Berkeley special effects genius started filming his new stop-motion masterpiece in 1987
The parade of primordial horrors in Phil Tippett’s ‘Mad God’ will blow your little mind to pieces. It opens Friday at the Roxie Theater.
John Seal
Freelancer John Seal is Berkeleyside’s film critic. A movie connoisseur with a penchant for natty hats who lives in Oakland, John writes a weekly film recommendation column at Box Office Prophets, as well as a column in The Phantom of the Movie’s Videoscope, an old-fashioned paper magazine, published quarterly. He also writes regular film reviews for IMDB, which can be read here.
Articles by John Seal
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SF DocFest films go deep on hyphy, Chumbawamba, Ruth Paine of JFK assassination fame
Berkeley director Max Good interviewed Paine, now in her 80s, who lived with Lee and Marina Oswald in the months before JFK’s murder.
The World Goes to the Dogs in ‘Mondocane’
The first feature-length film from writer-director Alessandro Celli imagines an all too realistic dystopia.
CAAMFest films explore the complexities of the Asian-American experience
One movie looks at a man unjustly accused of murder; another examines a restaurant in Michigan contending with COVID-19 and racism.
Humanitarian aid trip to Transylvania makes for must-see cinema at SF Film Festival
The annual celebration of cinema plants its East Bay flag at Pacific Film Archive. The festival runs through May 1.
Brooklyn love letter from Oakland-trained filmmaker to air at Pacific Film Archive
‘Blue In the Face,’ a series of improvised vignettes from director Wayne Wang, has an eclectic cast — Madonna, Rosanne Barr, RuPaul, Harvey Keitel and more.
‘Ahed’s Knee’ is a semi-autobiographical tale of artistic license and Israeli censorship
The film, a bitter personal reflection on the “dumbing down” of Israel, comes to the Shattuck Cinemas on Friday.
Long-forgotten Dennis Hopper film to play in Oakland
‘Out of the Blue,’ the uncompromising filmmaker’s searing family drama, will screen at Oakland’s New Parkway Theater Thursday.
Predicting the winner of 2022’s Oscar-nominated short films
Our reviewer calls the winners of three categories, assuming the Academy will follow its penchant for inspirational sports shorts and cutesy animals.
A bewitching celebration of filmic folk horror
A magisterial documentary screening Sunday at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater examines the influence of folklore on horror cinema.
A standout film at SF IndieFest, ‘The Sleeping Negro’ shows struggles of an Everyman
Writer-director Skinner Myer’s ‘The Sleeping Negro’ — the title riffs on a famous James Baldwin quote — is the closest thing this year’s festival has to a must-see feature.
Is ‘Bad Luck Banging and Loony Porn’ the most enlightening film of the year?
The Romanian film puts the relatively minor sin of consensual sex in its proper perspective.
F.W. Murnau’s film of infidelity, redemption is set to live piano music at Pacific Film Archive
‘Sunrise,’ a perfect film for the new year from the director of ‘Nosferatu,’ is screening at the Pacific Film Archive on Jan. 8 and Feb. 18.
Our movie critic’s favorite films of 2021
Here are Berkeleyside movie writer John Seal’s 15 favorite films of the year. He makes no claims on picking the “best.”
Lovesick cops of ‘Chungking Express’ bring psychological pick-me-up at Pacific Film Archive
True love saves the day in Wong Kar Wai’s classic ‘Chungking Express,’ scheduled to screen 7 p.m. Saturday at the Pacific Film Archive.
‘Leda and the Swan’ adaptation is a captivating fever dream at SF film festival
‘Leda’ is a must-see film, but much other fantastic cinema is on offer at this year’s Another Hole in the Head festival.
