Come Sunday night, we'll finally know what's the best movie of 2022…if you agree with the members of the Academy. I'm not even sure if I'll be watching the show. But if you prefer older films to new ones, Bay Area theaters will be screening quite a few classics this week. Festivals & Series The … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 25 – 31
Tag: John Huston
What’s Screening: January 21 – 27
The bad news: The Castro Theater is no longer a movie theater. The good news: Other Bay Area theaters are showing plenty of vintage movies. Theaters closings The end of the Castro For decades, the Castro Theatre has been the perfect movie palace for opening a film festival or just for watching vintage cinema. And … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 21 – 27
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of the year
When the ball drops and 2021 turns into 2022, some very good films will disappear from The Criterion Channel (but not forever; many of them will return after a few months). If you don't subscribe to Criterion, you can start a 14-day free trial. Here are some of the movies that you might want to … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of the year
What will leave Criterion come midnight
When the trick-or-treaters go to bed and October turns into November, some excellent films will mysteriously disappear. Many of them were directed by John Huston. At the end of this month, Criterion will remove 59 feature films from its streaming service to make more for other classics. Here's a few of them: A The African … Continue reading What will leave Criterion come midnight
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Big Chill | The Man Who Would Be King | Island of Lost Souls | Gretchen the Greenhorn & The Good German
It's amazing I've been seeing so few movies recently, aside from those I reviewed for the Mill Valley Film Festival. But I managed these four. A- The Big Chill (1983) A group of baby boomers, now coming into their 30s, come together for a funeral. They were all radical activists back in the day; now … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Big Chill | The Man Who Would Be King | Island of Lost Souls | Gretchen the Greenhorn & The Good German
What’s Screening: July 16 – 22
Big news! BAMPFA will be screening movies in August. But this week, you can see Uncut Gems, Barbara Lee (who's something of a gem, herself), The African Queen, and Mulholland Dr. We also have three (mostly virtual) film festivals. Festivals The S. F. Frozen Film Festival closes Sunday windrider bay area closes Friday The San … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 16 – 22
What’s Screening: May 28 – June 3
The Castro, the Stanford, and the BAMPFA are still closed, but the Grand Lake is open! This week we have a film about a woman running for office in Saudi Arabia. Also Shrek, Eraserhead, and three film festivals. Festivals Berlin & Beyond closes Sunday The Legacy Film Festival On Aging closes Monday SF DocFest opens … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 28 – June 3
What’s Screening: May 7 – 13
This week in Bay Area cinema: Harry Potter on the big screen. A discussion with film preservationist/showman Serge Bromberg. Ousmane Sembene's satire on wealth and ego. Going down river with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Also, three film festivals. And next week, the Roxie will open its doors and show us some movies. Festivals The … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 7 – 13
What’s Screening: February 7 – 13
What's coming to Bay Area arthouse cinemas this week? One of last year's best films rereleased in black and white. Also pictures by Kurosawa, Varda, Lubitsch, and Huston. All that along with Rudolph Valentino, college students, the Oscars, and four film festivals. Festivals SF Urban closes Sunday SF IndieFest closes Thursday. Read my preview. Berlin … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 7 – 13
What’s Screening: February 15 – 21
Note: After I posted this newsletter, a reader brought another film festival, opening tonight, to be attention. I've therefore corrected this article. What's happening in Bay Area theaters this week? Silent comedy, John Huston, Paul Butterfield, and David Bowie. Also two new movies and three four film festivals. Plus, at the Lark and Roxie, it'll be … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 15 – 21
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