Loony Tunes, friendly aliens, an Indiana Christmas, and the forgotten TV version of 12 Years a Slave. All this and more on Bay Area movie screens. Festivals There's only one film festival this week, and it only runs for one day: Saturday. It's A Day of Silents, and you can read my preview. Promising events … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 1 – 7
Tag: charlie chaplin
Chaplin Diary, Part 1: Directing at Keystone
I'm starting out on a survey of Charlie Chaplin's work. My plan is to view every movie he wrote and directed, in chronological order. Chaplin started his movie career at Mack Sennett's Keystone studio. He entered Keystone late in 1913 with a weekly salary of $150. He left Sennett a year later, with a level … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 1: Directing at Keystone
Sexual Abuse: The filmgoer’s Dilemma
Sexual predators in the movie business (and elsewhere) are finally getting the attention they deserve…as opposed to the attention they want. The Harvey Weinstein scandal has punched a hole in the culture and let some light in. For the moment at least, the entertainment industry isn't safe for sexual predators. In addition to Weinstein, Kevin … Continue reading Sexual Abuse: The filmgoer’s Dilemma
What’s Screening: October 13 – 19
How appropriate! We've got a Friday the 13th in October. But hey, who needs scary movies when Trump is in the White House. Anyway, this week we've got five film festivals, a great new film, and an awesome Frankenstein triple bill - all in Bay Area movie theaters. Festivals The Mill Valley Film Festival closes … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 13 – 19
What’s Screening: October 6 – 12
It's October, and horror movies are popping up all over the Bay Area…along with Mill Valley, Jim Jarmusch, and the last of Chaplin. Festivals The Mill Valley Film Festival continues through this week and beyond. Check out my reports for recommendations. Modern Cinema continues Rare and Worth Catching B Serenade for Haiti, Pacific Film Archive, … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 6 – 12
What’s Screening: July 14 – 20
Talk about an embarrassment of riches. The Bay Area has an overwhelmingly large selection of cinematic treats this week. Festivals Music Week, which I only found out about yesterday, opens today runs through Thursday. Modern Cinema opens Thursday The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival also opens Thursday. Read my reports and capsule reviews. New films … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 14 – 20
What’s Screening: July 7 – 13
Anti-Nazis, pro-Buddhists, Bugs Bunny, Charlie Chaplin, and Akira Kurosawa liven up Bay Area movie screens this week. But, for the second week in a row, no film festivals. New films opening A- 13 Minutes, Opera Plaza, opens Friday In 1939, Georg Elser attempted to assassinate Hitler. This spellbinding and sometimes gruesome drama cuts back and … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 7 – 13
A Million and One Nights: Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
It's Tuesday, so it's time to tell you about Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. I'm won't discuss every film screened that day; just the ones I want to talk about. A lot of the films, not just on Saturday but throughout the whole festival, were new restorations. It seemed as if every … Continue reading A Million and One Nights: Saturday at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
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: 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
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