These are grim days for Bay Area movie lovers. First Anita Monga, then Edith Kramer. And now the future of the Roxie looks dark. The Mission District’s wonderful little revival/art/anything left-wing movie house is up for sale. According to an article by Jesse Hamlin in Monday’s Chronicle, the theater can’t cover $140,000 in debts, and … Continue reading The Roxie in Danger

There are plenty of interesting films playing this week. Unfortunately, I don't have time to write about them (let alone see any), so I'll just draw your attention to the Irish and San Francisco Documentary Film Festivals showing at the Roxie (the Documentary fest is also at the Woman's Building). They both have interesting line-ups. … Continue reading Movies for the Week of May 13, 2005

We leave the house and open our wallets because we expect a better movie experience in a theater than we could get on TV. But what creates that experience? Is it film’s superior visual properties? Or is it the thrill of sitting in the dark, surrounded by strangers, without benefit of a pause button? This … Continue reading TV at the Movies

Let’s start with the festival report. Brad Bird’s talk Sunday night was every bit as good as I’d hoped. It was amusing, thoughtful, and intelligent. In other words, he used funny voices and said almost nothing with which I didn’t agree. He talked mostly about the death of showmanship, decrying such trends as smaller theaters … Continue reading Festival Report

People fantasize about sex with movie stars. That’s often what makes them movie stars instead of merely actors. I discovered just how strongly those fantasies can hold us when I read that Uma Thurman smokes. It bothered me, the way it would bother me if a potential lover suddenly lit up. It’s ridiculous, of course. … Continue reading Sex with Movie Stars

Just a quick, off-schedule announcement. I went to the Balboa yesterday and finally saw The Best of Youth. It is, quite simply, fantastic--the best two-part, six-hour movie since Godfather I and II. Originally made for Italian television, it follows the fortunes of one family, a close circle of their friends, and the Italian people as … Continue reading Best of Youth

I'm extremely busy this week, so I'll skip the usual essay and go directly to this week's recommendations and noteworthy movies. Wait! Before I do that, I should let you know that I've added a Readers' Feedback page to the site. I'm always eager to read your comments. Send them to me by clicking // … Continue reading Movies for the Week of April 15

The good news: The San Francisco International Film Festival starts in two weeks. The bad news: So does Passover, resulting in some serious scheduling conflicts between must-see movies and my other religion. It's a good thing my family now follows Sephardic rules for observing this eight-day festival--that means I can eat popcorn. The festival runs … Continue reading San Francisco International Film Festival

Let’s talk about TiVo and other personal digital recorders. They’re wonderful gadgets, but like all wonderful gadgets, they come with undesirable side effects. (I know this site is about films in theaters, but if you love movies enough to come here—or subscribe—you probably think about how you watch them at home, as well.) Here’s the … Continue reading TiVo

"Movies today stink! Few of the so-called films of 2005 can hold a candle to the great masterpieces of the last century!" If you hang around people who love old movies, you hear arguments like that all the time. It never occurs to these people that when you compare any three months' worth of movies … Continue reading Artistic Darwinism