May 1st – 2nd: Pina (Castro Theatre)

If you have not had the chance to see this in theatres yet, you can not miss this opportunity.  Those with strong dislike for 3D movies, I urge you to experience Wim Wenders‘ documentary of famed dance choreographer, Pina Bausch.  This film is entrancing in not just its 3D capturing but in its power to make you a part of her dances.  Finally, a filmmaker using 3D as a tool of enhancement not as a gimmick.

May 3rd: Szamanka (YBCA)

I know almost absolutely nothing about this film other than imdb has it listed as drama/horror/mystery and that the film’s director is the same man behind the feverish manic genius of a film that is Possession.  That film too happens to fall under the drama/horror/mystery genre (1981).  It will be interesting to not only see another of Andrzej Zulawski‘s films, but to see how his filmmaking has changed or stayed the same 15 years after Possession.

May 4th: The Predator/The Thing/A Boy and His Dog (Castro Theatre)

A triple feature of terror, big guns, amazing beards, and muscles!   First up is The Predator in where the league of governors (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and Sonny Landham, the latter ran but was not elected) get their kick ass on as they try to defeat a shape shifting alien in the rain forest.  More kick ass awaits in John Carpenter‘s The Thing.  This time it’s Kurt Russell along with his beard that faces shapeshifting peril – arctic style.  So, how do you follow-up a pair of thrilling shapeshifting aliens?  You watch a movie about a boy, his dog, and their telepathic relationship while traveling a post apocalyptic terrain, that’s how.  Having never seen L.Q. Jones‘ A Boy And His Dog, I hope I’m in for a treat.

May 6th: Possession (YBCA)

Like any good roller coaster ride, the second the ride is over I’m running back in line for another go.  Having just seen this amazing piece of cinema in March on the grand Castro Theatre screen I’m more than excited to catch it again.  Andrzej Zulawski‘s wonderfully odd direction of a pre-Jurassic Park Sam Neill is superb example of what a fully engaging film is supposed to look like. Read More…

March 2nd: Freaks/Island of Lost Souls (Roxie Theatre)

As part of Roxie’s week long pre-code Hollywood movie marathon, the Mission theatre will be flying its freak flag with an omnibus caravan of classic horror.  First up, I plan on reacquainting myself with that repugnant feeling of fear I felt as a kid when my boyhood friend’s father took us to the local circus and ushered me into the “freak tent” with Todd Browning‘s Freaks.  “We accept you, one of us!  Gobble Gobble!“

Next up is Eric C. Kenton‘s Island of Lost Souls, a film I have yet to see, which, like Browning‘s Freaks, was released the same year.  The star power in this film boasts Bela Lugosi, Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, and a bunch of mutated half human/half animal freaks.  I wonder if in 1932, when these two films were released, if people got confused between these two movies much the same way that, to this day, I still get confused between the two films that deal with magic from 2006, The Illusionist and The Prestige.

March 4th: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Castro Theatre)

David Fincher‘s reworking of the already hugely popular Swedish film certainly has its detractors, fortunately for me, I’m not one of them.  In a strange way, I like to think of this film as a flavorful stew of Zodiac and Se7en with a hint of Enya garnished on top for good measure.  Leave it to David Fincher to get good use out of an Enya song.

March 9th: Let The Bullets Fly (4-Star Theatre)

An action/comedy/western set in China during the 1920s starring Chow Yun-Fat and featuring a preview that conjures up similarities to Jee-woon Kim‘s fantastic The Good, the Bad, the Weird.  If this film is even half of what Kim‘s movie was, then I’ll be one happy cinegoer, but, truth be told, I have very high hopes for this, especially after reading a press release where it describes the film as “an escalating series of hyper-violent (and hilarious)”. Read More…

Feb 1: Midnight In Paris (Castro Theatre)

Midnight in Paris might be Woody Allen‘s first great comedy in decades, but it was worth the wait. The film follows an author (Owen Wilson) on an unexpected journey through different eras in Paris’ history. As he travels through the years and meets some of histories most eccentric and hilarious characters, he tries to find validation of his book and meaning in his life.  Midnight in Paris is a surreal, intelligent comedy that’s as entertaining as it is meaningful.

Feb 1 – 2: Drive (Roxie Theatre)

The whole feel of Drive is as if Stanley Kubrick rose from the grave to direct the screen adaption of popular video game Grand Theft Auto. Drive is a poem composed of love, graphic violence, fast cars, and an awesome jacket. Director Nicolas Winding Refn brings the beauty of an “art house” film into the action/suspense genre and by doing so he has created one of the best films of the year. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan with brilliant support from Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman.

Feb 2: Groundhog Day/Caddyshack (Castro Theatre)

Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day, it’s a no-brainer really.  This movie easily falls into my top 10 comedies of all time.  Yeah, it’s that good!  Bill (Motha fuckin’!) Murray is at his best as the cynical, grumpy weatherman forced to repeat the same day over and over again for what is the equivalent of years.  Everything that makes Bill Murray great is on display here, from his acute reactive comedic timing to his dry wit.

As for Caddyshack, I can never understand why this movie is so popular.  The last time I saw it (about 10 years ago) I was dumbfounded as to why I was the only one in a full theatre to not utter a single chuckle.  But since The Castro offers a two-for-one deal on all Double-Features, I think I’ll try and give it another chance. Read More…

Filmbalaya wholeheartedly wishes you a happy new year. No matter what you offered to give up in your New Years’ Resolution, the people at the movie theatre won’t betray your conscience. To keep your potentially rainy month dry, we’ll tell you what good (or, failing that, perhaps worthwhile) movies to see to fill up many of your days.  Fortunately for us all, there are plenty of films to watch, including some that you may have missed in the past couple of months.

