Martin Scorsese doesn't only make films. For the last thirty years, he has also been restoring old films through his Film Foundation. The Criterion Channel is now streaming a selection of 27 films that Scorsese has restored. I haven't seen all of them. Here are nine out of the 27 that I have seen and … Continue reading Criterion & The Film Foundation
Tag: Jean Renoir
More Darkness: Noir City so far
My wife has become a noir addict. I don't know the cure. Anyway, we're about halfway through Noir City 2024. I'll tell you about the films that I really liked. Victims of Sin was by far the best film I've seen at the festival this year. A beautiful singer/dancer gets pregnant – a major mistake … Continue reading More Darkness: Noir City so far
What’s Screening: April 7 – 13
Several film festivals will be popping up next week and next month. And that also means a lot of documentaries and serious drama. Now is the time to enjoy vintage movies on the big screen. Festivals & Series SFFilm opens Thursday Hollywood's Golden Era Promising events Sing-Along Grease (1978), Roxie, Friday, 6:30pm I haven't seen … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 7 – 13
What’s Screening: November 9 – 15
On Bay Area screens this week: Masterpieces by Renoir, Keaton, Bergman, Welles, Laurel, and Hardy, along with three new movies and six film festivals. Festivals The Cinematografo International Film Festival continues through Sunday The Napa Valley Film Festival also continues through Sunday. Read my preview. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival opens tonight and, yes, … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 9 – 15
Modern Cinema festival honors Satyajit Ray
Few artists caught the sorrows and sympathies of the human condition like India's Satyajit Ray. Come October, you'll get a chance to see 15 of his feature films, along with 11 others that either inspired Ray or were inspired by him, at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theater. SFFILM and SFMOMA presents Modern Cinema/Satyajit Ray: Intimate Universes … Continue reading Modern Cinema festival honors Satyajit Ray
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Graduate, Samurai Rebellion, Boudu Saved from Drowning, & Knightriders
A few more movies that I've seen recently. A The Graduate (1967), FilmStruck I've seen this classic romantic comedy many times, but this recent viewing brought me new respect for the picture. The revolutionary staging and camerawork wasn't just art for art's sake; it sets the mood and heightens the characters. Consider the opening credits, with … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Graduate, Samurai Rebellion, Boudu Saved from Drowning, & Knightriders
French Cancan
I finished French Cancan last night. I say "finished" because I started it Tuesday night, streaming on Hulu Plus. About 25 minutes before the ending, when the big opening night stage show begins, either Hulu or my Internet connectionI started giving me trouble. It would freeze, start, freeze, start, and so on. Forty minutes later … Continue reading French Cancan
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