I usually start the year with a survey of my best movie-going experiences - considering projection, sound, audience enthusiasm, and, of course, the quality of the movie. But I had very few chances to go to the movies in 2020. So, this year I'm offering the best new movies I've seen while sitting in front … Continue reading My best top 10 films of 2020
Tag: Spike Lee
Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
Thanks to COVID, you'll probably be having Thanksgiving at home with very few people. Zoom might help. But to really get you into the holiday spirit, watch one or more of these movies: - - - - - - - - - In a conventional year, you might have trouble with crowded highways and over-full … Continue reading Movies for Thanksgiving at home (without visitors)
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: 5,000 Fingers, Uncut Gems, Certified Copy, School Daze, & A Pickle
An evil music teacher, precious stones, a complicated relationship, and life in college. Here are five films I've seen recently. A The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) It's been decades since I revisited the strangest children's fantasy movie made by a major Hollywood studio. But Fingers is more than that. It's hilarious, bizarre, crazy, … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: 5,000 Fingers, Uncut Gems, Certified Copy, School Daze, & A Pickle
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: August 7 – 13
Movies by Ron Howard, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Spike Lee, and Jordan Peele streaming this week from your favorite theaters. Bay Area theaters with virtual cinema Balboa BAMPFA Cerrito Elmwood Lark New Mission Rafael Roxie Vogue Special online events B+ Rebuilding Paradise (2020), Balboa, Cerrito, Elmwood, Rafael, Vogue Livestream conversation via the Rafael with producer Xan Parker … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema & Drive-ins: August 7 – 13
In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 26 – July 2
This week, through closed Bay Area movie theaters and into your home, you've got Stanley Kubrick, Ray Harryhausen, Spike Lee, Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald, and some talented artists you've never heard of. And a few conversations over the Internet. Virtual Festivals Frameline continues through Sunday. Read my preview. Charlie Chaplin Days opens today and closes … Continue reading In Bay Area Virtual Cinema: June 26 – July 2
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Secrets and Lies, Da 5 Bloods, & The Nutty Professor
A Secrets and Lies (1996), Criterion Channel Mike Leigh's unique way of working with actors brings out the best in everyone in this small story of a family in multiple crises. Maurice is doing well as a photographer; he knows how to bring out a smile among his customers. But he's having trouble with his … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Secrets and Lies, Da 5 Bloods, & The Nutty Professor
Cinema & the African American Experience
I have never experienced what black people must go through every day in this country. I can read about it. I can listen to interviews. And, of course, I can see films about it. Here are 10 films about the African American experience worth watching. There are far, far more. I admit that several other … Continue reading Cinema & the African American Experience
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
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: One Sings, the Other Doesn’t; Downton Abbey; & Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
In the last few weeks, I've had few chances to see movies that aren't playing at the Mill Valley Film Festival. But I got to see these: A- One Sings, the Other Doesn't (1977), Criterion Channel Agnès Varda's small epic sometimes feels like the best of the hippy era - as opposed to her Vagabond, which … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: One Sings, the Other Doesn’t; Downton Abbey; & Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
What’s Screening: August 23 – 29
This week on Bay Area movie screens: Indiana Jones searches for the Holy Grail, rich people can't leave the room, tempers get hot in Brooklyn, a band says goodbye, and a vampire haunts Tehran. And only one film festival. Festivals Modern Cinema: Haunted! (Gothic Tales by Women) continues. Read my preview. The Week's Big Event A+ … Continue reading What’s Screening: August 23 – 29
