week in review – 07/02 – 07/09/12

Theatrical Viewing

Magic Mike (Soderbergh, USA, 2012) – AMC Century; Digital Projection

Le amiche (Antonioni, Italy, 1955) – PFA, 35mm; 2nd viewing

This Is Not a Film (Panahi, Iran, 2012) – PFA, 35mm

Running Around Like a Chicken With Its Head Cut Off (short) (Blank, USA, 1960) – PFA, 16mm

Dry Wood (short) (Blank, USA, 1973) – PFA, 16mm

Always For Pleasure (Blank, USA, 1978) – PFA, 16mm

Home Viewing

Toute la mémoire du monde (short) (Resnais, France, 1956) – Digital Projection, DVD; 2nd viewing

Plaisir d’amour en Iran (short) (Varda, France, 1976) – Digital Projection, Fandor

Upcoming Possibilities

Le notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria) (Fellini, Italy, 1957) – PFA, 07/11

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is almost here!!! – Castro Theatre, 07/12 – 15

rite(s) of passage

U.S. Go Home (France, 1993), an hour long contribution to the fabled French television series Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge, was one of the great coups of the Pacific Film Archive’s Claire Denis retrospective, as it has become practically impossible to see (legally), particularly on this side of the Atlantic.  And it really is a shame that it is so completely unavailable–there’s a sweetness and charm to it that doesn’t really appear elsewhere in her work (the possible exception being Vendredi Soir, though that’s of a much more of an adult fantasy).  A wisp of a narrative co-written by Denis and Anne Wiazemsky and featuring Alice Houri and Grégoire Colin as siblings several years before they would do the same in Nénette et Boni, one the surface the film is a rather overfamiliar sexual coming-of-age story set in the 1960’s, but it is elevated by the tenderness of its observation.  There’s a wonderful, extended sequence early on involving Colin, where, alone his bedroom, a despondent feeling of restlessness slowly gives way to a spontaneous, ebullient catharsis as he tentatively begins to dance to a record of The Animals’s rollicking “Hey Gyp.”  Mumbling along with a few English phrases, epileptically keeping time to the beat, it’s the type of private moment usually experienced alone behind locked doors, which makes it all the more remarkable to witness on a screen (also, one can’t help but feel the enigmatic conclusion to Beau Travail starting to germinate here).

The bulk of the film, however, takes place during a boozy, dimly lit house party and the drama takes place in fleeting facial expressions and awkward gestures on an impromptu dance floor in a darkened living room which begins to take on larger mental and emotional dimensions as it becomes a site of initiation into adulthood for Houri in particular.  And while I’m not exactly sure what the exact circumstances are that have has made this film so completely unavailable, it wouldn’t surprise me if the soundtrack, which is chock full of English language music from the period (not just The Animals, but Nico, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Prince Buster, among others), poses substantial rights issues.  Which is unfortunate, because it really is itself an important rite of passage exercise in Denis’s overall filmmaking trajectory; admirable on its own, but even more impressive when considered within the context of her ever-expanding body of work.

week in review – 06/25 – 07/01/12

Better late than never!

Theatrical Viewings

Barbarella (Vadim, France/Italy, 1968) – Castro Theatre, 35mm; 2nd viewing

Roman Holiday (Wyler, USA, 1953) – Stanford Theatre, 35mm; 3rd viewing

Sabrina (Wilder, USA, 1954) – Stanford Theatre, 35mm; 2nd viewing

Home Viewing

Les dites cariatides (The So-Called Caryatids) (short) (Varda, France,) – Digital Projection, Fandor

Elsa la rose (short) (Varda, France, 1965) – Digital Projection, Fandor

The Girl’s Nervy (short) (Reeves, USA, 1995) – Digital Projection, Fandor

Upcoming Possibilities

The Connection (Clarke, USA, 1962) – Roxie, 06/29 – 07/05

Beyond the Black Rainbow (Cosmatos, Canada, 2012) – Roxie, 06/29 – 07/07

Le amiche (Antonioni, Italy, 1955) – PFA, 07/06

Always For Pleasure (Blank, USA, 1978) – PFA, 07/07

week(s) in review – 06/04 – 06/17/12

I didn’t realize I had forgotten to post an update last week!  Busy viewing weeks too.  All first viewings unless otherwise noted.

