|
|
|
Sort By:
 |
Restaurants
Frenetic Cal-Castro Cuisine
The Castro isn't known for subtlety, and so it goes with Frisée, a relative newcomer to the space just below The Café. The focus on healthy California eating is most evident in the lunch menu, which is packed with salads. More
|
 |
Movies
A Career-Making Performance
Sometimes when you least expect it -- when you think you have a film pegged by the synopsis, by the trailer, by a TV ad, or even by the lead actor prominently featured in the marketing campaign -- you end up completely surprised. Chaos Theory surpasses expectations, due to both its script, which expertly handles a wide range of tonal shifts, and its lead actor, Ryan Reynolds. More
|
 |
Movies
"The Shield" for the People with ADD
For his second effort as director, David Ayer (Harsh Times) decided to return to modern-day Los Angeles, police corruption and vigilante justice with Street Kings, a formulaic, convoluted, if no less action-packed, crime drama featuring a surprisingly convincing turn by Keanu Reeves (Constantine, The Matrix trilogy, Speed). Even though Ayer didn’t write Street Kings, it fits easily into his rapidly expanding oeuvre of violence-obsessed male characters confronted with conflicting loyalties and life-or-death moral dilemmas. More
|
 |
Movies
...Doing Very Stupid Things
Directed by Noam Murro and written by novelist-turned-screenwriter Mark Poirier, Smart People is a sometimes too clever, sometimes too contrived comedy/drama centered on a dysfunctional family and their many missteps as they learn, once again, that it’s love that offers the answers to all of life’s seemingly unanswerable questions.
Predictable as that sounds, Smart People benefits hugely from a talented cast adding nuance and shading to their screwed-up characters and Poirier’s often witty, insightful dialogue. More
|
 |
Music
SF Station Blows It Up
Walking into The Fillmore on Saturday night you always imagine seeing a great show and having a good time and this was one of those nights. From the first step that I took towards the stage, I knew this was going to be a show for the people with magician Justin Kredible, Bushwalla and The Makepeace Brothers and Jason gusting on all their sets. The man played like 5 hours. The fans most definitely got their dollars worth with Jason doing almost a 3hr set of his own stuff and that rocked the house. More
|
 |
Music
From Disco to Duran Duran
After guitarist Zeke Buck left the band in 2006, VHS or Beta modified its approach to recording, opting for a more calculated songwriting processes before entering the studio to record 2007’s Bring on the Comets. The result is an album that continues to stray from the group’s early dance music and French house influences for songs based more in the 80s synth-pop sheen of Durran Duran and others. The band returns to San Francisco for an April 29th show at Mezzanine. Singer/guitarist Craig Pfunder spoke with SF Station en route to a Boston tour stop. More
|
 |
Beauty
Simple Luxury
If the exorbitant weekend getaway needs to be deferred a bit—at least until after the ides of April—fear not. A relaxing escape with your sweetie or a gaggle of buddies needn’t be postponed for future prosperity or halcyon days. Excessive gourmandizing and large living aren’t good for the soul, anyhow—not when simple luxury lies just an hour north in Bodega Bay, a historical hamlet not quite off the beaten path but secluded enough for you to pretend it is. And best of all, the town’s eponymous Lodge & Spa offers a posh yet casual setting for out-of-towners intent on some affordable hedonism. More
|
 |
Restaurants
Down Under Dining Spices Up the City
One might wonder what defines New Zealand or Australian cuisine if one had never been to either place. But when I heard South was opening, with its “down under" concept, I began reminiscing about my visits to these beautiful and bountiful destinations for food and wine. I dreamt of barramundi (a delicious white fish that balances delicate flavor with meatiness), local produce, and lots of lamb and beef -- with an Asian undercurrent -- paired with delicious native wines that have quickly gained status in recent years. More
|
 |
Movies
Vines Run Amok
In the past couple years we’ve been well informed that it is simply a bad idea to be young, horny, inebriated, and abroad on vacation. Films such as Hostel and Touristas have underscored the inherent risks associated with the aforementioned. You could have your organs harvested, your eye pulled out, or simply end up with a REALLY bad hangover (and an STD). More
|
 |
Movies
The Fine Art of Losing
The world of high stakes poker is a subculture rife with eccentric personalities and the vaguely misanthropic. Not too surprisingly, it is a world that is ripe for ridicule and parodying. Writer/director Zak Penn delves deep into this world with his mockumentary comedy, The Grand. More
|
|
