Yôji Yamada and Seijun Suzuki - Mixed Bag

As I said before, I was very impressed by the Cinema Japan series at the PFA in November & December.

Over the past six years, there have been a series of Samurai films released in the US that have been critically praised for humanizing the genre by focusing on the men and their (often conflicted) feelings while trying to uphold the honor of the samurai. The most famous of these films (and the one I have not seen) is Twilight Samurai (2002). The other films I'm familiar with is The Hidden Blade (2004) and Love and Honor (2006). Doing a litle research, I discovered that those three films were directed by Yôji Yamada.

Yamada had three films screened at the Cinema Japan series; I was able to catch two - The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness and Where Spring Comes Late. I was very impressed with Yamada's ability to pull at my heartstrings. He is able to portray his characters (particularly the males) in complex ways. Often, I was put off by the behavior of the men but yet Yamada can always reel me back to feel sympathy for his characters. Indeed, Yamada's trademark is the happy endings of his films. I often find happy endings contrived and ruinous but Yamada pulled it off in The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness and Where Spring Comes Late.

I criticized the ending of Love and Honor. I think Yamada was more skillful in weaving the plots in The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness and Where Spring Comes Late. It's been seven months since I saw Love and Honor; I remember the plot, I remember not liking the ending but I don't recall having such a strong dislike of it. In many cases, directors make some of their best films earlier in their career. I would imagine that it must be stifling to have to end each film on an upbeat note. Also, when I viewed The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness and Where Spring Comes Late, I was not aware it was the same director of Love and Honor so I was freed of any preconceived bias.


Where Spring Comes Late was an emotional roller coaster as well as travelogue and social commentary of Japan in 1970. The story involves a miner and his family. For some reason, they are Catholic which is a pretty small minority in Japan. The husband decides to uproot his family, moving them from an island south of Kyushu to, I believe, the northwestern tip of Hokkaido to be dairy farmer. Without a car, the family of five (father, mother, paternal grandfather, son and infant daughter) must traverse the entire length of Japan in trains, planes and ferries.

Along the way, they see the changing nature of Japanese society. Industrialization is a big theme as Yamada includes a number of long, panning shots of factories. They also encounter the disruption this new society is causing. The grandfather was supposed to be left to live with his other son who works at a factory. Upon visiting him, it's clear that leaving grandpa with him would exacerbate his financial situation - crushing mortgage, small house, batch of kids, etc. So grandpa goes to Hokkaido. Chishu Ryu, the actor that plays the old man, delivers a great performance as a man nearing the end of his life who wants to retain some dignity while having his own foibles as well as enjoying the cross county trip.


Anyway, the family sees the world fair, endures the death of the infant and soon after arriving at their desolate, frigid home, the grandfather dies. It looks pretty bleak but in the next scene, it is springtime, the hills are green, their first calf is born and the wife is pregnant. Chieko Baisho, who is a Yamada perennial (she was in The Hidden Blade) also delivers a strong performance as the woman trying to hold her family together despite not wanting to move and her husband's stubborn ways. As if no one can escape Yamada's jaundiced eye, she must whore herself to get money for the trip (with her husband aware if not tacitly approving).

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A few years ago, I saw Princess Raccoon (2005) starring Ziyi Zhang. The film was in Japanese although Zhang spoke her lines in Mandarin. I recall not liking the film which was a musical. Princess Raccoon was directed by Seijun Suzuki. Suzuki also directed Tokyo Drifter (1966) which I enjoyed greatly at the Cinema Japan series. I guess even the great ones strikeout sometime.

Tokyo Drifter had scenes that reminded me of the bar fight in Blazing Saddles and an obscure Warren Beatty film called Mickey One (1965). I saw Mickey One (directed by Arthur Penn) nearly 14 years ago at the Castro and I can still recall it so that must mean somthing. Given some of the similarities and that it was made one year before Tokyo Drifter, I wonder if Suzuki was influenced by it.

Here is the SF Chronicle review of the film when it played at the Castro.

