I suppose I should say something about Jean-Luc Godard – he was the last of that band of outsiders that created the French New Wave and changed cinema. I like some of his early works, such as Breathless and Vivre Sa Vie. But he eventually broke with his friends and became way too didactic to … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 23 – 29
Tag: Monty Python
What’s Screening: Sept 2 – 8
Movie ticket prices will go down to $3.00 – but only this Saturday. On Friday and the rest of the week, you'll have to pay the regular price. It's worth it, with movies on the big screen from Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Steven Spielberg, the team at Pixar, David Lynch, and Monty Python. Festivals & … Continue reading What’s Screening: Sept 2 – 8
What’s Screening: July 8 – 14
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance back onto the big screen as the Stanford Theatre finally opens. And that also means the return of double features! Also works by Jacques Tati, Studio Ghibli, Monty Python, and the brilliant but sadly short-lived Barbara Loden. Festivals & Series The San Francisco Frozen Film Festival opens Wednesday and … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 8 – 14
What’s Screening: April 15 – 21
I've changed the format of this weekly newsletter. Hopefully, it will make choosing a theater or a screening time easier to find. And among these easy-to-find classics are works by Federico Fellini, Milos Forman, Roman Polanski, Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Linklater, the Coen Brothers, and Monty Python - all on big screens. But first, we have … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 15 – 21
What’s Screening: Jan 28 – Feb 3
What's happening in Bay Area cinema as January turns into February? We've got laughs from Preston Sturges, Bill Murray, and Monty Python. Also noir from Pedro Almodóvar, or satire from Boots Riley. I had to prepare this newsletter earlier than usual for personal reasons. That means that if a screening is announced at the last … Continue reading What’s Screening: Jan 28 – Feb 3
What’s Screening: March 20 – ?
When I wrote last week's What's Screening newsletter, I knew that the next one would be different. But I didn't think it would be this different. When that article went live, only the Stanford and the BAMPFA were closed due to the coronavirus. I thought that this Friday, I would mention which theaters were open … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 20 – ?
What’s Screening: February 14 – 20
What's in Bay Area art house cinemas this week? Still more Agnès Varda, but this time with something by her husband, Jacques Demy. Also Kurosawa and Monty Python double bills. And works by Spike Lee, Alfonso Cuarón, Hal Ashby, and Paul Thomas Anderson. But only one film festival. I have to wonder, what would Pauline … Continue reading What’s Screening: February 14 – 20
What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
A boy and his horse, a woman and her leopard, a samurai without a master, and a killer rabbit. All these and more in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Also, three film festivals. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues. Read my preview. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through this … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 26 – August 1
What’s Screening: April 26 – May 2
SFFilm left me with a lot of reviews to write and post. Here are the first three. Also in Bay Area theaters, Satan, assumed witches, another Satan, a Wim Wenders double bill, deep loneliness in the inner city, Maori feminism, Monty Python, and early Hitchcock. Just remember that "Life's a banquet and most poor suckers … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 26 – May 2
What’s Screening: April 12 – 18
The SFFILM Festival pretty much takes over Bay Area art house theaters this week, but not entirely. We also have movies by William Wellman, Lon Chaney, Alfred Hitchock, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Monty Python. Festivals SFFILM (the San Francisco International Film Festival) runs through this week and beyond. You can follow my reports. The Tiburon International … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 12 – 18