What's happening in Bay Area cinema as January turns into February? We've got laughs from Preston Sturges, Bill Murray, and Monty Python. Also noir from Pedro Almodóvar, or satire from Boots Riley. I had to prepare this newsletter earlier than usual for personal reasons. That means that if a screening is announced at the last … Continue reading What’s Screening: Jan 28 – Feb 3
Tag: Barbara Stanwyck
What’s Screening: January 14 – 20
I have stopped going to movie theaters because of Omicron. I just don't think it's safe - even though I wear a mask and have all the right shots. I'm not the only one who thinks that way. The Film Noir Foundation has postponed this year's Noir City festival. And the New Parkway has gone … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 14 – 20
What’s happening at BAMPFA: December thru April
From early December through late April, here's what will happen cinematically at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). As I write this, the museum's theater is currently the only cinema in the Bay Area that focuses specifically on old films. They're offering a lot of good movies, and at least two stinkers. BAMPFA arranges … Continue reading What’s happening at BAMPFA: December thru April
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of May
A lot of laughter will be leaving the Criterion Channel when May turns into June. The Preston Sturges flicks will disappear, along with comedies by Melvin Van Peebles, Elaine May, and John Sayles. Even a few great dramas will also leave the Channel. A+ The Lady Eve (1941) Like all great screwballs, The Lady Eve … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of May
What’s Screening: September 13 – 19
In Bay Area movie theaters this week: Molly Ivins, struggling in San Francisco, great music from the '70, Art House Theater Day, and films by Billy Wilder, Abbas Kiarostami, Robert Downey Sr., and J.J. Abrams. But only one film festival. Festivals Indie Shorts opens today and closes Sunday The Week's Big Event Art House Theater … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 13 – 19
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Let the Sunshine In, The Chaperone, & The Miracle Woman
I didn't see any of these movies at a film festival. They weren't sent to me for review. Unfortunately, I didn't see any of them in theaters. But here's what I think about them. A- Let the Sunshine In (2017) Netflix Blu-ray This Claire Denis film opens with a fairly explicit, but not very erotic … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Let the Sunshine In, The Chaperone, & The Miracle Woman
A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA
I caught three very good, but very different, films at the BAMPFA this weekend. The Traveler (1974) Friday night, BAMPFA started its new series, Abbas Kiarostami: Life as Art, with this touching story reminiscent of François Truffaut's 400 Blows. Kiarostami (1940–2016) was one of Iran's most important and influential filmmakers, and this massive series will run … Continue reading A very young thief, a romantic triangle, & the “Black Woodstock”: What I saw this weekend at BAMPFA
What’s Screening: September 1 – 7
Marlon Brando, aliens, fascist bureaucrats, and teenage love light up Bay Area movie screens this week. Also, two film festivals. Festivals New Filipino Cinema 2017 continues through Sunday The Japan Film Festival of San Francisco opens today and runs through this week and beyond. Promising events Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Alamo Drafthouse New … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 1 – 7
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Dunkirk, Night Nurse, The End of the Ottoman Empire, & All the President’s Men
A Dunkirk (2017), AMC Metreon IMAX You've probably already read wonderful things about the big, new war film, and you probably already know something about the famous evacuation. So I'll just focus on story construction. The film cuts back and forth between three stories. One is about a soldier trying desperately to get off the beach. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Dunkirk, Night Nurse, The End of the Ottoman Empire, & All the President’s Men
Bayflicks 