Brief Thoughts on Movies of the Week

Usually when it's February, I'm in the Midwest, buried under mounds of blankets and staying in watching movies instead of foraging through icy tundras to make it to a bar. Since winter, my movie viewing is seriously under my usual February quota. But I bet all you cold-weather dwellers are shaking your heads right now, thinking I have no right to complain. Last week I was complaining on the phone to my mother in Minnesota that it was too hot in San Francisco that week. She did not feel bad for me.

The first movie I saw in the last week or so was "The Tourist." It was so forgettable that I had to revisit my Netflix queue to remember what I watched. I usually love Johnny Depp, but in this role he lacked his usual magnetic energy and quirkiness that makes him so unique. Angelina Jolie plays her typical pouty, hot mysterious woman with a bad ass edge role. Seen it, and it was way better in "Wanted." There were a lot of gossip items last year on the pair's intense chemistry, which I did not see on the screen at all. Despite mixed reviews, it was nominated for three Golden Globes in 2011, which surprised a lot of people (including me). Luckily, it did not win any and went back to being forgotten about. I'm sure it's already making the rounds on HBO and will soon be available on regular cable networks. Don't waste a slot on your queue, just wait until cable. It does include a lot of lovely views of Venice.

The next movie I saw was more interesting at least, which was "The Special Relationship." This HBO movie details the relationship between Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, introducing George W. Bush near the end. It was definitely interesting and has me wondering how accurate it is in it's depiction. I was in middle school during the start of this, so I hadn't started following politics yet. This movie leans more toward the view that Clinton abused his relationship with Blair, calling in favors and not reciprocating, so if you're looking for some feel-good American patriotism, this is not the film for you. Michael Sheen and Dennis Quaid look great as Blair and Clinton. I think the best acting goes to Hope Davis, for her role as Hillary Clinton. She was nominated for a lot of awards in 2011 for this, including a Golden Globe. A definite watch if you like politics or England.

The last movie I saw was "Eat Pray Love" (I also watched "Fast and Furious"- the 4th, not to be confused with the 1st which has the exact same title. But I'm not even going to go there with a review.), which I has seen in the theaters as well. Overall, Julia Roberts seems lost and confident in her role as a divorcee in search of inner peace.She was probably supposed to appear this way in the beginning of the film, but even when she finds herself, it's hard to believe that she's an adventurous and independent woman. I like this movie for the fact that it makes me want to travel to Italy, India and Bali. A friend of mine just spent 3 weeks at a yoga retreat in Bali. I hope to at some point in my life so a similar adventure. How could you not find zen on such beautiful beaches?? Anyway, in my opinion, the book is worth a read if you have time and I'd wait until it hits cable to see the movie. At least James Franco and Javier Bardem have hot male cameos.

Can't Say No to Free Music

The other week, a media company in town hosted a free show and I am a sucker for free music. The two performers were Bombay Bicycle Club and Geographer. I was going for Bombay Bicycle Club, while everyone I was with was more excited for Geographer. 

Bombay Bicycle Club is an indie-rock band from London, England. The band is comprised of four guys, with the occasional female sit-in for vocals. The quirky band name actually comes from an Indian restaurant chain in Great Britain. They have three albums now and I have to say that their most well-known singles, "Evening/Morning" and " Always Like This" are my favorites. Unfortunately, they weren't that amazing in person. There was lackluster energy, they were all kind of blazed and it was a mess. I think their youth really showed in their stageman-ship. I felt kind of embarrassed that I talked them up so much beforehand. 

After them, Geographer came on. I knew of this band but didn't really know much about them. They're actually based out of San Francisco and are popular enough that they sell large shows across the country, but especially in SF. This band is comprised of three guys and while they're probably technically just classified as an electronic/indie band, I like their self-description best, that their sound is "soulful music from outer space." These sounds are made from drums, synthesizers, guitars and electric cellos. Their songs have been used as backdrop to movie trailers and TV shows, so even people who haven't heard of this band may recognize their unique sound. They were super energetic and into their show. It was almost 80s like, the way they'd dance around with the synth keyboard. I am definitely a fan now and would recommend seeing these guys live.

