Arts & Culture :: Movies

Peaches Christ & Co. stage classic film

Peaches Christ & Co. stage classic film

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Mar 10, 2020

"Drag Becomes Her," a mad satire of the Meryl Streep/Goldie Hawn supernatural comedy "Death Becomes Her," promises to leave audiences in stitches.

Holmes after hours

Holmes after hours

  • by David Lamble
  • Mar 10, 2020

In this neglected minor classic, immortal director Billy Wilder asks, "Was Sherlock Holmes gay?"

Sympathy for the art thief

Sympathy for the art thief

  • by David Lamble
  • Mar 10, 2020

If fiendishly concocted escapism is what you hanker for right now, consider "The Burnt Orange Heresy," a highly entertaining new Italian melodrama opening Friday.

Vintage Coppola

Vintage Coppola

  • by Sura Wood
  • Mar 3, 2020

BAMPFA looks back at a studio's legacy with "Francis Ford Coppola and 50 Years of American Zoetrope," a two-part series that assembles films from 1963-2019 directed or supported by Coppola and the company he built.

Capitalist hijinks in 'Greed'

Capitalist hijinks in 'Greed'

  • by David Lamble
  • Mar 3, 2020

"Greed" (opening Friday), from British director Michael Winterbottom and comic actor Steve Coogan, has Coogan playing an arrogant, knighted textile importer.

Online Extra: Castro Theatre mixes classic & contemporary

Online Extra: Castro Theatre mixes classic & contemporary

  • by David Lamble
  • Mar 3, 2020

After the fireworks of the political season, the Castro Theatre offers a refreshing change of pace: a mix of contemporary and classic cinema, including tributes to Judy Garland and Kirk Douglas, who just left us at the exalted age of 103.

Five-man band in a beautiful tragedy

Five-man band in a beautiful tragedy

  • by David Lamble
  • Feb 25, 2020

In the opening frames of the fabulous rock-history memory piece "Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band," the one-time pretty boy and still quite handsome bandleader Robbie Robertson ruefully reflects on a human tragedy.

Georgian beauties in the dance

Georgian beauties in the dance

  • by David Lamble
  • Feb 18, 2020

In "And Then We Danced," writer-director Levan Akin has fashioned a powerful, passionate love letter to young men everywhere, but particularly to those trapped in tradition-bound macho cultures.

February becomes the Castro Theatre

February becomes the Castro Theatre

  • by David Lamble
  • Feb 11, 2020

Nothing beats a post-Oscar hangover quite so well as a late February night at the Castro Theatre, where the programmers have booked a baker's dozen worth of traditional and freshly minted classics.

World-class, German-language films

World-class, German-language films

  • by David Lamble
  • Feb 4, 2020

Bay Area film buffs welcome the Goethe-Institut's 24th annual celebration of contemporary German-language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Modern English: Mostly British Film Festival

Modern English: Mostly British Film Festival

  • by Sura Wood
  • Feb 4, 2020

The Mostly British Film Festival, a relatively new kid on the block, is turning 12. This annual event, dedicated to English-language films made outside the U.S., remains a standout in a local field packed with choices.

Best Actress encores

Best Actress encores

  • by Tavo Amador
  • Feb 4, 2020

Each era has its own definition of great acting, which often puzzles subsequent generations. The following Best Actress Oscar-winning performances are worth a second viewing.

2020 Oscar predictions: winners all!

2020 Oscar predictions: winners all!

  • by Roberto Friedman
  • Feb 4, 2020

Best picture: Will Win: "1917." Should Win: "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood." Director Quentin Tarantino evokes 1969 Hollywood in so many clever ways, even the Manson Family is upstaged.

Office monster: 'The Assistant'

Office monster: 'The Assistant'

  • by David Lamble
  • Feb 4, 2020

"The Assistant," opening Friday at Bay Area theatres, is a monster film where you never quite glimpse the monster. It's inspired by the scandals surrounding disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.