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Sun/Slam dance-off

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By Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

Midnites for Maniacs programmer and Academy of Art University film history teacher Ficks tallies up his favorites from Sundance and Slamdance 2009.

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(1) Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire – directed by Lee Daniels
Not to be confused with the upcoming Dakota Fanning film of the same name, this gut-wrenching adaptation of the struggles of Precious, an overweight, illiterate 16-year-old, (performed with utter grace by new-comer Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe) has the power to take the country by storm if and when it’s released (the film has yet to be picked up by a distributor even though it won Sundance’s Grand Jury and Audience Award prizes). Mo’Nique as Precious’ abusive mother delivers one of the most authentic performances of our time (she won a Special Jury Prize for Acting), while Mariah Carey is brilliantly understated as a caring social counselor. But what’s so special about this Dancer in the Dark-esque film are Damien Paul’s screenplay and director Lee Daniels’ choices to always take the more difficult road with the characters. This is powerhouse filmmaking at its finest.

(2) Humpday – directed by Lynn Shelton
So straight they’re gay! If you took the two straight-male archetypes from Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy (2006) — the adventurous, wandering beardo and the settling-down, sensitive progressive — got them drunk at a party, and had them challenge one another to have sex with each other, you have the setup for hands-down the funniest bromance mumblecore film of the year. As the two friends (Joshua Leonard and Mark Duplass of 2005’s The Puffy Chair) try and prove who’s living life to the fullest and man-liest, director Lynn Shelton showcases the “awkward moment” and thoroughly explores straight men’s confused sexuality. (If the premise sounds uncomfortable, think of how baffled the Utah audiences were of the concept of two straight guys fucking one another. Magnolia picked the film up so keep your eyes open for the limited release.) This is classic indie cinema of the golden 1990s type.

(3) We Live in Public – directed by Ondi Timoner
Following-up Timoner’s 2004 Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winning Dig!, this jaw-dropping doc follows the bipolar exploits of Josh Harris, a man who predicted every single step of the internet. The hypnotic footage has the power to warp the viewer into Harris’ Orwellian vision of the future. It’s as fascinatingly addictive as it is horrifyingly revealing of where our current society is headed.

Local Artist of the Week

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LOCAL ARTIST Brian Wasson

TITLE Honey (digital c-print, 30 by 24 inches, edition of five)

STORY "Start every day with a mile and get it over with." — W.C. Fields

BIO Brian Wasson became an Eagle Scout in 1992. He received his MA from Arkansas State University in 2002 and his MFA at San Francisco Art Institute in 2004. He has shown solo at Little Tree Gallery and Ping Pong Gallery.

SHOW "Last Wash." Through Feb. 20. Ping Pong Gallery, 1240 22nd St., SF. (415) 550-7483, www.pingponggallery.com

WEB www.bwasson.com

Sales Alert: Free treats and top threads

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By Juliette Tang

What: One of our favorite fashion co-op boutiques, The Mission Statement, will be slashing 20-40% off all merchandise.

When: This Friday only, January 30, from 6PM to 10PM.

Where: 3458 18th Street, between Mission and Valencia.

Perks: The designers will be there on Friday to chat with shoppers, and complementary homemade treats and hot mulled wine will be offered to add some spice to your shopping experience.

————

What: Carrots, the uber, uber-upscale boutique that sells labels like Stella McCartney, Narcisco Rodriguez, Rag and Bone, and Peter Som, is selling everything at 75% off. That means a Peter Som dress at a price point of $1,300 will be $325 this week.

When: Until Sunday, February 1.

Where: 843 Montgomery St, between Pacific and Jackson.

Perks: The Grimm sisters, who own and run Carrots, are known for giving customers free beer. Check out this SFBG interview with Melissa and Catie Grimm if you don’t believe me.

SF Ballet goes, er, gay

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By Marke B.

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Throw them poak chops, girl!

Yes, I am a fan of the dance. I’m even a fan of the 75-year-old SF Ballet when I can afford to go — and this Friday, January 30, may be the time to hit the Coinstar and buckle up my toe shoes, because it’s the ballet’s special “Nite Out!” program for the LGBTs. Those twirlers are “a ballet company as diverse as our community” according to the promo flyer (which also explains what “LGBT” means in tiny print at the bottom, heh) — and they’re not only gonna put on a kicky show at 8pm. There’ll also be “Meet the Artist” interviews with some of the company at 7pm and, from 10:30-midnight, there will be an “exclusive cocktail reception” with free wine, vodka cocktails, and snacks.

