Here are five films I've seen since mid-January. They go from wonderful to "Hey, wake up!" Origin Peeping Tom Bell Book and Candle Bob Marley: One Love Love Affair A Origin (2023) Ava DuVernay's exceptional film is like nothing I've even seen. It's a documentary, but it's also a drama, and a lecture about the … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: February 20
Tag: Michael Powell
Criterion & The Film Foundation
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
What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
This Tuesday is Valentine's Day, so there should be a lot of romance in the air. Take your loved one to the cinema…or take several loved ones. I can tell you about three films that will be screening at the Mostly British Film Festival – two of them good, and one stinker from the great … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 10 – 16
Movies I’ve recently seen: ֍ The Wedding Banquet ֍ Malcolm X ֍ Mississippi Masala ֍ I Know Where I’m Going!
Here are four movies I've recently seen – mostly at home. Three of them were made in the early '90s. Two of those starred Denzel Washington. Most surprising, all four were worth seeing. A The Wedding Banquet (1993) This comedic drama made director Ang Lee famous. A Chinese immigrant in New York has never told … Continue reading Movies I’ve recently seen: ֍ The Wedding Banquet ֍ Malcolm X ֍ Mississippi Masala ֍ I Know Where I’m Going!
What’s Screening: August 19 – 25
In Bay Area moviegoing this week: A Powell/Pressburger film I’ve yet to see. A Kurosawa double bill. Spike Lee’s best film free in the open air. Movies by Howard Hawks and Samuel Fuller. And for the first time in movie history, a handsome man lights a cigarette and says the immortal words, “Bond. James Bond.” … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 19 – 25
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
What’s Screening: December 17 – 23
With Christmas around the corner, plenty of the vintage movies screening this week have a Yuletide theme. For instance, there's that seasonal movie where our hero climbs into a building to separate the naughty and nice. But don't despair, Die Hard isn't the only holiday movie on the big screen this week. But, as usual … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 17 – 23
What’s Screening: November 19 – 25
What would you want to see this week Bay Area cinema? Would you pick a Julia Child documentary or a Quentin Tarantino marathon? Would you pick medieval Japan or 20th century France? And who would better clean up San Francisco - Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood? And then there's the great movie that destroyed Michael … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 19 – 25
Good movies suddenly available on Criterion
The Criterion Channel added a lot of good movies at the beginning of September. Here are some of the best: Most of these are part of one of more collections – mostly New York Stories. A+ The Crowd (1928), part of the series New York Stories Of all the films in my All-Time Great Films … Continue reading Good movies suddenly available on Criterion
What’s Screening: August 16 – 22
Aside from the obvious, here are a few worthwhile films screening in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues through the month. Read my preview. New films opening A After the Wedding, Embarcadero Center, opens Friday Two of our greatest American actresses, Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore, … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 16 – 22