I don't expect Santa to come down my chimney, but I do expect a lot of good movies to come down my Internet connection next month. The Criterion Channel will offer a lot of movies worth watching. Here are just some of the movies, and some of the collections of movies, that will become available … Continue reading What’s coming in December on the Criterion Channel
Tag: Cary Grant
Before Halloween: 6 good movies leaving Criterion October 31
Here's something to scare you as Halloween approaches: 45 movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel as the kids go virtual trick-or-treat. Here are six of these movies that I can recommend. That doesn't mean I hate the other 39. I just haven't seen most of them. Others I haven't seen or didn't really like. … Continue reading Before Halloween: 6 good movies leaving Criterion October 31
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, & George Cukor give us a Holiday – thanks to Criterion’s new Blu-ray
The 1938 romantic comedy Holiday doesn't seem quite crazy enough to be called a screwball. The laughs don't pile up the way other such comedies of the period do. But it has something else - a believable romance between intelligent people discussing their lives and their loves, and how they became the people they are. … Continue reading Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, & George Cukor give us a Holiday – thanks to Criterion’s new Blu-ray
What’s Screening: November 29 – December 5
It's Black Friday, but that doesn't mean you have to fight the crowds in the malls. Why not go to the movies? This week in Bay Area cinemas we have James Cagney, Aretha Franklin, Cary Grant, and a sleek, black-and-white thriller you'll probably never get to see again. Festivals Another Hole in the Head Film … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 29 – December 5
Movies from 1939 at the Stanford
I'm not sure who proclaimed 1939 The Great Movie Year. Probably it was Ted Turner, when he owned the MGM, Warner, and RKO libraries. A lot of beloved classics came out that year, including The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind - the two most beloved films of Hollywood's studio era. Also, 1939 … Continue reading Movies from 1939 at the Stanford
What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
A boy and his horse, a woman and her leopard, a samurai without a master, and a killer rabbit. All these and more in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Also, three film festivals. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues. Read my preview. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through this … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Searching, Desperately Seeking Susan, Heaven Can Wait, & Mr. Blandings’ Dream House
Four more movies that I saw simply because I wanted to see them (or revisit them): A- Searching (2018), Shattuck Yes, it's a gimmick, but it works. The entire film is played on screens within the story: computers, smartphones, television news, with people captured on the many cameras around them. The plot is a basic mystery … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Searching, Desperately Seeking Susan, Heaven Can Wait, & Mr. Blandings’ Dream House
What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
Robert Altman, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Gus Van Sant, Michael Powell, and a very fine selection of shorts grace Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals For Your Consideration opens today and runs through Thursday. You can learn more about it in my First Film Festivals of 2018. New films opening B+ 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
What’s Screening: September 22 – 28
Overly-protective parents, exceptionally dumb teenagers, Jerry Lewis, French mimes, Buster Keaton, and a whole lot of Lina Wertmüller lights up Bay Area screens this week. Also, Sunday is Art House Theater Day. Bay Area theaters involved include the Elmwood, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Rafael, Lark, and the Roxie. Check each theater to see … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 22 – 28
What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
The Elite Squad of Colonel Blimp brings up baby. If you’re feeling like a festival, IndieFest continues through this week. B Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, 4-Star, opens Friday. Captain Roberto Nascimento believes in killing "scumbags." And as an officer in Rio’s militaristic Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), he gets plenty of opportunities to do … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
Bayflicks 