Taking Inventory as of December 24

Cinema Japan Series at PFA

The Ceremony directed by Nagisa Oshima; Japanese with subtitles; (1971)
Boy directed by Nagisa Oshima; Japanese with subtitles; (1969)
Black Rain directed by Shohei Imamura; Japanese with subtitles; (1989)
Onibaba directed by Kaneto Shindô; Japanese with subtitles; (1964)
Tokyo Drifter directed by Seijun Suzuki; Japanese with subtitles; (1966)
Violence at Noon directed by Nagisa Oshima; Japanese with subtitles; (1966)
A Last Note directed by Kaneto Shindô; Japanese with subtitles; (1995)
Where Spring Comes Late directed by Yoji Yamada; Japanese with subtitles; (1970)
Intentions of Murder directed by Shohei Imamura; Japanese with subtitles; (1964)

Dirty Dozen: The Films of Robert Aldrich at PFA

Attack! starring Jack Palance, Eddie Albert & Lee Marvin; (1956)
The Garment Jungle starring Lee J. Cobb, Richard Boone & Robert Loggia; (1957)
Ulzana’s Raid starring Burt Lancaster & Bruce Davison; (1972)
Twilight’s Last Gleaming starring Burt Lancaster & Charles Durning; (1977)

I Can't Think Straight (2008) - Official Site
Happy-Go-Lucky directed by Mike Leigh; starring Sally Hawkins; (2008) - Official Site
Baby (2008) - Official Site
Timecrimes directed by Nacho Vigolando; Spanish with subtitles; (2007) - Official Site
Milk directed by Gus Van Sant; starring Sean Penn; (2008) - Official Site

I saw I Can't Think Straight and Happy-Go-Lucky at the Roxie, Timecrimes at the Bridge, Milk at the Castro and Baby at the 4-Star.

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I saw Milk at the Castro at a 4PM showing on a Tuesday afternoon. I was surprised at the crowd; I would guess there was over 750 people in the audience.

Although nominated for many Best Picture awards, I was not suitably impressed with Milk. Sean Penn transformed himself into Harvey Milk. As I recall from my teenage years when Penn dated and married Madonna, he was quoted using the word "faggot" in a derogatory manner when confronting paparazzi. Of course, that was many years ago and Sean Penn in 2008 doesn't bear much resemblance to Jeff Spicoli. Putting Penn aside, I thought the portrayal of Jack Lira (Diego Luna of Y Tu Mamá También fame) was pitifully shallow, unintentionally funny and less than one dimensional (if that is physically possible). After Lira commits suicide, Penn is forced to utter the following line through tears of grief - "I could have come home at 6:15!"

Josh Brolin's role as Dan White has elicited rave reviews. I have to admit that it is hard to take your eyes off Brolin when he is on the screen and his scenes with Penn show two actors at the top of their game. However, I wasn't sure if I was watching his scenes intently because of Brolin's performance or because I know what Dan White did. According to Penn's Harvey Milk, White was a closeted homosexual that created empathy from Milk towards White. I don't know if White was closeted; I have never heard that he was. However, by casting White's motivation in that die, White (the man and the character) is done a disservice. I didn't think Brolin was allowed to explore the depths of Dan White. Certainly the movie is about Harvey Milk so Dan White's motivations are secondary to his actions but I just didn't see the depth to his performance that I've read about in various reviews.

James Franco as Scott Smith and Emile Hirsh as Cleve Jones make the most of their screen time.

To be honest, I thought Milk was an entertaining biopic with the added bonus of being set in the 70's and filmed at San Francisco locations I'm familiar with. I don't think it is the Best Film of 2008. I was impressed with the opening title sequence which consisted of vintage footage of men being rousted by cops from gay bars in the 1950's or early 60's. Most men hid their faces but a few men didn't hide from the camera and their visages were ones of defiance, frustration, fear, anger and even apathy. There as also a fun split screen closing sequence where the actor was shown with the person they portrayed. The resemblance in many instances was profound.

Another observation - the first scene in the film shows Milk picking up Smith in a NYC subway station in 1970. I'm pretty sure that scene was filmed at Forest Hill Station in San Francisco. On the day I saw the film, I took Muni Metro Outbound. I wasn't paying attention and missed the Castro Station stop. I had to ride up to Forest Hill and catch the Inbound train back to Castro Station. I'm certain the scene on the stairs was filmed at Forest Hill Station.

Timecrimes and the San Francisco Sweep

Last night, I saw Timecrimes at the Bridge Theater. The film was an entertaining time travel story where three temporal versions of a man co-exist with the latter two trying to steer events to avoid the time loop. The film was shot in Spain.

I realized upon entering the Bridge Theater that I had not been in that theater before. My curiosity piqued, I checked the San Francisco Movie Guide in the Chronicle this morning and I believe that I have now been to every movie theater within the City and County of San Francisco. At least, I've been to every theater listed in the movie guide. Some theaters don't pay for a listing. Read the Balboa Theater Newsletter (Dear Friends Section) for the week of December 19 for more information.

