I discuss two new movies this week in Bay Area cinema. And no, In the Heights isn't one of them (I haven't got to it, yet), but one of them is about a Puerto Rican dancer. If you like to go to the drive-in, I can recommend five excellent films you can watch from your … Continue reading What’s Screening: June 18 – 24
Tag: Peter Bogdanovich
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Matewan, Crescendo, Paper Moon, Sophie Tucker, & the Bounty
Once again, a collection of films I've recently seen, either in the first time or the first in a long time, that didn't belong in any other article I've written. From best to worst: A Matewan (1987), recently-bought Blu-ray Outside of John Sayles' oral history trilogy, this story of union organizing and union busting circa … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Matewan, Crescendo, Paper Moon, Sophie Tucker, & the Bounty
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Pleasantville, Joker, Targets, & Gorillas in the Mist
Here are four movies I've seen recently. I saw all of these at home, of course. A Pleasantville (1998), Blu-ray Along with laughs and entertainment, you can find so much meaning in this fantasy about two 1998 teenagers pulled into a 1958 TV situation comedy. It deals with bigotry, fear of change, small-town fascism, and … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Pleasantville, Joker, Targets, & Gorillas in the Mist
What’s Screening: September 20 – 26
This week in Bay Area theaters: Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery save Alcatraz. Teenage vampires and a hammy Shakespearean reduce the population. Silent builders put up a rickety shack and the Taj Mahal. And Peter Bogdanovich closes the last picture show. Plus four film festivals. Festivals The Oakland International Film Festival opened yesterday (sorry, I … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 20 – 26
A Discovered genre: The contemporary western drama
I think I discovered a genre. It's been around for more than 60 years and has never been recognized as such. But it's worth considering. The films in this genre, or at least the ones I've seen, have all been excellent. I call them contemporary western dramas. These are not westerns, although they echo that … Continue reading A Discovered genre: The contemporary western drama
A celebration of The Great Buster
B+ Showbiz documentary Directed by Peter Bogdanovich There's no question in my mind that film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) considers Buster Keaton to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, physical comedian since the invention of the movies. I agree completely. I'm such a big fan of the … Continue reading A celebration of The Great Buster
Good film/bad film: The Other Side of the Wind & They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
We waited more than 40 years to see Orson Welles' final film, The Other Side of the Wind. What a disappointment! This just may be the worst film ever by a major auteur. On the other hand, we now have They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, Morgan Neville's excellent documentary on the making of Wind. … Continue reading Good film/bad film: The Other Side of the Wind & They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
Music, slapstick, art, & fascism: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
I saw four films Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival, and I never stepped a foot in Mill Valley. I saw all four in the small, upstairs auditoriums at the Rafael. The first was a narrative; the rest were documentaries. B- The Independents The music is pretty good, but not exceptional. The same could … Continue reading Music, slapstick, art, & fascism: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
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