What a week for Bay Area cinema! Six days of silent films. Another six of documentaries. And those are just the festivals. You can also see classics on the big screen from Elia Kazan, Studio Ghibli, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, and a couple of duds. Festivals & Series DocLands closes Wednesday. I recommend Fire of … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 6 – 12
Tag: Meryl Streep
My best moviegoing experiences of 2021
I don't write a list of the year's best ten movies. Instead, I list the best ten moviegoing experiences (sometimes I list more than ten). I couldn't do that last year, but this time I could. What do I mean by moviegoing experiences? The movies can be old or new. The experience must happen in … Continue reading My best moviegoing experiences of 2021
Movies I’ve recently seen: West Side Story ֍ Don’t Look Up ֍ The Power of the Dog ֍ The Last Emperor ֍ & The Edge of the World
I've been trying to see as much Oscar bait as I can lately. That means that I've seen some very good, new movies. And that's why the new films on this list are better than the vintage movies. A West Side Story (2021) I've seen the 1961 version maybe seven times, but I never cried … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: West Side Story ֍ Don’t Look Up ֍ The Power of the Dog ֍ The Last Emperor ֍ & The Edge of the World
The return of musicals
Two or three years ago, I read about a film history professor who screened Singin' in the Rain to his students. They laughed at the wrong places. The students thought it was ridiculous that people would break into song and dance. A generation weaned on superhero movies had little or no experience with movie musicals. … Continue reading The return of musicals
What’s Screening: October 8 – 14
The Mill Valley Film Festival is taking a lot of oxygen out of the cinematic Bay Area. But if you're not in the mood for new and serious films, some worthwhile oldies are also in theaters…mostly as a run-up to Halloween. Festivals & Series The Mill Valley Film Festival continues through this week and beyond … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 8 – 14
My best top 10 films of 2020
I usually start the year with a survey of my best movie-going experiences - considering projection, sound, audience enthusiasm, and, of course, the quality of the movie. But I had very few chances to go to the movies in 2020. So, this year I'm offering the best new movies I've seen while sitting in front … Continue reading My best top 10 films of 2020
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Repulsion, The Woman in the Moon, Hello I Must Be Going, & Out of Africa
Four more movies I've seen for the first time, and only one of them was made before I was born. A Repulsion (1965), Netflix Blu-ray Talk about psychological horror! Catherine Deneuve plays a young woman losing her mind. At first we think she's suffering from depression, but as this early Polanski film unwinds, we realize that … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Repulsion, The Woman in the Moon, Hello I Must Be Going, & Out of Africa
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