I didn't see any of these movies at a film festival. They weren't sent to me for review. Unfortunately, I didn't see any of them in theaters. But here's what I think about them. A- Let the Sunshine In (2017) Netflix Blu-ray This Claire Denis film opens with a fairly explicit, but not very erotic … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Let the Sunshine In, The Chaperone, & The Miracle Woman
Tag: Frank Capra
What’s Screening: June 14 – 20
Orson Welles revealed, the first movie director gets her due, Chaplin comes to America, and Frank Capra goes to Washington. Also, Hollywood's best western and one big festival. All this and more on Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals Frameline opens Thursday The Week's Big Event A+ Stagecoach (original, 1939 version), New Mission, Sunday, … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 14 – 20
It Happened One Night one afternoon at BAMPFA
Almost every Wednesday afternoon at 3:10, BAMPFA screens a film with a lecture or discussion in one of their In Focus series. This Wednesday, I finally got to one. Perhaps that's because they were screening Frank Capra's 1934 classic It Happened One Night. But also because I believe that screenwriters don't get enough credit, and … Continue reading It Happened One Night one afternoon at BAMPFA
What’s Screening: February 22 – 28
What's playing in Bay Area movie theaters this week? Frank Capra, Humphrey Bogart, Buster Keaton, and The Band. Also two film festivals and the Academy Awards at a theater near you. Festivals Modern Cinema: Jia Zhangke closes Sunday. Read my preview. The East Bay Jewish Film Festival opens Thursday. I have a preview for that … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 22 – 28
What’s Screening: December 21 – 27
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Two great new social dramas, plus Garbo, Forman, Lubitsch, Bergman (of course), a Billy Wilder double bill, no film festivals, and a theater's birthday party. Oh, and some Christmas movies. New films opening A Capernaum, Clay, Shattuck, Rafael, opens Friday Children living in poverty have to do for … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 21 – 27
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
What’s Screening: July 20 – 26
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through the week. I've placed my Festival capsules below the Goyish ones. A- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Bridge, Thursday, 7:00. Corrupt political bosses appoint a naive, young idealist (James Stewart) senator because they think he’s stupid. The second and best film in Frank Capra’s common-man trilogy, Mr. … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 20 – 26
What’s Screening: January 20 – 26
The Wages of Separation When You Put Safety Last Noir City opens today (Friday) and runs through the week and a bit beyond. A A Separation, Embarcadero Center, opens Friday. Writer/director Asghar Farhadi demonstrates how good people can turn against each other in this harrowing tale from Iran about divorce, family responsibilities, and courtroom drama. … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 20 – 26