Here's something to scare you as Halloween approaches: 45 movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel as the kids go virtual trick-or-treat. Here are six of these movies that I can recommend. That doesn't mean I hate the other 39. I just haven't seen most of them. Others I haven't seen or didn't really like. … Continue reading Before Halloween: 6 good movies leaving Criterion October 31
Tag: Howard Hawks
What’s Screening: November 29 – December 5
It's Black Friday, but that doesn't mean you have to fight the crowds in the malls. Why not go to the movies? This week in Bay Area cinemas we have James Cagney, Aretha Franklin, Cary Grant, and a sleek, black-and-white thriller you'll probably never get to see again. Festivals Another Hole in the Head Film … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 29 – December 5
Movies from 1939 at the Stanford
I'm not sure who proclaimed 1939 The Great Movie Year. Probably it was Ted Turner, when he owned the MGM, Warner, and RKO libraries. A lot of beloved classics came out that year, including The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind - the two most beloved films of Hollywood's studio era. Also, 1939 … Continue reading Movies from 1939 at the Stanford
What’s Screening: October 25 – 31
With Halloween around the corner, you can guess what kind of movies are showing up on specialty Bay Area screens this week. But we do have a few interesting films that don't intend to scare you out of your seat. Festivals The San Francisco Greek Film Festival continues through Saturday The United Nations Association Film … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 25 – 31
What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
A boy and his horse, a woman and her leopard, a samurai without a master, and a killer rabbit. All these and more in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Also, three film festivals. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues. Read my preview. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through this … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Satan and Adam, Herzog and Gorbachev, James Dean and Paul Thomas Anderson, and the biggest of them all: King Kong and Godzilla. Also two film festivals. Festivals CAAMFest (The Center for Asian American Media) continues through this week and beyond A The French Had a Name for It, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
What’s Screening: June 29 – July 5
Stoned grandpa and dead meat, along with Sturges, Hawks, Spielberg, Lubitsch, Antonioni, and no film festivals in Bay Area movie theaters this week. New films opening A- Eating Animals, Clay, Shattuck, opens Friday Considering the documentary's title and the involvement of outspoken vegan (and movie star) Natalie Portman, one would assume that Eating Animals preaches … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 29 – July 5
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Disobedience, Vagabond, A Song is Born & Pope Francis
Two films about religion, one about music, and another about the end of the hippies. Three of these four films were made by world-respected great directors, and all three disappointed. B+ Disobedience (2018), Albany Twin What do you do when your former husband marries your former lover - and all within a very close, religious community? … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Disobedience, Vagabond, A Song is Born & Pope Francis
What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
Robert Altman, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Gus Van Sant, Michael Powell, and a very fine selection of shorts grace Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals For Your Consideration opens today and runs through Thursday. You can learn more about it in my First Film Festivals of 2018. New films opening B+ 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
What’s Screening: September 22 – 28
Overly-protective parents, exceptionally dumb teenagers, Jerry Lewis, French mimes, Buster Keaton, and a whole lot of Lina Wertmüller lights up Bay Area screens this week. Also, Sunday is Art House Theater Day. Bay Area theaters involved include the Elmwood, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Rafael, Lark, and the Roxie. Check each theater to see … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 22 – 28