A Park Tavern by the Park

A friend from Chicago came to visit last weekend, so I checked all the local restaurants reviews to find a good place for dinner on a Saturday night. One name kept popping up as one of the top new spots in the city, Park Tavern. Now, I come from Minnesota, where the name Park Tavern makes me think of a suburban restaurant/bar with a bowling alley (I will say they have awesomely cheap breakfasts), so I was a little hesitant. A couple weeks ago I went on a Friday night at 6:30 with a friend to check it out and we found out even though we beat the big dinner rush, we were still not going to get a table until 10p. When I made the reservation a week before my friend came I still wasn't able to get a table until 9:30. In a sad way, this confirmed for me that this was the place to be...

Park Tavern is on Stockton on North Beach, facing the Washington Square Park and the gorgeous cathedral where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio took wedding pictures in front of (they weren't allowed to get married there, as they were both divorced, so they went a courthouse and came back for pictures). They served new American cuisine. The interior of Park Tavern somehow managed to be most modern and rustic, if that's even possible. There's a classic black and white theme, with elegant touches, like white lights in branchy trees. The fireplace and wall hangings add the more rustic, homey feel. We weren't able to get a table right away so we managed to find a seat at the bar and get some pre-dinner champagne cocktails. There's also a long communal table near the bar for those who can't get a table.

30 minutes after our reservation we finally got seated. The menu looked amazing, it was so hard to choose. We started with the artisan cheese plate, which featured Le Pommier Camembert (cow's milk cheese from France), Crottin (goat's milk cheese from California) and Smokey Blue (cow's milk bleu cheese from Oregon). These cheeses were paired an apple butter, apricot reserves and some kind of pickled fruit. The Camembert and Crottin were flavorful and soft, but I don't know if I'll ever like the pungency of bleu cheese. For an entree I ordered the Hawaiian tomolo tuna, served with crispy sunchokes, white anchovies, baby artichokes and salsa rustica. This dish had the perfect balance of flavor and texture. My friend ordered the grilled pork chops, which came as an enormous serving and had a strong smokey flavor. I had a rose pinot with the cheese course and a sauvingon blanc, which were both amazing wines. I can see why this restaurant got so many write ups. My only complaints with this place lie with the service. Even though we had a reservation, we still had to wait 30 minutes for a table. Once we were seated, the service was slow. My second glass of wine didn't come the whole time I was eating my entree, but at least they realized this and comped the glass. Still, the ambiance and food was perfect so I would definitely go back. Sometimes with new restaurants it takes a while to work out the kinks when it comes to service.

Xtra lolcats 4 ze long wknd

Spanish in San Francisco

Last week my best friend since I was two came to visit San Francisco for the first time. This of course puts the pressure on me to pick the perfect restuarant, which is hard to do in a city filled with amazing food. I opted for Zarzuela, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Hyde, toeing the line between Russian and Nob Hill. This ending up being the perfect choice. The neighborhood is cute, the restaurant is cozy and warm, the food was authentic and amazing and the service was charming.

The restaurant is so warm and inviting. There's a front room, so it looks like a smaller establishment but there's more seating in the back. We got a nice corner table and promptly ordered a bottle of cava (when in "Spain). They bring the cava out to your table with a bucket of ice so it stays perfectly chilled the entire time. From our waiter, I learned that cava served at the perfect temperature will only have bubble near the top of the glass. Now to the food, oh the glorious food. I spent a week in Madrid a couple years ago and this is the best Spanish-style tapas I've had since. We got so many small plates and each seemed better than the next. We sampled the mejillones al zazfran, which are mussles sauteed in white wine, garlic, tomatoes, onions and saffron. We got a side of one of my favorite traditional tapas dishes, patatas bravas, which is basically chopped, fried potatoes with spicy tomato dip (ala french fries Spanish style). When at a Spanish restaurant, you have to get paella, which is Spanish style rice with a medley of seafood, chicken and vegetables, flavored with saffron. Another dish that was one of my favorites in Madrid is the chicken and ham croquettes. These delicious fried rolls and filled with meat and cheese, a combination that rarely goes wrong. We also got the braised quail (because clearly we had not ordered enough already), which was juicy and well cooked, but didn't have many memorable flavors.

The service was really what made the evening memorable. Our server was actually Spanish and very charming. He was knowledgeable about all of the food and wine. He was always there to fill out glasses when they got low and lead a toast. At one point in the evening, he knew man dining at the restaurant and burst out singing this beautiful song from Spain. My friend actually speaks fluent Spanish, so they got to chit chat for a bit in his native tongue. The prices are pretty good too, the bill only gets high because you want to try everything on the menu! I will definitely eat here again and recommend this place to any tapas lovers.