Raw latex and monkey cats: Thailand island pics

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This is part three of SFBG photog Ariel Soto’s travel pic essay of her trip to Thailand and Laos. View her Bangkok pics here, and her Laos pics here.

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The monkey cat, Ko Libong

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Ko Libong

We ended our trip in Southern Thailand, on a small, relaxed island called Ko Libong. The majority of the population is Muslim, so as the sun set over the blue sea, we got to listen to angelic voices as they called the faithful to prayer.

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Market soup chefs in Trang

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Dried squid at a night market in Trang

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Fish bowls in Trang

Art: There’s a little homo cholo in all of us

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By Justin Juul

Art Exhibition: Dino Dinco at Project One

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Who Dino Dinco is a Los Angeles-raised photographer/filmmaker/writer/designer who takes pictures of gangsters engaged in intimate behavior (brews in the bathtub, hairy balls in bed, etc), factory workers engaged in life, people wearing fancy clothes, and graffiti (among other things). His images have appeared in Vogue Brazil, Surface, Tokion, and BUTT and his films have been screened all over the world in fancy galleries and art museums like The Louvre and Tate Modern. Dinco also does television, film, and advertising work.

Bar Hop: Kick-ass sazeracs at 83 Proof

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By Marke B.

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The view from 83 Proof

I highly recommend you fly by the snazzy 83 Proof downtown for some classic cocktails soon — yes, even in these recession-minded times. Hunky Beau and I popped in to check it out last Saturday, and it was quite fab and reasonable.

Both the economy and the inauguration hangover seemed to be taking their toll: 83 Proof is pretty big, with an upstairs lounge area and plenty of airy space around the downstairs table and massive bar stocked with an amazing amount of liquor I’d never seen before. There were maybe 10 others cozied up — and this was just before primetime on a Saturday! But we all got to talking and ordering, and it was an evening well-spent.

I went for the Proof’s storied basil gimlet (which the friendly, craft-minded bartender mixed with a little ginger Cello for spark) after diving into a cucumber gimlet. What can I say? I’m a total girl drink drunk.

Hunky Beau, however, likes the harder, classier stuff. The gimlets were a tad too sweet for his macho, macho buds. He started out with a Manhattan on the rocks and then moved smothly on to a sazerac, one of the oldest cocktails (it’s debated whether it was indeed the very first) — and this proved the highlight of the night.

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A typical sazerac, although ours was on the rocks and much heftier – and our lemon twist twistier.

Blog Love: Peeping locals between the covers

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By Juliette Tang

Have you ever wondered what your fellow San Franciscans are reading? One might find such information by asking random strangers on the streets of SF about their reading habits — but that may make everyon involved a little uncomfortable. A better method is to let People Reading do it for you. Blogger Sonya Worthy has been chronicling San Franciscan readers for the past two and a half years, and thus far, she has photographed over 1,200 readers. (And they said blogs would kill print! – Ed.)

Says Sonya, “The beauty and rarity of a given book being read at a given time, instead of, say, packed away in a box somewhere is what initiated the blog. But, throughout the past two and a half years, I’ve discovered that I’ve not only been chronicling the popularity of books, but also the diversity of individuals.” San Francisco is, indeed, a diverse city of readers. Look at the assorted variety of books on the blog. From the William Faulker: Novels 1930-1935 to Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Harmonica, our fellow citizens show an interesting and assorted variety of tastes when it comes to their tomes.

Sit-Down Specials: Lovin’ the Loving Cup

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SFBG’s Diana Dunkelberger digs her fork into a deliciously local low-price menu every week …..

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On this chic stretch of Polk Street, the ladies who lunch may prefer a smoked trout salad at La Boulange, but for those facing hard times there’s The Loving Cup, a newly opened, six-stool shop that offers, among other goodies, homemade rice pudding. Here, for just $2.75, you can buy a little cup of cool, creamy goodness. It’s true there’s something grandmotherly about food you can gum down without chewing. From what I hear, though, this tastes nothing like the jam-slathered rice pudding my grandma used to eat in old-time Vienna. With flavors like pistachio, Madagascar vanilla bean, cinnamon rum raisin, and chai, this is as cutting edge as pudding is going to get.

