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Holding out for a hero...or an antihero...or the Antichrist: this week's new movies!

06.13.13 - 3:25 pm | Cheryl Eddy and Guardian Staff Writers |
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Already in theaters, Seth Rogen and his bro posse take on doomsday in This Is the End. I got the chance to talk with Mr. Rogen, his co-director and co-writer Evan Goldberg, and co-star Craig Robinson when they visited San Francisco a few days back. (Fun fact: Rogen really does laugh like that in real life.) Check the interview here!

In rep news, this weekend at the Castro Theatre heralds the San Francisco Silent Film Festival's "Hitchcock 9" event, spotlighting nine silent films by the guy who would later claim the title "Master of Suspense," direct some of the greatest thrillers of all time, etc. You can't go wrong with any of the films, but just for kicks, here's my take on the series here. And at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Austrian director Ulrich Seidl's dark Paradise Trilogy continues its bummer-summer run this weekend; Dennis Harvey breaks 'em down here.

Plus! That Superman movie you've been hearing a thing or two about, and the rest of the week's new offerings, after the jump.

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Know my desktop, know me: The rise of the screen grab confessional

06.13.13 - 2:01 pm | Caitlin Donohue |
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See video

A realization reached this morning while Google (or in this case, Froogal) Hanging with Houston rapper's Fat Tony video for "Hood Party": A look at someone's desktop can tell you more about a certain breed of 2013 person than watching them speed hunt-'n'-peck their way through their inbox on the other bar stool. Small wonder then, that the screen grab confessional is now a thing. Thanks in part goes to local goth-hop promotor Marco de la Vega's current video installation, viewable IRL through June 30 at Little Paper Planes' Owl Cave Books video installation space. Viewing instructions to my Guardianistas: play loud af in your headphones. Read more »

Party Radar: Cold Cave, Hussyclub, Bushwacka, Fag Fridays, Actress, more

06.13.13 - 1:08 pm | Marke B. |
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Is there anything better than HRH Prince Charles a-cuttin' and a-scratchin' some real tunes on some real vinyl? (Real vinyl is making a comback in 2013, according to the NY Times on Wednesday ... Read more »

Another victory for the champions of the "unborn"

06.13.13 - 11:36 am | Johnny Angel Wendell |
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In a grand piece of political theater, Wisconsin Republicans passed a measure 17-15 in their senate that would require an ultrasound prior to an abortion. Read more »

'Money is a tool'

And so is disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But is he a tool of political reform or just his longtime allies among the rich and the right?

06.13.13 - 9:55 am | Steven T. Jones |
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Jack Abramoff says "legalized bribery" is corrupting our political system, and as a lobbyist who went to prison for taking the practice of buying favors from Congress to obscene new depths, he should know. But if we're relying on him to help reform that system, a cause he's now taken up, we could be in real trouble.Read more »

NSA surveillance scandal goes full tilt clown

06.13.13 - 9:45 am | Johnny Angel Wendell |
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The domestic eavesdropping scandal is now entering week three in the news (it's existed for real a lot longer) and as these things tend to do, the political posturing is headed into Clownland.Read more »

John Dwyer's Thee Fuzz Warr Overload pedal

06.13.13 - 9:03 am | Emily Savage |
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You can file this under: sure, why not? Spirited Thee Oh Sees frontperson John Dwyer has “inspired” a new custom pedal for Death By Audio, called Thee Fuzz Warr Overload.

The pedal is limited to 500, and so says Death by Audio, once they’re gone, they’re gone. The Brooklyn-based effects pedal company also put out a signature Ty Segall pedal (Sunshine Reverb) which sold out in a day. Read more »

Occupied Hayes Valley site cleared by police, seven held

06.13.13 - 8:11 am | Marke B. |
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"#GeziGardens, occupied permaculture farm in SF is being raided by 100's of riot cops right now!" read the Gezi Gardens Twitter at about 2am last night.

The site, formerly known as Hayes Valley Farm, has been occupied since June 1 by a group calling themselves "Free the Land" or "Liberate the Land" after Hayes Valley Farm moved out quietly on May 31, as part of a conditional use deal with the city that allowed the farm to operate until the city-owned site is developed into condos (including 40 units for low-income residents).  

