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
Tag: Michael Powell
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
My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
I went to the movies quite a bit in 2018, and it was often a wonderful experience. I attended six (I think) Bay Area film festivals, numerous special presentations, and just plain really good movies. In May, I flew to Rochester, New York for the Nitrate Picture Show. For four days of screenings and museum … Continue reading My 15 Best Moviegoing Experiences of 2018
What’s Screening: November 16 – 22
The week that ends in Thanksgiving doesn't have much for cinephiles…at least not this year in the Bay Area. But we do have the Addams Family, Charlie Kaufman, angels over Berlin, and three movies shot in three-strip Technicolor. Also, three film festivals. Festivals The 3rd i South Asian Film Festival reincarnates itself for one day … Continue reading What’s Screening: November 16 – 22
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: BlacKkKlansman, Blindspotting, 49th Parallel, & Dark Victory
My current collection includes one film from Oakland which I saw in Canada, and one about Canada I saw at home in the East Bay. A BlacKkKlansman (2018), California Theatre (Berkeley) Until the very end, this is the most conventional Spike Lee Joint I've seen. But the normal approach was the right one for this very … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: BlacKkKlansman, Blindspotting, 49th Parallel, & Dark Victory
What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
Robert Altman, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Gus Van Sant, Michael Powell, and a very fine selection of shorts grace Bay Area movie screens this week. Festivals For Your Consideration opens today and runs through Thursday. You can learn more about it in my First Film Festivals of 2018. New films opening B+ 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 5 – 11
A+ List: The Thief of Bagdad (1940 version)
Arabian Nights movies seem to have gone out of fashion, and that's probably not much of a loss. Most of them were laughably bad. But a few good ones got made, along with one true masterpiece: Alexander Korda's The Thief of Bagdad. With its loosely-weaved story, poetic dialog, beautiful color design, groundbreaking special effects, and … Continue reading A+ List: The Thief of Bagdad (1940 version)
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