New and old movies are playing in San Francisco theaters; and a lot of them are already streaming. Looking for old-time movie stars on the big screen? This week you've got Clark Gable, Steve McQueen, Henry Fonda, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Daniel Day-Lewis. If that list is a bit too male-centered, there are real … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 17 – 23
Tag: Paul Thomas Anderson
What’s Screening: May 20 – 26
Science fiction takes over Bay Area cinema this week with Star Trek, RobCop, and the original Star Wars trilogy. There's also a David Lynch/David Cronenberg double bill, a French thriller by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and Paul Thomas Anderson's porn epic. Another cinema bites the dust Berkeley's Shattuck Cinema will close on June 1. When I moved … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 20 – 26
What’s Screening: April 22 – 28
With SFFilm taking up much of the cinematic oxygen this week, but there are a few oldies on Bay Area big screens by such filmmakers as Mira Nair, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Brian De Palma. Festivals & Series The SF Green Film Festival closes Sunday The SFFilm Festival opened last night. You can cover it … Continue reading What’s Screening: April 22 – 28
Best picture candidates from best to worst
Here's my opinions of the ten Oscar Best Picture nominees, from really fantastic to "Did they spend money to make this thing?" You might notice that I'm giving most of these movies very good grades. That's how it should be. These are, in theory, the best films made last year. Click the name of a … Continue reading Best picture candidates from best to worst
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: Feb 26 – March 4
This week in Virtual Cinema, you can meet a new American family, discover the horrors that come after a rape, and watch Spike Lee's masterpiece. But if you really want to leave home and watch a really big screen, you have drive-in options from The Black Messiah to Austin Powers. You can even join a … Continue reading What’s Screening: Feb 26 – March 4
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: December 27 – January 2
How can you close 2019 and open 2020 in Bay Area movie theaters? The Lark has a major New Year's Eve Party, including a movie. But there's a whole week of good films, including works by Paul Thomas Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock, Louis Malle, Harold Lloyd, Ernst Lubitsch, Agnès Varda, and more. New Year's Eve Events … Continue reading What’s Screening: December 27 – January 2
What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Satan and Adam, Herzog and Gorbachev, James Dean and Paul Thomas Anderson, and the biggest of them all: King Kong and Godzilla. Also two film festivals. Festivals CAAMFest (The Center for Asian American Media) continues through this week and beyond A The French Had a Name for It, … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 10 – 16
What’s Screening: January 4 – 10
Not much to talk about this week, but we do get dancing mice, a Claymation Mark Twain, Adam Sandler in a dramatic role, Hitchcock's best, and our first film festival of 2019. Festivals 2019's first Bay Area Film Festival, For Your Consideration, starts tonight and closes Thursday. Read my preview. New films opening B+ 2018 … Continue reading What’s Screening: January 4 – 10
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