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50-629: The 25th annual festival was held from May 5 to May 11, 2021 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco . The 16th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival was held at the Castro Theatre July 14–17, 2011, featuring 18 programs of films and presentations, all with live accompaniment by the foremost silent film musicians in the world. The festival opened with the new restoration of Upstream (1927) directed by John Ford . It

100-492: A Godzilla -like robot version of Barbra Streisand . Maltin voiced himself in the Freakazoid! episode "Island of Dr. Mystico", in which the titular villain, Dr. Mystico, abducted him to make use of his film knowledge. Maltin was one of the few people to appear as a "guest star" on Mystery Science Theater 3000 during its original run; during a Season Nine episode, he joins Pearl Forrester in torturing Mike Nelson and

150-600: A City-recognized organization devoted to preserving and promoting the intangible LGBTQ cultural heritage of the Castro District; and the Friends of the Castro Theatre Coalition, an unincorporated association of community organizations and individuals. The organ was originally a Robert Morton, but it was removed in 1962. The Wurlitzer that became a symbol of the theatre was added in the 1980s, but

200-909: A film festival called MaltinFest at the Egyptian Theater that spanned three days. Special guests included Laura Dern and Alexander Payne . Since 2018, Maltin has served on the advisory board for Legion M . In 2022, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as part of the Member at Large branch. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide has been praised by comedian Patton Oswalt who described it as "A paperback Kubrickian monolith of one man's massive and far-reaching tastes." Other admirers include Noah Baumbach , Alexander Payne , and Billy Bob Thornton . In The Simpsons episode " A Star Is Burns ", Marge says: "Did you know there are over 600 critics on TV and Leonard Maltin

250-517: A friend of hers at publisher New American Library who was looking for someone to edit a film guide and in September 1969, at age 18, Maltin edited his first book, TV Movies , a compendium of synopses and reviews, with the subtitle, "Everything You Want To Know About More than 8,000 Movies Now Being Shown on TV". In subsequent years, the book was regularly updated and then annually updated from October 1987 until September 2014, each edition having

300-746: A historic movie palace in the Castro District of San Francisco, California. The venue became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window surmounted by a scrolling pediment framing a niche —to the basilica of Mission Dolores nearby. Its designer, Timothy L. Pflueger , also designed Oakland 's Paramount Theater and other movie theaters in California during that period. The theater has more than 1,400 seats (approx. 800 downstairs and 600 in

350-592: A lawyer and immigration judge, as part of a Jewish family, and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey . Maltin began his writing career at age 10, with a weekly magazine called The Bergen Bulletin . At 13, he started writing for the Pennsylvania-based 8mm Collector , with a column called Research Unlimited, where he answered film questions. He began writing a monthly column for a Canadian publication, Film Fan Monthly , edited by Daryl Davy, dedicated to films from

400-765: A student at The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation, George Eastman House in Rochester, New York . The recipient of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival Preservation Fellowship works on restoring a short film from the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection , and then screens the preserved film at the San Francisco festival. Over the years, many people active in the film industry during

450-529: A three-word movie review on Entertainment Tonight for that year's horror film spoof, Transylvania 6-5000 . The review begins with a silent Maltin swaying to a recording of the Glenn Miller Orchestra playing "Pennsylvania 6-5000", the instrumental melody interrupted by the sound of a telephone ringing (part of the original recording), after which the band chants the title of the song. In his review, Maltin timed it so that his review began with

500-628: Is an American film critic , film historian , and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews , Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide , published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film critic on Entertainment Tonight from 1982 to 2010. He currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies . He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association , and votes for films to be selected for

550-544: Is named for her). In July 2018, Maltin announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease three and a half years prior. In 1998, Maltin settled a libel suit brought by former child star Billy Gray , of Father Knows Best fame, whom Maltin identified in his review of the film Dusty and Sweets McGee as a real-life drug addict and dealer. The statement had appeared in print in Maltin's annual movie guide for nearly 25 years before Maltin publicly apologized for

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600-494: Is the best looking of them all?" Lisa replies "Ewwww!" In the 1995 video release of the original Star Wars trilogy, there was an interview with George Lucas conducted by Maltin before the start of the films. Maltin is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's shortest movie review; his two-star review of the 1948 musical Isn't It Romantic? consists of the word "No". Maltin voices himself in

650-562: The Mad magazine parody of Gremlins 2 , in which he protests being eaten as Roger Ebert gives a worse review of the film, only for the Gremlins to remark they are waiting until Thanksgiving to find Ebert, as "he will feed a family of 15!". Maltin was parodied in the South Park episode " Mecha-Streisand " (1998) where he (voiced by Trey Parker ), Sidney Poitier , and Robert Smith fight