I've been to all the theaters listed in the December 23 edition of the Chronicle - AMC 1000, AMC Loews Metreon, Balboa, Castro, Century SF Centre, Cinearts @ Empire, 4-Star, Sundance Kabuki, Bridge, Clay, Embarcadero, Lumiere, Opera Plaza, Marina, Presidio, Red Vic, Roxie Stonestown and Vogue. I went to the Marina and the Presidio before they were rennovated by Frank Lee. Were they always (at least since 1992) owned by the Lee family?

There used to be a lot more theaters in the City - Coronet, Galaxy, Metro, Northpoint, Regency I and II, St. Francis and more have all closed down in the last 10 years or so. I found an interesting website that celebrates old theaters from around the world. It's called Cinema Treasures.

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My original intention last night was to see the 7PM showing of Milk at the Castro. Monday is supposedly the slowest day for movie theaters; hence the Roxie's $5 Monday special, the audience of 12 at Timecrimes last night and the Castro and PFA's frequent closing on Mondays. However, there was a line that stretched most of the block to see Milk last night. The line is made worse by the fact that the Castro only has one ticket booth and can seat 1,600 people.

I don't know if I'll get to see Milk at the Castro. Today is the last day it's showing at the Castro.

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The cashier at the Bridge told me that The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei is opening there on January 9. This highly anticipated film has already won several awards including two for Rourke & Tomei by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. I've had a crush on Marisa Tomei since I first saw her in the late 80's on the first season of A Different World.

I don't know if it is the economy, cold weather or rain but I was able to park on busy Geary St. at 9 PM last night, directly in front of the Bridge which is at Geary and Blake. It seems that that area is always tough to park in but not last night. Come to think of it, I was able to park one block away from the 4-Star at 2 PM on Sunday & on Green St between Webster and Buchanan three hours later. Those areaa are even tougher to find parking than the Inner Richmond/Laurel Heights.

The Sparrow Has Landed

Yesterday, I saw Baby at the 4-Star Theater. I noticed that they had sandwich board sign on the sidewalk with a movie poster for Sparrow. That Johnnie To film was my favorite from the Chinese American Film Festival in November. Granted, I only saw three films at the festival but I caught several films from the Johnnie To retrospective at the PFA earlier this year. I've become a fan of To's works and Sparrow is no exception.

Sparrow, which is part comedy & part quasi-musical, tells the story of a gang of pickpockets that go up against a gangster (and former pickpocket himself) to win the freedom of the gangster's mistress. It sets up an improbable but entertaining climax set in a downpour involving rival gangs of pickpockets using razor blades to steal the key to her freedom. Filmed in Hong Kong over a three year period, Sparrow is a visual tribute to the Hong Kong that To grew up in but is fast giving way to modernization.

"Sparrow" is a slang term for a pickpocket. I think in Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio's narration describes Cameron Diaz's character as a sparrow. In that film, she was posing as a housemaid while stealing valuables from her employer although I think she was a pickpocket as well.

Here is a link to a CAAM posting announcing Sparrow's opening at the 4-Star.

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Let me write a quick note on Baby which was described as an Asian American Boyz n the Hood by me (and later I discovered the film poster). I saw Boyz n the Hood when it came out in 1991. Actually, I remember seeing it in 1992 in Vancouver, British Columbia. That film deeply affected me probably because I had not seen gang life depicted so powerfully. I can't say realistically because I've never been in "da hood."

For some reason Baby was set 20 year ago. The action alternates between 1986 and 1993, I believe. It didn't really add much to the script except to allow for 80's cars and pagers to be prominently featured. Regardless, I think I'm jaded about films about gang life. I can't point to anything wrong with the film but it wasn't as powerful as I was expecting. Ron Yuan, as Baby's gangsta mentor, stood out in the cast. With a melodic voice, pumped up biceps and the 80's hair metal look, he cuts a wide swath through the film.

Baby wasn't a bad way to spend a rainy, Sunday afternoon but it reminded me of muscle car not firing on all cylinders - it's still a sweet ride but you can feel that it's not running quite right.

Ringing in the New Year with The Hunchback of Grace Cathedral

I read yesterday that Grace Cathedral will screen The Hunchback of Notre Dame on December 31. They will have two screenings at 7 PM and 10 PM. The version of the film they are showing is the 1923 silent film starring Lon Chaney (not the 1939 version with Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara).

Tickets are $20 and available at City Box Office on-line or in person at 180 Redwood Street, Suite 100 in San Francisco.

