After seeing Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen for the first time since - well, at least ten years - I realize that it's a much better film than I remembered. (For what it's worth, that last time was also in 70mm at the Castro.) I know now that it's as … Continue reading After revisiting 2001, I put it on my A+ list
What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
Indiana Jones, Douglas Fairbanks, Mitchum vs. Peck, triple Vertigo, and a movie Beyond the Infinite - and all on Bay Area movie screens this week. Also, one film festival. Festivals CAAMFest continues through the week Vertigo, Vertigo, & Vertigo Over the weekend, three movie theaters will present special screenings of most people's favorite Alfred Hitchcock … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
Frst After completing The Pilgrim, Charlie Chaplin was finally free of his First National contract. He could now concentrate on making features for United Artists - the company he created with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. But Chaplin had a problem: Edna Purviance. She'd been his leading lady for eight of his nine … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
2001: Not like 1968
Like a lot of people, I'm looking forward to the new 70mm presentation of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was not quite 14 when I fell in love with this epic science fiction extravaganza in its original release. For at least a decade, it was my all-time favorite film. It was the first … Continue reading 2001: Not like 1968
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Isle of Dogs, An American in Paris & A Man for All Seasons
I see a lot of films for very specific reasons - they're part of a film festival, I'm reviewing them, and so forth. The others are ones that I just want to see…or see again. Here are three of those others: A- Isle of Dogs (2018), Cerrito After the whimsy of Moonlight Kingdom and The Grand … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Isle of Dogs, An American in Paris & A Man for All Seasons
Last Sunday at the Nitrate Picture Show
The people running The Nitrate Picture Show, the film festival in Rochester, NY I attended last weekend, reminded us several times that this wasn't just canned entertainment. The act of projecting decades-old nitrate film is a form of live performance. Before each feature, we were asked to turn around and applaud the two expert projectionists … Continue reading Last Sunday at the Nitrate Picture Show
Last Saturday at the Nitrate Picture Show
When a film festival celebrates a technology, as does The Nitrate Picture Show, and it's located at the George Eastman Museum, you should expect more than just movies. Last weekend's event included two lectures by preservationists, workshops on making nitrate film, and tours of more than the nitrate vaults. I attended a Technology Collection tour, … Continue reading Last Saturday at the Nitrate Picture Show
Last Friday at the Nitrate Picture Show
You know you're at a geek-oriented film festival when the program provides information About the print before telling you About the film. "The film is in excellent condition, with deep, rich contrast and very little scratching or damage. Shrinkage: 0.63%." The Nitrate Picture Show, which I attended last week, is as much about the prints … Continue reading Last Friday at the Nitrate Picture Show
What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
Professional killers, psychotic killers, inept superheroes, dangerous rabbits, and a whole lot of clay chickens on Bay Area movie screens this week. And only one film festival. Festivals CAAMFest continues through the week and beyond Promising events Mystery Men, New Mission, Wednesday, 10:15 I loved this superhero satire when it opened in 1999; I even … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
Last Thursday: In the Vaults with Nitrate Film
I wrote this article a week ago, on Thursday, May 3. For technical reasons concerning the tablet I took on my trip to New York state, I was not able to add photos, which I felt were necessary for telling this story. So here it is. I will continue, through Sunday, posting a daily report of … Continue reading Last Thursday: In the Vaults with Nitrate Film
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