When June disappears and July appears, you'll probably still be shivering with cold. So, before this month goes away, here are eight worthwhile films that will disappear from the Criterion Channel come July. Full recommendations A Dogtooth (2009) This very dark satire of over-protective parents – and arguably totalitarianism – examines an upper-middle class nuclear … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of June
Tag: Ida Lupino
What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
Is this Jim Henson Week? Labyrinth is screening in four different Bay Area cinemas. And that's not the only movie screening starring David Bowie. There's also Peter O'Toole playing Errol Flynn. Among directors, there's Wim Wenders, Martha Coolidge, Nicolas Roeg, and two noirs directed by Ida Lupino - made at a time when woman directors … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 3 – 9
May festivals: Docs, Silent, Asian, and Jean Gabin
The SFFilm Festival is over. By Thursday night, more festivals will open. I can't cover every Bay Area film festival. But here are some quick views of what's happening in the merry month of May: DocLands May 5 - 11 This big documentary film festival opens Thursday and closes next Wednesday. The docs they will … Continue reading May festivals: Docs, Silent, Asian, and Jean Gabin
Bogart, Lupino, & the High Sierra on blu-ray
Badd After eight years in prison, "Mad Dog" Roy Earle walks out. The mob paid a lot of dough to get him released - they have a job for him to do. But what does Earle do first? He goes to a local park and enjoys the trees and watches the children playing. Humphrey Bogart … Continue reading Bogart, Lupino, & the High Sierra on blu-ray
What’s leaving Criterion when December ends
You'll probably be happy to see the end of 2020. But you may also find sadness about the films going away from The Criterion Channel at the end of December. Here are a few that will disappear from Criterion on New Year's Day: A Trouble in Paradise (1932) What's so fascinating and entertaining about witty, … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion when December ends
Free movies from Kino Now
Kino Lorber celebrates its streaming service, Kino Now, with the Kino Now Anniversary Binge. Eight classic and new films will stream for free until November 15. Unlike the Criterion Channel, Kino Now is a pay-per-view service. There are no subscription fees, but you must pay for each movie you watch. Unless, of course, you want … Continue reading Free movies from Kino Now
I Wake Up Streaming
For several years now, the Roxie has hosted an annual film noir festival called I Wake Up Dreaming. This year, like everyone else, they're doing something different. Instead, they're running a series called I Wake Up Streaming, from October 13 to November 24. (Why am I calling it a series and not a festival? A … Continue reading I Wake Up Streaming
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-Ins: October 2 – 8
While preparing this weekly newsletter, I discovered something. Drive-ins, mostly new ones popping up throughout the Bay Area, are becoming the revival theaters of the COVID era. Virtual Festivals The Mill Valley Film Festival opens Thursday. I provided a quick preview Tuesday. I'll have a deeper discussion come Monday. New films available B+ Once Upon … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-Ins: October 2 – 8
Movies I’ve recently seen: Her Smell, Star Trek VI, The Boy with Green Hair, The Big Knife, & The Tuscan Sun
Four films I'd never seen before and one I hadn't seen in years. None of them are great, but none of them were horrible, either. B+ Her Smell (2018), Kanopy There's a point about half way through this rock and roll drama when I almost gave up. Elisabeth Moss' performance as a rundown punk star, … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: Her Smell, Star Trek VI, The Boy with Green Hair, The Big Knife, & The Tuscan Sun
The Hitch-Hiker, now on Blu-ray, keeps you on edge for 71 minutes
Here's a little movie that ratchets up the suspense from beginning to end. Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker grabs you by the gut. Two men on a fishing vacation (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) pick up a hitchhiker, who turns out to be a notorious, psychotic killer wanted by the police. Holding them at gunpoint, he … Continue reading The Hitch-Hiker, now on Blu-ray, keeps you on edge for 71 minutes
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