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If rice-as-dessert isn’t your bag, this shop also offers first-class fro-yo, priced from $3.00 for a kid-size cup to $7.25 for a giraffe-size one. And for those who don’t suffer from primitive dental work or mislaid dentures, and have at long last graduated to solid foods, congratulations! You’ll probably want to celebrate by sampling their tender snickerdoodles ($1.25), organic blueberry breakfast bars ($2.50), and chocolate date bread pudding ($2.50), all made by Jessica Stokes, one of the Loving Cup baristas and a graduate of the California Culinary Academy to boot.

Street Threads: What the heck are you wearing?

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Guardian photog Ariel Soto is back on the streets after her trip to Asia, scoping out people’s togs in this bipolar hot/cold season.

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Anya, Mission and 30th

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Barbara de Chile, Mission and Valencia

For this installment of Street Threads, I decided to make my way to Bernal Heights via the Mission to see what kind of street friendly fashion I could find. As I sweated my way up the hill (75 degrees and it’s January … what is going on!?), I found a delightful mix of fashionistas, many wearing the cutest little dresses, and then, also, the world’s most stylish baby, Cassady.

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Cassady, Cortland and Andover

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Bram from the Netherlands

The Mission vs. American Apparel?

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By Juliette Tang

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The Mission District is gathering its forces in a fight against American Apparel. Yes, native Missionites are rebelling against skinny jeans, hoodies with white zippers, and colorful tights. (Irony! — Ed.).

American Apparel is trying to build a store at 988 Valencia Street, right next to the Artist Television Access, an artist-run, non-profit experimental media arts gallery that has been around since 1984, on an extremely vibrant corner of the Mission that includes independent, locally-owned gems like Dosa, the Sidewalk Juice Cafe, Herbivore, and Minnie Wilde.

“Oh, hell no!” says local writer Stephen Elliott of the Progressive Reading Series and other actively opposed Mission denizens. .

You know you’re a Warhol wannabe …

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By Laura Peach

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Stop dreaming about the day when you’ll wake up as a celebrity artist. Now you can pretend and get paid!

Your chance to step into the shoes of the most infamous prince of pop art is here. That’s right. You can be Andy Warhol. The man who convinced the world there was art in a can of Campbell’s soup, who created the Factory and filled it with sexy Superstars, who spent his evenings partying at Studio 54, and who made himself into an international icon. (And then, of course, the shooting … )

The de Young museum is searching for performers who can embody the enigmatic personality of Warhol for public appearances scheduled around the upcoming Warhol Live exhibit, which will showcase Warhol’s pop star artwork from February 14 until March 17. Father-son curator-artist team Rene and Rio Yanez will be auditioning aspiring Andys on Saturday, January 31.

Scott Walker talk

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By Johnny Ray Huston

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man trailer

Stephen Kijak knows San Francisco at least as well as he knows the subject of his new movie, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. Kijak lived here in the 20th century, and he’s making a return visit in honor of Scott Walker: 30 Century Man‘s Bay Area theatrical premiere this weekend. The visit allows him an opportunity to play Walker songs at the Casanova Lounge this Friday night. I recently talked all-things-Walker on the phone with the handsome-voiced Kijak, who studied with Ray Carney, and whose past directorial credits include a drama starring Margot Kidder with a score by Kristin Hersh, episodes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and the 2002 movie obsessive doc Cinemaniacs.

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Stephen Kijak. Photo by Mia Hanson.

SFBG: In making the film, what was the most surprising facet of Scott Walker that you discovered?
Stephen Kijak: To this day, it’s still a mystery to me. It might be his honesty and simplicity. His music sounds extreme and experimental and avant-garde – he’s been accused of being the emperor’s new clothes or being weird for weirdness’ sake. But the actual simple and focused dedication to narrative ideas within his music, and the seriousness of it, was extraordinary to witness. Witnessing it was the thing.
There is a lot of humor threaded throughout the process. It was revealing to see the relationship he has with the musicians, and his actual process in the studio. It seems unencumbered by angst or torment – he’s a very natural, easygoing, funny man, and they just have a good time in the studio making these records.
Of course, he does push himself to limits, to execute and achieve what he needs, but it all seems to be done with a great camaraderie and respect. The musicians will do anything for him. Instead of surprise, I had a sense of awe about being allowed this privileged peek into his process. We had limited access, but it was definitely quality over quantity.

SFBG: So you didn’t have a large amount of footage to work with?

SFBG TV goes to Speakeasy Brewery

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New year, new beer! Dive into the suds of change. Video slideshow by Ariel Soto.