See the list after the jump! Read More…

September 9 – 15: The Man Who Fell To Earth (Landmark Theatre)

No way am I going to miss seeing Mr. Spaceman, David Bowie in a brand spanking new uncut 35mm print of The Man Who Fell To Earth. I’m crazy stoked for this one, but if you were to ask Filmbalaya’s own Kacey Curtis to describe this film he would say, “I’ve always held to the fervent belief that David Bowie actually is an alien from outer space. For the first hour of the film I truly believed I was watching a documentary.” Well, until proof surfaces of Bowie actually being an alien I will always hold this film in high regard as being not only one of Nicolas Roeg‘s best, but also as being a great addition to the 1970s Sci-Fi canon.

September 9: Contagion (Major)

Is it just me, or is Matt Damon starring in an impossible amount of movies lately?  The real question is: are we getting the awesome indie movie Steven Soderbergh, or the fun-but-generically-Hollywood-Ocean’s-trilogy Steven Soderbergh. Either way, the movie will be worth watching but if we get indie Soderbergh, this could be the next big Sci-Fi masterpiece.

September 11: Raiders Of The Lost Arc (Castro)

From the creator of Jaws and Star Wars comes a new adventure film starring that hot young actor, Harrison Chevy, I mean Ford.  If Ford’s character in this is as charismatic as his Han Solo character then I don’t see how I can be let down. My main concern with this film is whether or not the theme song will be catchy enough to stay in my head for the next month.  I also hope there are no snakes.  I hate snakes!

September 15: Taxi Driver/Blast Of Silence (Castro)

I no longer have to beat myself up for not picking up the Criterion Collection version of Blast of Silence when it was on sale for half off last month because I get to see it for the first time at The Castro, and as an added bonus, Taxi Driver.  Joy! Read More…

August 4: The Searchers (Castro)

“John Ford’s superb Western saga charts former Confederate soldier John Wayne pursuing his five-year quest – to kill both the Indian who abducted his niece and the tainted girl herself. At once a grand outdoor spectacle and a film about one man’s troubling moral codes, this is arguably Ford’s greatest film.” – www.castrothatre.com

August 10: Meek’s Cutoff (Castro)

There is nothing like a western to get my juices flowing.  Though I loved this film, fans of the traditional story structure in Hollywood films might absolutely hate it.  This is not a glorified western with shootouts and outlaws, it’s about getting from point A to point B in an unknown and unforgiving landscape.

August 13: I Live In Fear (VIZ Cinema)

Toshiro Mifune’s collaboration with master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in where he plays a factory worker so obsessed with the idea of nuclear annihilation, that his family tries to have him committed to a nuthouse.  I’d be crazy to miss the chance at seeing Mifune act crazy on the big screen, or to see yet another Kurosawa film on its originally intended format.

August 14: Ikiru (VIZ Cinema)

Yet another classic Kurosawa film unseen by yours truly.  I was actually going to watch this the other day but as soon as I saw it was going to be playing at the VIZ, I promptly put the DVD back in its sleeve and watched Yojimbo instead.  Now I have a date with the VIZ theatre, a cup of Blue Bottle coffee, and a trip down the existentialist highway that is Ikiru. Read More…

July 3: A Night At The Opera & Duck Soup (Castro)

Two of my favorite Marx Brothers films in one night!  Bring out the whole family this Sunday and prepare to travel back to the early 1930s in true Castro Theatre grandiose fashion.  It’s one thing to laugh at Groucho’s lines in the privacy of your home, but it’s a true event to do it amongst hundreds in The Castro.

“Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don’t let that fool you: he really is an idiot. I implore you, send him back to his father and brothers, who are waiting for him with open arms in the penitentiary. I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth” – Groucho Marx as Rufus T. Firefly in Duck Soup

July 6: Out Of The Past & The Night Of The Hunter (Castro)

Two film noir classics for the price of one staring Robert Mitchum.  First up its Out Of The Past with costars Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas.  I haven’t seen this one, but since I plan on seeing The Night Of The Hunter I thought I might as well check it out.  Apparently it involves danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames.  With all those elements in a highly rated noir film I don’t care what the plot is, I’m there.

Next up it’s the classic noir/thriller, The Night Of The Hunter, which aside from Mitchum also stars a somewhat naive Shelly Winters.  I recently picked up a restored copy of this film that Criterion released on DVD but have yet to watch it.  What could be better than viewing a classic for the first time on restored DVD… how about watching it at the Castro Theatre!? Read More…

June 3: The Tree of Life (Embarcadero)

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Terrence Malick‘s newest film is finally here!  Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and what is sure to be the same amazingly beautiful cinematography one has come to expect from a Malick film are all here.  What’s the difference this time out?  It’s Science Fiction.

June 3: Blank City (Lumiere)

A documentary about the New York City independent filmmaking scene and do it yourself ethos of the late 1970s filmmakers.  Having one of my top 5 directors of all time (Jim Jarmusch) featured in the trailer was enough to sell this film for me, the fact that it’s about NYC (my hometown) is an added bonus.

June 5 – 6: The Great Muppet Caper (Red Vic)

This year the Muppets are coming out with a new film starring the entire Muppet gang, along with Jason Segal and Amy Adams.  So, what better way to get reaquainted with the fuzzy bunch then revisiting one of their earliest and best films, The Great Muppet Caper!  Not only is this an excellent heist film, but it’s also the one that gave Miss Piggy, who is clearly the star, her proper shine. Read More…