B Documentarydirected by Loira Limbal The new documentary called Through the Night is not about young people partying until dawn. Instead, it's about very young people, as in children, and the adults who are paid to take care of them. The film has an important point to make, but that's overpowered by the sheer joy … Continue reading Through the Night: Daycare around the clock
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: I’m No Angel, Bad Santa, Mank, & Black Peter
My most recent selection of random movies have no masterpieces. But they don't have any stinkers either. Three out of the four get Bs, and the best only gets a B+ B+ I'm No Angel (1933) In what I believe is probably Mae West's best movie (I haven't seen them all), she deals with carnies, … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: I’m No Angel, Bad Santa, Mank, & Black Peter
Crock of Gold: When punk went Irish
B+ Music documentary Directed by Julien Temple If you're not familiar with The Pogues, you have a treat to discover. For some 27 years (not including five inactive ones), this Irish band melded punk rock, traditional music, and deeply-felt left-wing politics. But film director Julien Temple doesn't seem to really care about the Pogues. His … Continue reading Crock of Gold: When punk went Irish
What’s Screening: December 4 – 10
The drive-ins are closing for the winter, and the recently opened hard-top theaters have suddenly been shut down. So, this week I'm doing something unusual for the newsletter. Instead, I'm focusing on recommending movies via virtual cinema - where you can watch a movie safely at home while helping your favorite theater. Big News Our … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 4 – 10
Movies old & new: How I evaluate motion pictures
A Facebook friend recently asked me why I gave The Wizard of Oz a B+. "Do you rate [a movie by] how it stacks up against modern films? Or how it compared with other contemporaneous movies? How much should your personal reaction to the movie count when you first saw it and how you feel … Continue reading Movies old & new: How I evaluate motion pictures
What’s coming in December on the Criterion Channel
I don't expect Santa to come down my chimney, but I do expect a lot of good movies to come down my Internet connection next month. The Criterion Channel will offer a lot of movies worth watching. Here are just some of the movies, and some of the collections of movies, that will become available … Continue reading What’s coming in December on the Criterion Channel
Big Roadshows of the ’50s and ’60s (mostly the ’60s)
When I was a child, and well into my adolescence, big, expensive movies played theatrically in a special, spectacular way that disappeared almost 50 years ago. A major motion picture would play in only one, very large theater per major city. The ticket prices were higher, but you got something out of it. When you … Continue reading Big Roadshows of the ’50s and ’60s (mostly the ’60s)
What’s Screening: Nov 27 – Dec 3
There's not much in the drive-ins this week, or at least not much that I can recommend. But if you like Scorsese, you can join a conversation about Goodfellas this Saturday. I can recommend three new, streaming documentaries, and you can revisit two of the best films of the 1990s. Special online events A+ Thrillville … Continue reading What’s Screening: Nov 27 – Dec 3
Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
Thanks to COVID, you'll probably be having Thanksgiving at home with very few people. Zoom might help. But to really get you into the holiday spirit, watch one or more of these movies: - - - - - - - - - In a conventional year, you might have trouble with crowded highways and over-full … Continue reading Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
What we lost when the theaters closed
Please indulge me my nostalgia. As 2019 turned into 2020, none of us really knew what would soon happen. Looking back at the first months of this year, it seems amazing how many great films were available theatrically in real, hard-top movie theaters; some of them even using physical film. And you didn't have to … Continue reading What we lost when the theaters closed
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