Biopics: Blithe and biting

Mark Rylance in The Phantom of the Open. Photo credit Nick Wall. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Two 20th-century sons of England, separated by class and circumstance, make for two wildly different new movies. The contrast between the lives of Maurice Flitcroft and Siegfried ... Read More

What’s the secret sauce to this diet-busting joint? Photo: trent_garverick/Pixabay

Coastal Commuter

The lingering guilt of the fast food fix

By Michael Snyder

Desperation can make ordinary people do extraordinary things. And if you’re desperate for something to eat, you might sate your hunger any way you can. Even if you’re supe... Read More

Outside the San Francisco Music Hall of Fame. Photo: San Francisco Music Hall of Fame

Pop Culture

They built Music City on rock ’n’ roll

By Michael Snyder

While traditionally looked upon as a month so merry that it often commences with maidens dancing around a pole, this particular May marks a celebration in our city that should als... Read More

Flowers in bloom have given our columnist a heady case of spring fever. Photo: Image by Hands off my tags! Michael Gaida/Pixabay

Coastal Commuter

Springing forward

By Michael Snyder

I have spring fever. I’m almost certain of it. Sure, it could be a variant. There’s some sneezing involved. But that means it could also be allergies. In fact, it̵... Read More

Joe Cole in The Ipcress File. Photo: Courtesy AMC NETWORKS

Television

A revised ‘File’ worth investigating

By Michael Snyder

The latest batch of sequels and prequels and remakes have reached screens big and small, as the movie and television industries continue to eagerly finance the tried and true — ... Read More

The historic Castro Theatre will soon be more music palace than film paradise. Photo: Arnaudh-French Wikipedia.

Coastal Commuter

The cinema vanishes

By Michael Snyder

From all indications, discerning San Francisco movie lovers were less than pleased by the recent news that the venerable and elegant Castro Theatre was being sold to the Bay Area ... Read More

Films

Mostly British Film Festival is back in vogue

By Michael Snyder

Cheerio! Pip-pip! Huzzah! Those joyous expletives may be more than a little out of date in England, but they merit revival in San Francisco this month. The Mostly British Film Fes... Read More

Ibrahim Koma, David Tennant and Leonie Benesch star in PBS's Around the World in Eighty Days. Photo: Courtesy of © Slim 80 Days - Federation Entertainment - Peu Communications - ZDF - Be-FILMS - RTBF (Télévision belge)– 2021 / PBS.org

Television

Globetrotting adventurers and cold cases heat up the video hearth

By Michael Snyder

We’re in the middle of a perfect winter storm when it comes to the entertainment industry. Television viewing habits irrevocably changed with the expansion and proliferation of ... Read More

Sometimes one plus one equals love, but sometimes it’s the sum of misery, Photo: pixel2013/Pixabay

Coastal Commuter

Obsess at your own risk

By Michael Snyder

Every time I see or hear the word “obsession,” I think about one of three things: the Calvin Klein fragrance for discerning women and men; the gritty, lurid early-care... Read More

Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza. Photo: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc.

Films

Corralling the best movies of 2021

By Michael Snyder

If action-heavy blockbusters are all that’s keeping theaters on life support, it’s a good thing to also have art houses, video-on-demand, and streaming services providing acce... Read More

Stormy weather, keeps rainin' all the time . . . Image: cromaconceptovisual/Pixabay

Coastal Commuter

Whither the Weather

By Michael Snyder

Everybody talks about the weather, but it feels like the only people who do anything about it are James Bond villains who want to control all meteorological phenomena and blackmai... Read More

It’s time to get your Glögg on and start celebrating, Photo: Lovini/Pixabay

Coastal Commuter

Holiday cheers to the extreme

By Michael Snyder

If I had to venture a guess about the extent of alcohol consumption in the United States between late November and early January, I’d call it… considerable. How consid... Read More

Adam Driver and Lady Gaga star in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci. photo: Fabio Lovino © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Films

Stellar star turns bring real to reel

Recent docudramas and biopics offer impressive performances

By Michael Snyder

It may seem like every other movie released lately is based on a true story, and that perception is not too far off. Even if the industry has become over reliant on such adaptatio... Read More

Brian Cox and Sarah Snook in Succession. Photo: Hunter Graeme/HBO; courtesy Warner media

Television

Brawl in the family

Family sitcoms have come a long way since Ozzie and Harriet

By Michael Snyder

There’s a certain synchronicity to having the third season of Succession, the scathing satire of an obscenely wealthy clan headed by a domineering media mogul, roll out on HBO a... Read More

The day before Thanksgiving, the parade floats are inflated, Photo: Rhododendrites

Coastal Commuter

‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving

By Michael Snyder

For all the fuss we Americans make over Thanksgiving with its mandatory knee-jerk-cozy gatherings around a stuffed bird and side dishes of questionable taste and nutritional value... Read More

Michael Snyder