plus, that Clive Owen ain't too hard on the eyes

Children of Men | artyarts | opened in SF 12/25/06
So I didn't think I'd be posting first-run, studio movies on here - heck, they get enough advertising as it is. But I really really really want to see Children of Men, and you should too. I tried to ignore the reviews on it, since I hate having my opinions swayed before I even get in the theater, but I had to pay attention when my beloved slate.com called it the Movie of the Millenium (which they acknowledge as a cheap superlative - ha ha! the millennium's only 6 years old! - but expand on it by saying they suspect it will remain a top movie of the millennium for a while at least since it's actually about our millennium). One line struck me particularly in the review: "It takes place in a grimly familiar location: the hell we are currently making for ourselves." Up till now, we hadn't had quite enough distance from the last four years to really start making feature films about it; perhaps Children of Men is the door opening. I've been suspecting that our world is actually going to sht, so it's nice to know that some fairly smart, creative people agree with me. Though I need to watch it again to confirm this, I thought last year's Inside Man also had moments of post-2000 reality to it (some of the scenes on the streets were discomforting, and the subtle but omnipresent dealings with racial strife), though in the end it did turn out to be just a slick thriller. Clive Owen is the common factor between these two movies, and I hope his accent isn't as bad as it was in the latter film (so, I just figured out that Children takes place in London, so no American accent then, I guess). But I am totally excited to see Children of Men, nonetheless. Oh, you wanted to know something about the actual movie? 2027, no more humans being born, total chaos, chance for redemption. I'm teary-eyed already.

buy tickets at the world's most annoying ticket service, fandango, here

black like her black beautiful heart

anne lamott at city arts | artyarts | 03/26/07
anne lamott has been my hero ever since i read "operating instructions: a journal of my son's first year," where she admits to wanting, at times, to kill her cat, and her young son. i was a high schooler when i read it, and believed that it took some courage to admit that your own kin could drive you that crazy. now, in the heyday of david sedaris, it may not be such an amazing thing anymore, but i still think anne is tops. she's an honest, gutsy writer who often put some of my greatest fears into words (namely, the fear of first drafts, in "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life"). she's speaking at the herbst theatre on march 26, 2006. get your tickets now ($19 apiece).
more info @ cityarts | map me! | muni me!

it's almost like *i'm* famous!

Tings Dey Happen | artyarts | 12/14/07 - 01/13/07
I remember reading this interview with someone annoying, like dave eggers or something, just as he was getting famous and he was like, yeah, these people have started coming up to me on the street and being like, "hey, dave, it's roy from tenth grade. remember how i gave you a piece of gum that one time? can i have $20?" well, i went to high school with dan hoyle, the writer and performer of Tings Dey Happen, (remember how i gave you that newsletter column that one time?) and so it's in my best interest that he get good and famous. so, people, go to his show! actually, he's kind of already getting famous without my help (dammit!), and i'm just jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to cash in on my $20. dan's a genius, or at least he was in tenth grade, or at least he was funny and insightful and generous, and i expect his show will be as well. of course, it's about nigerian oil politics, so it might also be really, really depressing. the show's at the marsh on valencia.

UPDATE: Been there, activitied that. It's freaking great, people. See it, love it, tell other people to see it.

more info @ themarsh.org | map me! | muni me!

see more theater, she said

Strangers We Know (a Word For Word production) | artyarts | 01/12/07 - 01/28/07
I have been waiting a few years to see a Word For Word production (living on the east coast got in the way a bit), and for my patience, the company has decided to reward me by staging a Lorrie Moore short story, so that we can all cry cry cry. Okay, a little background. Word for Word is a production company that puts on short stories - like, every word of them ("she said", "he said", "it was a dark and stormy night" etc). I've never seen a performance but I've always thought that was such a clever idea, and Lorrie Moore is a fantastic, often moving, writer. I'm excited. They will also be performing a Mavis Gallant story. I don't know who that is.
more info @ zspace.org | map me! | muni me!

young, hip and wanting to see cheap quality theater?

BERKELEY REP DISCOUNT TIX | artyarts | ongoing
Hey, so were you born after 1976 too? Cool, because Berkeley Rep (theater) inexplicably thinks that we deserve half price tickets to their shows (aren't you supposed to get discounts as you get *closer* to death?). Never one to argue with cheaper cultural experiences, I say, let's take advantage! Only three more years left to cash in on this discount. Upcoming shows include All Wear Bowlers (11/22 - 12/23), The Pillowman (1/12 - 2/25), and To the Lighthouse (2/23 - 3/25).
Information on discount tickets | Map me! | MUNI me!