50 Years Later: Vintage Newspapers from the Week Marilyn Monroe Died
Where were you when Marilyn Monroe died? I was 6. Being unable to wrap my young tongue around the name Harry, he became known as "Uncle Esh." Esh worked for an advertising firm in Chicago and it wasn't unusual for …
Film Critic Performs Live In Concert Tomorrow Night
Tomorrow night will find me peeling away yet another layer of the onion to reveal a side of myself that will no doubt surprise regular readers of this column. I'll be performing Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit in the …
Cinema en tu Idioma Kicks Off Tomorrow with Juan of the Dead
The San Diego Latino Film Festival kicks off its yearly Cinema en tu Idioma series tomorrow with director Alejandro Brugués' Cuban zombie romp, Juan of the Dead. In order to survive a massive zombie flare-up, Juan and his band of …
UCSD's ArtPower! Film Announces its 2012-2013 Series
I'll be up front with you: there's nothing that displeases me more than having to write about films I've yet to see. A film's magic should reveal itself on screen petal by petal, not in a blurb, blog post, or …
Bronx or Raging, LaMotta Sequel Sounds Like Bull
According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM will drop its lawsuit against a planned sequel to Raging Bull if the film's producers agree to publicly disassociate themselves from Marty's masterpiece. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/aug/01/28937/ All of this amounts to little more than the mamalukes …
We Still Have 3 Months Before the San Diego Asian Film Festival Opens, but...
Do not for one moment think that strolling through the lobby of UltraStar Mission Valley at Hazard Center with a SDAFF All-Festival Pass hanging around my neck doesn't make this reporter feel like hot shit. Last year's All-Festival Passes were …
Hoggish Peter Jackson Adds 9 Hours to Moviegoers Lives With Hobbit Trilogy
Peter Jackson announced that he's figured out a way to wring even more money out of his latest franchise, The Hobbit. Originally planned as a combo, The Hobbit will now be released in three parts. I don't know about you, …
Dig a Hole: Tony Martin and his Tenement Symphony
Yes, Tony Martin spent 60 of his 98 years married to Cyd Charisse. (The leggy dancer died at age 86 in 2008.) Yes, Tony Martin had an 80-year run performing in films and nightclubs and on radio and television. Yes, …
Suspicious Bag Prompts Evacuation of Dark Knight Rises Showing at AMC Mission Valley
Have you ever been involved in a movie theater bomb scare? A screening of The Birth of a Nation that I helped to arrange for a college film society in Chicago was met with threats of violence. (The caller said …
Interview: Chén Kǎigē on Sacrifice
Beijing-born Chén Kǎigē was the son of established Chinese film director, Chen Huai'ai. By all accounts it was a tumultuous relationship. In school he was forced to denounce his father. Mr. Chén later joined the People's Liberation Army while his …
Decimal System About to Get Dewier: SF Library Encourages Porn Watching
Fred Willard's good name is dragged through the mud after the funnyman is caught masturbating in a XXX Santa Monica theatre (allegedly), but in San Francisco, it's okay to watch porn at the public library. Let's take a moment to …
Watch Martin Scorsese's Latest Masterwork on The Big Screen
It's not as riveting as this, and nothing will never touch this, but Marty's latest self-directed performance, this time as a pitchman for the iPhone 4S's "intelligent personal assistant," is now officially the Best Picture of 2012! Some of His …
Oceanside International Film Festival Hosts Military-Themed Preview Party
A special military-themed preview party will take place on Saturday, August 11 to herald the upcoming Oceanside International Film Festival. The 3-hour gala, to be held at the Oceanside Library, 330 North Coast Hwy., kicks off at 1:00 pm. A …
Give Your New Car that Old Stooge Smell with the Larry Fine Air Freshener™
Hey! Hey! Drop whatever you're doing and listen up, you knuckleheads! Make your car, boat, bathroom, nursery, office, Clay Department, suite at the Hotel Costa Plente, mikvah, or home smell like a 4-foot Stooge whose hair hasn't seen water or …
Bird's Surf Shed Screens New Taylor Steele Film
Bird's Surf Shed in Linda Vista is rapidly becoming a new haven for cinema in San Diego. After the success of the first International Surf Film Festival held there in May (and the crowds they are likely to draw when …
Purists Take Note: Reason #438 to Love the Grossmont #1
We arrived 45 minutes early to beat the rush that never was. While last night's 8:30 pm screening had a decent turnout, it seems that many moviegoers have been frightened away from The Dark Knight Rises fearing a repeat of …
Homegrown (and Blown) Chompie on its Way to MD to Celebrate Shark Week
Do you know that San Diego is the birthplace of the giant inflatable industry? Admittedly, it's not like laying claim to being the home of the penicillin vaccine or pizzas delivered to your house in less than 30 minutes, but …
Dozens Dead or Wounded After Gunman Opens Fire at Colorado Premiere of Dark Knight Rises
The TV was on all night. Fox 5 in the Morning's Raul Martinez interrupted my slumber with news of a mass shooting in Colorado that took place during a midnight screening of Dark Knight Rises. My gut told me to …
Comedian Fred Willard Pulls a Pee-Wee Herman
The future of Fred Willard's participation in a Wall-E sequel rests firmly in his hand. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/19/28299/ The 78-year-old (!) character actor, comedian, and Shaker Heights, Ohio native was arrested Wednesday night after he was caught masturbating in Hollywood's Tiki Theatre …
SDMA's Annual Screen on the Green Kicks Off This Saturday Night
It’s been 13 years since I crash landed in San Diego and in that time I have yet to witness a more unexpected choice of a movie to screen outdoors, let alone in conjunction with a museum exhibition. The Invention …