Grace Cathedral is an Episcopal church at the top of Nob Hill and has been prominently featured in many movies. I recall a scene from Bullitt on the steps of the cathedral. There is also a popular labyrinth there that people walk. Many years ago, I remember going there on Xmas Eve and walking it. I have never seen a film there so I don't know where it will screen. The films will screen in "The Nave of the Cathedral." I had to look up what nave meant. The nave is the central approach to the high altar. I don't think I've ever seen a film in a church.

$20 for a movie ticket is a little pricey but I can ride the cable car up Nob Hill to get to Grace. I like to stand on the running board, lean out slightly and feel the wind in my space. I'm like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic.

San Francisco Silent Film Festival Winter Event

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival has posted the program for their 4th Annual Winter Event. They will screen four programs on Saturday, February 14 at the Castro Theater.

The films are Our Hospitality (1923) starring Buster Keaton, A Kiss From Mary Pickford (1927) - a Russian slapstick about a theater usher that meets Mary Pickford, Sunrise (1927) directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Janet Gaynor and The Cat and The Canary (1927).

Several months ago, I read that this event would feature Bardelys the Magnificent. Apparently, that fell through or perhaps they decided to save it for their 3 day festival in July.

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The Mechanics' Institute released their January and February CinemaLit schedule. The January theme is Pre-[Hays] Code Gloss and Grit. The films are Night Nurse directed by William Wellman, Blonde Venus directed by von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Three on a Match and Twentieth Century. I caught Night Nurse in 2006 at the Balboa when it was still a rep house. They had a Barbara Stanwyck Pre-Code Double Feature. I miss the Balboa's rep house programming.

The February theme is Paul Newman: Ol' Blue-Eyes is Back. The films are Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Rachel, Rachel and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.

I've seen most of these films. I joined the Mechanics' Institute thinking I would see a number of CinemaLit films. However, 8 months have transpired and I have yet to attend one.

The CinemaLit series is held on Fridays at 6:30 PM at 57 Post. Members are free and non-members are asked to donate $10. RSVP is required. Check website for more details.

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It's clear to me that mid-January to late February will be a very busy period for me if I see all the films I want to see. Starting with the three programs at Berlin and Beyond on January 19, I could easily have access and desire to 50 films in 6 weeks. Noir City runs from January 23 to February 1 and four days later, SF Indiefest begins on February 5. Indiefest continues until February 19. The von Sternberg program is from January 15 to Feburary 22. The Pulp Writers program at the PFA will be from February 13 to 28. The aforementioned Silent Film event is on February 14. The nine hour The Human Condition screen on February 15.

Conservative estimate of films to be viewed: Berlin and Beyond (3), Noir City (18), Indiefest (20), von Sterberg (10), Pulp Writers (6), Silent Film event (3), and The Human Condition (3). That adds up to 43 but once I buy a festival pass, I'm relentless in making it a cost effective choice.

I might have to jetison Indiefest from my schedule to keep my sanity. I say that but when I read the program guide, I'll undoubtedly have a change of heart if there are any films that look decent.

Movie Marathon Man and PFA 2009 Schedule

My 36 day marathon ended last night. The final tally was 34 films in 36 days.

Original Film List
The Exiles - American Indian Film Festival
Hounddog - at the Roxie
A Throw of Dice - Third I
Maqbool - Third I
Om Shanti Om - Third I
Hell's Ground - Third I
The Glow of White Women - Third I
Slumdog Millionaire - Third I
The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness - Cinema Japan
Vengeance Is Mine - Cinema Japan
The Passion of Joan of Arc - at the Castro
Shanghai Red - Chinese American Film Festival
Sparrow - Chinese American Film Festival
Gun of Mercy - Chinese American Film Festival
Ganglamedo - Chinese American Film Festival
Lola Montès - at the Castro
Vera Cruz - Robert Aldrich
The Last Sunset - Robert Aldrich
The Show Must Go On - Korean American Film Festival
Secret Sunshine - Korean American Film Festival
The Ceremony - Cinema Japan
The Big Knife - Robert Aldrich
Boy - Cinema Japan
Attack! - Robert Aldrich
Black Rain - Cinema Japan
Onibaba - Cinema Japan
The Garment Jungle - Robert Aldrich
The Killing of Sister George - Robert Aldrich
Tokyo Drifter - Cinema Japan
Violence at Noon - Cinema Japan
Ulzana’s Raid - Robert Aldrich
A Last Note - Cinema Japan
Where Spring Comes Late - Cinema Japan
Twilight’s Last Gleaming - Robert Aldrich
Intentions of Murder - Cinema Japan
Quantum of Solace

Substitute Films
The Times of Harvey Milk - Roxie
Appaloosa
Ashes of Time Redux
I Can't Think Straight - Roxie
Happy-Go-Lucky - Roxie

I'll write more about some of the individual films. Briefly, I was greatly impressed by the Cinema Japan series at the PFA. Robert Aldrich's films were more hit and miss.

