Listen
Beth Accomando studied film at UCSD and had her student film Writer’s Notebook screened as part of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s "Forty-Two Emerging Artists" showcase in 1981. She has edited the sequels to The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and video documentaries on Billy Wilder and roller hockey. She is currently the President and Education Chairperson for the San Diego Film Critics Society and festival director of Film School Confidential: A Showcase of San Diego Student Filmmaking. In the past she has served on the film selection committee for the San Diego State University Student Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival and San Diego Latino Film Festival. She has been a film critic for 20 years (she began at KPBS in 1987). For the past six years she has been covering independent and international cinema for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and Public Radio International’s The World. She has received numerous Society of Professional Journalist Awards and San Diego Press Club Awards for her radio and web site work at KPBS. She has also received 11 southwestern area Emmy Awards in the categories of producing, writing and sound design for promotional spots as well as national Pro Max and Telly Awards. She has a passion for Hong Kong cinema, Japanese monster movies, horror and film noir. She collects movie posters and toys and loves putting on a haunted house for her son’s school every year.
Recent Stories
Cinema en tu Idioma Presents a Trio of IFC Films
The San Diego Latino Film Festival’s monthly screening program Cinema en tu Idioma tests the notion that you can’t have too much of a good thing by presenting a trio of Spanish language films (screening now through November 12 at the UltraStar Mission Valley Theaters) from around the globe: Spain’s “Fermat’s Room,” Colombia’s “Perro Com Perro,” and Mexico’s “Voy a Explotar.”
Film Club: Antichrist
Lars Von Trier -- the man who conceived of the "Vows of Chastity" for the filmmakers of Dogme95 -- breaks most of his rules for the new film "Antichrist" (opening November 6 at Landmark's Ken Cinema). Listen to our discussion on the KPBS Film Club.
Working on the Sound Design for This is It
Everyone knows that “This is It” (opened October 28 in select San Diego theaters) serves up the last footage of the late Michael Jackson. But while Jackson’s talent is clearly visible on the screen, you might not appreciate the work of the tech crew that had to create this film from a diverse array of sources.
White On Rice
For some films there is life after a film festival. “White on Rice” played at the recent San Diego Asian Film Festival and now it is getting a theatrical run in San Diego (opening November 6 at the Reading Gaslamp Theaters with talent from the film in attendance on November 7).
Trailer Tuesday: Pirate Radio
Well Halloween is over. (Moment of silence.) So I will now move away from horror trailers and provide something a little lighter and more fun : "Pirate Radio."
Film Club: Good Hair
"Good Hair" (playing at Edwards Rancho San Diego, AMC Mission Valley, and UA Horton Plaza) is comedian Chris Rock's attempt to answer his little daughter's question about "good hair" for African American women. Listen to our discussion on the KPBS Film Club.
Film Club: The Beaches of Agnes
The only female director of the French New Wave, Agnes Varda, takes a playful and bittersweet look back at her life in "The Beaches of Agnes" (opening at the Landmark's Ken Cinema on October 30). You can listen to our discussion of the film on the KPBS Film Club.
Werewolves Versus Vampires
If you are still pondering what to dress as for Halloween, consider vampires and werewolves. The upcoming release of “New Moon” (opening November 20), the second installment of the “Twilight Saga” looks to reignite that age-old rivalry between werewolves and vampires. But since vampires have been getting all the attention recently, I've decided to highlight some werewolf films that might win you over to the wolfen side.
All's Well That Ends Well
I have always loved the theater and cursed the fact that I don't go more often. Then I read about plays across the country and across the Atlantic and I get really jealous. But tonight at 7pm you have a chance to catch the National Theatre's production of William Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" at the Reading Gaslamp Stadium Theaters.
Film Club Of The Air: "Antichrist," "Good Hair," "Bronson," "Beaches Of Agnes," And Halloween
Is provocateur Lars von Trier's newest film the most disturbing movie of the year? Does Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" shed light on cultural standards of beauty for African-American women? Who is Agnes Varda and why is her work important? We'll answer these questions and more on our monthly Film Club of the Air. Also, stick around for some recommended horror films for your Halloween weekend.
