You wanted a staycation, you said. You need to catch up on streaming, you said. Well, the magic elf that lives in the sky certainly gave you what you wanted. During this period of house arrest, Netflix's cornucopia continues to spill narcos, zombies and real-life crime. Take a hard pass in favor of the adventures of a Suffolk sheep. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon cites ET, Men in Black, Doctor Who and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The space invader is about a yard high, a sort of mischievous finger puppet shaped critter with tentacles. Topped with an azure puppyish head, he's a deep-space cousin to Peanuts' Snoopy. Shaun helps him phone home, while warding off trouble from the Ministry of Alien Detection, and the authoritarian » Read More

Given the current political crises, it's hard to see films by the new generation of directors following Jafar Panahi (This Is Not a Film), Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Kandahar) or Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry, Certified Copy). Bretow notes, "We were surprised to find out that many American moviegoers weren't familiar with the renown of Iran's national cinema ... With The Night, we wanted to make something that honored that authentic humanity. Like the Iranian cinema that has come before it, The Night doesn't wear all of its secrets on the surface. We set out to create a film layered in meaning." » Read More

The text on the marquee said it all: "The Ritz Closed Until Further Notice." The news came as a disappointment to fans of Xavier Dprehpaulezz--the imaginative blues singer and songwriter who performs under the moniker Fantastic Negrito--who was scheduled to wow the crowds at The Ritz on March 19. As the county and state ramp up efforts to prevent a spike in novel coronavirus cases, bars, nightclubs and live music venues are shutting down, and it is unclear when they will open again. » Read More

Talk, talk everywhere but not a drop of trust. "Opinion has become our driving force," says Quinn, who brings his new show, The Wrong Side of History, to Stanford for four performances March 13 and 14. "Free speech, exchange of opinion, open communication: These things are automatically thought of as evolutionary ways to get to enlightenment. But my whole show is, hey, maybe we've gone too far with free speech, once we have electronically made opinion this thing that everyone gives out all day, every day." » Read More

It's not a bird. It's not a plane. And it's definitely not Superman. But on the right side of Enrique Chagoya's canvas, you can make out part of the Man of Steel's familiar logo. SUPER is spelled out in the familiar block lettering but the word is reversed (REPUS) and falling off the chest of a Frankenstein-like figure. The face doesn't belong to Kal-El, the comic-book alien sent to Earth from Krypton. It's a jumble of seven or eight faces collaged together. Supergirl's cape is flying freely behind her back but the logo covers her face and upper torso. Superman himself does make an appearance. He's flying straight into the "S" but you can only catch a glimpse of one full leg and both of his red ankle boots as they disappear upwards. » Read More

At that time, Nguyen, whose previous life included marketing, social media management and e-commerce, built and launched a new website, Academic Pantry, in two days, to sell high-quality produce. Working with companies that also supplied produce to Manresa and Orchard City Kitchen, Nguyen was able to hawk Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce and similar produce at almost the same price, if not cheaper, than Whole Foods. In the process, Academic's Instagram account skyrocketed. Followers flocked on in. As a result, coffee shops from around the neighborhood and even the Bay Area called to ask how Academic was making the day-to-day operation work, what Nguyen was using to wipe down the surfaces, what types of cleaning materials he recommended » Read More

Accordingly, if a woman's looking for a man for herself, research by evolutionary social psychologist Shelli L. Dubbs suggests she's likely to favor "traits that suggest genetic quality," like being physically attractive. However, if the woman's assessing a man for her daughter, she (along with her husband) will likely prioritize "characteristics that suggest high parental investment." In short, parents are wondering about the guy dating their daughter: "Hey, buster, you gonna stick around and pay the mortgage, or will we have to cover it because your paycheck keeps getting tangled up in strippers' G-strings?" » Read More

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for," writes author Barbara Kingsolver. "And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof." According to my analysis of the astrological omens, that is exactly the work you should be doing right now, Gemini. Everything good that can and should happen for you in the coming months depends on you defining what you hope for, and then doing whatever's necessary to live inside that hope. » Read More

More recently, I can think of two downtown San Jose moments when I was grateful to be in the same room with him. In 2013, he showed up at the San Jose Museum of Art to attend a major Annie Leibovitz exhibit, Pilgrimage, for which I was grateful to write a cover story. I did not speak to him at the reception, but he was there in all his dapper glory, even at 80 years of age. I was so proud of the museum, especially the curators who lobbied to secure that show for San Jose. » Read More