700-736: The Castro Street Station on the Muni Metro subway. The new Castro Theatre opened on June 22, 1922, for an invitation-only screening, with Mayor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph in attendance, of the Paramount Pictures release Across the Continent (1922), starring Wallace Reid . The new Castro Theatre opened the following day to the general public. The Nasser brothers, who built the theatre and whose family members still own it, also owned several other movie houses in

750-564: The Marcel L'Herbier film L'Argent and three short films by Charlie Chaplin : The Rink , The Adventurer , and The Pawn Shop . The Silent Film Festival includes a focus on film preservation . Each year the festival includes a free program titled "Amazing Tales From the Archives," during which film archivists screen and discuss rare and newly restored films and fragments. The festival also offers an annual Film Preservation Fellowship to

800-517: The Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello . Maltin wrote program guides for the newly created Showtime network and went on to publish articles in a variety of film journals, newspapers, and magazines, including Variety and TV Guide . In the 1970s Maltin also reviewed recordings in the jazz magazine Downbeat . Maltin served as the film critic for Playboy for six years based on Roger Ebert 's suggestion. He has also wrote Behind

850-659: The National Film Registry . He has written books on animation and the history of film. He has also hosted numerous specials and provided commentary for several films. In 2021, he released his memoir, Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood . He received the Robert Osborne Award from Turner Classic Movies in 2022. Maltin was born in New York City, the son of singer Jacqueline ( née Gould; 1923–2012) and Aaron Isaac Maltin (1915–2002),

900-606: The Oakland East Bay Symphony . The film's famous triptych sequences was shown in full Polyvision , with three simultaneous projectors and a 70-foot screen. Napoleon had not been screened theatrically in the U.S. with a live orchestra for nearly 30 years. In 2006, the festival added a one-day "Winter Event". On February 14, 2009, the 4th Winter Event presented the rarely seen A Kiss From Mary Pickford (1927) along with three other silent feature films . The 6th Annual Winter Event on February 12, 2011 featured

950-976: The San Francisco International Film Festival , Frameline : the SF International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Noir City: The Film Noir Festival, the SF International Asian American Film Festival, the SF International South Asian Film Festival, Berlin and Beyond: German Film Festival , the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival , SF Indiefest, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival , Midnites For Maniacs, and

1000-709: The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California . In 1990, he took a look at the MGM years of The Three Stooges in a film called The Lost Stooges , available on a made-to-order DVD through the Warner Archive Collection . Maltin left Entertainment Tonight in 2010. His final appearance on the show as a regular correspondent was on July 19, 2010. He also wrote the introduction for The Complete Peanuts: 1983–1984 . In 1985, he delivered

1050-410: The 16 ranks that were meant to be installed proved too complex and expensive to restore. The size was meant to achieve a near-infinite tonal palette, and in addition to organ tone, the sixth manual is capable of controlling a virtual orchestra, with technology provided by Audio Impressions. The bottom manual was extended to 88 notes to be able to play a full compass piano. Despite the larger instrument,

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1100-693: The 1980s and 1990s, Maltin served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute . In the mid-1990s, Maltin became the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and is on the advisory board of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. For nearly a decade, Maltin was also on the faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York City . As of 2018, Maltin teaches in

1150-483: The 2016 BoJack Horseman episode "Brrap Brrap Pew Pew" where the titular character attends the Leonard Maltin Awards. The episode features two references to Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide on a cocktail menu that lists two of its items as "Isn't it Rum and Coke ? No" (a reference to Maltin's infamous review of Isn't It Romantic? ) and "Jaeger BOMB," with the second word stylized in the same manner as

1200-443: The 25 worst. He also wrote for Classic Images . He created a film society at Teaneck High School and graduated in 1968. Maltin later earned a journalism degree at New York University . While at New York University, Maltin became film critic and associate editor for the university's Washington Square Journal , as well as continuing to edit Film Fan Monthly . An English teacher at Teaneck High School suggested that Maltin meet

1250-729: The Camera , a study of cinematography published in 1971. Starting on May 29, 1982, Maltin was the film reviewer on the syndicated television series Entertainment Tonight for 30 years. He praised the Tournee of Animation (alongside the Los Angeles International Animation Celebration ) on the show at one point or another. He also appeared on the Starz cable network, and hosted his own syndicated radio program, Leonard Maltin on Video , as well as

1300-538: The Castro Theater from Bay Properties, the theater's owner, to reopen in January 2023, refocusing on presenting live music, in addition to film, comedy, and other events. APE also announced plans to update the theater by implementing significant improvements to the sound, lighting, production, HVAC, and the theatre's trademark marquee. APE's management of the space raised questions about the hosting of movies at