10 years of yummy walrus — at 50% off

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By Juliette Tang

Just in time for these hard times

Happy 10-Year Anniversary to Upper Playground! Of all the stores with cute little walrus mascots in the Lower Haight that sell printed t-shirts, Upper Playground is my favorite. They’ve been dressing San Franciscans in urban streetwear for a decade, and to thank us for our support, they’ve taken 50% off everything they have in stock until January 25 (except the gallery art, unfortunately). The sale is only available on the online store, but it’s definitely worth the shipping and handling. Items we’ve got our eye on include the I heart SF t-shirt and David Cho hairdo pillows. But get your shop on before January 25, because this is recession friendly for only 4 more days.

Locations:
220 Fillmore Street, SF, CA 94117
2509 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704

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The best dressed girl in SF?

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By Juliette Tang

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Who’s the best dressed girl in San Francisco? My vote goes to Rumi Neely, a San Francisco fashion blogger whose eye for style has landed her onto to the pages of Teen Vogue and French Vogue, plus an upcoming modeling campaign for RVCA. Rumi chronicles her day-to-day outfits on her personal site, Fashion Toast, and her casual California chic, quirky mix of high and low fashion, and insane collection of Chloe ankle boots has propelled her from San Francisco blogger to international fashion doyenne. The cutest thing about Rumi, besides her fabulous taste in footwear? Her favorite hangout in San Francisco is the Kinokuniya bookstore in Japantown.

Golden wats and fried moss: photos from Laos

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Guardian photog Ariel Soto travelled to Thailand and Laos over the holidays — here’s her pictorial impressions. View her pics from Bangkok, part one of this three-part photo-essay, here.

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Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang, Laos

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Cruising down the streets of Luang Prabang, Laos

From soupy Bangkok we flew to Luang Prabang, Laos, a world heritage site and a city with a wat on almost every other block. It is located along the beautiful Mekong river and much of the culture revolves around the river. It is where people bathe, wash their clothes and, along which, they grow their food (much of which is farmed organically.)

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Schoolmates looking out over the Mekong river in Luang Prabang

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Novice monks taking a break from classes in Luang Prabang

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A typical street in Luang Prabang

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A fruit stand at the night market in Luang Prabang

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A textile weaver at the Hmong night market in Luang Prabang

Local Artist of the Week: ‘hallucinatory memory’

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LOCAL ARTIST Neil Ledoux

TITLE Pigna (60" x 48", oil on canvas)

STORY This is part of a series based on a hallucinatory memory LeDoux imagined during his childhood. He recounted seeing a fountain in the thick Louisiana forests. The fountain’s beauty was so astonishing that he immediately wanted to share it with his friends and family, but when he took them back to see it, it was nowhere to be found.

BIO LeDoux was born in 1976 in Louisiana. He is currently a BFA candidate at California College of the Arts.

SHOW "The Fountain of Giant Teardrops," Fri/23 through Feb. 28. Silverman Gallery, 804 Sutter, SF (415) 255-9508. Opening reception Fri/23, 7–10 p.m. Conversation with Larry Rinder and Neil LeDoux, Feb. 29, 7 p.m.

WEB www.silverman-gallery.com

The Blender: What we’ve been eating

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Sunshine and comfort this week on the Guardian menu:

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(1) Latkes for Obama

(2) Dark and stormies, Easy Lounge, Oakl.

(3) Wildwood organic soy yogurt

(4) Oxtail terrine, Acme Chophouse, SF

(5) Abalone nigiri, Eiji, SF

The Mix: What we’ve been up to

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Guardian staff took it off and played this week:

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1) January sunbathing

(2) Umberto D.

(3) Camel, Moonmadness (Decca, 1976)

(4) Les Yeux Noirs playing "Lluba" at Yoshi’s San Francisco

(5) Early Man, Slim’s

Kudos to “A Burning Opera”

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By Steven T. Jones, aka Scribe

A couple months ago, when I heard first about “A Burning Opera: How to Survive the Apocalypse,” I rolled my eyes. Burning Man has inspired some very good and very bad art and for some reason I assumed that a musical telling the story of the event would hew toward the latter category.

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Boy, was I wrong! I attended opening night and was struck by how this play – created by Mark Nichols, Erik Davis and Christopher Fulling-McCall – is both engrossing musical theater in its own right and a piece of art that truly captures the feel of the event and the Zeitgeist of its attendees.

The play’s central conflicts – humans vs. nature, ravers vs. punks, chaos vs. control, Larry Harvey vs. John Law (who sat in front of me and said he enjoyed the play about an event he helped create but left in frustration in 1996) – are deftly woven into a storyline that traces the journey of a trio of newbies and an event that has grown from a small gathering on Baker Beach to the most profound and enduring countercultural phenomenon of our time.

