In these days of Internet streaming, it's easy to assume that every film ever made is available to watch for a few dollars. Of course, most of the silent era and much of the early talkies have been lost. But a surprising number of films that still exist aren't easily available. Here are three films … Continue reading Films you still can’t see
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: August 7 – 13
Movies by Ron Howard, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Spike Lee, and Jordan Peele streaming this week from your favorite theaters. Bay Area theaters with virtual cinema Balboa BAMPFA Cerrito Elmwood Lark New Mission Rafael Roxie Vogue Special online events B+ Rebuilding Paradise (2020), Balboa, Cerrito, Elmwood, Rafael, Vogue Livestream conversation via the Rafael with producer Xan Parker … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: August 7 – 13
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Star Trek, Yes God Yes, Rocketman, & Niki and Flo
When I started these Movies I've Recently Seen articles, I listed how I saw each movie. The idea is that watching a movie at the Castro was very different from watching it on TV by yourself. But with all the theaters closed, it doesn't really matter if I saw it on Vudu or the Criterion … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Star Trek, Yes God Yes, Rocketman, & Niki and Flo
What a good music teacher can do: River City Drumbeat
B+ Documentary Directed by Marlon Johnson Yes, this is another inspiring music documentary, but that's not a bad thing. River City Drumbeat is about African American children getting a leg up in life thanks to a youth drum team. And no, they're not all expected to have great careers as percussionists. But by working in … Continue reading What a good music teacher can do: River City Drumbeat
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 31 – August 6
Fire, vampires, con artists, a murder mystery, and polar bears. But if these don't seem tempting, how about Ella Fitzgerald and Ai Weiwei? Here are a few movies you can stream at home while helping local theaters get by this week. Virtual Festivals The San Francisco Black Film Festival closes Sunday Bay Area theaters with … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 31 – August 6
After the flames: Rebuilding Paradise
B+ documentaryDirected by Ron Howard When my father retired around 1990, he built a house in Paradise, California and lived there for at least a decade. He did not live long enough to know that the house he built was almost certainly destroyed. From my point of view, watching Ron Howard's documentary about the people … Continue reading After the flames: Rebuilding Paradise
The so-called Great War and its movies
The First World War, called The Great War before a worse one followed it, created some exceptional cinema. Why is that? Perhaps, it's the timing. The ascendancy of feature-length films happened as the war was being fought. Another possibility: World War 1 was so horrible, and yet so pointless (we weren't fighting fascism yet), that … Continue reading The so-called Great War and its movies
Carmilla: Sexy vampires of Olde England
B+ Gothic horror Written by Emily Harris, from a story by Sheridan Le Fanu Directed by Emily Harris I find vampires much more interesting than other supernatural creatures of horror fantasy. Unlike that other popular form of the living dead - zombies - vampires seem downright housebroken. They can treat you like an honored guest…until … Continue reading Carmilla: Sexy vampires of Olde England
More good than bad in August at the Criterion Channel
If you love great cinema, you really should subscribe to the Criterion Channel. Here you can get your fill of Akira Kurosawa, Fritz Lang, Mike Leigh, Atom Egoyan, Yasujiro Ozu, Asghar Farhadi, and so much more. And it's not all serious. Search for comedy, and (as I write this), you'll get 378 results. Throughout August, … Continue reading More good than bad in August at the Criterion Channel
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 23 – 30
The march on Selma, a Chasidic rabbi in Montana, graffiti wars, one film festival, and reminders of other pictures available in Bay Area virtual cinema. But here's some bad news: The San Francisco Green Film Festival has been killed off by the pandemic - and I'm not just talking about just this year. Judging from … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: July 23 – 30
Bayflicks 