There's nothing I can say about the Oscars that you haven't read elsewhere, so I'll just go directly to my weekly recommendations: Recommended: Valley Girl, Castro, Friday, 7:00. Was there ever a less promising film to become a classic? Made on a miniscule budget, financed by people more concerned with tits than story, with a title ripped off … Continue reading Films for the Week of March 10, 2006

Sometimes you just can't get to a movie theater. Or there's nothing playing that you want to see. Or you just don't want the hassle. That's why we have DVDs. This week, I'm going to ignore the real thing and give you a couple of home theater recommendations. Let's start with the big one--in more … Continue reading DVD Recommendations

Cutting to the chase, this week. Sorry, but I don't have time to write more than the bare bones. Okay, one comment: Two big festivals are hitting the Bay Area simultaneously: Cinequest (which I discussed last week) and the Tiburon International Film Festival. I'll be providing only partial lists of the films they're showing. Check … Continue reading Movies for the Week of February 24, 2006

Where are you going to watch the Academy Awards? (Yes, I know, many of you wouldn't dream of watching them. Please excuse my absurd fascination with meaningless exercises in self-congratulations.) These days, thanks to many of the theaters I track here at Bayflicks, the Oscars can be a communal experience--even if you're not nominated. The … Continue reading Oscar Parties and Festivals

Let's start with something fun. Click here for a very funny and short movie parody (actually a trailer parody). Enjoy. And then consider it an object lesson in the power of editing--context completely changing the meaning of what was filmed. Editing is the great, overlooked filmmaking art. A few examples: The shooting script for The … Continue reading The Art of Editing

I guess the Oscars are now officially irrelevant. I know, a lot of my readers have considered them irrelevant for years, and while I follow them closely, I don’t take them seriously. But I’m not talking here about people in Bayflicks’ demographics. After Brokeback Mountain’s Golden Globe victory, Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film … Continue reading Oscar Nominations and the Religious Right

Now that Disney has bought Pixar, what will become of the two companies? Disney CEO Robert (anyone's better than Eisner) Iger promises to "welcome and embrace Pixar's unique culture." But didn't a Disney executive say something like that once about Miramax? Yes, this is another case of a big company swallowing up a small one … Continue reading Pixar into Disney

Life is crazy. I don't have time this week to pontificate about movies, so I'll just go directly to this week's comments and recommendations: Recommended: The Best of Youth, Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 3:00; also ongoing at the Balboa. If you live in the East Bay, Friday may be your only chance to see the … Continue reading Movies for the Week of January 20, 2006

The holidays are over and the film festivals are starting up. Assuming you're reading this on Friday, Noir City and the Rafael's For Your Consideration series start tonight, while Berlin and Beyond opened last night. Berlin and Beyond plays a variety of German-language films through Wednesday at the Castro, most new and not readily available … Continue reading More Festivals

Yes, I've redesigned the site. Hope you like it. Now, on to something more important: What’s better, Munich or The 40 Year-Old Virgin? You may as well ask if this tennis player is better than that accountant. You can’t really compare two well-made yet very different movies. But I’ll try. Welcome to Bayflicks’ Top Ten … Continue reading Bayflicks’ Top Ten Films of 2005