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Brunch Around the World
There's nothing like brunch on a rainy, lazy Sunday in the neighborhood. It's even better when brunch is at Pomelo and the neighborhood is the hip-to-be-square Noe Valley. It would be easy to pass right by the 38-seat boite if it weren't for the huge, plump yellow pomelo hanging over the café's awning.
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SF Singer/Guitarist Bares All
After a few label woes, Scissors for Lefty is ready to release its sophomore LP Underhanded Romance, a noticeably more upbeat and danceable response to its moody debut Bruno. But who could blame the SF-based band for being a little giddy? The group has recently found itself in the lineup at several European festivals, it has toured with the Arctic Monkeys, and it constantly appears at various SF hotspots, including Popscene, the location of their May 31st record release party. Lead vocalist/guitarist Bryan Garza spoke with SF Station during a phone interview while on tour in Los Angeles.
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SF Station Blows It Up
Los Angeles rockers Great Northern swept into town last Thursday night and showed what there were all about. The kids came out in droves to see Northern perform their particular type of melodic rock and a hell of a show it was with guitars, keyboards and drums resonating through and through.
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The Power Politics People Play
Once, not long ago, indie filmmaker Hal Hartley (Amateur, Simple Men, Trust) was lauded for his dialogue-driven dramas centered on hyper-smart, hyper-neurotic, art- and fame-obsessed characters entangled in unlikely romances. As often happens, though, Hartley's fanbase shrank over the years. Trying to get back into the good graces of critics and indie audiences alike, Hartley decided it was time to make a belated sequel to Henry Fool. Unfortunately, the sequel, Fay Grim, isn't likely to satisfy Hartley's core audience or attract new devotees.
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Sporadically Entertaining, Formulaic Sequel
Everyone's favorite unhygienic, green-skinned ogre (no, not the Hulk, his return to multiplexes is still a year away), Shrek, is back in Shrek the Third, the inevitable sequel to Shrek 2, the third-highest grossing film of all-time. Not bad for a sequel to an animated family film constructed around a combination of pop culture jokes (great for adults) and crude, slapstick humor (great for kids) and less for the sub-Pixar animation. With a family-friendly formula in place, a second sequel seemed liked a done deal. It was, but with Shrek the Third, the formula is starting to look tired and in desperate need of rejuvenation.
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I Want Candy!
You'll feel like a kid in The Candy Store, a clean and bright new candy shop, just off a busy section of Polk Street on Russian Hill. Owner Diane Campbell wasn't allowed to eat candy when she was a kid, which only made her crave the stuff even more. Now her childhood obsession has become an adult profession.
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Open for Interpretation
Walking up the stairs to the Intersection for the Arts gallery, potential spectators might be somewhat bewildered at the sight that greets them; coating the steps is a sheet of white felt, covered with ostensibly Persian names, in dispassionate block letters. Among the more obscure appellations, one can pick out "Saddam" and "Osama" almost instantly, as the eye's natural tendency is to wander to what's recognizable and fill it out with familiar meaning. In some ways, you can say that's the very crux of Taraneh Hemami's collection of installation work, "Most Wanted".
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