Theatrical

The Color Wheel (Perry, USA, 2012) – Roxie Theater, 35mm

Daisies (Chytilová, Czechoslovakia, 1966) – PFA, 35mm; 3rd viewing

Nightwatching (Greenaway,UK/Netherlands/ Poland/Canada, 2007) – PFA, 35mm

Moonrise Kingdom (W. Anderson, USA, 2012) – Metreon, Digital

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hawks, USA, 1953) – Stanford, 35mm; 5th(?) viewing

The Films of Nathaniel Dorsky: Recent Films Program – PFA, all 16mm:

• August and After (Dorsky, 2012)
• The Return (Dorksy, 2011)
• Pastourelle (Dorsky, 2010)
• Compline (Dorsky, 2010)
• Aubade (Dorsky, 2010)
• Sarabande (Dorsky, 2009)
• Winter (Dorsky, 2008)

Home Viewing

The Thin Red Line (Malick, USA, 1998) – Projected Blu-ray

Let Me Die a Woman (Wishman, USA, 1978) –  Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor)

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender (Rappaport, USA, 1997) – Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor)

John Garfield (short) (Rappaport, USA, 2002) – Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor)

The Secret of Wendel Samson (short) (M. Kuchar, USA, 1966) – Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor)

The Color of Love (short) (Ahwesh, 1994) – Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor) 

The Soul of Things (short) (Angerame, 2010) – Projected Digital Streaming (Fandor) 

Upcoming Possibilities

Keep the Lights On (Sachs, USA, 2012) – Frameline at the Castro, 06/20

Rio Bravo (Hawks, USA, 1959) – Stanford Theatre, 06/20 – 24

The Fallen Sparrow (Wallace, USA, 1943) – PFA, 06/23

The Films of Nathaniel Dorsky: Recent Films (USA, 2010–12) – PFA, 06/24

week in review – 05/28 – 06/03/12

Theatrical Viewing

Written on the Wind (Sirk, USA, 1956) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

The Tarnished Angels (Sirk, USA, 1957) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

La grande illusion (The Grand Illusion) (Renoir, France, 1937) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

Upcoming Possibilities

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse (Greenaway, UK/Netherlands, 2008) – PFA, 06/08

Nightwatching (Greenaway, UK/Netherlands/Poland/Canada, 2007) – PFA, 06/09

Daisies (Chytilová, Czechoslovakia, 1966) – PFA, 06/09

The Films of Nathaniel Dorsky: Recent Films (USA, 2010–12) – PFA, 06/10

week(s) in review – 04/02 – 05/13/12

So as I expected Memories of the Future was forced into a temporary hiatus in consideration of academic priorities, but I turned in my last paper of the semester this evening, and I’m eager to channel my focus towards several exciting projects that have presented themselves, and I’ve jotted down notes on a number of topics I’d like to post on here, starting with my forthcoming contribution to this year’s Film Preservation Blogathon, which kicked off yesterday.

To say nothing of all the films in store for Bay Area cinephiles this summer: the first weekend of the Roxie’s film noir series “I Wake Up Dreaming” was amazing, the Crossroads Festival for experimental film next weekend looks mind-blowing, the Silent Film Festival has announced an impressive lineup, the PFA has several programs this summer I’m eagerly awaiting (Dorsky!  Greenaway!  Czech New Wave!), Frameline will be here in several months, and the list goes on and on…

As usual, first viewing unless otherwise noted.

Theatrical Viewing

The Penal Colony (Ruiz, Chile, 1970) – PFA, 16mm

A TV Dante: Cantos 9–14 (Ruiz, UK, 1991)  – PFA, 3/4″ Video

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Greenaway, UK, 1989) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

Zabriskie Point (Antonioni, USA, 1970) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

Whores’ Glory (Glawogger, Austria/Germany, 2012) – PFA, 35mm

Workingman’s Death (Glawogger, Austria/Germany, 2005) – PFA, 35mm

Kill Daddy Good Night (Das Vaterspiel) (Glawogger, Germany, 2009) – PFA, Digital Projection

