Engineer's Daughter

agenda 04.12.17

Art

Through May 14 - Henrik Olesen: The Walk at the Wattis Institute.  "Henrik Olesen adds dirt to the neatness and sexlessness of conceptual art...He queers all that is fixed and organized, replacing it with the dissolved and the disorganized, the polysexual."  Which is a great way to describe why I adored this exhibition and its refreshingly grimy take on identity and representation.  It's also very punk rock.

 

Theater

Through April 16 - Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes at the Arabian Shakespeare Company.  Yussef El Guindi does it again with this incisive look at how Muslims are portrayed in the media, made all the more poignant by current events.  Tarek Caan is fabulous as Ashraf, an actor who is being offered the chance to work with his dream film director and a mind-blowing co-star.  There's only one problem: the script is Islamophobic drivel.

 

Film

I accidentally put together a perfect double feature this week when I watched Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless and then Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale back-to-back, both films I already knew I loved and had been meaning to watch again.  But I had forgotten Jeff Daniels's Bernard attempts a Breathless reference to Laura Linney in The Squid and the Whale at a fraught moment, and it falls dead flat.  Both films: dead brilliant.

 

Book

Every once in a blue moon a book comes along so deeply-researched and written with such intelligence and compassion that it could actually change the course of society.  Every single American should read Matthew Desmond's Evicted to better understand the plight of those living in poverty in our cities, and how those poor are being exploited by the rental market.  I genuinely hope Ben Carson is reading it.

 

Music

As part of the SF International Film Festival, Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy) teamed up with Chicago's Bitchin Baja's and our own Cornelius Boots at the Castro Monday evening to provide a live soundtrack to a trio of avant-garde films by Jerome Hiler, and the result was nothing less than exquisite.  Oldham's music is pretty damn gorgeous all on its own too.

Save

Save

Save

Save

agenda 04.05.17

Art

Through April 29 - Won Ju Lim: Casting at Haines Gallery.  If you saw Won Ju Lim's YBCA exhibition Raycraft Is Dead a couple years back you know not to miss this solo show at Haines, full of fragmentation and reconstruction in the form of paintings, sculptures, lightboxes, and film.  Her new work uses Proust and the multiple meanings of the verb "to cast" as jumping-off points, and the breadth of her practice is impressive (I can't wait to see more film from her!).

 

Theater

Every first Thursday - Tourettes Without Regrets at the Oakland Metro Operahouse.  I recently attended my first TWR, their "Fuck Valentine's Day" edition, and as I was standing there packed into a crowd of diverse freaks watching various vulgar and hilarious acts on stage I was just extremely grateful for this Bay Area institution.  The messier it is the better, and this month's "Awesome April" installment looks like it will be quite the beautiful mess.

 

Film

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams might have confounded some of its viewers at the time of its release in 1990, but it reads as pure prescient poetry now, especially with the director's focus on the destruction caused by human ignorance.  Each of the eight "dreams" stands on its own, though there are subtle linkages as well, and it is completely impossible for me to pick a favorite.  I love them all for different reasons.

 

Book

Hans Herbert Grimm hoped his 1928 book about a young German solider during WWI would achieve the same success as All Quiet on the Western Front, but sadly Schlump never took off in his lifetime.  Possibly it was too smart and satirical, with a main character who is relatable but decidedly less than a clear hero.  However, rarely has an author been able to capture the extremes of war as masterfully as Grimm did here, and by reissuing it now NYRB has given contemporary readers a chance to rediscover this gem.

 

Music

Mild High Club played a sold out Tuesday night show at the Starline last night...which means that will probably be the last time I'll be able to see them in a venue that small.  This video gives you a good taste of their weirdo-psych sound; please enjoy!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

agenda 03.29.17

Art

Through April 2 - From Generation to Generation: Inherited Memory and Contemporary Art at the CJM.  Co-curated by Pierre-François Galpin and Lily Siegel, this extraordinary group show does not try to be comprehensive by covering every historical trauma ever, mercifully.  There are still many heartbreaking moments to be sure (as in Chikako Yamashiro's video about the Battle of Okinawa, pictured above) as the artists respond to "postmemories," events that they did not personally experience that still have resonance for them.  But there is a lot of humor and beauty here too.

