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The Greatest Tastemakers
This year's Top 5 list is all about tried-and-true teams and their latest efforts in San Francisco. Go forth, foodies; you deserve it. |
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Noe Valley Newcomer
Noe Valley locals have a new dinner spot in Bistro 1689, which opened its doors in July 2006 on 1689 Church Street in the space that was the Long Island Chinese Restaurant. Joining restaurants like Incanto, Fresca, and La Ciccia as well as the new Pescheria, this 45-seat bistro is quickly making a name for itself in the neighborhood. With fresh, Bay Area ingredients prepared in a rustic, French style and a well-priced wine list, Bistro 1689 has a textbook recipe for success. |
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An Interesting Year
2006 has proved another venerable year in music. For every Paris Hilton, there was a Joanna Newsom. There were some established rockers returning after hiatuses - Cat Power and The Red Hot Chili Peppers - and some emerging bands making good - Grizzly Bear, The Knife. Whatever the case, it was interesting. And, after all, isn't that what music is really about? Here are our critics' picks on the best and, most interesting, in music from 2006. |
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2006 Edition
This year's films have had a distinctly political slant. There have been biopics on historical figures: Idi Amin, Marie Antoinette, Willie Stark (aka Governor Huey Long of Louisiana), Queen Elizabeth II. There have been international incidents: Babel, The Da Vinci Code, Casino Royale, Letters from Iwo Jima, Borat. We've experience the good with the bad, and the funny with the not so funny. With the world in turmoil, is it any wonder that our cinema would reflect some of the same? Here are our critic's picks for the best and worst films and performances from this year. |
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One of 2006's Best Films (Cuarón's Too)
Based on the 1992 bestselling novel by P.D. James and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mamá También, Great Expectations), Children of Men is the second film this year to depict a totalitarian England controlled by a military dictatorship where civil and constitutional rights are luxuries enjoyed only by political and economic elites. Like V for Vendetta, Children of Men is a cautionary tale of a dystopian future, but with Cuarón at the helm, social and political commentary doesn't overshadow an otherwise taut, gripping film. |
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A Grim Fairytale, for Adults
Writer and director Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Hellboy) brings us a magical fable that is every much as frightening as it is beautiful. Although it is not scary in the way of a horror movie but in the way of a suspenseful drama, and it is not beautiful in a superficial special effects way but in a more soulful, profound manner. It is unique in every sense of the word. |
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Norton + Watts + Maugham = Winning Combination
Based on W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel of the same name and directed by John Curran (Praise, We Don't Live Here Anymore), The Painted Veil explores concepts like love, duty, self-discovery, redemption, and the clash between cultures (East vs. West) through a historical melodrama set in 1920s China. And with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in the lead roles, breathtaking cinematography, and an evocative score, The Painted Veil is a film that's poignant and provocative in equal measure. |
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Global Garments
Too broke to buy a plane ticket for a shopping spree in Southeast Asia? You're in luck. We've picked stores that let you stock up on cool clothes and accessories from Thailand and India without going in the red. |
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