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Hit-and-Miss Global Small Plates in the Presidio
The Presidio, once a leafy bunker, appears to be morphing into San Francisco's new dining destination. Joining the nearby Presidio Social Club and La Terrasse, Walnut Creek's Va de Vi restaurant family opened Pres a Vi in December 2006 in Lucasfilm's Letterman Digital Arts complex, a former army hospital. Serving a hit-and-miss mix of Spanish, Filipino, French, Italian and Latin American small plates -- and a grand selection of wines -- Pres a Vi struggles to meet the high expectations inherent to its location.
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An Ohio Player
After several successful recordings that relied heavily on samples from records and other sources, indie hip-hop producer RJD2 found himself at a crossroads in his career. His cache of samples, amassed from years of collecting records, was severely depleted and he was faced with committing serious time to digging for more vinyl gems or venturing into new musical territory. He chose the latter. The result: His latest LP The Third Hand, which features live instruments and vocals (his own) on almost every track.
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SF Station Blows It Up
Oakland's Honeycut hit the stage for the private opening of San Francisco's newest venue Harlot. The mix of soul, funk, electronica and rock ruled the air once Bart and the boys hit the stage performing songs from their current album The Day I Turned to Glass. With amazing rhythm created by Tony Sevener on live MPC and Salter's unstoppable keys, Honeycut drove the partygoers to dance.
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50 Years of Celluloid Celebration
Fifty years and thousands of films later, the San Francisco International Film Festival is alive and kicking. This year's line up reflects the same kind of depth, breadth, and diversity of artistic voices that SFIFF has been known for from the very beginning. Specifically, you're looking at 200 films and industry guests expected, 54 countries represented, 75 narrative features, 33 documentary features, and the list goes on. In short, you're looking at simply the best film festival in Northern California in SFIFF 50.
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From France, A Sweetly Seductive Farce
Pierre (Daniel Auteuil) has a problem. His wife is convinced that he's cheating, with good reason; his supermodel mistress is tired of waiting for a divorce; and the paparazzi are following him all over Paris, hoping to ensnare him in a tempestuous scandal. What's a philandering tycoon to do?
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Another Philip K. Dick Misfire
Loosely based on "The Golden Man", a short story written in 1954 by Philip K. Dick, the science fiction author whose stories and novels have served as the basis for Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and Paycheck, Next takes one of Dick's simpler ideas -- limited precognition -- and turns it into a muddled, disappointing science fiction/action/thriller directed by Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day, Mulholland Falls, Once Were Warriors) with minimal attention to the demands of logic-based storytelling and starring the ubiquitous Nicholas Cage in furrowed-brow, action-hero mode.
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Tasteful Flair for Wear
The impending arrival of Mother's Day may have you scratching your head for gift ideas. You've worn out the flower arrangements and already gone the spa gift certificate route (which, by the way, never really gets old). Of course, gifts are not necessary to express regard for those near and dear to you, but a thoughtful gift may serve as a touching reminder of appreciation. If the woman in your life finds joy in distinctive style, fine art and beauty in nature, you will want to explore the jewelry of local designer and craftsman John S. Brana.
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Discovery through a Roadtrip
Dissecting Eric B. Martin's new novel challenges the reader in precisely the same way analyzing a good piece of drama does. Writer/director David Mamet's take on this is that the bad play marginalizes the audience as "other" while the good play involves the audience as a participant by somehow creating empathy with the principal characters. Martin's novel, The Virgin's Guide to Mexico accomplishes this empathic strain.
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