Year: 2015

“Southpaw”—Left-handed Compliment

Written by diana on September 13, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. 3 Comments on “Southpaw”—Left-handed Compliment

The boxing movie genre—Raging Bull, Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, The Fighter (see July 11, 2011 review)—is commonly tackled in movies because of its inherent drama and overt conflict between the protagonist, a down-and-out boxer and a champion. “Southpaw” neatly fits into this mold, but the story has some interesting surprises, not just a...

“Woman in Gold”—A Glimmer of Retribution

Written by diana on September 6, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Woman in Gold”—A Glimmer of Retribution

The movie “Woman In Gold” is based on the remarkable story of the octogenarian Austrian-American woman, Maria Altmann (played by the always sensational Helen Mirren). Maria fights to reclaim the Gustav Klimt masterpiece of her aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy art collector of Klimt paintings. “Portrait of the Jewess Adele”. More...

“Straight Outta Compton”—A Rap on Censorship and Racism

Written by diana on August 30, 2015. Posted in movie reviews.

The critically acclaimed film, “Straight Outta Compton” is an unlikely blockbuster for its “R” rating and timely depiction of the mean streets of Compton, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Although taking place in the mid-eighties, the clashes with the police resonate today. Chronicling the rise of N.W.A. (”niggaz wit attitude”), this biopic of...

“Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography” at the Getty Center [until September 6]

Written by diana on August 26, 2015. Posted in Art, Local travel. 1 Comment on “Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography” at the Getty Center [until September 6]

Light, Paper, Process For anyone who loves photography, “Light, Paper, Process” is mind-blowing. Do you want to know what can be done with a photograph processed the old fashioned way? Before Photoshop? This exhibition features experimental photography from seven artists—Matthew Brandt, Marco Breuer, John Chiara, Chris McCaw, Lisa Oppenheim,...

AL’s Place—A Favorite New Spot in SF

Written by diana on August 16, 2015. Posted in Local travel, Restaurants.

AL stands for Aaron London, the young energetic chef of Ubuntu fame (renowned for vegetarian food in Napa Valley). This newly opened San Francisco restaurant on the corner of 26th and Valencia is a standout. Beautifully presented, but in a very noisy, but pristine white environs, AL’s Place seats only forty-six diners. All the dishes we...

“Patrik 1.5”—“The Kid’s All Right”

Written by diana on August 15, 2015. Posted in movie reviews.

This Swedish sleeper of a film is entertaining and very moving. Sweden is often thought of as the bright light of liberalism, a model for social justice. And less than a month after the passage of the same-sex marriage decision by the Supreme Court, we may think we are catching up. But “Patrik 1.5” shows us even socially liberal...