 

Theater

Through April 2 - peerless at Marin Theatre Company.  In Jiehae Park's jet-black comedy, twins M and L have their hearts set on The College, and they will let no thing and no person stand in their way.  This is Macbeth reimagined amongst overachieving high school seniors with a dash of Heathers and Beautiful Creatures thrown in for good measure, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

 

Film

Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love was an instant favorite of mine when it came out in 2002, and I see something new in it every single time I watch it again.  Adam Sandler in one of the only roles I can tolerate him in, Emily Watson as luminous as could be, Jon Brion's insane score, those interstitials by Jeremy Blake, and of course the sheer perfection of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

 

Book

For those like me who never wanted Eve's Hollywood to end, NYRB is back with its latest glorious Eve Babitz reissue.  Slow Days, Fast Company is another delectable series of Babitz's autobiographical Los Angeles vignettes, but do not be fooled by her breezy party girl exterior.  Babitz slices directly to the heart of what it is to live and love in L.A., and of the complexities of being a modern woman.

 

Music

Artist Gwenaël Rattke gave an inspiring talk at the SF Public Library this weekend to celebrate the publication of his new book/folio San Francisco Reverberation, and while at the event I was thrilled to learn it was he who'd done the cover art for Muscle Up by Patrick Cowley, a favorite recent release of mine on SF's own Dark Entries label.  Which then led me to reread this great article on Cowley by Sam Lefebvre and want to share it with you.

agenda 03.15.17

Art

Through March 25 - Steuart Pittman: The Twist at Traywick Contemporary.  Pittman's gorgeous abstracted forms are inspired by the architecture of Oakland, and in his color choices you can imagine the faded paint of the warehouses on Mandela Parkway.  Don't miss the titles of his artworks either; one in particular made me laugh out loud in the gallery.

Theater

Through March 19 - Eclipsed at the Curran.  Written by Danai Gurira, who when she's not being a badass on The Walking Dead is also a seriously amazing playwright, Eclipsed takes you deep inside the lives of five women during the recent Liberian civil war.  Unforgettable performances from an all-woman cast, extraordinary production design, and history that needs to be better-known outside of Africa -- I cannot recommend this play highly enough.

Film

Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's classic manga comes to splatterrific life in the six Lone Wolf and Cub films, recently released by Criterion and watched in quick succession by me.  Tomisaburo Wakayama is perfectly stoic as samurai-for-hire Itto Ogami, while Akihiro Tomikawa as his young son Daigoro glares down any and all opponents -- or stabs them in the stomach with a random weapon from his perambulator.  Originally released between 1972 and 1974, the movies have some aspects (ahem gender roles) that have not aged so well, but their over-the-top attitude is hard to deny.

Book

My favorite resistance tool Daily Action just started a book club, and I was beyond psyched they chose David France's How to Survive a Plague as their inaugural selection.  Living in the Bay Area the AIDS crisis still feels very close, and this is a true survivor's tale, rich with historical insight, from someone who was on the front lines.  Read the book, watch this interview with France.  And next up for the Daily Action book club: Matthew Desmond's Evicted!

Music

Last week I was shocked to find out my dead friend Glenn had passed away suddenly, and my entire community has been rocked by the news.  I can still barely type it out; it doesn't seem real.  Besides being the kindest soul, a sharp wit, and a bon vivant, Glenn was a talented and passionate musician, always popping by my Facebook page to banter with me about music or to make some obscure Blur reference that made me laugh.  Many many years ago he organized a group of two dozen geeks into making a 24-hour playlist, and the results are posted for posterity here.  He's pogo, I'm nightfall.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

agenda 02.08.17

Art

Through February 25 - Coming Clean San Francisco at Fouladi Projects.  A collaboration with awesome local nonprofit Lava Mae, this group show offers an empathetic look at homelessness and features art by Amy Wilson Faville (pictured above), Elizabeth Lo, Danielle Nelson Mourning, Ramekon O'Arwisters, Joel Daniel Phillips, Yon Sim, Kathryn Spence, and SOUND MADE PUBLIC.  The exhibition also offers a robust schedule of associated public programming, including an evening with Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, learning about their 'Empathy At Scale' project tomorrow night. 

Theater

Through February 12 - Love Sick at the Osher Studio.  I was utterly enraptured by Ofra Daniels in her adaptation of the Song of Songs, set in both modern Tel Aviv and ancient Jerusalem and rich with live music and dance.  This ain't your typical love story. 

Film

Barbara Kopple's 2015 documentary Miss Sharon Jones! about the extraordinary singer (and KALX favorite) is a wonderful tribute to one woman's strength.  It was finished before Miss Jones's cancer returned one final time, and if you're like me you will weep your way through.

