Paula FarmerFilmCA,
Although not quite done, what a year it has been! Covid-19 has left most reeling and many grieving, while the death of George Floyd in May ignited universal righteous indignation and protests, and California has been on fire, literally. ...
Emily S. MendelTheaterCA,
The little lifeboat is swiftly sent down./ Too many men too greedily/ Hold on to it as they drown. — Bertolt Brecht When Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956, “Three Penny Opera”) wrote the light and lively fable of ...
Toba SingerFilmCA,
Based on a spectacular 1965 museum robbery by two students in Mexico City, “Museo,” begins with the voice of Juan, a character played nuance by nuance by Gael García Bernal. Juan has come to the bitter, if faulty conclusion ...
Toba SingerFilmCA,
“Ernesto,” a fictionalized account of a true story, opens in Tokyo, where a team of Cubans headed by Ernesto Che Guevara, is en route to confer with the Japanese Ministry of Trade. Before the team arrives, we see Japanese economists ...
Paula FarmerFilmCA,
If you think film festivals are only about films, you’ve obviously never been to the Mill Valley Film Festival. It offers an intimate small town, yet hip community vibe, and is known for its unique mixed media entertainment, including music ...
Paula FarmerFilmCA,
Despite the devastating fires taking place just north of Marin County, where the Mill Valley Film Festival takes place, this year’s festival forged ahead to celebrate its 40th anniversary. They also made a valid point to remember their neighbors facing ...
Paula FarmerFeaturesCA,
When the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) gets underway this year on October 5th, it will mark a bit of a milestone as it will be turning the BIG 4-0. As such, special celebrations are to be expected, not least ...
Emily S. MendelTheaterCA,
It’s three-for-three — all Cal Shakes’ plays have been winners so far this summer under the new artistic direction of Eric Ting. And the brilliant “Black Odyssey” is the best of the season to date. An ingenious production in ...
African-American and Latino ethnicity added to the mix.
Emily S. MendelTheaterCA,
Written in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams (1911–1983), still wields the power to convey truth about the way in which love and need can help and hurt the American family. Standout performances by Karen Aldridge and Sean San ...
Toba SingerDanceCA,
Joanna Berman’s staging of Val Caniparoli’s “Hamlet and Ophelia” was just right. Caniparoli has a gift for perspective. He tends not to over-reach. Instead he instinctively gets when his argument has been made without talking past the deal. Moreover, ...
