Here are four more movies I've recently discovered or rediscovered. A Lolita (1962), FilmStruck I'm not sure if Kubrick's take on Nabokov is a very funny tragedy or a very sad comedy, but it's certainly about reprehensible people. James Mason carries the tragic vibe as the intellectual obsessed with a teenage girl but who cares only for himself. … Continue reading Movies I’ve Seen Recently: Lolita, A story from Chikamatsu, Cluny Brown, & The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Tag: Ernst Lubitsch
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: July 6 – 12
After a couple of stubborn years, I've decided to accept the Pacific Film Archive's no-longer-new name, BAMPFA. It stands for Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive. I would rather they had called it PFABAM, because in my mind, the movies come first. Anyway, this week we have Jewish triplets, African-American telemarketers, animated Beatles, live Beatles, … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 6 – 12
What’s Screening: June 29 – July 5
Stoned grandpa and dead meat, along with Sturges, Hawks, Spielberg, Lubitsch, Antonioni, and no film festivals in Bay Area movie theaters this week. New films opening A- Eating Animals, Clay, Shattuck, opens Friday Considering the documentary's title and the involvement of outspoken vegan (and movie star) Natalie Portman, one would assume that Eating Animals preaches … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 29 – July 5
Carl Dreyer, Yasujirô Ozu, & Ernst Lubitsch: My first report on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
There's no time to write and post articles during the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, so I'm doing it afterwards. My first installment covers opening night, and two of the four full days - except for the late night screenings of The Lighthouse Keepers and Policeman. I need my sleep. Wednesday: Opening Night The Man … Continue reading Carl Dreyer, Yasujirô Ozu, & Ernst Lubitsch: My first report on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival
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
Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
Instead of listing my top ten movies of 2017, I'm giving you my top 15 moviegoing experiences of the year. What's the difference? I consider the theater, the quality of the print or digital source, the enthusiasm of the audience, and live onstage supplements such as musical accompaniment and filmmaker Q&As. I also consider the … Continue reading Top 15 Moviegoing Experiences of 2017
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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