My current fashion obsession...

Only Marc Jacobs could truly understand my love of purple purses. Here's my favorites from his Marc by Marc Jacobs line. Multiple sizes and functionalities and they're all fabulous!

I wonder if this is a real thing...

The other week I was perusing Netflix Instant, which doesn't not have the best pick of movies but is great when you're bored. I decided to watch "The Joneses," with Demi Moore and David Duchovny. In general, I'm not a huge fan of either of them but Duchovny rocks in "Californication" (although I'm pretty sure he's just playing himself), so I'm warming up to him. While the movie wasn't superbly written, acted or directed, it turned out to be kind of interesting. The Jonese turn out to be a a fake family, planted in an affluent superb by a marketing company to try and sell luxury goods through the power of suggestion. Call me crazy, but after working in advertising, I could see this becoming a reality. It's kind of genius really, because word-of-mouth is trusted and valued. Anyway, the movie explored materialism and what happens to those who place too much worth in owning things. I thought it was a clever and apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so. This movie got a surprising 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, although they appreciated the acting more than me. Anyway, if you're bored and have Netflix Instant, this isn't a bad choice. It may just make you think....

An alien movie I actually liked..

This weekend I went to the movie theater to see "Super 8," which I wasn't hugely excited for but was going to placate the boyfriend. In general I do not like alien movies. I think they are movies with ridiculous plots that in the end cop-out actually explaining anything and just blame it all on the aliens. But this one was actually pretty good, maybe the only alien movie I've liked since E.T. Most of the story followed the humans in the town where this movie takes place. I do agree with the reviews I read though, that a lot of story lines gets started but few get fully developed. Maybe this was writer J.J. Abrams, who's use to making things like "Lost" where he has like 8 seasons to develop intricate characters. And I was glad that it wasn't overly CGI-ed and the alien looked less absurd than aliens in a lot of other films. The kid who played the lead (Joel Courtney) was really good. I looked at his IMDB profile and it looks like this is the only thing he's ever been in. I hope his career continues after this. The young female lead was played by Elle Fanning, who you can totally tell is related to her famous sister. They should make a movie together. Overall, I'm glad I went to see it. It exceeding my low expectations.

Are you a Matt or Ben fan?

Even though it's been many, many years since "Good Will Hunting" came out, I always group Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together. Both went on to have very successful careers in the movie industry, both on and off the camera. I'm more of a Ben fan (and I think his brother Casey is awesome), but my boyfriend is a Matt fan (I think because he watches all the Bourne Identities repetitively). Last night we watched "Hereafter," starring Matt Damon. It is one of those movies that follows three different story lines, that you know are going to intersect at some point. I really enjoy those kinds of plots. One story line followed a French TV journalist who is in Thailand when the tsunami hits and almost dies. Another story line follows a young boy who's twin brother dies and his mom is an alcoholic. The third storyline follows Damon's character, who is a natural psychic who is trying to hid from him ability to help people communicate with their deceased loved ones. It's a really depressing movie but very well done. It gets a little more uplifting near the end, but isn't anywhere near a feel-good flick. It's definitely worth the rental.

When hipster meets hood

Sunday night we went to the Kid Cudi show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. In terms of the venue, it was your typical auditorium. It feels kind of like you're in an airport hanger meets high school gym. We had floor tickets and the stage was not raised at all, so I could barely see. Chip da Rip opened for Kudi. I'd never heard of him but it wasn't bad. Cudi live is a great experience. He gets the crowd going and is high energy the whole time, jumping around and doing three songs straight. Kid Cudi did all of my favorite songs from all three of his albums. The man is a brilliant lyrcist and he doesn't shy away from showing emotion through his music. I still think my favorite is Pursuit of Happiness, but Soundtrack 2 My Life is really good too. He shows a lot of video footage in the background of him smoking weed and encourages the audience to do the same. But apparently he's 3 months "sober" from weed now, so it's kind of a mixed message. The best thing about the Kid Cudi show was the people watching. He's more indie hip hop (using bands like MGMT on some of his songs), so he gets the hipsters decked out in their shades ala Cudi-style, as well as the regular hip hop crowd. Watching the two different groups inter mingle is kind of hilarious.

