Rebels of the Neon God (1992: Tsai Ming-liang) GRADE: B+ By Daniel Barnes Festival circuit cinephiles revere Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang for films like Goodbye Dragon Inn, What Time is It There?, last year’s Stray Dogs, and Journey to the West (the slow-walking monk one, not the kung […]
The Wolfpack (2015; Crystal Moselle) GRADE: B- By Daniel Barnes *Opens today at the Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco, the Landmark Shattuck Cinema in Berkeley, and the Regency in San Rafael. Many hardcore cinephiles are socially maladroit misfits, and many more behave as though they learned how […]
Gemma Bovery (2015; Anne Fontaine) GRADE: B By Daniel Barnes *Plays at the Crest Theater in Sacramento on Saturday, June 20, at 4:20 p.m., as part of the 2015 Sacramento French Film Festival, and opens next week in the San Francisco Bay Area. Set in sun-kissed Normandy, Gemma […]
Pather Panchali (1955; Dir.: Satyajit Ray) GRADE: A Aparajito (1957; Dir.: Satyajit Ray) GRADE: B+ The World of Apu (1959; Dir.: Satyajit Ray) GRADE: A- By Daniel Barnes The original negatives for Indian legend Satyajit Ray’s groundbreaking “Apu trilogy” were damaged in a fire in 1993. However, they […]
Live From New York! (2015; Bao Nguyen) GRADE: C By Daniel Barnes WIFE: It’s a revolution! HUSBAND: It’s an institution! WIFE: It’s a revolution! HUSBAND: It’s an institution! WIFE: It’s a revolution, I’m telling you! HUSBAND: It’s an institution, you cow! SPOKESMAN: Hey, calm down, you two. Saturday […]
When Marnie Was There (2015; Hiromasa Yonebayashi) GRADE: B+ By Daniel Barnes Hand-drawn animation stalwarts Studio Ghibli shut down production late August following the retirement of guiding light Hiyao Miyazaki. Therefore, When Marnie Was There may be the last feature film we see under the Ghibli label in […]
