When the ball drops and 2021 turns into 2022, some very good films will disappear from The Criterion Channel (but not forever; many of them will return after a few months). If you don't subscribe to Criterion, you can start a 14-day free trial. Here are some of the movies that you might want to … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of the year
Tag: William Wyler
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of July
A lot of movies will leave The Criterion Channel come July 31 - and several of them written by Dalton Trumbo. Here are some you may want to catch before August - although some of these may be back on Criterion soon. A He Ran All the Way (1951) When I first saw this cheap … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of July
What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
More than 75 movies will disappear from the Criterion Channel at the end of the month. Here are some that I recommend you watch before February. One brilliant filmmaker, Bill Plympton, stands out on this list. A Idiots and Angels (2008) A man so rotten he pushes a tear of empathy back into his eye … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion when January ends
Ten really good movies newly available free at Kanopy
Kanopy offers the best bargain for streaming movies. No advertising, and all you need is a library card. But there is a limitation: You can only watch 10 movies a month. Here are ten Kanopy "Newly Added Movies" worth watching. But I have to admit that I've seen some of these on Kanopy years ago. … Continue reading Ten really good movies newly available free at Kanopy
Films that increase empathy
Roger Ebert once called movies "a machine that generates empathy." I'm not sure that's always true. Triumph of the Will generated a lot of emotions, but empathy wasn't one of them. And yet, the best films can help you understand those trapped in poverty, loneliness, and sickness. Ever since the invention of the close-up, motion … Continue reading Films that increase empathy
What’s Screening: July 12 – 18
A lot of comedy in Bay Area movie theaters this week. We get laughs from Laurel and Hardy, Billy Wilder, Wallace and Gromit, François Truffaut, Lulu Wang, and even Gregory Peck. But you can also get unintended laughs from Roger Corman and deep pretentiousness from Alain Resnais. Also, three film festivals open this week. Festivals … Continue reading What’s Screening: July 12 – 18
Saturday at Noir City
This article was supposed to be about Saturday and Sunday at the Castro for the Noir City film festival. But after writing what's below on Sunday morning, and then realizing that I was under the weather, I stayed home. This year's theme is the 1950s, with each double bill representing a single year. What I … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City
What’s Screening: September 21 – 27
Spike Lee, Gilda Radner, Ingmar Bergman, Laurel and Hardy, James Dean, and a young girl accused of witchcraft. Add three film festivals and there's plenty to see in Bay Area movie theaters this week. Festivals The SF Latino Film Festival continues through this week and beyond The Homage to Marcello Mastroianni takes over the Castro … Continue reading What’s Screening: September 21 – 27
Critique of Macho: The Big Country on Blu-ray
William Wyler's big-budget, large-format, star-studded epic, The Big Country, just may be the first anti-western. It condemns, rather than celebrates, the macho behavior of the mythical cowboy. The hero only fires a gun once, and he's not aiming at anyone. Gregory Peck plays that hero, a sea captain named James McKay, who's traded in his … Continue reading Critique of Macho: The Big Country on Blu-ray
Bayflicks 