Adam Hartzell Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Adam Hartzell, who contributes to sf360 koreanfilm.org, this site, and elsewhere:

Can Brian get a Rep, a Rep Rep?
　
Well, yes he can. He’s going to get a Top Five. And in the obligatory free pass request, a plus one as well.
　
First, the plus one. In this case, it‘s a disappointing Repertory experience. After reading about Hitchcock’s REBECCA for years, I figured I’d be riveted by finally seeing it on the big screen at the Castro, where it screened on December 17th as part of a series of films by (the ever reliable) Hitchcock... Sadly, Mr. Reliable left me unimpressed. I’m sure I’ll get around to re-reading those essays from years ago that led me to think this would be a powerful film, but at least the Castro Theatre audience saved the film for me by their reactions to various characters. Plus, that same Castro audience had me leaving the theatre wondering why they applauded for that policeman near the end of the film. Of course, just as the 33 Stanyan was making that hairpin turn that allows us to see the neon-glow of the Castro Theatre behind us, I realized what I’d missed but the crowd hadn’t. That was Hitchcock!
　
#5 THE CROWD (King Vidor, 1928) - A repeat performance for me, but I still used it as an excuse to finally head down to the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto on March 27th. I’ll be spending more time at The Stanford Theatre for a piece I have planned for sf360.org this year, so I’m sure something on this year’s Stanford theatre docket will show up in Brian’s list next year too.
　
#4 THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK (Rob Epstein, 1984) I always mistakenly refer to this film as “The Life and Times of Harvey Milk” for some reason. But for the serendipitous reason of the release of the film MILK, the Roxie Cinema brought us an opportunity to watch THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK the first week of this year, a film I hadn’t seen since college. The film still retains its power, particularly the candlelight vigil footage which I found lacking when dramatized in MILK As further evidence for Harvey Milk’s influence, can a proud husband mention that his wife wrote a song in tribute to him for her band back in Japan years ago which is why I surprised her and took her to this film? And I believe THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK will endure along with Milk’s, and MILK’s, legacies.
　
#3 WILD ROSE (Sun Yu, 1932) The Silent Film Festival always brings a gem or two, and this one brought on July 11th will be one of my favorites for a long time. The introductory remarks from the widow of the lead actor added just the right amount of preparation to lead us into this lovely city/country mouse romance. The spunky-ness of Wang Renmei’s character and her interaction with the other children of her village was a joy to watch. My wife and I still jokingly salute ourselves like the little play soldiers in the film, underscoring the lasting impression this film had on us.

#2 The Oshima Nagisa Retrospective - After THE CEREMONY and BOY were treats on last year’s Rep Top Five, this year brought those and the rest of the Oshima ouevre that have been kept from us for so long. THREE RESURRECTED DRUNKARDS was definitely my favorite of those I finally caught up with, although THE TOWN OF LOVE AND HOPE was excellent too. I wish this would have come along when I was more immersed in Oshima scholarship ten or so years ago, but I won’t complain. I don’t get myself out to the Pacific Film Archives as much any more, but I anxiously took BART under the bay and risked tired eyes at work the next day to catch as many of these Oshima screenings as I could. Thank you PFA!
　

#1 FOOTBALL AS NEVER BEFORE (Hellmuth Costard, 1971) There was no film I anticipated more than this one on August 30th, so much so, I forewent an offer for a screener so my first experience with it would be in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts theatre. The inspiration of later films on Algerian-French football phenom Zenadine Zidane and LA Laker Kobe Bryant, multiple-cameras followed football great George Best during an entire match. I had read much about the talents of George Best and had seen him for years on the cover of the debut album of my favorite band, The Wedding Present. I couldn’t wait to see what all the hype was about. And I wasn’t disappointed. A friend of mine commented on how he lost respect for Zidane after watching his documentary (#1 with a bullet on last year’s list) because Zidane seemed to spend so much time ’loafing around’, whereas Best is quite involved throughout the entire match. But another friend of mine who has seen both films with me at the YBCA said this underscores the changes in football strategy over the ages where players are now more specialized in their roles. Best would be encouraged to be more involved in much of the match, whereas Zidane is now expected to play his role, a role he plays as well as Best played his. Such is a tiny example of the benefits of this approach to the sports film.

Larry Chadbourne Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Larry Chadbourne of the Film On Film Foundation:

My 6 favorite Rep/Revival Screenings from 2009
In historical order

1. J'Accuse (1918) I had only seen the truncated American version of Gance's lyrical pacifist epic, so the North American premiere at the Castro of the restoration made a tremendous impression, aided by the skillful transposition from organist Robert Israel of his original symphonic score. And the timing -- the week of Obama's heartbreaking Oslo speech -- added to the emotional impact.

2. Lady Of The Pavements (1929) - Castro. The stand-out entry in this year's SF silent film fest, a rarely shown late Griffith, benefited from the vocals by pianist Donald Sosin's wife Joanna Seaton, in an attempt to reconstruct some of the missing sound discs. Her rendition of Berlin's "Where Is The Song of Songs For Me?", which at one point seemed to match the lip-movements on screen of the lovely Lupe Velez, evoked gasps from the audience.