Book

It's an especially timely moment to read Louise Erdrich's latest LaRose, a gorgeous, heartfelt book set among the North Dakota Ojibwe at the turn of the millennium but delving back into history as well.  It also pairs nicely with this recent article about the young Sioux who launched the Standing Rock movement.

Music

Entrance opened for Bill Callahan (who was reliably divine) at the Starline last Saturday, and he knocked me to the ground with this song.  Buy your own copy because all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood.  #resist

946: the amazing story of adolphus tips

Katy Owen

Through January 15 - 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at Berkeley Rep.  Depend on a Cornish theater company to present one of the more inventive productions I've seen recently.  Kneehigh brings Michael Morpurgo's young adult novel to glorious life in their play by blending in music, puppetry, and some trademark British quirkiness.  Set in the tiny seaside town of Slapton during World War II, 946 starts out as a story about young Lily Tregenza and her cat Tips but expands to include a tragic forgotten chapter of military history.  The stagecraft is just amazing throughout, with a magical array of props and puppets, and all of the actors seamlessly play multiple roles and take turns on various instruments besides.  It's intense going at times, especially in the second half, but it's well worth it.

miss bennet: christmas at pemberley

Martha Brigham

Through December 23 - Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Marin Theatre Company.  It's been an excellent year for this Jane Austen enthusiast, first with Whit Stillman's sparkling film adaptation Love & Friendship and now with this world premiere Pride and Prejudice "sequel" by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.  Set at Darcy's Pemberley estate two years after the machinations of Austen's novel, the play focuses on middle Bennet sister Mary and the awakening of her interest in one Arthur de Bourgh, distant cousin to Darcy.  Mary and Arthur are played by the fabulous Martha Brigham and Adam Magill, paired again here after their turn as a Chekhovian couple in SF Playhouse's Stupid Fucking Bird, and the entire cast brings Gunderson and Melcon's script to life with a heaping dose of wit and humor.  The playwrights clearly know Austen backwards forwards and sideways, and even include a clever self-aware moment here and there to keep the action from descending into cliche (or farce, as one character remarks).  It's the highest compliment to Gunderson and Melcon, and to the cast as well, that an Austen neophyte could easily think Miss Bennet is an adaptation and not a wholly original work.

Save

Save

Save

all aunt hagar's children

Margo Hall, Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, Velina Brown

Through December 11 - All Aunt Hagar's Children at Z Space.  If you've never seen a production by Word for Word, the innovative local theater company that transforms short stories into plays by performing them as originally written, this is a fabulous place to start.  Primarily set in mid-century D.C., Edward P. Jones's tale twines together multiple layers of mystery as Khary L. Moye's young Korean War vet sets out to do a favor for his mother's friend Agatha, grief-stricken after the murder of her son.  It's a gripping story made all the more mesmerizing by the performances of the women onstage, among them the great Margo Hall, though Moye is no slouch either as he effectively narrates the entire play.  Every time I see a Word for Word performance I marvel at how they do what they do, and look forward to seeing what they do next.

Save

Save

Save

Save

summer in sanctuary

Al Letson

Through January 28 - Summer in Sanctuary at The Marsh.  Al Letson has the type of presence that demands your attention the moment he steps onto the stage, and he is riveting in his current one-person production at The Marsh.  A natural storyteller, Letson embodies a dozen characters in the show, including many of the students he worked with in a summer creative writing program in Jacksonville, Florida.  He relates their struggles with supreme empathy, sprinkling in tidbits about his own past and incorporating photos, video, and spoken-word poetry as well.  The result is an entertaining and gripping piece of theater that, even though Letson is conveying an important message, succeeds above all in making the students and their experiences unforgettable to the audience.

Save

the last tiger in haiti

Reggie D. White, Jasmine St. Clair, Clinton Roane, Andy Lucien, Brittany Bellizeare

Through November 27 - The Last Tiger in Haiti at Berkeley Rep.  Jeff Augustin's beautiful new play is a tribute to the power of storytelling and an important reminder that there's plenty going on in the world that still needs attention outside of our own country's very serious problems.  I also just got an email from Berkeley Rep offering $10 off the following performances, and I wanted to share:

• Wednesday, November 23, 7pm
• Friday, November 25, 8pm
• Saturday, November 26, 8pm
• Sunday, November 27, 7pm

Click the above Berkeley Rep link to take advantage of the discount.  The code ORANGETREE is automatically applied when you click that link and choose one of the above performances.  The fine print: This offer is valid for the above performances of The Last Tiger in Haiti, for seats in sections A and B only. It cannot be combined with any other offer or discount, and sorry, it’s not retroactive.

Save