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.

Wickedly Good

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wicked for the first time at the beautiful Orpheum theater last night. I went in with mixed expectations given Clement's rave reviews and a more modulated response from several other friends. The show began in SF, but went through re-writes and recastings before it became a huge hit in NYC. And, as one friend keeps harping, lost the big Tony award to another favorite Avenue Q. The leads were fantastic. Kristin Chenoweth originated Glinda, but Kendra Kassebaum rocked the role last night. Her rendition of "Popular" was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Teal Wicks was scheduled to play Alphaba, but her understudy stepped in last night and impressed the crowd with her vocal range. I didn't even realize it wasn't Ms. Wicks until the intermission.

Oscar winner Patty Duke was having fun playing Madame Morrible, and former Married with Children cast member David Garrison played the Wizard. The standout songs for me were Popular, What is this Feeling? (how can you not like a song with "unadultered loathing" as a catch phrase), Defying Gravity and I'm not that Girl.

The mixing of the "Wizard of Oz" story from Gregory Macquire's novel was fairly inventive, though the third act felt a bit rushed. I heard the original script was tediously overlong so I can understand the cuts that must have been made. The allegory to minority rights was certainly topical given our recent Prop 8 debacle.

Now how can I get "Pop-u-lar" out of my head??

Sugar *****

One of the things I love about films is it's inherent ability to transport you to another world. Sometimes it can be a fantasy world like Lord of the Rings or The Fall, but sometimes it's only a few hundred miles away in Iowa or NYC. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's new film Sugar did just that: it transported me to 3 places, seeing through the eyes of a young optimistic baseball player Miguel Santos aka "Sugar" (played by soulful newcomer Algenis Pérez Soto ). Not being much of a sports fan, I wasn't as excited about seeing the follow-up to one of my favorite films "Half Nelson" as I should be. Well, I won't underestimate the talents of Boden and Fleck again. They prove again that simple but humane story telling can illuminate any background, whether it be minor league baseball or inner city schools.

Like Half Nelson, which veered off the typical inspiring teacher in an inner city school plot, this is not just another young sports star biography. We get to see the world of young baseball hopefuls in the Dominican Republic, being "groomed" for the US Major Leagues as young horses are raised for the Kentucky Derby. Sugar is one of the better players, but it's not until he learns to master the hook-curve ball, that he gets picked to join the elite few at Spring training in AZ. The directors capture the quiet moments so well here, like when the players get drunk saying goodbye to a fellow peer, who may have been kicked out due to steroids?(foreshadowing). Or the empathic waitress in the AZ diner that gives Sugar a plate of eggs because he doesn't know what "scrambled" or "over easy" means. Or the last phone call to mom, where the banter rings so true to so many of my own calls home. I was never sure where this film was going with Sugar, but I found each step surprisingly logical. The supporting actors are all strong and convincing, but none stand out especially. It's a true ensemble piece.

In the end, Sugar isn't so much about a baseball player's rise and fall. It's about the new immigrant's experience: the departure from home and family, the adjustment to a new world and culture, and the modulation of one's expectations and dreams to reality. It's not as pretty as you would imagine, but there's enough generosity and kindness that it gives you hope.

More good eats in SF

Mel is in SF for a few days, so that means more eating out in delicious SF! I took him to that other great Ramen House Katana-ya and enjoyed the over-abundant special Katana-ya ramen, filled with dumplings, fried chicken, bamboo shoots and more. I love the miso broth as well. The tiny restaurant is always packed, but we got to enjoy the spectacle of two European Don Juans hitting on the waifish waitress/hostess.

We also enjoyed brunch at Grand Cafe in the Hotel Monaco last weekend. I think it's my new favorite. Great food, minimal-to-no wait on Sundays and moderate prices. I had been there for first time last year with Gaby, when we skipped the never moving line of Dottie's, and was surprised by how reasonable it was for a nice hotel. The food is definitely fresh, and you won't see Duck Confit at Sear's. I really enjoyed my omelette with a huge dose of bay shrimps. Yum. Of course, you can't beat the ambience of that huge art deco dining room.