Last week, the BBC issued a list of the greatest comedy films ever made. Or at least the best ones listed by the hive mind of 253 film critics from 52 countries. A lot of cinephiles disapprove of such lists, and I understand why. They're an attempt to create an objective version of the entirely … Continue reading The 100 Best Comedies, according to the BBC
Tag: Buster Keaton
Brando, Baldwin, Keaton, & The Marx Brothers Coming to Pacific Film Archive
August is nearing its end, so it's about time to tell you about the film series going on at the Pacific Film Archive in September and beyond. Marlon Brando: The Fugitive Kind September 1–October 28 Marlon Brando burst onto screens at the beginning of the 1950s, changed the art of acting, then self-destructed. In between, … Continue reading Brando, Baldwin, Keaton, & The Marx Brothers Coming to Pacific Film Archive
Forgotten Laughs: Comic gems that few remember
You probably already know and love Some Like It Hot, Groundhog Day, City Lights, Annie Hall, The General, and Duck Soup. They're classics. But an awful lot of great comedies never reached that status. Some were wrong for their time. Others were hits, but were largely forgotten over the decades. Some are just acquired tastes. … Continue reading Forgotten Laughs: Comic gems that few remember
What’s Screening: December 28 – January 3
Still no festivals. But as we move in 2013, we do have some good movies. A Lawrence of Arabia, Castro, Saturday through Monday. Lawrence isn’t just the best big historical epic of the 70mm roadshow era, it’s one of the greatest films ever made. Stunning to look at and terrific as pure spectacle, it’s also … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 28 – January 3
What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
After all the film festivals we've had lately, you might feel that the Bay Area needs another one like it needs another hole in the head. And so, appropriately enough, the Another Hole in the Head Film Festival opens Wednesday. Here's what else is going on: A McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Vogue, Thursday, 8:00 (movie … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
What’s Screening: August 24 – 30
No festivals this week. B Alps, Roxie, opens Friday for one-week run. I’m not exactly sure what to make of Alps. It has just enough continuity to make you try and follow the story, but there’s no story to follow. Many of the characters (primarily the female ones) seem sympathetic, yet their motivations and actions … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 24 – 30
What’s Screening: July 13 – 19
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival runs through the weekend, and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival opens Thursday night. I'm hoping to catch every screening at the Silent festival (my recommendations are below) and that Jewish opening night. A- Bonsái, SF Film Society Cinema, opens Friday for one-week run. Right at the start, a … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 13 – 19
What’s Screening: June 15 – 21
Only one festival this week, but it's a big one. Frameline LGBT continues through this week and beyond. A- Your Sister's Sister,Kabuki, Embarcadero, opens Friday. This romantic sex comedy kept surprising me. I thought it was shallow; then the characters deepened. I figured out whom was going to end up with whom, and what artificial … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 15 – 21
Why Silents Are Golden: This Year’s San Francisco Silent Film Festival
As regular readers know, I'm passionate about silent movies. Without the crutch of spoken words, a motion picture becomes pure cinema--reality on an entirely different plane. The actors can be fully unique, complex individuals (not that they always are) while remaining archetypes. Take Louise Brooks. In silent films, she's magical, mysterious, and the very embodiment … Continue reading Why Silents Are Golden: This Year’s San Francisco Silent Film Festival
SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
Last night I attended the San Francisco International Film Festival silent movie event at the Castro--four Buster Keaton shorts (two of them actually Fatty Arbuckle shorts with Keaton in supporting roles), accompanied by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs along with guitarist Ava Mendoza. This is something of a tradition at the Festival--screening silent films with accompaniment … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Buster Keaton and Merrill Garbus
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