When I sat down to compile my list of the all time greatest performances by an actress in a lead role, I went through all the steps I had gone through when putting together the other acting lists.

You've probably heard old-timers talk about how movie stars aren't as good as they used to be. This is a little unfair -- plenty of fine actors are working in the movies -- but in one respect, the new stars really aren't a patch on the stars of yore.

Jean Dujardin, who won nearly every Best Actor award around the world for his portrayal of fading star George Valentin, prepared for his role by watching classic silent films and by studying silent era actors, notably Douglas Fairbanks.

The Street of Forgotten Men will be shown at Cinefest, which is set to run Thursday through Sunday. Long thought lost, this "underworld romance" has seldom been seen since its debut 87 years ago.

Just when you start believing there's no hope for anything daring and original coming out of Movieland, something gets released that surprises you. The Artist is one such movie -- and what's new about it is that it's old.

Tron: Legacy carries the legacy of the original -- it's deadly dull, self-important and besotted with its own computer graphics.

"I have always wanted to be her" is the way Rufus Wainwright puts it, referring to Louise Brooks.

Normally, I'm not one to pay much attention to student films. But recently, I came across an 11 minute work which I think is so good it transcends the category of "student" work. It's called Loving Louise Brooks.

For the last 15 years, a small group of Bay Area film enthusiasts have screened, promoted, and advocated for a defunct art form for which they are especially passionate.