Too Many Movies About Cancer

Sunday I spent the entire day hungover and lying on my brand new couch that was delivered the day before (my first big adult purchase!). I finally had time to get caught up and watch my Netflix rentals that I've been sitting on for weeks. Turns out, they're both critically acclaimed movies that are supposed to be darkly humorous. And their plots both deal with cancer. 

The first one I watched was 50/50. The previews for this movie made it look funny and quirky, even thought the plot is about a young guy getting cancer. It seemed like pretty much all of the funny parts were in the previews, because the movie itself was little more depressing. On top of getting a rare form of cancer at 27 (my age, yikes!), this poor guy has questionable taste in best friends and girlfriends, along with an overbearing mother and father with Alzheimer's. Don't get me wrong, it was a very good movie, just don't watch it if you're looking for something funny. It's been nominated for a lot of awards, including the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical. I loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the lead (he was nominated for a Golden Globe) and Seth Rogan as his seemingly self-involved best friend. Anna Kendrick from "Up In the Air" was charming as his psychologist-in-training. Anjelica Huston is making a comeback these days, first playing the mother in this movie and now a leading role in the over-hyped TV series "Smash."

The movie I watched after that was "Beginners." This dark comedy (that is at heart a love story) is inspired by the writer/director's real relationship with his father. Ewan McGregor (love him, why has he not been in more recently??) plays a son who not only finds out that his father has terminal cancer, but also after a very long marriage is actually gay. Christopher Plummer plays the charming father with such warmth and light that I think he's well-deserving of all the awards his winning (Golden Globe, Critic's Choice, a nomination for an Oscar). McGregor is trying to understand his father's choices while falling in love with a French actress (played by the charming and beautiful Melanie Laurent who I recognized from "Inglorious Bastards"). The movie's shot in a unique way, with flashes of people and objects representing a change in time. Somehow this movie is depression but uplifting, about being lonely and in love. Plus there's a really cute Jack Russel Terrier. 

I would recommend seeing both of these movies, just not in a row. In a row, it gets to be depressing. And now I feel like I should see a doctor to make sure I don't have cancer.

Rocking It In SF

When I lived in Minnesota, there were never any good shows coming through in January because seriously, who would choose to roll through MN in the dead of winter? Luckily, San Francisco rainy season doesn't scare the music away. I was able to hit two shows in January, which were fun but very different from each other.

The first one we hit was deejay Steve Aoki (also known as Kid Millionaire). He does electro house music and founded his own label (Dim Mak) to release other electro house musicians. Outside of producing and deejaying, he's a club promoter, a restaurant investor and got a college degree in women's studies. He's actually a pretty interesting guy if you check out his Wiki page. I saw Aoki deejay two years ago back at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, which is a fairly small venue. There were maybe 200 people at this show. Now he's headlining (Datsik was the opener and was pretty good, so check him out at Coachella 2012) a show at the Bill Graham Auditorium by the Civic Center in front of thousands of raving fans. Now what I really want to discuss is those raving fans. The show was supposed to be 18+. We walked up the the building and it was clear it was going to be something entirely different. I don't think they were at all enforcing legit ID checks on 15 year-olds having fake IDs that say they're 18. Not only were they super younger, but they were decked out in raver outfits. And these were the cool raver outfits of the 90s, these were Gaga-esque. Apparently the new club ensemble of today's youth is a Victoria's Secret pushup bra and underwear set with fishnets and heels. I was over-dressed and totally okay with it. The actual show was pretty good. Aoki definitely has a stage presence, although I wish he spent more time DJing and less time running around stage, taking Twitpics and throwing cake onto the crowd.

The other show I went to was Fitz & the Tantrums. I hadn't heard of them until 2011's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival but when I saw them there, I was blown away. They were easily my favorite of the weekend. The band's energy is so positive and magnetic. They get the entire audience dancing and waving their hands. The type of music is hard to explain, it's like a combination of American soul, indie, pop and blues. The band was founded in 2008 out of LA and while I'd heard their name around over the years, I'd never really heard them. Michael Fitzpatrick is the lead singer and keyboardist. He puts everything he's got into the performance, so I was super impressed. The one women, Noelle Scaggs, does vocals and percussion and adds that almost bluesy, jazzy soul feel to a lot of the songs. Their January show in San Francisco was at the Regency Ballroom on Van Ness, where I hadn't been before. The space is great and if you get there early, you can snag a seat on the upper level with a great view. Fitz & the Tantrums played two nights in a row and while I'm not sure if they were sold out, it was definitely packed. Check out this band live if you can!