This Sunday is Oscar night. As far as I can tell, seven Bay Area movie theaters will be playing - not a movie - but a celebration of the concept of movies. Or at least a celebration of ostentatious clothing. Here are the theaters that I know will have a Oscar party: Cerrito New Parkway … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 8 – 14
Tag: Buster Keaton
Summer of silents & Jews (yes, I’m talking about film festivals)
Two of my favorite film festivals come one right after the other this year. First, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens Wednesday, July 12 at 7:00. The opening movie is Douglas Fairbanks' last silent swashbuckler, The Iron Mask. Then there are three long days of rare old movies, new restorations, and live music. The … Continue reading Summer of silents & Jews (yes, I’m talking about film festivals)
What’s Screening: June 16 – 22
What can you see in the cinema this week? The best works of Spike Lee and Mel Brooks (did they ever work together?). A laughably bad movie that has caught up on us over the decades. One of the greatest Best Picture winners of the century, and several LGBTQ films sponsored by the month of … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 16 – 22
What’s Screening: March 10 – 16
It's Oscar week, and at least eight Bay Area cinemas are projecting the ceremony onto their big screens. One theater is giving us a selection of Buster Keaton shorts from half a century. Aside from all that, there are excellent works by Hayao Miyazaki, Wim Wender, Christopher Guest, and Philip Kaufman. Festivals & Series Cinequest … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 10 – 16
Buster Keaton at the Criterion Channel
If you haven't experienced Buster Keaton, this is the time to discover the greatest physical comedian since the invention of cinema. He could take a fall like nobody else, But he was more than that. He was a complete auteur, with a sense of what made a good story, and the feel of where to … Continue reading Buster Keaton at the Criterion Channel
What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
Is this Jim Henson Week? Labyrinth is screening in four different Bay Area cinemas. And that's not the only movie screening starring David Bowie. There's also Peter O'Toole playing Errol Flynn. Among directors, there's Wim Wenders, Martha Coolidge, Nicolas Roeg, and two noirs directed by Ida Lupino - made at a time when woman directors … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
Movies I’ve recently seen: The Woman King ֍ Man Hunt ֍ Pillow Talk ֍ Your Place or Mine ֍ Free and Easy
It's been almost two months since I've posted one of these Movies I've recently seen articles. I was busy with Oscar nominees, film festivals, and producers hoping for a good review. Finally, I found time to simply watch a movie or five. So here are some pictures I finally got around to see. As usual, … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: The Woman King ֍ Man Hunt ֍ Pillow Talk ֍ Your Place or Mine ֍ Free and Easy
What’s Screening: February 3 – 9
You know what's the most difficult part of setting up these newsletters? It's writing the intro. So let's get it over with. Reader, meet newsletter. Newsletter, meet reader. Okay, I'll tell you more. There's a new, sexy film from France and a documentary about Jewish settlements in Eastern Europe. There are three films about African … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 3 – 9
What’s Screening: December 16 – 22
Remember that cute Christmas movie from 2003 called Elf? It's playing in five different theaters this week, some of them free. Overall this week, the theaters are giving us movies to make us merry. There's two of the most beloved family movies of all time, and more of Buster Keaton. And if you want to … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 16 – 22
Keaton at the BAMPFA
I've been writing a lot about Buster Keaton lately, thanks to BAMPFA's series Camera Man: Buster Keaton. I've been a fan of the Great Stoneface for more than 50 years now. but it's great to experience these films theatrically, with live music and other people laughing. I missed Sherlock Jr., so my first experience of … Continue reading Keaton at the BAMPFA
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