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Projection

06.13.13 - 7:47 am | Johnny Angel Wendell |
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One of the more hilarious aspects of the back and forth in "Mr Redmond's Cyber Playpen" is the inevitable scream from Redmond's adversaries of "envy" every time Redmond posts anything critical of SF's moneyed class. Imputing motive into why someone says something as a way of derailing a discussion is old hat as is. Who cares why something is written, it's there, debate its merits. But the automatic assumption that Redmond's bitterness over his failure in business leads him to muck-rake isn't even asinine, it's borderline demented.Read more »

Campos: "Tamale Lady will not go down!" Options proposed

06.12.13 - 4:21 pm | Marke B. |
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She's been slinging her steamy goodness to famished drunkards out of a trash bag in a cooler strapped to a wagon for years with no problem (other than some grumbles about a recent, tiny price hike). But it looks like the the health department -- or threat of the health department -- may have finally caught up with the beloved Tamale Lady, aka Virginia Ramos.

Today, SF's Internet melted with news that she had been asked to not sell her tamales at Zeitgeist. That bar posted a message to its Facebook:

We are sad to announce that the Tamale Lady may no longer sell her tamales at Zeitgeist. This is forced on us by SF city codes and regulations.

The SF Department of Public Health has been making efforts recently to reign in unlicensed food vendors, which may have sparked the Zeitgeist reaction -- although the origins of the Zeitgeist decision remain hazy.

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Everyone but Mayor Lee sees SF's worsening "housing affordability crisis"

06.12.13 - 4:07 pm | Steven T. Jones |
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There was a clear theme that ran through yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting from beginning to end, something understood equally by renters, homeowners, and politicians from across the political spectrum: San Francisco has a crisis of housing affordability that is forcing people from the city.Read more »

Behind the scenes with Magic Fight and the Music Video Race

06.12.13 - 2:44 pm | Emily Savage |
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Magic Fight frontperson Alex Haager, under the lights. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Norah Hoover and a friend set up. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Laura Grassi applies makeup before the final scene. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Haager and filmmaker Cory K. Riley on the ground of SUB-Mission. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Haager with the mic. Photo by Chris Stevens.
The set from above. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Hernando Buitrago, flanked by Jeff Gist and Alex Pinto. Photo by Chris Stevens.
Riley gestures to Magic Fight (Alex Pinto, Alex Haager, Jeff Gist, Hernando Buitrago). Photo by Chris Stevens.
Haager and the ladies.Photo by Chris Stevens.
Gist, Pinto, and Buitrago. Photo by Chris Stevens.

All photos by Chris Stevens

By now you’ve read all about the second annual Music Video Race. No? Well get on that. And then check out these additional photos, all shot on location at the SUB-Mission space by Chris Stevens. Read more »

Before Outside Lands: death and train-tripping with Wavves

06.12.13 - 1:59 pm | Hillary Smith |
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As we collectively await Outside Lands 2013 (August 9-11, Golden Gate Park) and attempt to enjoy summer -- the sun’s actually here, in the city! -- I decided to get productive. This year’s lineup for the festival is again a juxtaposition of big names like Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Vampire Weekend and kick-ass local artists like the Easy Leaves and Midi Matilda. Oh yeah, and there are, of course, tons more acts in between, which you can check out here.

Wanting to check in on bands during the pre-festival festivities, I’m kicking off this series with a quick and dirty email interview with San Diego-based garage rock group, Wavves. Given the indie band's track record with journalists, it seems I was pretty lucky to have received a reply. Frontperson Nathan Williams talks practical jokes and dying while bassist Stephen Pope recounts a horrific mushrooms experience (never trip on a train) and explains why he doesn't mess with people. Read more »

David Chiu's flextime

06.12.13 - 1:37 pm | Tim Redmond |
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I'm not surprised that the folks at the Chamber of Commerce are all agitated about Sup. David Chiu's proposal to expand family-friendly scheduling at local businesses. The Chamber's Jim Lazarus is typically out of control:Read more »

Explaining Osama and 9/11

06.12.13 - 12:38 pm | Johnny Angel Wendell |
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My oldest son just graduated elemetary school and so my wife and I gave him an IPad as gift. He loves the thing. Unlike his gadget n geegaw loathing father, he takes to that stuff with a vengeance.Read more »