I've been under the weather, so I haven't written much lately. I enjoyed the Academy Awards. I was hoping that Women Talking would win – without much hope. But my second favorite, Everything Everywhere All at Once grabbed almost everything. And besides, Everything is just so much fun! A The Whale (2022) This is a … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: The Watermelon Woman ֍ On Your Majesty’s Secret Service ֍ Police Story 3: Supercop ֍ Cleopatra
Tag: Cecil B. DeMille
Pre-Code Paramount on the Criterion Channel
As silent movies died and the talkies took over, movies became racier. The jokes got raunchier. The gowns were more revealing. And the bad girl could get the good guy – or maybe two good guys. This so-called "Pre-Code era" died in 1934, when the censors of the Production Code Administration took away much of the fun. … Continue reading Pre-Code Paramount on the Criterion Channel
My experiences at the Day of Silents
Yes, that's Silents, not Silence. It rained off and on in the Castro neighborhood, but it was dry and joyful (mostly) in the Castro theater. Two days before the Day, cinema made history. A selection of critics released their once-a-decade Sight & Sound of the Best Films of All Time. I'll get to that soon. … Continue reading My experiences at the Day of Silents
A Day of Silents at the Castro
Yes, that's Silents, not Silence. On Saturday, December 3, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival will have a one-day marathon of silent movies and live music. A Day of Silents will play at the Castro. These days, every time you go to that beautiful theater, you may be watching a movie there for the last … Continue reading A Day of Silents at the Castro
What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
What do we have in Bay Area movies this week? A drummer losing his hearing, a couple of virtual cinema suggestions, and Moses splitting the Red Sea in a real theater (just in time for Passover). At the drive-in, you can watch some of the best of Hitchcock, Wilder, and the Coens, along with a … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
1928: The peak and the fall
I don't believe in golden ages and "great film years." Every year since the beginning of cinema has had good and bad films. But there's something special about 1928. At least in America, it was the artistic pinnacle of silent film. And yet it was also the year where silence began to die. Movies kept … Continue reading 1928: The peak and the fall
What’s Screening: December 28 – January 3
As one year ends and another begins, we get to celebrate with Kubrick, DeMille, Cuarón, Murnau, and Chaplin - all in Bay Area movie theaters. But still no film festivals. The Week's Big Event A+ 2001: A Space Odyssey — The 70mm / 4K Challenge, Castro, Friday through Tuesday 70mm and/or 4K presentations! Stanley Kubrick's … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 28 – January 3
What’s Screening: March 23 – 29
Parental love, autistic love, Bruce Lee, Ernst Lubitsch, Jesus as shown by Cecil B. DeMille, Hawking as shown by Errol Morris, French crooks, Italian crooks, a marooned Martian, and three film festivals - all on Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals The Albany Filmfest continues through Sunday The Sonoma International Film Festival also continues … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 23 – 29
The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
I love the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but it can be tiring. You spend all day, three days in a row, watching movies. Sometimes the breaks between films are less than half an hour. But the movies, the music, the discussions, and the people you can talk to make it very special. This year's … Continue reading The Parade’s Gone By: Sunday, the last day at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
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