In the 1940s and '50's, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) made some of the best dancing musicals ever filmed. And now, Criterion is streaming nine of these pictures. I've added two movies, making eleven. Most musicals are fantasies. Without instruments and choreography, real people don't just burst into song and dance. But there are also realistic … Continue reading Leonard Bernstein & the MGM musical
Tag: Gene Kelly
What’s Screening: April 28 – May 4
Vintage films are playing at Bay Area movie theaters. There's the original Star Wars trilogy (although changed by George Lucas). Also films by Wayne Wang, Marjane Satrapi, Gene Kelly, and someone called Francis Ford Coppola. Festivals & Series The San Francisco Greek Film Festival Another chance to see (theatrically) A Persepolis (2007), New Mission, Tuesday, … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 28 – May 4
What’s Screening: January 27 – February 2
Only Fathom Events seems to realize that this week contains Groundhog Day. Anyway, I'm giving you some previews for the upcoming SF IndieFest. After that, there's music from Singin' in the Rain, My Fair Lady, and The Who's Tommy. Other than that, there's a family film about the human brain. Also the best sports movie … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 27 – February 2
The Cerrito opens with a classic fest
When was the last time you watched a beloved classic the way it should be seen? And by that, I mean in a theater with a large screen and an audience. I don't think I've had that experience since 2019. The Cerrito celebrates its reopening this Friday with the Cerrito Classics Festival. Here are the … Continue reading The Cerrito opens with a classic fest
What’s Screening: November 13 – 19
A few hardtop theaters are opening up, but despite all the precautions they're taking, I'm still not ready to visit one. But a lot of fine films are playing in makeshift drive-ins. Festivals The Napa Valley Film Festival closes Sunday So does the Transgender Film Festival New films opening B The Climb, in real movie … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 13 – 19
What’s Screening: March 6 – 12
With coronavirus spreading, it's a scary time to go to the movies. The Stanford is closed until further notice, ending or delaying the Kurosawa series. Amazon, Netflix and other companies have dropped out of SXSW - a major technology and film festival in Austin. But if you have the courage to go to an arthouse … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 6 – 12
What’s Screening: December 27 – January 2
How can you close 2019 and open 2020 in Bay Area movie theaters? The Lark has a major New Year's Eve Party, including a movie. But there's a whole week of good films, including works by Paul Thomas Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, Louis Malle, Harold Lloyd, Ernst Lubitsch, Agnès Varda, and more. New Year's Eve Events … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 27 – January 2
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Dark Waters, Summer Stock, & High Anxiety
I see a lot of films at festivals - always with a press pass. I screen movies before they're opened so I can review them. But I also see pictures like everyone else; buying a ticket or streaming at home. If I see the film that way, and have never written about before, it goes … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Dark Waters, Summer Stock, & High Anxiety
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Pirate, The King, Harriet, & The Curse of the Cat People
Since my last Recently Seen piece, I've revisited two films I hadn't seen in ages, along two new ones. (Of course, I've seen other movies over that time, but I either wrote about them elsewhere or didn't feel the need to write about them at all.) A- The Pirate (1948), Criterion Channel Cole Porter's songs … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Pirate, The King, Harriet, & The Curse of the Cat People
Good movies, but strangely appropriate double bills
The double bill is almost a lost art. Here in the Bay Area, only the Castro and the Stanford regularly give you two movies for one admission. (I once had to explain the word intermission to my daughter.) Most double bills contain two films with matching moods or belong to the same genre. You don't … Continue reading Good movies, but strangely appropriate double bills
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