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As if on cue, PFA released their early 2009 program on their website within the last 24 hours.

The von Sternberg program I'm looking forward to is called Josef von Sternberg: Eros and Abstraction. Sixteen films run from January 15 to February 22. Several of the films are silents with Judith Rosenberg providing piano accompaniment.

January 15 - Underworld
January 18 - The Last Command
January 20 - Children of Divorce
January 24 - The Docks of New York
January 31 - Thunderbolt
February 1 - The Blue Angel
February 6 - Morocco
February 7 - An American Tragedy
February 7 - Dishonored
February 8 - The Salvation Hunters
February 12 - Shanghai Express
February 12 - Blonde Venus
February 14 - The Scarlet Empress
February 20 - The Devil Is a Woman
February 20 - Crime and Punishment
February 22 - The Saga of Anatahan

The films screening from January 24 to February 14 conflict with either Noir City or SF Indiefest. I'll have to examine the schedules more closely if I can accommodate them.

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Speaking of Noir City, PFA has a program sure to appeal to Noirist like me. One-Two Punch: Pulp Writers on Film screens 8 films from February 13 to 28.

Crack-Up
The Kill-Off
Miami Blues
Black Angel
Phantom Lady
Série noire
Screaming Mimi
The Woman Chaser

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Another PFA event is Masaki Kobayashi’s The Human Condition, "a nine-hour epic about Japan’s occupation of China during the Second World War." The program consists of three films screening on February 15.

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On Wednesdays during the spring semester at Cal, PFA is showing Film 50, "an undergraduate course designed for non–film majors [which will be] open to the public as space permits." The films start at 3 PM so I won't be able to attend many (any?) of them.

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The Roxie is offering $5 admission for all films on Mondays for an indefinite time. That's cheaper than their Roxie Pass price.

Baby has been extended at the 4 Star until Wednesday, December 24.

Tickets for Berlin and Beyond can be purchased at the Goethe Institute at 530 Bush St. (near the Chinatown arch). You can avoid the ticket processing fee (I hate processing fees and/or I'm a cheap bastard) by purchasing at Goethe. In addition, they only charged me $8 for my ticket ($10 is the listed price). I don't know if that was a mistake or an in-person discount. I didn't realize it until I checked the program guide and noticed the regular program price. The Goethe is interesting - there are a bunch of Aryan looking, German speaking people working there. Situated at the edge of Chinatown, it must make for amusing cultural contrasts and misunderstandings at certain times. I can imagine a German speaking person trying to order Americanized Chinese food in English from a Cantonese speaking restaurant worker in Chinatown.

Closing in on 36 and The Candy Snatchers

I'm going into the home stretch of my 36 day death march. The films I have seen since November 12 (which seems like a lifetime ago):

The Exiles - American Indian Film Festival
Hounddog - at the Roxie
A Throw of Dice - Third I
Maqbool - Third I
Om Shanti Om - Third I
Hell's Ground - Third I
The Glow of White Women - Third I
Slumdog Millionaire - Third I
The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness - Cinema Japan
Vengeance Is Mine - Cinema Japan
The Passion of Joan of Arc - at the Castro
Shanghai Red - Chinese American Film Festival
Sparrow - Chinese American Film Festival
Gun of Mercy - Chinese American Film Festival
Ganglamedo - Chinese American Film Festival
Lola Montès - at the Castro
Vera Cruz - Robert Aldrich
The Last Sunset - Robert Aldrich
The Show Must Go On - Korean American Film Festival
Secret Sunshine - Korean American Film Festival
The Ceremony - Cinema Japan
The Big Knife - Robert Aldrich
Boy - Cinema Japan
Attack! - Robert Aldrich
Black Rain - Cinema Japan
Onibaba - Cinema Japan
The Garment Jungle - Robert Aldrich
The Killing of Sister George - Robert Aldrich
Tokyo Drifter - Cinema Japan
Violence at Noon - Cinema Japan

I attended holiday parties on December 10 & 11. The Garment Jungle and The Killing of Sister George was a double feature on the night of the 11th. I left the party early on December 11 to get to PFA to see The Garment Jungle. The Killing of Sister George runs 2 hours, 2 minutes and was the second half of the double bill. I was already dragging after staying out late on the 10th. I passed on The Killing of Sister George since seeing it would mean I would get home between 12:30 and 1:00 AM and then have to get up for work the next morning.