Megacities (Glawogger, Austria, 1998) – PFA, 35mm

The Day He Arrives (Hong, South Korea, 2012) – SFFS Cinema, 35mm

Galaxie (Markopoulos, USA, 1966) – SFMOMA, 16mm

The Big Combo (J. Lewis, USA 1955) – Roxie Theater, 35mm

The Scar (Hollow Triumph) (Sekely,  USA, 1948) – Roxie Theater, 16mm

Knock on Any Door (N. Ray, USA, 1949) – Roxie Theater, 35mm

The Royal Tenenbaums (W. Anderson, USA, 2001) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

Une si jolie petite plage (Such a Pretty Little Beach) (Allégret, France, 1949) – Roxie Theater, Digital Projection

Detour (Ulmer, USA, 1945) – Roxie Theater, Digital Projection from a 35mm print; 2nd viewing

The Pretender (W.L. Wilder, USA, 1947) – Roxie Theater, 16mm

Home Viewing

The Blue Gardenia (Lang, USA, 1953) – Amazon Instant Video

Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich, USA, 1955) – Projected Blu-ray; 2nd viewing

Making the Boys (Robey, USA, 2011) – Netflix Instant

Paranormal State: Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5 (2007 – 2010) – Netflix Instant (one of my great guilty pleasures)

In Concert

St Vincent with tUnE-yArDs – Fox Theatre

Upcoming Possibilities

Storm Over Lisbon (Sherman, USA, 1944) and Shadow of Terror (Landers, USA, 1945) – Roxie Theatre, 05/16

Killer’s Kiss (Kubrick, USA, 1955) and Female Jungle (VeSota, USA, 1956) – Roxie Theatre, 05/18

To Have and Have Not (Hawks, USA, 1944) and Sergeant York (Hawks, USA, 1941) – Stanford Theatre, May 18 – 20

As much as the Crossroads Film Festival as possible – Victoria Theatre, 05/18 – 20

week(s) in review, 03/19 – 04/01/2012

I blame midterm craziness for the lack of updates, and as I’m diving headfirst into final papers I’m not sure if the situation is going to change much in the upcoming six weeks or so.  And I have so many updates I’d like to make–particularly regarding the epic experience that was seeing Napoleon.  2012 viewings also memorably kicked off over the last two weeks.  As usual, first viewing unless otherwise noted.

Theatrical Viewing

Napoleon (Abel Gance, France, 1927) – Paramount Theatre, 35mm (x3!)

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Raúl Ruiz, France, 1979) – PFA, 35mm; 2nd viewing

Le colloque de chiens (Dog’s Dialogue) (Raúl Ruiz, France, 1977) – PFA, 35mm; 2nd viewing

The House of Pleasures (Bonello, France, 2012) – SF Film Society, 35mm

The Deep Blue Sea (Davis, UK, 2012) – Embarcadero Landmark; 35mm

Friends with Kids (Westfeld, USA, 2012) – Century SF, Digital Projection

Crazy Horse (Wiseman, 2012) – Roxie Theatre, Digital Projection

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Gelb, USA, 2012) – Embarcadero Landmark; Digital Projection

Upcoming Possibilites

The Penal Colony (Ruiz, Chile, 1970) with A TV Dante: Cantos 9–14 (Ruiz, UK, 1991)  – PFA, 04/04

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Greenaway, UK, 1989) – Castro Theatre, 04/05

week in review, 02/27 – 03/04/12

What a week!  It might be my record for seeing films theatrically in a non-festival context.  First viewings unless otherwise noted.

Theatrical Viewing

A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven) (Powell & Pressburger, UK, 1946) – Castro Theatre, 35mm; 3rd viewing

The Music Lovers (Ken Russell, UK, 1970) – Castro Theatre, 35mm

Freaks (Tod Browning, USA, 1932) – Roxie Theater, 16mm; 2nd viewing

Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton, USA, 1932) – Roxie Theater, 35mm

Three Lives and Only One Death (Raúl Ruiz, France /Portugal, 1996) – PFA, 35mm

Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch, USA, 1932) – Stanford Theatre, 35mm; 2nd Viewing

One Hour With You (Ernst Lubitsch, USA, 1932) – Stanford Theatre, 35mm; 2nd Viewing

Other

An Evening with Claude Lanzmann – JCCSF

Looking Forward to This Next Week

The Long Day Closes (Terence Davies, UK, 1992) – SF Film Society, 03/08

Children of Paradise (Marcel Carné, France, 1946) – Castro Theatre, 03/10

And however many of the Pre-Code films at the Roxie I can get myself to!