Matt + Kim rock it in Oakland

Saturday night we trekked over to catch the Matt + Kim show at the Fox Theater. This was my first time at the Fox Theater and definitely won't be my last. The theater had a gorgeous interior, which bars all over the place so you never have to wait in line and it was possible to have a good view from almost any vantage point. As for the show itself, seeing Matt and Kim is always a good time. This couple (as in actual couple, they're dating but don't flaunt it) hails from Brooklyn. Kim rocks the drums with gusto and Matt harmonizes with fun pop synth melodies on the piano. I've seen them a couple shows now and they've gone from playing in front of a couple hundred in a dive club in Minneapolis, to Coachella in 2010, to this show which had to be at least a thousand people. They're very good at engaging the audience. I really like how they talk to the audience. They throw out balloons to blow up and throw around confetti. Kim actually stood on the hands of the crowd and did her booty shake dance. My boyfriend said Kim came off as fake, but I like her. Badass girl drummers definitely top the cool list in my book. I think they are more fun to see in a smaller venue, but I can't fault them for their success. It's amazing the sounds they can make from just a drum and electric piano!

Another good find via Groupon

Friday night we went to the Castro neighborhood for the first time. We had a Groupon for the Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, which is on 18th Street. They make classic culinary favorites with a Southern spin. For a drink I got the Black and Blue mojito, which was delicious! It's a mojito made with blueberry vodka and fresh blackberries muddled in. For an appetizer we had the calamari from Monterey Bay, which was crispy, well seasoned and came with a spicy red pepper aioli. For an entree I had the lamb stifado, which is chunks of lamb shoulder braised in red wine and tomatoes, served with pearl onions, Yukon gold potatoes and feta cheese. The lamb was locally farmed and very tender. My boyfriend got the nightly special, a huge slab of prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. He was a big fan of the portion size and really liked the horseradish sauce it came with. Overall, it was a very tasty meal made from local produce and reasonably priced with the Groupon (although they didn't tell us the special was pricier than anything else on the menu). The Castro area seems like a fun place with lots of good restaurants to try. We were there at 8pm and already all the bars were packed. It would be a fun area to hang out in for SF Pride next weekend and it's too bad the parade doesn't go through there.

In case you forgot, tomorrow is Caturday!

Delicious dessert on Fillmore

The other night we were walking around the Lower Pac Heights and a sweets craving hit, so we went to Citizen Cake on Fillmore. I haven't been there for their savory food (they serve brunch, lunch and dinner), but I can say that their dessert selection is amazing. It won "Best Dessert" from 7x7 Magazine. The chef behind Citizen Cake is Elizabeth Falker, who I recognize from TV. Her other San Francisco restaurant is Orson on 4th St, which is Michelin recommended. When we went to Citizen Cake for dessert, I had the chocolate chip cupcake, which was a brown sugar cake with chocolate chip frosting and a cute mini chocolate chip cookie on top for garnish. My boyfriend had the s'more brownie, which he said was one of the best brownies he's ever had. I've heard the salted chocolate torte is also supposed to be amazing. They also had a signature cupcake, which sounded a little to chocolatey for me, which is cocoa genoise cake filled with marshmallow fluff and a ganache glaze. Falker also has a cookbook out aptly named "Demolition Desserts." Baking has never been something I'm good at (or particularly enjoy). I'll stick with visiting the restaurant for now. This is definitely a good place for anyone with a sweet tooth! It can be a little pricey, but I can say the desserts are worth it.

Not such a good week for movies

I'm so sad, it has been a week fun of not very good movies. First off, my boyfriend talked me into seeing "Wild Things" from the 90s for the first time. Gee, don't know how I missed such a classic gem (insert sarcasm here). 

So, the first movie worth reviewing we DVRed off Showtime, which was "Tweleve," starring Chace Crawford. He's too pretty for me in "Gossip Girl" but in this movie he's a lot scruffier so he's pretty attractive. Rory Culkin, who usually makes pretty good indie movies is also in this, along with up-and-comer Emma Roberts, who I really like. Oh, and the big drug dealer role is played by 50 Cent.... which is interesting. Basically this movie follows Crawford's character, White Mike. White Mike use to be a wealthy kid from the Upper East Side but his mom died and now he deals drugs to his former classmates. Overall it was okay. There were no breakout roles or moments, but the narration from Keifer Sutherland saves the movie by offering interesting details about the inner workings of every character. I don't think you're missing anything if you don't see this but if you're really bored and its on cable, it's not a horrible way to spend two hours.