1350-613: The National Film Board of Canada . Comedian Doug Benson 's podcast Doug Loves Movies features a segment called the Leonard Maltin Game, in which the guest must guess the name of a film based on a subset of the cast list in reverse order and a few intentionally vague clues from the capsule review of the film from Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide . Maltin appeared on the podcast in February 2010 and played

1400-596: The San Francisco area. The interior is luxurious and ornate, with subtly convex and concave walls and ceilings, and a dramatic "Mighty Wurlitzer " pipe organ that is played before films and events. The large neon "Castro" sign is emblematic of both the theatre and the Castro District. Until the COVID pandemic lockdown early in 2020, the Castro Theatre hosted repertory movies , film festivals , and special events, often with an LGBT and multicultural focus, such as

1450-582: The Shock It To Me! Classic Horror Film Festival. In recent years, the Castro Theatre also was the site for gala tributes to many legendary Hollywood stars including Tony Curtis , Ann-Margret , Debbie Reynolds , Mitzi Gaynor , Ann Miller , Kim Novak , Jane Russell , and Sandra Dee —many of the events produced by local impresario Marc Huestis . In January 2008, for the filming of the Gus Van Sant biopic Milk , restorations were made to

1500-449: The balcony). The Castro Theatre originally opened at 479 Castro Street in 1910. It was subsequently remodeled into a retail store (currently occupied by Cliff's Variety, since 1971) in the mid-1920s after the larger Castro Theatre was built at 429 Castro Street, its current location, only a few doors up from the original theatre. The Castro Theatre is located on Castro Street near the intersection of Market and 17th Streets, across from

1550-600: The basic stops found on a theatre organ are being maintained. The theatre portion of the instrument will reflect the 37-rank Fox Specials that were offered by Wurlitzer in the 1920s. The console of the instrument was designed with ergonomics in mind, so that every tab can be reached during a performance, while the manuals are based on a mock-up design to ensure the best ergonomics for the performer. The specifications are located here: [2] Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950)

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1600-471: The bots with the film Gorgo . He was also mocked on the show for giving the film Laserblast a rating of 2.5 stars. After Mike and the Bots finish watching the movie, they express amazement at the rating while Mike reads off a list of well-known films that Maltin gave similar ratings to. Maltin hosted a compilation of National Film Board of Canada animated shorts, Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites from

1650-547: The classic silent film experience by projecting custom frame rates anywhere between 12 and 30 frames per second, including the ability to speed up or slow down during a film. The Castro is capable of showing 70mm films and is one of the few theaters in the world that can show a 70mm film with separate DTS soundtrack. In January 2022, during an extended closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Berkeley -based concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment announced that it had leased

1700-592: The festival includes such noted names as Kevin Brownlow , Bruce Goldstein , Guy Maddin , Leonard Maltin , Lee Mendelson , David Shepard , Paolo Cherchi Usai, and Terry Zwigoff , as well as festival founders Melissa Chittick and Stephen Salmons. Currently, the Executive Director is Stacey Wisnia and the Artistic Director is Anita Monga. Castro Theatre The Castro Theatre is

1750-451: The following year's date. The book was later known as Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide and eventually Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide . In 2005, many films released no later than 1960 were moved into a spin-off volume, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide , to allow the regular book to cover a larger number of more recent titles. In 1970, his second book, Movie Comedy Teams , was published featuring teams such as Laurel and Hardy ,

1800-602: The game himself. He appeared on the show again in August 2010. In November 2010, Benson and Maltin played the game on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show . Maltin repeated his appearances on Doug Loves Movies in September 2011 with Jimmy Pardo and Samm Levine , in September 2012 with Chris Evans and Adam Scott and in November 2013 with Peter Segal , " Werner Herzog " and Clare Kramer . Beginning in November 2014, Maltin has hosted

1850-464: The golden age of Hollywood. In May 1966, Davy asked 15-year-old Maltin if he would take over as editor and sold the publication to him for $ 175. At the time it had a circulation of 400 in 11 countries. He expanded the circulation to 2,000 and continued to publish it until 1974. In the December 1968 issue of Esquire magazine, he wrote an article listing his 75 best movies shown on television and

1900-492: The historic configuration of the orchestra (the main floor of the auditorium) by demolishing or building over the historic raked floor and aisles to install flat terraces for standing-room music shows with optional temporary chairs. Although APE has offered various modifications to the plan since its initial proposal, none involve preserving the classic movie-palace seating. A "Save the Seats" campaign bringing together members of

