Things are slowly getting back to normal around here. I'm preparing a schedule for the week of October 30, and will post it this coming Sunday. If I'm really lucky, I may even find time to see some movies. Two movies that I did manage to see recently were Corpse Bride and Wallace & Gromit … Continue reading New Motion on Stop-Motion

I’m taking the week off of Bayflicks, but here are a few movies that I felt I had to mention: Recommended: I Live in Fear (AKA Record of a Living Being), Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 8:50. Perhaps it’s the dreadful American title, or maybe it's the lack of swordplay, but Kurosawa’s 1955 gem (made in-between … Continue reading Movies for the Week of October 14, 2005

I can't think of a historical figure more challenging for an actor to play than Truman Capote. You can't do that voice without it sounding like a broad comic Truman Capote impersonation. Capote himself sounded like a broad comic Truman Capote impersonation. But Philip Seymour Hoffman pulls it off--with major help from screenwriter Dan Futterman … Continue reading Capote

It's not Cannes, but in 28 years, the Mill Valley Film Festival has earned a great deal of local respect. It doesn't have quite the size or status of the San Francisco International Film Festival, but it's way ahead of everything else in the neighborhood. This year the festival runs from October 6th through the … Continue reading Mill Valley Film Festival

When the pressures of life conflict with the pressures of running a Web site, life wins. By life, I mean the Jewish High Holidays and some articles that (unlike this blog) I’m actually getting paid to write. For the next few weeks. I'm going to have less time than usual to devote to Bayflicks. So … Continue reading 3D at the Castro

I saw two similar and yet very different nature movies almost back-to-back this week. Similar in that they both dealt with large mammals living in the frigid North (as opposed to flightless birds in the frigid South), and because they both seemed more focused on people than animals. But different in that one was made … Continue reading Nature Films and Anti-Nature Films

It seems odd to write about movies at a time like this. Our country is caught between the worst natural calamity to hit our shores in nearly a century and an idiotic president who doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. Why didn't all those people just leave New Orleans? Don't they have chauffeurs? … Continue reading Movies for the Week of September 9, 2005

There's an interesting article on movie theaters in the August 22 issue of Time Magazine (the one with the "25 Most Influential Hispanics in America" cover). Titled "Is Luxury the Ticket?" it describes some theater chains that attract customers by adding comfortable seating and good food, and sometimes even stand-up comedians before the movie. In … Continue reading Surprising Summer Hits

Ronald Chase doesn't complain about young people not knowing or caring about classic cinema. He does something about it. Through his non-profit organization, SF Art & Film for Teenagers, Chase presents classic films to teens (and even pre-teens) every Friday night during the school year. "We have difficulty convincing kids that this is something they … Continue reading SF Art & Film for Teenagers

My daughter's bat mitzvah is over, things are back to something resembling normal, and I have time to write again for Bayflicks.net. I've also added the 4 Star and Presidio Theaters to my coverage. In other news, the Castro has added live organ accompaniment to three films in their Harold Lloyd series. I thought I'd … Continue reading About This Site