Peter Schilling The Departed and Last King of Scotland. The Departed, 2006. Directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan. Starring Leonardo, Jack, Matt, Marky-Mark, Charlie Sheen’s Dad, Ray Winstone, one of the Baldwin brothers, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Corrigan, and the winsome Vera Farmiga. Now showing pretty much everywhere. Having failed to garner much in the way … Read more
The Immortal Story, 1968. Written and directed by Orson Welles, from a novella by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). Starring Jeanne Moreau, Roger Coggio, Norman Eshley, and Orson Welles. With our books and interviews, our videotapes and compact discs, we can try to reach back in time and speak with a dead man when we are … Read more
The Science of Sleep, 2006. Written and directed by Michel Gondry. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Moiu, and Emma de Caunes. Now showing at the Uptown Theater. Hello class, my name is Mr. Fresno and I’m your substitute for today. What do we have here–this is Health Education? You guys are, what… … Read more
My grandmother, L. Josephine Schilling, “Jo” to those who didn’t call her Mom or Grandma, passed away last week at age 89. What does this matter to anyone who reads a movie blog? Nothing, really, except to the writer of said blog, so maybe it will have a passing interest to you. For this kind … Read more
I was ten years old when I first saw Citizen Kane. My father hauled my brother and me to the enormous Temple Theatre in downtown Saginaw, Michigan, and with a crowd of maybe two dozen, we noticed that Citizen Kane was more than just a chapter of film history; it was hilarious and melancholy and … Read more
Al Franken: God Spoke, 2006. Directed by Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus. With Al Franken, Franni Franken, good sport Henry Kissinger, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Walter Mondale (all as themselves, obviously). Now showing at the Uptown Theater. Franken will appear tonight after the 7 o’clock show for a Q and A. There … Read more
Winchester ’73, 1950. Directed by Anthony Mann, written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards. Starring James Stewart, Millard Mitchell (guy looks just like my Grandpa Schilling), Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, John McIntire and both Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis in small, unrecognizable roles. Note: Circumstances prevented me from attending last evening’s Blue … Read more
Here’s a cool night for you: wander through the Soap Factory’s amazing 99 dollar sale and then, around 8:30, head on out for that masterpiece of paranoia, The Parallax View, part of Take-Up Productions and S.F.’s “You Were Never Here” autumn film series. I’m not DeSmith, but I’ll put in a plug for the art … Read more
For those film-loving homebodies too tired to go out on a Wednesday night: American Masters profiles the inimitable Preston Sturges. Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer shows tonight on TPT Channel 2 at 9:00. If you recall, the Walker screened two of his films, The Lady Eve and Sullivan’s Travels, in … Read more
A bee got into my bonnet the other day, and I started thinking about my favorite songs about the movie industry. Not songs from movies–those are a different beast altogether. And then there’s the songs that were used in movies that are now joined at the hip: “In Dreams” by Roy Orbison will forever be … Read more