1950-651: The international film community and the LGBTQ community has argued that the movie-palace seating is integral to the historic integrity of the Castro Theatre and that the venue can be run successfully without destroying the form of the orchestra which reflects its original configuration from 1922. Among the groups leading the campaign are the Castro Theatre Conservancy, an independent nonprofit; the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District,

2000-615: The lowest rating Maltin would give movies. In the South Park episode " Mecha-Streisand ", a parody of Maltin comes to the small Colorado town and transforms into a giant robot to battle a mechanised Barbra Streisand . In 2020, a Leonard Maltin board game was released called King of Movies: The Leonard Maltin Game. Maltin lives in Los Angeles. He is married to researcher and producer Alice Tlusty, and has one daughter, Jessie, who works with him (his production company, JessieFilm,

2050-480: The neon on the theater's marquee and blade sign , and the facade was repainted. The movie about the life and times of Harvey Milk , the San Francisco city Supervisor who was California's first openly gay elected official (portrayed by actor Sean Penn , who won an Academy Award for his performance), had its world premiere at the theater in November 2008. The theater can project modern digital formats such as 4K DCP with 5.1 Dolby sound and can accurately reproduce

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2100-458: The phone ringing: " Transylvania 6-5000 ... stinks!" Maltin also appeared as himself in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), playing a film critic who blasts the first Gremlins film, but is attacked by the Gremlins. This scene echoed real life, as Maltin gave the first film a bad review, finding it mean-spirited, which affected his friendship with director Joe Dante . The scene was spoofed in

2150-570: The podcast Maltin on Movies . It began on Paul Scheer 's now-defunct Wolfpop network, with comedian and actor Baron Vaughn as a co-host. The two picked a topic generally based on what was currently in theaters and discussed three other movies within that topic: one that the two both liked, one that the two disliked and one they thought was a great lesser-known film, or " sleeper ", within the category. Topics included biopics, breakthrough performances and sequels. Maltin currently co-hosts with his daughter Jessie Maltin. From 2014 to 2019, Maltin hosted

2200-685: The quarterly Treasures From the Disney Vault on Turner Classic Movies . The last scheduled "Treasures from the Disney Vault" aired on September 2, 2019. Beginning in 2016, Maltin has served as the Honorary Head Juror of the Coronado Island Film Festival . In 2020, the festival named their top award The Leonard Maltin Tribute Award . In 2019, Maltin along with his daughter Jessie Maltin created

2250-556: The silent era, such as Fay Wray and Diana Serra Cary (aka "Baby Peggy"), have appeared in person at the Festival, in addition to those such as Sydney Chaplin whose family did. Live music is presented with each film, with pianists Stephen Horne and Donald Sosin, organist Dennis James , and the ensembles Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra and the Matti Bye Ensemble among the frequent performers. The advisory committee for

2300-475: The syndicated TV show Hot Ticket with Boston film critic Joyce Kulhawik (originally E! personality and game show host Todd Newton ). Maltin also hosted a television show called Secret's Out on ReelzChannel network. He also spearheaded the creation of the Walt Disney Treasures collectible DVD line in 2001, and continued to provide creative input and host the various sets. During

2350-412: The theatre, as the local film community was anxious that the change could mean the end of the theatre's legacy as a repertory movie house. Complaints also arose over the future of the organ located there. Plans for the Castro Theatre announced by APE also have produced sustained opposition from historic preservation advocates and promoters of LGBTQ intangible cultural heritage. APE has proposed destroying

2400-677: Was Alexander Payne . On July 14, 2011, the Silent Film Festival announced their presentation, in association with American Zoetrope , The Film Preserve, Photoplay Productions , and British Film Institute , of Abel Gance 's Napoleon in March 2012 at the Paramount Theatre Oakland. The presentation features the U.S. premiere of the complete restoration by Kevin Brownlow and the U.S. premiere of Carl Davis ' orchestral score, with Davis conducting members of

2450-726: Was brought back last year to the U.S. from the New Zealand Film Archive, where it was discovered. As part of a collaboration between the Silent Film Festival and the Headlands Center for the Arts , the Matti Bye Ensemble performed three original commissioned scores to Mauritz Stiller 's The Blizzard , Herbert Ponting 's The Great White Silence , and the Closing Night Film, Victor Sjöström 's He Who Gets Slapped . The festival's Visiting Director

2500-430: Was removed in 2015 after its owner decided to move to Sacramento , taking a quarter of the pipework with him. A 3-manual Allen was used as a temporary instrument while a major new installation was being undertaken. The new instrument is considered the largest hybrid organ ever built, with 7 manuals and over 400 registers available. The organ has just 1,200 physical pipes, borrowed from a Wurlitzer/Kimball instrument, as

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