 

The second movie I saw this week was HORRIBLE. Like How Did This Get Made awful. It was "Knowing," which stars Nicolas Cage, which is a bad sign right off the bat. Has that man made a decent movie in years? I liked his role in "Kick Ass," but otherwise he hasn't made a good movie since the underrated "The Weather Man" in 2005. This movie was a sci-fi alien apocalyptic flick with underlying religious meaning. The acting was so over-done. The movie used the typical plot cop-out, aliens, which is my pet peeve. It's like, let's make a movie that gets so complicated that the only way we can explain ourselves out of it is to have aliens show up at the end and blame all the weird things on them. And it had Rose Byrne in it, who I've totally become a fan of. This was a disappointing move by her. Anyway, don't ever see this movie. Ever. You will wish for those two hours of your life back.

The snake trend

Riding the snake bracelets trend, Marc Jacobs made a pink snake clutch that would look great on the arm with a gold snake bracelet (like the one featured here from Adina Reyter). 

Amazing Italian fare in North Beach

Last night we went to North Beach in search of some authentic Italian food. They have a big Italian community there, so there were plenty of choices. Thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we went a little of the main path and to the small Trattoria Contadina (1800 Mason St). It was delicious and one of the best Italian meals I've ever had. The restaurant is warm and cozy and you can tell it's authentic the moment you walk in the door. We started out with a yummy local Pinot Noir from nearby Russian River in the Sonoma Valley. For an appetizer we started with a Caprese salad. The mozzarella was fresh and the basil and light dressing made it perfectly balanced. For dinner, I got the Valdostana, which is chicken layered with smoked mozzarella, prosciutto, oregano, sage and a wine sauce gravy. It came with sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes. Everything was so juicy and flavorful. Every bite was wonderful and I definitely cleaned my plate. My boyfriend got the pasta special of the night, penne with Italian fennel sausage, onion, spinach and kalamata olives covered in a light creamy tomato sauce. All the flavors worked really well together and the sauce made it a lot lighter than a typical heavy pasta dish. Everything was priced very reasonably. They try to get all of what they serve from local shops around town. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for good Italian food in San Francisco. 

Movies of the week

The first movie we watched was "I Love You Phillip Morris," starring Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey. Carrey played a gay con man who ends up finding the man of his dreams in prison. He has to keep conning himself in and out of prison to stay with his lover. This sounds like the premise for a terrible movie but it actually wasn't that bad. It had some quality funny moments. Both actors did a good job playing their respective characters and making it believable. Some have called it the best performance of Carrey's career. It's definitely a different take on the traditional romantic comedy.

"Casino Jack" was the movie we watched earlier this week. It stars Kevin Spacey playing notorious corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abrahoff was a lobbyist in D.C. who boasted ties to the Bush Administration, especially Tom Delay. Barry Peppar played his sidekick and Jon Lovitz aided them hilariously in the plot to purchase a casino illegally. Abramoff and his pals bring hypocrisy to a new level, scamming everyone out of money, even the Native Americans. It's amazing how government scandal barely has to be altered to make a good Hollywood movie. Spacey was brilliant in this, as he is in most roles. His monologue in the bathroom at the very beginning was hilarious. He was nominated for Golden Globe for his performance in this.

Tonight we watched "Never Let Me Go," starring Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network"), Carey Mulligan ("Wall Street 2") and Kiera Knightley. This sci-fi drama centers around three students who think they are just sheltered students at a boarding school but make the horrifying discovery that they're nothing more than clones created for organ harvesting. It's based on the book by Kazou Ishiguro, which I hear is much better than the movie. It seems like the movie missed a lot of the back story/explanation. Instead it is slightly confusing and gets pretty boring. Even the excellent casting can't make this movie more interesting. Luckily it's only an hour and 45 minutes long. Chris thought it was one of the most boring films he'd ever seen in his life, although it got a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Date night at Solstice