Day 36 is Wednesday, December 17. I've seen 24 films on the list, missed 6 and have 5 more to go. That adds to 35 and I planned on seeing Quantum of Solace to average one a day. Like all good plans, this one had to adapt. I added the following three films as substitute films.

The Times of Harvey Milk
Appaloosa
Ashes of Time Redux
I Can't Think Straight

I plan on seeing Happy-Go-Lucky at the Roxie on Monday, December 15.

I want to see Baby at the 4 Star Theater before it ends on December 18. However, I have one or two films planned from today to December 17 and December 18 is Day 37. I could see three films tomorrow and squeeze Baby in December 15 but that would mean three films in a 7 hour period including a BART ride from Berkeley to the Mission District. I'm worn out so I may call it quits at 34 films in 36 days and see Baby on Day 37.

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Speaking of Baby, some quick research shows that it screened at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (March 2007). However, IMDB lists it as a 2008 film.

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For the record, when I went to find my DVD of Dr. Zee's Chasing the Dragon, I discovered it was Combat Mortal. I didn't get to the 4 Star to see his trilogy as that would mean leaving my Xmas party earlier and staying out later than I did on the 11th.

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The Castro released most of their January calendar on-line. Berlin and Beyond and Noir City dominate the month. One program I hadn't notice before was MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS (the i's are always lower case) presentation of Broken Homes For The Holidays on January 9. This triple feature includes Watcher in the Woods and Stand By Me. It's the third feature (the midnight show - technically 11:45) that interest me. It's called The Candy Snatchers and the program states they will be screening the "RARE original grindhouse 35mm print." Released in the 1973, this film is featured in badmovieplanet.com as "an unrelentingly bleak morality play" and "the movie reminds me of, those old hard nose detective shows from the '70s like...an episode of Starsky & Hutch gone horribly, horribly wrong." It's sound like my kind of movie. Read the full synopsis (with spoilers).

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Being a creature of habit, I keep going to the same restaurants when I am near a theater since spending hours at a theater leaves little time to cook. The three theaters I go to most ofter are the Roxie, the Castro and PFA. When I go to the Roxie, I frequently get a Falafel or Falafel Deluxe from Truly Mediterranean. When I go to PFA, I get a Persian Burger (i.e. lamb) at Bongo Burger. When I go to the Castro, I stop by Orphan Andy's on 17th which is an old-timey, 24 hour diner (breakfast served all day). It's old time decor not the staff and clientele which run queer given the neighborhood. Actually, the last time I was there was the first time I have seen a female waitress there. I'm partial to the Chicken Fried Steak, omelettes and Club Sandwich.

Bank Robbers, Dietrich & von Sternberg

I surfed the Berlin and Beyond website a little more and found the 2009 Festival site. The full schedule is listed.

I didn't find much that interested me. Fortunately, the two (possibly three) programs I'm interested in are on the same day and back to back (to back). On Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), they are screening The Blue Angel at the Castro. The 1930 film was directed by Josef von Sternberg and starred Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings. This screening is the English version of the film. The footnote paragraph states "the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley will screen the original German version of Der Blaue Engel on February 1 at 2pm as part of the Joseph [sic] von Sternberg retrospective."

That's exciting as von Sternberg has become one of my favorite directors. Having seen some of his more well known films (Shanghai Express, The Scarlet Empress and The Shanghai Gesture) I'm anxious to see some of his other films. I've come to put great faith in PFA's programming.

The second film in the festival that interests me is called 12 Winters. It screens immediately after The Blue Angel. I don't recognize the director or any of the stars of this 2008 German film. The synopsis is what caught my attention. It sounds like modern film noir.

Based on one of the most spectacular series of bank robberies in Germany, 12 Winters tells the story of Klaus (Axel Prahl) and Mike (Jürgen Vogel), two criminals that become friends in prison. When they happen to meet each other again after they have been released they begin to plan the perfect bank robbery, and it seem to work. For twelve years the two keep on robbing banks, always in winter. They work fast, very professional, and concentrate on rural areas. Well arranged hold ups soon becomes their trademark. The police are in the dark for years. But they won’t stick to their guns...

