Saturday, January 31, 2009

Oakland Cathedral of Christ The Light





My self guided video tour of the new Oakland Cathedral, by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Craig Hartman). ---->

I got lucky on a Saturday visit, the place was pretty quiet and I got the chance to explore and take pictures on my own. The space feels huge, but it's actually quite compact. A mix of modern design (think Dwell) and dramatic religious imagery...I want to get married here! Oh yeah, I have to find a partner first.
Links: WSJ review

Friday, January 16, 2009

Architectural Record focus on the Bay Area


I was totally engrossed in the current issue of Architectural Record, as it focused on my hometown of SF and the Bay area. The splotlight was on 4 projects, 2 of which I have photographed quite extensively: California Academy Of Sciences (Piano), Contemporary Jewish Museum (Libeskind), Oakland Cathedral of Christ the Light (SOM), and the Starr East Asian Library at UC Berkeley (Williams, Tsien). John King, SF Gate's own urban design critic also contributed on the local low income housing projects that have garnered much design praise (which goes to show you don't have to spend millions to have good design). Also, you can't write about SF Architecture without mentioning Stanley Saitowitz and Jim Jennings. I can only fantasize about my oceanfront property and custom designed home by Jennings. (sigh)


Monday, January 5, 2009

Favorite Films 2008




I hesitate to do this list as I've not seen all the late 2008 entries (like Wrestler, Reservation Road), but I think I've seen enough. Overall, I would have to say 2008 was a good year, and most of the expected Oscar hopefuls have turned out to be good to great. While my favorite directors didn't have anything out in 2008, I became fans of new performers and directors.


Favorite Films:

5) Man On Wire - This documentary about Phillipe Petit, the charismatic self taught tight rope walker who traversed the twin towers in 1974, wonderfully blends archival footage, interviews and dramatization.

4) Tell No One - The best thriller this year came from France.

3) Milk - Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin and director Gus Van Sant finally bring Harvey Milk to the big screen, and do him justice. But please, see the documentary as well.

2) The Fall - Tarsem Singh's film was 4 years in the making, and it's beauty is breathtaking. I just wish I caught in on the big screen.

1) Rachel Getting Married - Jonathan Demme and a brilliant ensemble cast bring Jenny Lumet's script to life. This decade's "Ordinary People".