastic as the cream of last year’s crop: Adam’s Apples (now in theaters for at least one week and not to be missed) and In Bed (which … Continue reading SFIFF Aftermath

Adam's Apples, Lumiere, Shattuck, and Rafael, opens Friday. The plot sounds like vapid, Hollywood, feel-good drek: A hate-filled neo-Nazi fresh out of prison (Ulrich Thomsen) learns to help and care for others--thanks to the help of a minister who sees the good in everyone and a couple of oddball eccentrics. But Adam's Apples is no … Continue reading Films for the Week of May 11, 2007

I may or may not get to more festival events, but yesterday was clearly my last full day devoted to this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival. I started the afternoon with Peter Morgan, winner of The Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting. A respected writer of British television dramas, Morgan was unknown in this … Continue reading Festival Report, Part 4: Second Saturday