The third film which is mildly interesting is Hollywood Speaks German which precedes The Blue Angel.

Since I'm lazy today, I'll just copy the synopsis from the film program.

By 1929, new technologies made “talkies” possible, but dubbing films into another language proved to be a still insurmountable technological challenge. To make films available to a wider audience, the only feasible option was to reshoot different language versions. From 1930 through 1932, all major Hollywood studios shot films in German. Famous German actors such as Heinrich George, Paul Morgan, and Camilla Horn came to shoot on location in Hollywood, and many German-speaking actors already in Hollywood were often chosen, such as Greta Garbo, Edward G. Robinson, and Marion Lessing. A number of famous American actors, such as Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and Buster Keaton were required to learn German phonetics. Parallel to this development, many German actors were filmed speaking English, as evidenced by this year’s Berlin & Beyond’s classic feature The Blue Angel.

The schedule for January 19 is:

3:30 Hollywood Speaks German
6:30 The Blue Angel
9:00 12 Winters

I'm off work that day so I could catch the 3:30 screening. I'll play it by ear.

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Before I forget, David Thomson introduced Attack! on Saturday at PFA. The opening credits listed the film as Attack so I'm not sure how the exclamation point got in the title or program.

Thomson wrote the 1000 page ("magnun opus") Biographical Dictionary of Film in 1975. Now, he has a new book out; it's called 'Have You Seen ...?' (1007 pages). It's received good reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle. The book consists of 500 word essays on 1000 films. That means you can fit 1000 words on one page? He was selling autographed copies at PFA on Saturday.

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I've already scoped out Berlin and Beyond (January 15 to 21) and Noir City (January 23 to February 1). The festival after that is the San Francisco Independent Film Festival (aka SF Indiefest) from February 5 to 19. I haven't seen anything about their program. I did notice that Bird's Nest which was the first film I saw at this year's DocFest is on the Belin and Beyond program. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it though. The documentary is about the architects that designed the Bird's Nest Stadium in Bejing. I characterized the film as "Not a Bad Way to Kill an Hour or Two."

36 is Getting Kind of Old

I keep working my way down my goal of 36 films in 36 days. I'm not quite as burnt out as I am from some film festivals but I'm dragging a little.

The Exiles - American Indian Film Festival
Hounddog - at the Roxie
A Throw of Dice - Third I
Maqbool - Third I
Om Shanti Om - Third I
Hell's Ground - Third I
The Glow of White Women - Third I
Slumdog Millionaire - Third I
The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness - Cinema Japan
Vengeance Is Mine - Cinema Japan
The Passion of Joan of Arc - at the Castro
Shanghai Red - Chinese American Film Festival
Sparrow - Chinese American Film Festival
Gun of Mercy - Chinese American Film Festival
Ganglamedo - Chinese American Film Festival
Lola Montès - at the Castro
Vera Cruz - Robert Aldrich
The Last Sunset - Robert Aldrich
The Show Must Go On - Korean American Film Festival
Secret Sunshine - Korean American Film Festival
The Ceremony - Cinema Japan
The Big Knife - Robert Aldrich
Boy - Cinema Japan
Attack! - Robert Aldrich
Black Rain - Cinema Japan
Onibaba - Cinema Japan

I missed The Big Knife on December 4. I had planned on going to PFA five days in a row but decided that was too much so I went 4 out of 5 days. The The Big Knife, which had mixed reviews, was the casualty.

I was able to add two films to replace the five I have missed so far. While visiting my father in Las Vegas, we saw Appaloosa and Kar Wai Wong's Ashes of Time Redux. That puts me up to 23 films with 10 films left on my list.

My Roxie pass expires on December 16 and I have two films left. It's a use it or lose it scenario. I've decided to see I Can't Think Straight before December 11 (probably tomorrow night) and Happy-Go-Lucky between December 12 and 16. If I can see those two films, I'll be at 35 (assuming I see all 10 films mentioned in the previous paragraph). Maybe I'll go see Milk at the Castro to get me to 36.

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A woman (whose name I did not catch) introduced Boy at PFA last week. Boy was a 1969 film by Nagisa Oshima. I'll have to write more about the film later. Anyway, she mentioned that there will be an Oshima retrospective at PFA next year. I thnk she said February to March.