3. La Tete D'Un Homme (1932) PFA's Duvivier series was the year's archival goldmine, with numerous seldom shown classics revisited and several rare items projected with special electronic subtitles. Of these the Simenon adaptation as well as the later 1957 Pot Bouille, a work of literary craftsmanship made just before such artistry would be overwhelmed by the New Wave, stood out. I single out La Tete D'un Homme for its Sternbergian pictorial texture, its striking use of the Brechtian street singer, and its anticipation of American film noir.

4. Jeanne Dielman (1975) SF Moma's interesting Akerman series allowed me to finally catch up with this modernist landmark.It is the kind of film that changes the way you look at things, if only such mundane matters as cleaning one's bathtub. The showing was enriched by the scholarly introduction by B. Ruby Rich, one of the best intros to a film I've ever heard.

5. Inglorious Bastards (1978) Yerba Buena's clever revival of the inspiration for the Tarantino was (in contrast to J'Accuse) a beautifully colored fantasy flashback to childhood-memories-of playing with war toys. If only for this one film, the supposed schlockmeister Enzo Castellari looks worthy of further scrutiny.

6. Who Will Watch The Watchmen? (2003) PFA's Karel Vachek series offered those with the stamina to spend five Sunday afternoons immersed in Czech history, culture and politics the rewarding-payoff. In Watchmen, Vachek's wandering eye was anchored somewhat by the need to keep returning to rehearsals of a Smetana opera not well known in North America, "Dalibor". This more than made up for the other moments of frustration making-one's way through this massive oeuvre.

Ben Armington Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Ben Armington, Frequent Film Festival Box Officer:

1. THE LAST COMMAND (Pacific Film Archive)

Co-Starring William Powell, this emotionally devastating epic flashback through flip-flopping power struggles, love-hate triangles and stinging humiliation was my favorite in the PFA's wonderful series on the cinema's premier fool-for-love, Josef Von Sternberg.

2. VOYAGE IN ITALY/THE CARDINAL (PFA/Film On Film Foundation)

One of the most surprisingly rewarding pairings of the year. I really enjoyed how both films used their carefully chosen locations to heighten the emotional kick of their characters' meanderings. Seen on an exceptionally dour, rainy Sunday, which may have helped.

3. NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (PFA)

Shown on a new 35 print with the original Japanese language with English subtitles, this afternoon screening of Miyazaki's early masterpiece was an absolute delight that defies any attempts at explanation. Since it was a "matinee for all ages", the theater staff served complimentary ice cream after the film.

4. BLACK CHRISTMAS (4 Star, Thrillville)

Hosted by the couple Will the Thrill and Monica Sugar-Mama (& Tiki-Goddess) of Thrillville, it dawned on me while sitting down for the self-consciously crap-tastic introduction (sample joke: "the alternate title for this movie is 'African-American Christmas'") and that this might be a screening where the audience was supposed to lob MST3K-style witticisms and gummy candies at the woefully stupid movie darting across the screen in front of us...not my cup of coffee. so i was happily surprised when the audience, after some initial outbursts, calmed down and settled into what was one of the most terrifying and disturbing moviegoing experiences of the year. I especially enjoyed Margot Kidder's foulmouthed turn as the house drunk. A cult movie that lives up to and even surpasses it's reputation.

5. MARTIN (PFA)

George A. Romero is a master filmmaker and a very tall man. Like BLACK CHRISTMAS, this is a film that comes highly recommended and it delivered magnificently, both as an urban/ gothic thriller and an evocation of the awkwardness and loneliness of adolescence. Sexier than TWILIGHT.

6. THUNDERCRACK! (VICTORIA, Frameline Film Festival)

The various film festivals I work for were too busy for me to sneak off to sample the goods oftentimes this year, but I did clear my schedule for this sweaty little gem. Highlights include a woman puking into a toilet, dropping her wig into the toilet, putting the wig back on. George Kuchar and his mustache gave one of the most insanely committed performances I've ever seen. I'm still kind of in awe.

7. THE BURGLAR/WITNESS TO MURDER (ROXIE, Film Noir series)

I usually pull over the car when I see Dan Duryea's name on the marquee, so i was delighted to find the man in the lead role in the demented fever dream that is THE BURGLAR...a film in which no bedpost goes unclenched when our hero is overcome by memory and/or emotion! WITNESS To MURDER proved to be a delicious double, with a game Barbara Stanywk outwitting the diabolically Nietzschen George Saunders, who, when not menacingly reciting German, appears to be in danger of taking a nap. Excellent!

8. SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (PFA)

Fritz Lang's thriller, known for it's Freudian subtexts, begins with the heroine almost impaled by a stray knife (an experience that kind of excites her) then dares us to follow her whirlwind courtship with an obviously untrustworthy architect, whose hobbies include obsessively recreating historical "death rooms" in his palatial estate. People in the audience jumped during the climactic suspense sequence.

