Last week I told you about a Preston Sturges series available on The Criterion Channel. This week, I'm telling you about two other series on the Channel intended just to entertain. One is about the most loved comedian of all time. The other was one of the first filmmakers to use the medium to tell … Continue reading Fun stuff on Criterion, Part 2: Chaplin & Méliès
Tag: charlie chaplin
What’s coming in December on the Criterion Channel
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
What’s Screening: November 20 – 26
This week in pandemic movie watching, we have a talk with Charlie Chaplin's son and two new films in actual theaters. What's more, Coppola, Coogler, Spielberg, and Leone just might entice you to the drive-in. And we even have a virtual festival. Festivals Berlin & Beyond in Focus opened yesterday and closes Saturday Special online … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 20 – 26
The so-called Great War and its movies
The First World War, called The Great War before a worse one followed it, created some exceptional cinema. Why is that? Perhaps, it's the timing. The ascendancy of feature-length films happened as the war was being fought. Another possibility: World War 1 was so horrible, and yet so pointless (we weren't fighting fascism yet), that … Continue reading The so-called Great War and its movies
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
The Last Charlie Chaplin Days of 2020
It's kind of weird to wake up, eat breakfast, and go into my home office for a film festival. Here's what I watched on the last day of this year's Charlie Chaplin Days. The Whiz Bang Talent Show, Trivia Quiz, Lookalike Contest and Goodtime Hour! As with Saturday, I started with a 10:00am Zoom event. … Continue reading The Last Charlie Chaplin Days of 2020
Saturday “at” Charlie Chaplin Days
There are problems with virtual film festivals. You don't run into old friends or meet new ones. And when you get up and walk out of the theater, you just might enter a kitchen needing to be cleaned. Nevertheless, here it goes. Meet David Robinson I started my viewing at 10:00am on Zoom with a … Continue reading Saturday “at” Charlie Chaplin Days
Friday at Charlie Chaplin Days
I experienced my first virtual film festival Friday. While it's nowhere as fun as the real thing, it has its advantages. No commuting. The festival I'm following from home is Charlie Chaplin Days, run by the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. I'm writing this quickly, so if I let through some spelling or grammatical errors, … Continue reading Friday at Charlie Chaplin Days
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 19 – 25
This week you can go Zoom with James Bond or track and field sensation Guor Marial (but watch the movies first). And speaking about movies, here are seven other films available via virtual cinema - mostly documentaries. Also, two film festivals. Virtual Festivals Charlie Chaplin Days opens today. Read my preview. Frameline opens Thursday. I … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 19 – 25
LGBTQ & Silent Comedy: Two upcoming virtual festivals
Two annual Bay Area festivals will run in virtual mode in the next two weeks: Frameline Website; Thursday June 25 - Sunday, June 28 In its 44th year, the world's oldest LGBTQ film festival is smaller this year, bringing only 19 feature films, along with shorts, into your living room. To make it more like … Continue reading LGBTQ & Silent Comedy: Two upcoming virtual festivals
