Thursday, January 27, 2011

I Only Have Two Eyes 2010

In a digitally-defined age when motion pictures in their various forms are more ubiquitous, available, and seemingly disposable than ever, one might conclude that movies have become devalued. Increasingly, we expect to be able to fulfill our every movie-watching whim as easily and conveniently as we send a message to a friend without bothering with stamps or lines at the post office. It may be counter-intuitive to propose that the overwhelming media choices before us in fact make the art of curation all the more valuable. The expectations we bring when we pick a video to watch at home are different from those we bring to a movie theater to watch a film selected by another individual with a specific set of tastes and experiences. I feel I can sometimes achieve a certain kind of transcendent experience of cinematic art through the latter situation, not available to me through the former. This is why I annually compile a survey of San Francisco Bay Area repertory & revival cinemagoing, through the eyes of a number of its many discerning observers.

Modified from last year, when "I asked for lists of up to ten filmgoing experiences had in Frisco Bay cinemas...watching repertory/revival films. Some contributors followed my "rules" to the letter, while other bent them according to their own predilections." This year, instead of presenting all the lists on my blog at once, I will be revealing a few and updating this pointer post every day over the next week or so. I'm so honored to have each of these fine contributors to this project:

Cinephile/critic Michael Hawley, who blogs at film-415.
Film preservationist/researcher Rob Byrne, who blogs at Starts Thursday!.
Researcher/writer Victoria Jaschob of the SFSFF writers group.
Critic Lincoln Spector, who operates Bayflicks.
Independent curator/art director Betty Nguyen, who blogs at First Person Magazine.
Writer Adam Hartzell, who contributes to sf360 among other places.
Writer/educator Margarita Landazuri, who has written for the SFFS and elsewhere.
Author/filmmaker Monica Nolan, whose activities are described on her website.
Critic Max Goldberg, who blogs at Text Of Light.
Cinephile Larry Chadbourne, also of the Film On Film Foundation.
Projectionist/writer Lucy Laird, who blogs on and off at Lucible.
Cinephile Jason Wiener, who blogs at Jason Watches Movies.
Projectionist Carl Martin, co-founder of the Film On Film Foundation.
Writer/filmmaker Ryland Walker Knight who blogs at Vinyl Is Heavy.
Cinephile Ben Armington, Box Office Emeritus.
Artist/writer Terri Saul, who blogs at Sister Rye.
Journalist/critic Jonathan Kiefer, who archives reviews here.
Projectionist/filmmaker Austin Wolf-Sothern, who blogs at Placenta Ovaries.
Film buff, festival volunteer and SFFS member Maureen Russell.
Teacher, writer & impresario Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, who hosts MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS.
Filmmaker/Film On Film Foundation co-founder Brecht Andersch, who blogs at SFMOMA's Open Space.
Brian Darr- hey that's me!

1 comment:

  1. I found it significant that several contributors mentioned seeing House theatrically. Someone writing about the film following the Criterion release was less enthusiastic. Two of us who had seen House on the big screen concurred that it is one of those films that is best appreciated in 35mm with an audience.

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