The theaters are opening up…or at least a few of them are; you can learn more from G. Allen Johnson's recent Chronicle article. But it may be too late for some. Alamo Drafthouse, the company that owns the New Mission, has filed for bankruptcy. Anyway, here's what's happening this week in Bay Area cinema: Discussions … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 12 – 18
Tag: Ingmar Bergman
Max von Sydow at the BAMPFA (and the Rafael)
The great Swedish actor Max von Sydow died a year ago today (Monday) - soon before the theaters closed. Now, the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, along with the California Film Institute, celebrate his life and career in a six-film series titled Max von Sydow: The Best Stradivarius. The series will be available from March … Continue reading Max von Sydow at the BAMPFA (and the Rafael)
What’s Screening: March 5 – 11
What can you do cinematically this week in the Bay Area? You can talk with Viola Davis and about Quentin Tarantino. You can watch documentaries about dogs and poison. And you can see this year's greatest outdoor movie, Nomadland, on the big screen, in a real theater! But no festivals this week. Special online events … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 5 – 11
What’s Screening: March 20 – ?
When I wrote last week's What's Screening newsletter, I knew that the next one would be different. But I didn't think it would be this different. When that article went live, only the Stanford and the BAMPFA were closed due to the coronavirus. I thought that this Friday, I would mention which theaters were open … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 20 – ?
What’s Screening: December 20 – 26
This week in Bay Area movie theaters (aside from the final Star Wars flick): Agnès Varda says her goodbye. Bruce Willis and Gene Hackman go after bad guys. Sidney Lumet opens his big-screen career and Ingmar Berman closes his. You can even spend Christmas watching Fiddler on the Roof. And speaking of that happy holiday, … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 20 – 26
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
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Last of FilmStruck
Here are the last films I watched on FilmStruck - all movies I'd either never seen before or hadn't seen in years. I'm listing them, not by quality, but in the order I saw them. A- Walkabout (1971), Tuesday afternoon Nicolas Roeg takes us to Australia and the edge between civilization and the wild. As with … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Last of FilmStruck
What’s Screening: November 30 – December 6
Going through FilmStruck withdrawal? Perhaps you can relieve the symptoms by watching movies where they should be seen - in a theater. Consider these mostly old movies screening in the Bay Area this week. Festivals Another Hole in the Head Film Festival continues through this week and beyond New Italian Cinema opens Friday and closes … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 30 – December 6
What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
Gracing Bay Area screens this week: Scheming politicians, idealistic politicians, black superheroes, trouble on the road, nightmares of fascism, and a horrific film festival (that's horrific in a good way). Festivals Another Hole in the Head Film Festival opens Wednesday and will continue to frighten you for a couple of weeks. Read my preview. Preview … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 23 – 29
Winter at the BAMPFA
The Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) recently announced its winter schedule, running from December through February, with eleven different film series. These are the ones that caught my eye: The Puppet Master: The Films of Jirí Trnka Dec 1–19 This Czech animator turned a kiddie genre into political satire. I saw his version of … Continue reading Winter at the BAMPFA
