Robert Altman spent much of the 1970s blowing up and taking down Hollywood's favorite genres. He added the horrors of war to the military comedy with M*A*S*H. He then took down the western with McCabe and Mrs. Miller (my favorite Altman movie). He dissected the musical with Nashville. So, you shouldn't be surprised that Altman … Continue reading The Long Goodbye on Blu-ray
Tag: film noir
What’s Screening: January 25 – 31
What's in Bay Area movie theaters this week: Quentin Tarantino, Humphrey Bogart, Mel Brooks, Fritz Lang's German mythology, and the best film about the Warsaw Ghetto, along with two film festivals. Festivals Noir City opens Friday. See my preview. IndieFest opens Wednesday. See my preview. The Week's Big Event A Who Will Write Our History, … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 25 – 31
The First Film Festivals of 2018
It's been a month since the last Bay Area film festival. But that changes this coming Friday. Here are two film festivals starting in January. For Your Consideration Rafael, January 5 - 11 Not just any subtitled movie can qualify to be nominated for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. Each country can put forth one … Continue reading The First Film Festivals of 2018
Anti-Commie Friday Night at the Pacific Film Archive
I visited the Pacific Film Archive Friday night to catch two very different films, both from 1953, and both part of the series An Army of Phantoms: American Cinema and the Cold War. The first, Invaders from Mars, was all sorts of fun in ways that the filmmakers never intended. The second, Pickup on South … Continue reading Anti-Commie Friday Night at the Pacific Film Archive
What’s Screening: August 17 – 23
No festivals this week. But we do have a whole lot of A+ classics. A+ Great Gangster Movie Double Bill: The Godfather & Goodfellas, Castro, Saturday. Two A+ films on one double-bill! Francis Coppola, taking the job simply because he needed the money, turned The Godfather into the Great American Crime Epic. Marlon Brando got … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 17 – 23
SF International Film Festival Preview
So far, I've been able to preview two films (both documentaries) that will play at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival. Here's what I think of them. I've also included capsules of two classic films that will be screened. New Films B+ Women with Cows, Kabuki, Saturday, April 21, 3:30; Pacific Film Archive, Monday, … Continue reading SF International Film Festival Preview
What’s Screening: January 27–February 2
We’re off to see Harry Belafonte, Captain Kirk, and two black birds. And if you find yourself reading this newsletter over and over again, that’s because it’s Groundhog Day. In festival news, Noir City continues through Sunday. And the Mostly British Film Festival opens Thursday. B Sing Your Song, Roxie, opens Friday. Harry Belafonte is … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 27–February 2
Noir City Report: 2 by Sam Fuller
I spent last night at the Castro, where I saw two crime thrillers by the great Samuel Fuller: House of Bamboo and Underworld USA--all part of the Noir City festival running through Sunday. The evening got off to a late start. Due to an error, the starting time was advertised as 7:00 in some publications … Continue reading Noir City Report: 2 by Sam Fuller
My Best Movie-Going Experiences of 2011
Happy New Year! With 2011 now consigned to the pages of history (and probably mythology), it's time to look back at my favorite movie-going experiences of 2011. These aren’t the best films of 2011, the best films I saw at festivals that didn't get a theatrical release, or even the best restorations. These are simply … Continue reading My Best Movie-Going Experiences of 2011
Dark Times for San Francisco (and that’s good news)
It’s a dark and dirty world out there, filled with people who’d just as soon kill you as look at you…if there was a profit in it. You certainly can’t trust a beautiful dame. Oh, she’ll play with you until your mind turns to mush, take you for everything you got, then throw you over … Continue reading Dark Times for San Francisco (and that’s good news)
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