John Hughes RIP

John Hughes' films helped define my generation. I remember seeing Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Beuler and Some Kind of Wonderful during my formative high school years, they are forever etched in my mind. Even his later films like Planes, Trains & Automobiles and She's Having a Baby still resonate. It's too bad he became sort of reclusive in his final years. His films aren't considered "high art" but they are exceptionally re-watchable. And isn't that the best compliment of all?

Marvelous Meryl at 60

In honor of the greatest living actress turning 60, I'd like to resubmit my favorite Meryl Streep roles. Who knows, the next one, as Julia Child, in the upcoming Julia and Julia, (opening Aug 7th) might be my new favorite.

1981 in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Streep was gorgeous in the dual role of Sarah/Anna. and starred opposite an equally gorgeous Jeremy Irons. I still like to picture her in that brown hooded cape walking along the pounding surf. No other film has captured Streep’s physical beauty quite as well in my opinion. This was her 3rd Oscar nomination, and first as best actress.

1982 in Sophie’s Choice. The first time I saw Streep onscreen, and I was mesmerized. I like Roger Ebert’s description of her performance "there is hardly an emotion that she doesn’t touch in this movie, and yet we’re never aware of her straining". She dominated the acting awards that year like Philip Seymour Hoffman did in 2005. Her 4th nomination, first win as best actress.

1985 in Out of Africa as Karen Blixen. One of my all-time favorite films- that music, cinematography and wonderful chemistry between Streep and Redford. I saw it twice in the theater when I was 14! Her last narration dialogue while she is planning to leave her African farm still gets to me every time. It also started the trend towards Safari clothing…hello Ralph Lauren! Her 6th nomination.

2002 in Adaptation as Susan Orlean. The movie lost me in the last quarter, but Streep was having a blast playing novelist Orlean. Who can forget her transformation and hilarious scene when getting high on orchid dust. That’s the power of her involvement in any movie, she makes it even more watchable. Her 13th nomination.

2006 in The Devil Wears Prada. She nails the icy queen of Runway magazine. Never raising her voice, and saying much more with her deadly silences, she can rip you to shreds without a moment’s hesitation. My favorite line? Her last, "…….Go!" Her 14th nomination. She has 15 nominations and 2 wins.

CONDUIT

Conduit, a relatively new modern American style restaurant in the Mission area, caught my eye a while back for it's interior design. It's done by the Stanley Saitowitz/ Natoma group, the architect responsible for the gorgeous Yerba Buena Lofts on Folsom and the controversial Beth Sholom synagogue in the outer Richmond. I'm a big fan

and still wish I had made the move into YBL when I had the chance. The restaurant is definitely striking with it's interlocking pipes, dark woods and clean lines. The bathroom is partially unisex, only the minimalist frosted-glass covered stalls are marked men and women. I know alot of folks aren't fans of this type of sterile modernism, but I find it relaxing and peaceful. Nothing fancy or overly precious.

<--shared sinks and faucets

Oh yeah, they serve food here, really delicious food actually. Chef Justin Deering apparently worked at Boulevard and Fifth Floor, and the food served here is certainly comparable in my opinion. I had the scallop risotto as my first course and black cod for my main. Both were first rate, flavorful and cooked just right. The desert was somewhat disappointing however, a rather dry almond cake. I should have had the pot-de-creme which the waiter recommended first. The wait staff were very friendly and knowledgable, and even gave me tips on which angle to shoot my pictures! The menu is written in sparse terms only, like some haiku poem. Just ask the waiters for further clarification. Sometimes minimalism can be carried too far.

280 Valencia St. SF CA 94103 415.552.5200

SPUR and urban living

SPUR without signage yet

Loungy interiors - not a loungy crowd...

Opening day

I attended the opening party for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) at their brand spanking new building on 654 Mission St. (thanks Steven for the invite!) The space seemed smaller than I expected, though that may be due to the packed masses of urban planning enthusiasts and city developers jammed into the modest square footage.

