Here are four more movies I've seen in the last few weeks. A- The Man in the White Suit (1951)I doubt no other movie is remembered for a single, recurring, and very funny sound effect. The story: Alec Guinness plays a brilliant but unrecognized scientist trying to create a cloth that repels dirt, never wears … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Man in the White Suit | He Who Gets Slapped | A New Leaf | Bamboozled
SFFilm Festival Preview Part 3: Skies of Lebanon | Rita Moreno | Sex, Revolution & Islam | Tove | Nudo Mixteco
The SFFilm Festival opens this Friday. (If the title sounds strange, it used to be the San Francisco International Film Festival.) I plan to write nothing more about the fest until opening day. All the movies mentioned below will be available for streaming throughout the run of the festival. And remember that you can follow … Continue reading SFFilm Festival Preview Part 3: Skies of Lebanon | Rita Moreno | Sex, Revolution & Islam | Tove | Nudo Mixteco
What’s Screening: April 2 – 8
What's happening this week in Bay Area movie-watching? Mank appears in a real movie theater! Virtually, you can stream the rip-roaring silent melodrama The Signal Tower, along with dramas by Ryan Coogler and Nicholas Ray. And at the drive-in, you can revisit Casablanca, Mary Poppins, Wall-E, and more. But no festivals. New films opening in … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 2 – 8
SFFilm Fest Preview, Part 2: I’m Fine | We Are as Gods | Censor | Poppy Field
My next set of SFFilm Festival films include a homeless mother trying to keep her daughter from the hard truth, a documentary about the founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, a horror movie about horror movies, and a Romanian gay, closeted policeman. A- I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking) Within minutes of the film's start, I … Continue reading SFFilm Fest Preview, Part 2: I’m Fine | We Are as Gods | Censor | Poppy Field
SFFilm Fest Preview: Part 1: Son of Monarchs | Cryptozoo | The Spokeswoman | Supercool
Here are four films that will be available during this year's SFFilm Festival. We've got a drama with one foot in Mexico and the other in the U.S., an animated fantasy for adults, a Mexican documentary, and a so-called comedy. A Son of Monarchs This story of a young man between two countries doesn't really … Continue reading SFFilm Fest Preview: Part 1: Son of Monarchs | Cryptozoo | The Spokeswoman | Supercool
What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
What do we have in Bay Area movies this week? A drummer losing his hearing, a couple of virtual cinema suggestions, and Moses splitting the Red Sea in a real theater (just in time for Passover). At the drive-in, you can watch some of the best of Hitchcock, Wilder, and the Coens, along with a … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
The return of the SFFilm Festival
The SFFilm Festival (formerly named The San Francisco International Film Festival) didn't happen last year - even in a virtual form. By the time the theaters were closed, SFFilm didn't have time to create a whole new kind of festival. But by the end of 2020, anyone paying attention knew the basics of enjoying a … Continue reading The return of the SFFilm Festival
Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, now on Criterion Blu-ray
There's something very special about Mike Leigh's family drama, Secrets & Lies. Every person on the screen appears to be a fully fleshed-out human being, and I'm not just talking about the main characters. Even actors with one or two scenes feel as if they have a history. You can care about all of them … Continue reading Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, now on Criterion Blu-ray
Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
Last week I told you about a Preston Sturges series available on The Criterion Channel. This week, I'm telling you about two other series on the Channel intended just to entertain. One is about the most loved comedian of all time. The other was one of the first filmmakers to use the medium to tell … Continue reading Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
What’s Leaving Criterion when March ends
At the end of every month, the Criterion Channel trims its collection of films to make room for others (probably because of contract issues). Thankfully, they give us warning, so we can watch a film before it goes away. If you're a Criterion subscriber, catch some of these before you wake up and discover it's … Continue reading What’s Leaving Criterion when March ends
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