When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
When culinary powerhouse and 12-time restaurateur Gabriela Cámara opened her first restaurant in Mexico City, it revolutionized the country's concept of quality seafood.
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
I had the good fortune to see Lester’s own faded 35mm print of Class of 1984 at the Castro in 2010, and if you can’t turn back time and join me there, Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray — a stunningly crisp HD transfer from the un-faded interpositive — is the next best thing.
Andrew Norris (Perry King) is idealistic new teacher at Lincoln High, a crime-ridden stinkhole ruled by Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten, who’s since dropped the “othy” and has directed many episodes of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, and the first two episodes of Game of Thrones). Although he's the punkiest punk ever to punk out, he’s doesn’t look especially punky by any known punkometry. But he is deeply antisocial, as is the movie surrounding him.
Which is high praise. Class of 1984 is a deliriously seedy, fun, and occasionally disturbing story of teenagers (played actors and actresses of drinking age, per usual) running amok. In the new Making-Of documentary “Blood and Blackboards,” Lester describes his incredibly violent exploitation film as prophetic and a warning to the world, a warning went unheeded ‘cuz the metal detectors in the school in Class of 1984, which seemed far-fetched at the time, now exist in reality. At the end, he bemoans, “Nobody took my warning!” If it’s any consolation, nobody listened to Cassandra, either.
Elsewhere, Lisa Langlois, who plays the ever-present but largely silent punk girl Patsy, says that the real punk girls used as extras in a club scene thought she was inauthentic because her hair wasn’t just black and white. To which I say, if pink-and-blond hair is inauthentic, then "authentic" is hella overrated. And I'm not just saying that because I rocked that look myself a decade ago. (Nor am I implying that I rocked it anywhere as hard as Ms. Langlois, mind you.)
Speaking of punks, the original key art for Class of 1984 is included on the reverse of the Blu-ray sleeve – Shout! Factory is one of the few video distributors that not only commissions new box art-art (as opposed to badly Photoshopped pictures), but they typically make the original VHS or theatrical poster art an option as well. This was also used for the cover of one of my most favorite film reference books ever, Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly's Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks of Film.
Seriously, if you’re a film lover and haven’t read Destroy All Movies, you’re inauthentic. Among other things, it makes a strong case for the original Gremlins being one of the most punk-as-funk movies ever. More germane to the topic at hand, it devotes plenty of space to Class of 1984, including this:
Hundreds of films took the punks-as-villains route, but no others managed to make them as convincingly unstable and hateworthy as this. More importantly, Class of 1984 is just a perfect exploitation movie. Originally slapped with an X rating, it’s relentless seedy, overflowing with assault, suicide, racism, grimy sex, drug use and crime crime crime, all of which is perpetrated by minors!
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
