George Hardy in Troll 2 If you thought the subject of last week’s column — 1953’s Invaders from Mars — was a little on the lowbrow side, wait ’till you get a load of Best Worst Movie, a new documentary opening Friday June 4 at the Shattuck Cinemas. It’s the fascinating, hilarious and occasionally bittersweet […]
Movies
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Big Screen Berkeley: Invaders from Mars
Some images stick with you for a lifetime: here’s one that’s been haunting me since the 1970s. The alien brain from 1953’s Invaders from Mars gave me quite the scare when I was ten, and now you can experience the same frisson of fear thanks to Pacific Film Archive’s Friday night L@te program. Helmed by […]
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Videots will honor customers, DVDs to go to Library
Customers who had credit at Videots, the DVD store on College that closed in February, should be getting their DVD refunds within the next two weeks. John Huffman, the owner of the store, said Thursday that computer issues delayed processing of claims, but that the computer is fixed and the movies will be going out […]
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Big Screen Berkeley: The Good the Bad the Weird
Kang-ho Song in The Good the Bad the Weird With a title like The Good the Bad the Weird (apparently punctuation and conjunctions are hopelessly old-fashioned these days), director Ji-Woon Kim’s new film — currently screening at the Shattuck Cinemas — is bound to be a letdown. By intentionally drawing comparisons to one of the […]
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Big Screen Berkeley: Ladybug Ladybug
Promotional poster for Ladybug Ladybug This week, Berkeleyside’s film writer John Seal looks at a movie he recommends you check out on DVD. Many film fans have at least a passing acquaintance with director Frank Perry’s first production, 1962’s bittersweet boy meets girl in a sanitarium drama David and Lisa. That film was the first […]
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Big Screen Berkeley: Locally Grown Produce
Tear Gas in Law Enforcement Sometimes you’ll find locally grown produce in the most unexpected and unusual places. Take, for example, a little industrial film entitled Tear Gas in Law Enforcement. Recently aired late one night on television’s best channel — Turner Classic Movies — this 25-minute film was (according to its prologue) ‘designed to […]
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International flavor on the cards for Oaks Theatre
By Jane Tierney The Oaks Theatre on Solano Avenue, which re-opened under new management earlier this month, is likely to add international films, including Bollywood hits, to its line-up and is considering spicing up its refreshment options. Rama Sagiraju, speaking for new owners Merriment Entertainment, said the movie theater would like to put mango lassis and samosas […]
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Big Screen Berkeley: Exit Through the Gift Shop — a two-finger salute to craven art-world poseurs?
The less you know about Exit through the Gift Shop before you see it, the more you’ll appreciate it. Of course, if you go into the film expecting to learn anything about its purported subject, you’ll probably be bitterly disappointed. Directed by guerrilla artist Banksy, the film is, ostensibly, both a behind the scenes look […]
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Berkeley Art Museum seeks architect, again
Following its decision to move into the former University of California printing plant at Center and Oxford streets in downtown Berkeley (pictured top right), the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is looking for an architecture firm to revamp the space for them. According to John King in today’s Chronicle, ten architectural firms have submitted […]
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Big Screen Berkeley: The Eclipse
Iben Hjejle and Ciaran Hinds in The Eclipse Director-writer Conor McPherson’s new film The Eclipse is almost impossible to classify: blending elements of drama, romantic comedy, and horror, it offers appeal to a wide range of filmgoers. Unfortunately, the film’s aversion to easy pigeon-holing also means marketing it is no easy task: The Eclipse is […]
Posted inArts, Events, Schools
The Most Dangerous Man: Special Berkeley screening
It’s a Berkeley event, involving an independent Berkeley movie theater, screening a documentary made by a Berkeley resident, to benefit a Berkeley school. Berkeleyside couldn’t live with itself if it didn’t cover this one. On Thursday May 6th, at 7:15 pm, Elmwood Rialto will present a screening of The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel […]
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Michael Lewis’ Moneyball a step closer to big screen
Berkeley author Michael Lewis has other things on his mind right now — he’s on the book tour circuit promoting his new oeuvre The Big Short — but it won’t have escaped his notice that one of his earlier books is inching its way closer to moviedom. Deadline Hollywood reports that the long road to […]