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What a Difference a (New) Chef Makes
While cozy, elegant PlumpJack Café has always had a solid reputation as a destination for dependably adult California cuisine, it's been rare within the last decade to hear tell of anything extraordinary going on within this Cow Hollow outpost of the Plumpjack hospitality empire. However, the food has risen to new heights under the guidance of chef James Syhabout, a Bay Area local who has worked in such esteemed establishments as the notoriously hypercreative El Bulli, The Fat Duck, Manresa and most recently Daniel Patterson's Coi. |
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Electro-Rock Band Prepares for Takeoff
Forget what Justin Timberlake and his producer Timberland say, the Bay Area electo-rock band The Late Night Dates have been bringing sexy back since the group's debut show in July 2005. With a trunk-load of synth, throbbing bass lines and irresistible beats, the trio is preparing to release its first album after a flurry of local performances. Lead vocalist Isabelicious spoke with SF Station during a phone interview. |
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SF Station Blows It Up
The Dan The Automator presents 2K7 tour stopped at Mezzanine last Thursday with a slew of special guest stars like Chali 2NA of Jurassic 5, Gavin of the band Dredg, Casual of Hieroglyphics and A.G. of D.I.T.C it was one hell of a show. Performing with a live band Dan whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his style of electronica, hip hop and rock, dropping beats that would even make the dead dance and scream. |
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This is Hollywood, Not the United Nations
In just the past year, four English-language films have been released centered on the troubled African continent. Directed by Edward Zwick, Blood Diamond tackles several, seemingly irresolvable problems common to modern-day Africa: conflict diamonds, civil war, violence, refugees, and child soldiers. Of course, Blood Diamond isn't a straight-up "social message" drama, but an action/thriller. As such, the film is heavy on the action clichés and light on the historical context necessary to understand Africa's problems and the solutions necessary to solve them. |
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Visceral, Bloody, and Brutal
Mel Gibson has a thing for visceral and brutal violence as evidenced by his handiwork in Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ. If you're a fan of this kind of violence, rest assured you're going to have more than you can handle with Apocalypto. Gibson seems to really excel at this kind of thing, which can be viewed a few different ways. |
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House Exchange...the Panacea for the Hopeless Romantic
Tis the season for those in bad relationships (or those yearning for a relationship) to seek romantic inspiration. Aptly timed is the release of Nancy Meyer's The Holiday. The tourism industry owes Meyers a debt of gratitude as The Holiday will doubtless act as a catalyst for countless, hopeless romantics to seek out a holiday house swap in hopes of finding their soulmate in another city, state, or country. |
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A Whimsical, Poignant, Family Film
Directed Peter Cattaneo and adapted from Ben Rice's debut novel, Pobby and Dingan, Opal Dream is the rarest of family films: a family film that never condescends to moviegoers, young or old; has something meaningful to say about dreams, family, and community, but doesn't overplay or sentimentalize its message; and never takes the path of least resistance followed by generic Hollywood fare. Then again, a Hollywood studio didn't make Opal Dream. It's an Australian film starring relative unknowns. |
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Best Accompanied with a Lobotomy
The nadir of Christmas themed "family" comedies occurred in the latter days of 2004 with the release of the foul and unfunny Christmas with the Kranks. Paul Feig's Unaccompanied Minors may very well lower the bar even further for family comedies. Unfunny, contrived, and less than half baked, Unaccompanied Minors is the celluloid equivalent of a catastrophic lump of coal. |
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Lingerie, Passionately
It's no secret that lingerie can work wonders in the bedroom, but quality, beautiful undergarments are also essential to the confident, self-indulging woman's wardrobe. Nafissa Tayebi's A La Folie serves up delicious concoctions in silks and laces that cover the spectrum from innocent to sizzling; prepare to be enamored. Though A La Folie is across the bridge in Berkeley's Fourth Street shopping district, the splendors that beckon should inspire a field trip for women who are tired of shopping for lingerie under the stony airbrushed stares of Adriana Lima and Giselle Bundchen. |
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Lustaholics Anonymous
Hi, I'm Clifton and I'm a cochino. You know, the holidays are always difficult, and this last week has been especially hard for me -- with so many temptations -- all these little cochinas walking around in Santa Baby outfits, winking at me from every street corner. I'm really on the edge, you know? But after I shared at the last meeting, I was thinking, you know, I'm making progress on my first step. I mean, I am powerless over my cochinismo, but I'm struggling - do I just give in, or do I try to stay on the straight and narrow way? |
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The Spaces Between Film and Stage
A bare stage with a projection screen, the image of two men walking amidst a dusty, black and white cinematic landscape, the sounds of piano rumblings reminiscent of the music from the silent film era. This is where Berkeley Rep's production of "All Wear Bowlers" opens, with Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle, both the authors and stars of this production, exploring the permeations between film and stage, performer and audience, vaudeville and postmodern theater. |
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