9. LIQUID SKY (CASTRO, Midnites for Maniacs)

This was a tough call, because, out of all of the great m4m programs this year, this was the one I least enjoyed. NEAR DARK, ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, RED DAWN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and ICE CASTLES were all much more gratifying experiences. I dozed off a bit towards the end of SKY. But...this is the one that stuck with me the most and i really feel like it's some kind of berserk masterpiece. Was it the trippy, witchy visuals or the obscure narrative logic? Beats me. Priceless dialogue bit: "I take quaaludes like you take aspirin!"

10. LABYRINTH (PIEDMONT, midnight series)

This was a hugely enjoyable midnight screening that reminded me why I like going to movies so much in the first place. Jim Henson's puppetry is still dazzling. Complete with Bowie karaoke before the show.

Brecht Andersch Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Brecht Andersch, who blogs about cinema for SFMOMA and the Film on Film Foundation, where a lengthier version of this piece is cross-posted:

Ah... I would be recruited to this task the very year - due to other unavoidable obligations - I'd eased up on my decades-long mad-cap cinephiliac pursuits... Going over my 2009 calendar has prompted more pain than pleasure - all those once-in-a-lifetime this print runs through these projectors experiences which can never be repeated in exactly the same way, now lost, lost forever, on a river of no return, non-experienced moments disappearing like tears in rain... No, it is too late! We must move on!.... Despite the pain occasioned, I've managed to come up with a list:

1) The SFMOMA Projectionist/Open Space Blogger Experience:

Perhaps the greatest thrill over the past year has been to write about a film screening for the SFMOMA blog, then project the show. To engage for days and weeks of communion/mind-meld with a given film artist, write a piece on a specific work, and then devote several nerve-wracking hours towards getting it on the screen perfectly is quite a blast, so I hope to be forgiven for beginning this list with a vanity shout-out to Jeanne Dielman (2/26, 2/28), Stalker (4/9, 4/11), Portrait of Jason, (7/9, 7/11), Subversive Documentaries (9/1), Interiors (10/29), and Kenneth Anger (12/17). The last show was particularly anxiety-inducing as Anger was in the audience and has been known to put hexes on both writers and projectionists who've displeased him, so I was anticipating a potential double-whammy... Fortunately, as far as I can currently tell, everything went fine, but if my life takes a sudden nose-dive in the near future, you'll know the cause. On the other hand, I didn't have to project the Subversive Documentaries, and writing about Franju's Hôtel des Invalides and Resnais' Le Chant du Styrène, then coming in to see them in 35 for the first time (impeccable prints, immaculately projected) in the theater in which I work was an ecstatic experience, indeed!

2) The Film on Film Foundation Experience:

Since I'm still in vanity mode, I'll get this out of the way: being involved in programming and presenting rare films is always a thrill, especially ones I've a strong hankering to see. This was especially the case for Accident (4/5 PFA), our double-feature of Fear and Desire & The Delinquents (5/10 Roxie), and Patty Hearst (6/28 PFA). Aside from the Schrader, I'd only seen these on video (the bootleg of the Kubrick was like watching a documentary on snow shot in Pixel-vision), so seeing them in 35, for the most part in gorgeous prints, was a delight. Patty Hearst, a ludicrously underrated work (Schrader's best?), was given an extra boost by my Film on Film collaborationist Carl Martin pointing out in his intro that its opening shot had been lensed only a few hundred feet-or-so away from the PFA screen...

3) The Un- or Under-Seen Josef von Sternberg Experience:

At this point in my cinephiliac career, I'm less in heroic Deer Hunter-mode, than that of the yeoman farmer: I've planted my crops, and idly recline on the porch, savoring puffs from my corn-cob, and perusing the almanac (usually the PFA calendar) re. when to expect the harvest. This year, there was a bumper-crop of von Sternbergs, some of which I'd only seen in 16mm, or on video, while others I'd waited for for decades... The former category included Underworld (1/15) and The Last Command (1/18 - visionary masochism at Everest-heights of aesthetic accomplishment brought even further to precise fever-pitch by the astonishing improvisatory piano-accompaniment of the brilliant Judith Rosenberg), and the latter Thunderbolt (1/31), with George Bancroft's unanticipated (by me) sensitive performance as a Tough Con Cruel Bastard who ultimately reveals a heart partially made of gold. Thunderbolt added new layers to my understanding of Sternberg's masochism, and the film was this year, perhaps, for me the summit of that type of experience I seek in projected celluloid - that is, a personal vision expressed in profoundly passionate artistry, yoked to a deep knowledge and exploitation of the aesthetic effect film technology at its purest has on the reptilian brain - for me, this combo induces religious ecstasy.

To see Brecht's full list of ten "experiences" of 2009, please see the cross-posting at the Film On Film Foundation Blog.