With Joel Coen and Frances McDormand at the BAMPFA, and Noir City at the Grand Lake, the East Bay was popping with cinephilia. I couldn't have seen everything. Here's what I caught. Friday night: Noir City Opening Night Does any other film festival open with a double feature? But then, Noir City may be the … Continue reading Coen ‘n’ Noir
Tag: Frances McDormand
What’s Screening: December 23 – 29
Note: I attended to set this article to go live on Friday, December 23, at 8:30am. But, by my mistake, it came out earlier. There's not much Christmas spirit in Bay Area cinemas this holiday week – unless you count Die Hard. But there's joy in the Richmond district. The 4-Star cinema is showing five … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 23 – 29
What’s Screening: January 21 – 27
The bad news: The Castro Theater is no longer a movie theater. The good news: Other Bay Area theaters are showing plenty of vintage movies. Theaters closings The end of the Castro For decades, the Castro Theatre has been the perfect movie palace for opening a film festival or just for watching vintage cinema. And … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 21 – 27
What’s Screening: Dec 31 – Jan 6
A lot of really good, new movies in theaters right now, even if I haven't seen many of them. But you can see some good classics on the big screen this week. And as usual around the new year, there are no festivals. Theatrical revivals A+ Fargo (1996), New Parkway, Thursday, 9:00pm I'm not sure … Continue reading What’s Screening: Dec 31 – Jan 6
What’s Screening: November 5 – 11
I've been busy lately, which is why this is the only article I posted this week. But we've got a documentary about China that the Chinese government probably won't like. What else might you like? How about films from the Coen Brothers, Alain Resnais, or Francis Coppola - all at their peak? Or maybe a … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 5 – 11
What’s Screening: July 2 – 8
What's happening in Bay Area cinema this week? You can talk about American Splendor (the movie, not the nation's condition). You can see The Naked Gun or Independence Day at the drive-in. You can stream Shiva Baby, Blood Simple, and The Story of a Three Day Pass. And best of all, you can catch Donnie … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 2 – 8
What’s Screening: April 30 – May 6
This week in Bay Area movies: A Castro opening on the horizon. $5 Tuesdays. A serious art film that should be shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Octopus documentary on the big screen. And classics from Orson Welles, the Coen brothers, and New Zealand. And one virtual film festival. Festivals The Livable Planet Film … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 30 – May 6
Movies I’ve recently seen: Chloé Zhao’s first feature, James Whale’s haunted house, Hannah Arendt, & Dr. No
Another selection of movies that no one asked me to watch. I just wanted to see them (or see them again). A- Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) Chloé Zhao's first feature isn't quite as good as the two she made since, but it's still very much watching. Like The Rider, it's set on a … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: Chloé Zhao’s first feature, James Whale’s haunted house, Hannah Arendt, & Dr. No
The Pandemic Oscar Ceremony
Last year, I attended the Academy Awards at the Roxie and I had a great time. I didn't know that within a few weeks, the Roxie and every other movie theater in the Bay Area would go dark. That would be the last time I would be in a movie theater in more than a … Continue reading The Pandemic Oscar Ceremony
What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
What do we have in Bay Area movies this week? A drummer losing his hearing, a couple of virtual cinema suggestions, and Moses splitting the Red Sea in a real theater (just in time for Passover). At the drive-in, you can watch some of the best of Hitchcock, Wilder, and the Coens, along with a … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 26 – April 1
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