Last Monday we stayed in the neighborhood and went to dinner at Solstice, on Divisadero. The inside of the restuarant is very cool, it almost has a 1920s vibe to it. The food on the menu sounded pretty fancy but the prices looked reasonable, so we were excited. For an appetizer, we started with the ahi tuna tartare, which came with crispy wonton chips. It was on a bed of diced avocado and had pickled onion and cilantro in it to give it some zip. I think it could have maybe used a dash of citrus zest, but it was otherwise quite tasty. For dinner I had prosciutto wrapped chicken medallions on yukon gold mash, which cripsy onion and grilled carrot, topped with jus.Wrapping the chicken in prosciutto made the chicken very succulent. I think I'm going to try this technique at home. The portion was the perfect size. My boyfriend had the grilled skewers, which came with flatiron steak and onion and herbed chicken with red pepper. Both of the meats were very well seasoned and flavorful. And they had Ace Pear Cider available, so I was happy! With the quality of the food and the reasonable prices, I think Solstice Restaurant and Lounge is a great place to go eat or just have a couple drinks.

Sushi in Sausalito

When you find yourself across the bridge, you have to go get sushi at Sushi Ran in Sausalito, CA. It is by far the best sushi I have had in the Bay Area. Zagat ranked it one of the top five restaurants in the area. It was awarded on Michelin star in 2007. The spinach salad is unlike anything you've ever had, rolled up tightly, with a delicious black sesame dressing. Their spicy scallop hand roll is a creamy, spicy cone of goodness. Another good hand roll option is the softshell crawfish, with miso aoili. My favorite maki roll would be the Crunchy, which is eel, avocado, aonori powder, tempura flakes, spicy crab and shrimp. For nigiri, the toro is a bit pricey but the way it melts in you mouth makes it worth the $9. They have two different building areas for seating. If you go for lunch on a weekday, you'll be okay but if you try to go on a weekend make a reservation and still expect to wait. But it's worth it! Just have a drink at the bar from the 200+ bottle wine list.

Sometimes I feel like a nerdy 12 year-old boy...

So, I have been psyched to see "X-Men: First Class" since I saw the first preview months ago. I went to see it Saturday night and it actually lived up to my high expectations! I thought it was the best "X-Men" movie out of all the ones that have been made (I don't even count "X-Men: Wolverine in this because I'm chalking that up to temporary insanity...). The casting is amazing. James McAvoy is very empathetic as a young Professor X. Michael Fassbender showed just the right amount of rage as a young Magneto. My favorite was probably Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. I think she is my favorite starlet of the moment. And I keep seeing movies with Rose Byrne in it and once again she pleasantly surprised me in this movie. I had no idea that Kevin Bacon was making a comeback as the main bad guy in this movie. Did they keep that out of the previews? He's awesome. This movie was first at the box office this weekend, making $55.1MM. If you at all like comic book movies, this is the one to see. It's rare a prequel is this good and provides such a deep backstory to all the characters. It actually made me want to go back and watch all the other X-Men movies.

No Strings Attached is what you'd expect... no good!

Last weekend we rented "No Strings Attached," starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. I didn't have high expectations because I can't think of one decent movie Kutcher has made. And Natalie Portman, what were you thinking?? You went from "Black Swan" to "No Strings Attached," lest we forget about "Thor." What a random resume that woman has. Anyway, the movie was bad. It was boring and dragged on. There weren't any especially funny moments and it was a comedy! It was basically about an emotionally cut-off woman who ends up falling for the guy she makes her friend-with-benefits. It was predictable. Kevin Kline played Kutcher's dad and he was slightly funny, although the worst dad ever. Cary Elwes played a doctor in the movie and it was a waste of his talents and his role didn't make any sense. Somehow this movie got a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. I don't know who's giving this movie good reviews but I say don't watch it until it hits cable, because you know it will.

One of my favorite ads and it's San Francisco!

One of my favorite ad campaigns ever is the colorful work Fallon did for Bravia, promoting the color capabilities of their TV. One of the spots was the Sony Bravia Paint Ad, which timed paint explosions to an orchestra score. I love the running clown in it. The second ad, which I totally forgot about until now, was filmed on the hilly streets of San Francisco. The spot featured Bouncing Balls down the city streets of San Francisco. The colors are so vibrant and the music fits perfectly, putting the viewer in a good mood. The reason I was reminded of this ad campaign, which aired in 2006, was that I saw on another blog (Cup of Jo) that Lumas is selling photos of the bouncy balls. They look so cool. I love having photos from all the places the boyfriend and I have lived framed in our apartment and I feel like this is the perfect San Francisco photo. It's so atypical of any other city photo I've seen! Sadly they're all limited edition and sold out. Too bad. Which one is your favorite shot?