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The 4 Star Theater has some interesting stuff coming up. On December 11, they are screening a Dr. Zee Trilogy. If you don't know who Dr. Zee is, join the club. Last year, while waiting for a film to start at the Asian American Film Festival at the Castro, a man approached me and gave me a DVD. The film was Chasing the Dragon. When he told me the title, I thought he was referring to a Dominic Stansberry novel by the same name. I had read a good review of the novel so I thought maybe they had made a film. I was informed that the film was a martial arts film starring Dr. Zee. I politely accepted the man's DVD and it's sitting at the bottom of my closet as I write.

While surfing the 4 Star website, I come across a one night, triple feature called Dr. Zee's Trilogy. The films are Combat Mortal, Martial Medicine Man and Chasing the Dragon. I can't find any of those films on IMDB. I can find Mortal Kombat. Typically, I'd take a flyer but on the 11th, PFA is having an Aldrich double feature - The Garment Jungle and The Killing of Sister George. Dr. Zee's film may be hidden gems or just plain crap. I'll have to dig out Chasing the Dragon and watch it (on my PC since I don't have a DVD player). If it's any good, I may substitute Aldrich with Zee (A to Z).

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From December 12 to 18, 4 Star has the exclusive San Francisco engagement of Baby. I'll just copy the synopsis from the 4 Star website.

Baby is the tragic tale of an Asian youth trapped in the world of East Los Angeles gang life. Our story winds through the streets of Monterey Park and Alhambra and the seedy, dead end worlds of hostess bars, pool halls and drug dens. Baby is a motherless, poverty stricken teenager with only an alcoholic father left to raise him. Things get worse when he gets mixed up with a pack of older gangsters who live next door. At the age of eleven he gets convicted of manslaughter and spends the next six years in Juvenile Hall. Once released from prison, Baby struggles to fit into a society that rejects him. He soon finds his way back to a lifestyle of drugs, murder and street gangs. A lost love and a best friend are his last hopes to turn his life around before it is too late.

It sounds interesting to me...kind of like an Asian American Boyz n the Hood.

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Noir City released their full schedule for Noir City 7 (January 23 — February 1, 2009 at the Castro). Arlene Dahl will be appearing in person. The theme "Newspaper Noir, with many of the films set in the world of newspapers, or, in some cases, publishing or radio."

The line-up is:

Deadline USA
Scandal Sheet
Blind Spot
Chicago Deadline
Wicked As They Come
Slightly Scarlet
Cry of the Hunted
Ace in the Hole
Alias Nick Beal
Night Editor
The Harder They Fall
Johnny Stool Pigeon
While the City Sleeps
Shakedown
The Big Clock
Strange Triangle
The Unsuspected
Desperate
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Two O'Clock Courage
The Killers
Sweet Smell of Success

I haven't had a chance to study the program well but I've seen
Sweet Smell of Success many times (it just played at the Castro last month). It stars Burt Lancaster (with horn rimmed glasses and doing a Walter Winchell impersonation) and Tony Curtis. Several scenes were filmed in Toots Shor. I can highly recommend it. The Killers was based on a Hemingway short story (a Nick Adams story). I've seen it many times as well.

While the City Sleeps and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt were directed by Fritz Lang. Ace in the Hole was directed by Billy Wilder and stars Kirk Douglas. Deadline USA stars Humphrey Bogart. According to the program guide, 16 of the 22 films are not available on DVD. $100 for the Festival Pass.

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The Red Vic is showing Ashes of Time Redux on January 9 and 10. On the 8th, it's showing Kar Wai Wong's Fallen Angels which has achieved high regard by film critics. On January 11, Jackie Chan's kung fu cult classic The Legend of Druken Master is playing at midnight (1 minute after 11:59 PM on Saturday, January 10).

The Red Vic is also showing two French New Wave films in January. Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre Sa Vie with Anna Karina which I missed at this autumn's Godard Retrospective at PFA.

Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars which I've heard about for years but never seen is getting a two day run (January 20 & 21). Finally, Donnie Darko (one of my favorites) gets a three day run (January 23 to 25) - both Gyllenhaals, Echo and Bunnymen soundtrack, evil bunny rabbit, Drew Barrymore teaching English and temporal bending involving a jet engine.

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I can't find a program guide for Berlin and Beyond (January 15 to 21) at the Castro. I've never been to that festival; for some reason modern German cinema doesn't appeal to me. A few years ago, I wanted to see Downfall (Der Untergang) with Bruno Ganz as Adolph Hitler. It opened or closed Berlin and Beyond that year but I was too cheap to pay the higher ticket price. That film later got a limited theatrical release so I was able to see it. As I mentioned previously, they are screening The Blue Angel this year. Maybe I'll swing by the Castro to see if they have hard copies of the program guide available.