But this play would never use that last phrase. Yes, this musical is certainly an ode to something its creators love, but its strength comes for its clear-eyed, warts and all view of the event and its attendees. It skillfully walks the line between the Law and Harvey views and balances the event’s spiritual, silly and bacchanalian aspects in a way that, well, got me really excited to return to the playa this year.

And now, dear readers, the bad news: Its two-weekend run at Stagewerx Theatre is sold out. But executive producer Dana Harrison (dana@burningopera.com) says she’s looking for ways to extend the run somewhere here in town, so stay tuned.

It’s hard to be a man

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By Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

Midnites for Maniacs programmer Ficks is in Utah checking out the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Here’s what’s gotten his attention so far…

“We Live in Public” trailer

Paper Heart, directed by Nicholas Jasenovec
Early on in this semi-mock doc, the actor Michael Cera, who plays himself, responds to the overview of Paper Heart by saying, “Just what America needs, another quirky comedy.” Cera, who has reinstated the term “perfect comic timing” since he appeared as George Michael in Arrested Development , is yet again awkward and hilarious in this sweet but fairly clunky trek across America, which asks real couples how they met, reinacts them with paper cutouts a la Science of Sleep (2006), and if ponders the question if love truly exists. The film’s lead actress — Charlyne Yi, the stoner girl who hangs with all the dudes in Knocked Up (2007) — also co-scripted this sure-to-be crowd pleaser. If only certain scenes hadn’t felt so forced.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, directed by John Krasinski
Director Krasinski — better known as Jim on The Office — also adapted the screenplay from David Foster Wallace’s story. The tale follows Sara (Julianne Nicholson), a woman who’s been recently cheated on, as she interviews multiple subjects of the male gender about their honest fears, fantasies, and frustrations. Krasinski’s film pushes through its similarities to Paper Heart (getting to the bottom of love) by taking its “personal interviews” to impressive depths about the male psyche. It delivers some pretty powerful moments.

We Live in Public, directed by Ondi Timoner
Fascinatingly addictive, this follow up to Timoner’s cult classic Dig! (which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2004) follows the bi-polar exploits of Internet pioneer Josh Harris. This man predicted every single step of the internet and the jaw dropping footage of his “experiments” are here to prove it. In 1999 he created a quasi-cult community in the basement of New York, in which people were given pods to sleep in, free food, drugs, and all night raves while every move was being recorded and shared. Even now, the uncompromising footage has the power to warp the viewer into his Orwellian vision of the future. But wait — that’s not all: Harris then goes on to rig 32 motion-sensor cameras in his house, creating the first website to stream his and girlfriend’s every life moment. I can’t express enough how awesome this film is, or how horrifyingly revealing of where our own society has headed. You wanna talk about the film of Sundance ’09? Look no further.

Obama’s hat trick — The Bad Boy? The Shark Life?

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Well, yeah, it’s that inauguration thingy coming up, and the world is awash in the fabulous commercialization of it. Obama’s lavish coronation has already saved the print industry, caused quite a t-shirt kerfuffle with MLK’s kids, and inspired a host of commemorative coins — just don’t ask where the precious metal’s coming from.

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Really, lady?

Hell, you can even send someone an “inaugural toast.” No, not an actual piece of toast, but an real drink from a local bar. (OK, that one’s kind of cool.)

But we’ll happily buy into any inaugural gimmick that’s sharp — and also comes from our favorite SF millinery institution, Goorin Bros in North Beach, which has been around for, like, 300 years or something. The spin? Vote for the snazzy hat that Obama should wear!

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Plus, you can get a 10% discount on Goorin mop-toppers if you enter promo code: Inauguration 2009 on the Goorin Bros. Web site. Truly, the audacity of hat.

(We’re not sure what will happen once the winning cap is chosen, but something awesome, we’re sure.)

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Frantic fish on a stick: Bangkok pics

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Bay Guardian photog Ariel Soto just got back from Asia — with some fab snaps, of course. We’re presenting her travel essay in three parts throughout the next week. First up: touching down in Bangkok.

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Golden Buddhas

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Lobster claws at a restaurant

I have major wanderlust. Take-off on an airplane gives me a high. I know I’m going to see new things, taste exotic flavors and smell unfamiliar perfumes or fumes. I never sleep on flights, even if the trip is over fifteen hours. I’m just too excited.

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One of many wats

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A mangled monk statue