Director Howard Hawks proved his talent in many genres, including westerns. He made four of them, and the first two, Red River and Rio Bravo, are masterpieces. Both belong on my A+ List of all-time greats. And yet, they're so different that it's hard to imagine they were made by the same director. Red River … Continue reading A+ List: Rio Bravo
Tag: Howard Hawks
What’s Screening: November 9 – 15
The Italian Film Festival closes Saturday night, but New Italian Cinema opens tonight and runs through the weekend. Both Doc Fest and the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival continue through this week and beyond. Cinema by the Bay opens today and runs through the week. B- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Alameda, Tuesday and Wednesday. Howard Hawks’ … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 9 – 15
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: June 22 – 28
In festival news, Frameline LGBT continues through Sunday. A- Oslo, August 31, Kabuki, Embarcadero, Rafael, opens Friday. Anders, a recovering drug addict living in a clinic in the country, gets a day’s leave to return to Oslo for a job interview. The trip will also give him a chance to catch up with some friends. … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 22 – 28
What’s Screening: June 15 – 21
Only one festival this week, but it's a big one. Frameline LGBT continues through this week and beyond. A- Your Sister's Sister,Kabuki, Embarcadero, opens Friday. This romantic sex comedy kept surprising me. I thought it was shallow; then the characters deepened. I figured out whom was going to end up with whom, and what artificial … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 15 – 21
What’s Screening: June 1 – 7
It's not much of a week for festivals, but New Czech Films comes back for two more days on Wednesday and Thursday. And then there's: Charlie Chaplin Days, downtown Niles (including the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum), Saturday & Sunday, 11:00am - 4:30. Charlie Chaplin spent a year making movies in Niles (now part of … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 1 – 7
What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
This week in Bay Area festivals:I Wake Up Dreaming continues through Thursday. And the Crossroads Festival opens Friday and runs through the weekend. C- Elles, Bridge, Shattuck, opens Friday. This NC-17 French/Polish co-production has a lot of sex, and a lot of nudity (both male and female), but is in no way erotic. That's odd, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 18 – 24
What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
In festival news, the Roxie's I Wake Up Dreaming noir festival opens tonight and runs into next week. Also opening tonight: After Dark Action Films at the Balboa; it runs through Tuesday. B+ Last Call at the Oasis, Embarcadero, Shattuck, opens Friday. Water covers most of Earth's surface, yet the human race is rapidly running … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 11 – 17
What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
No festivals this week, which is kind of a relief. But I'm starting this newsletter with a wonderful gem I saw at the San Francisco International Film Festival: A Headhunters, Clay, Shattuck, Piedmont, opens Friday. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) leads the good life. He’s rich, powerful, and has a beautiful wife. But even his high-paying, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 4 – 10
What’s Screening: April 27 – May 3
The San Francisco International Film Festival continues through the week, but the Tiburon Intl. Film Festival ends tonight. I've placed my festival recommendations and warnings at the end of this newsletter. Man of Aran, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum (although this is a talkie), Sunday, 4:00. Early documentarian Robert Flaherty's third feature (his first was … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 27 – May 3
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