I support alot of their program goals, especially making SF a more livable and transit friendly city. Having lived in one of the most livable cities in the world (Vancouver, BC) and now living in one of the most expensive cities in the US, I have high expectations about spending so much of my income just to stay here. I continually weigh the pros and cons of urban life in SF. Could I find a comparable lifestyle in Seattle or Toronto, which are somewhat more reasonable financially? I know I still want to stay near a vital downtown, and SF has one of the most populated and popular downtowns of any city in the States. It also has great cultural venues, museums, restaurants, gay culture galore, mild climate and scenic vistas everywhere you look. BUT...it's also very expensive, dirty, druggy, politically retarded, has inconsistent public transit at best (a real hell hole at worst), precious little green space (despite wearing environmentalism like a boy scout medal) and just plain full of itself.

The SPUR center has a board with cards indicating "what's the first thing you would like to do if you were mayor of SF?". Where to start?

SFMOMA Rooftop Sculpture Garden

I went to the opening preview of SFMOMA's new rooftop sculpture garden last Saturday and enjoyed the beautiful day in this lovely new space (15,000 square foot expansion) designed by Jensen Architects and landscape designers Conger Moss Guillard. It's connected to the cavernous 5th floor gallery (my favorite floor) and gives an eye popping view of the art deco PacBell Building. Cost? A cool 24 million.

Also, for you coffee snobs, Blue Bottle coffee is opening a retail stand here!




Of course, I suffered a tongue lashing from the Filipino security guard for taking this video "No video, pictoors OK"...I didn't mind so much as she reminded me of the kindly Filipino nurses at San Mateo County Hospital where I did my residency.

Still Walking or Aruitemo Aruitemo *****

I think I'm partial to certain Asian films about family life (the masters are Ang Lee and Yasujiro Ozu) because I see so much that is familiar in my own family dynamics. The passive aggressive tactics and the importance of what is NOT said over what is actually verbalized. So watching the new film Still Walking from Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda at the 2009 SFIFF felt like "going home" in a way.

The story is quite simple. There is a small family reunion of two siblings with their respective families, visiting their elderly parents. We don't know there has been a death in the family until the early mid part of the film, and it takes some time and attention to fully realize all the different family connections. It feels really natural and unforced. The father is a retired clinic doctor who is still overly invested in his past career. The mother "who has never worked a day in her life" but is more than the dutiful caretaker that she projects. The son is reluctantly returning home with a new wife that was widowed with a young son. The daughter is happily married and a mother of two rather spoiled brats. The film basically follows the family gathering over the course of 32 hours. Nothing earth shattering happens, but at the end of the day, you get the sense that each character had a major shift in their life.

The style of direction and story seems most similar to Ozu, especially the static shots and family structure of the storyline. However, I was also reminded of Demme's Rachel Getting Married, in which you immerse yourself in another family reunion. However, in that film the communication is far more direct and confrontational, befitting an American family. They would make interesting companion pieces in a study of cultural differences. The actors are all very believable, especially the handsome Hiroshi Abe who plays the son Ryota and the fabulously named Kirin Kiki who plays the mother. I look forward to checking out the films of Mr. Koreeda, I've only seen Nobody Knows.

Art? Exploitation? Bad taste?

I saw these images for Italian tile company Bisazza in this month's Metopolitan Home and shook my head. I didn't immediately recognize them as the work of controversial photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. The name is only familiar from browsing the former Virgin's bookstore, and remembering the tackiness of his photos in a Phaidon collection. I don't remember finding them particularly offensive, but this ad campaign changed my mind. Why?

We have a Japanese woman tied up like a turkey, posing in sexually provocative positions and looking frightened (OK that may be subjective, but I don't think tears usually signify a sense of feeling powerful). I read in this blog that she is "tied in the ancient art of Japanese bondage or kinbaku". Well, just because something is "an ancient art" doesn't make it acceptable.

Is this just another version of S&M? Perhaps. I really don't care what two consenting adults do in their own bedroom. I guess the images really bother me because of the overt posing of this woman as, not only a minority, but a possible victim of violence. The whole sexualization of violence is disturbing to me. Especially any images even hinting at rape and torture as an "alternative lifestyle"...it just doesn't belong in a mainstream magazine, let alone an ad advertising overpriced tiles!!

This reminds me of the recent trend of "torture porn" films like Saw and Hostel. I know some of my friends really enjoy these films, but I just can't imagine viewing someone getting tortured as entertainment.

I did a quick survey of friends about what they thought of this ad, and most seemed marginally negative about it. Nobody seemed as disturbed as I am. I was a little surpised given the backlash those Abercrombie "wong brothers" t-shirts got a few years back.