New and old movies are playing in San Francisco theaters; and a lot of them are already streaming. Looking for old-time movie stars on the big screen? This week you've got Clark Gable, Steve McQueen, Henry Fonda, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Daniel Day-Lewis. If that list is a bit too male-centered, there are real … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 17 – 23
Tag: F.W. Murnau
The Castro Theater’s 100th Birthday Celebration
Maybe it was the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but Another Planet Entertainment (APE) seems to realize that the Castro Theater should be what it always was: a movie palace. Next month, APE will give us the Castro Theatre 100th Birthday Celebration. From June 3 to 12, the Castro will run classic films. Each day, … Continue reading The Castro Theater’s 100th Birthday Celebration
What’s Screening: March 11 – 17
Here's what's happening in Bay Area cinema this week: A new Russian/Finnish romance, along with classics from F.W. Murnau, Jacques Tati, Fritz Lang, Federico Fellini, Wim Wenders, Wayne Wang, and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock. Also, as a two-year anniversary of shutting down the theaters, the Oakland's New Parkway will show free movies on Tuesday. Plus, … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 11 – 17
What’s Screening: February 18 – 24
This is a great week for silent movie lovers. Bay Area theaters are screening three shows this week with live musical accompaniment, from such masters of the art as Murnau, Méliès, and Chaplin. But if you prefer talking in your movies, local cinemas will screen works from Truffaut, Coppola, and Hitchcock. But no festivals. The … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 18 – 24
What’s Screening: Jan 28 – Feb 3
What's happening in Bay Area cinema as January turns into February? We've got laughs from Preston Sturges, Bill Murray, and Monty Python. Also noir from Pedro Almodóvar, or satire from Boots Riley. I had to prepare this newsletter earlier than usual for personal reasons. That means that if a screening is announced at the last … Continue reading What’s Screening: Jan 28 – Feb 3
What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
I dedicate this week's newsletter to film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022). Considering what Omicron is doing all over the world, we have a surprising number of vintage movies playing in real theaters. We've got major works from Peter Jackson, F.W. Murnau, Wong Kar Wai, The Coen Brothers, … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 7 – 13
What’s Screening: October 22 – 28
It seems as if every theater is playing Dune - a movie that disappointed me. I'm hoping that The French Dispatch will be better. If you're looking for oldies on the big screen, we've got two mid-century Japanese classics, two versions of Nosferatu, and a bad horror flick with comic commentary. Also, we've got three … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 22 – 28
National Silent Movie Day…at home
This coming Wednesday is National Silent Movie Day, which makes it a perfect day to start exploring silent cinema. Here are eight of my nine favorite silent feature films. (The other, Napoleon is too big for most theaters, let alone your living room.) I'm not listing them best to worst, as I usually do. They're … Continue reading National Silent Movie Day…at home
What’s Leaving Criterion when March ends
At the end of every month, the Criterion Channel trims its collection of films to make room for others (probably because of contract issues). Thankfully, they give us warning, so we can watch a film before it goes away. If you're a Criterion subscriber, catch some of these before you wake up and discover it's … Continue reading What’s Leaving Criterion when March ends
What’s Screening: December 4 – 10
The drive-ins are closing for the winter, and the recently opened hard-top theaters have suddenly been shut down. So, this week I'm doing something unusual for the newsletter. Instead, I'm focusing on recommending movies via virtual cinema - where you can watch a movie safely at home while helping your favorite theater. Big News Our … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 4 – 10
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