“Role Models” is a film about two slacker guys, Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott), whose jobs are to go from school to school selling an energy drink called Minotaur, which is funny in itself. Danny is sick of his job and his girlfriend is sick of him. One day everything piles up and Danny goes a little crazy, leading both Danny and Wheeler to have a date with the courts. Danny’s girlfriend (played by the wonderful Elizabeth Banks), also Danny’s lawyer, presents them with two options: either spend time in jail, or serve over a hundred hours of community service. They are then set up with a community service program called Sturdy Wings which is a big brother-type program for kids and is run by it’s founder; the hilarious ex-junkie Gayle Sweeny (played by the hilariously painful Jane Lynch). Wheeler is paired up with the foul-mouthed Ronnie who winds up stealing the show, and Danny is paired up with nerdyand genuine Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse of McLovin’ fame). Mintz-Plasse still plays the nerd as he did in “Superbad”, but this movie is a definite step forward from his branded McLovin character. He pulls off the role with charm and sensitivity.

“Role Models” is the product of the brilliantly twisted mind that gave us the near perfect and entirely under-rated “Wet Hot American Summer” in 2001. This is a mind that gives us penis jokes, sex jokes, nerd jokes, awkward jokes and jokes that make you cringe for laughing so hard in the first place. This is the mind of David Wain. Wain is a part of a three-man comedy team with Michael Showalter (“The Baxter”) and Michael Ian Black called Stella, which had a hilarious but cancelled one-season show on Comedy Central. Last year Wain made the very hit-or-miss comedy “The Ten” which stars Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, and “The OC”‘s Adam Brody, but the film never got much spotlight. Wain’s comedies have never really reached a wide audience and have only seemed to sparkle for his close-knit cult following (including myself) mostly because his style of comedy is so abrasive and crude. “Role Models” is his chance to break that cult following and to reach a wider audience because it is so well crafted and incredibly watchable. This may be thanks to “Role Models”‘ star Paul Rudd. It’s not just that Paul Rudd delivers a fantastic, down-in-the-dumps performance, but because he has writing credits for the gig. Wain and Rudd are long time friends and when Wain presented Rudd with the script, Rudd felt it needed some work and, for the most part, rewrote the screenplay (according to Entertainment Weekly). It seems as though it was for the better. The dialogue is so quick and clever that it has a sharp improvisational feel to it. It also carries some weight by developing strong characters so that by the end of it, you are completely engrossed in the characters’ stories that you want to jump up and cheer for them. Wain also has a small role and delivers possibly one of the funniest lines in the film.

The entire cast shines throughout and this can be attributed to the fact that most in the cast are all good friends, meaning that Wain knows who’s good at what and how to get the best from each cast member. “Role Models” is also enjoyable because the characters are hyper-aware of the absurd situations they find themselves in that they fully embrace them. It is not quite as perfect as “Wet Hot American Summer”, but it’s damn close. Also, if you’ve seen the trailer for this film, be forewarned. The trailer does not do the movie justice by any means. If a movie can make Sean William Scott funny and likeable, it gets my thumbs up.

Grade: A-

A dreary Halloween weekend came to a vibrant ending in the Mission district October 24th. Thousands of people congregated at 24th and Bryant to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos (or Day of the Dead for us gringos). The crowd was incredibly eclectic, as people of all cultures and races have embraced the traditional Mexican celebration. Young children and old couples mixed in among beer-toting twentysomethings. Many were dressed in bright, traditional garb with faces painted like Misfit-esque skeletons. Orange marigolds and flickering candles illuminated the motley crowd.

Costumes ranged from the basic black and white face paint to much more intricate attire. Both women and men could be found wearing shimmering headdresses and flowing gowns. A person in a full prosthetic skeleton costume acted out little scenes with the passing crowd. Some toted incense and instruments, while others silently held photographs of those they came to celebrate.

A brief series of speakers took to the small stage around 7:00 pm. The speakers described how the festival has grown from just a few hundred people in the first year to the roughly 15,000 participants in this year’s 26th annual celebration. The crowd was led in a chant facing each cardinal direction, invoking the spirits that we honored. After brief encouragement to vote for Obama and against Prop. 8, the procession took off.

An ensemble of drummers dressed all in white set out the rhythm for the procession. Residents leaned out windows and watched from porches as we made or way down 25th. The crowd took a brief dance break in the middle of South Van Ness, with whistles blaring and maracas shaking. As we rounded the corner of 25th and Mission, past the Mission Cultural center, the procession grew into a sort of latino Lovefest. Walking and dancing, with the borrachos a little more enthusiastic than the rest of us, we truly celebrated the dead.

Our path looped around 24th and ended at Garfield Park. Here, celebrants set up altars for their loved ones. They strung hundreds of prayers to the between trees, with candles and flowers below. The boisterous procession ended relatively solemnly as participants took time to visit the various altars.

The popularity of this lively celebration clearly indicates that traditional Mexican culture is alive and well in San Francisco.

This past Tuesday I made my way down to the Castro for the premier of “Milk”, hoping to spy a celebrity or two and ended up seeing quite a few more.

A relatively low key event (low key for a movie premier that is) the crowd on the street was only a couple hundred strong which just made it easier to catch a glimpse of the likes of Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, James Franco, Diane Lane and Mayor Gavin Newsom just to name a few. I got to talking to the guy standing next to me who happened to be an extra in the movie and he told me that tickets to go inside and watch the premier with the stars evened out somewhere around five grand and included an after party for those who could afford it. If you hadn’t heard about the screening, it’s no surprise. Word is publicity for the film is being kept to a minimum for now but is scheduled to be set into full swing after the presidential election has been decided. So be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for trailers and ads to start popping up.

For those of you who might not know, “Milk” is a biogaphical film about Harvey Milk, A former New Yorker who moves to San Francisco and becomes the first openly gay elected official in the United States and a gay rights advocate who is later assassinated along with the then Mayor, George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White. Many of Harvey Milk’s real life friends and associates were part of the film’s production both on and off camera.

The spectators that were present seemed to fall pretty neatly into two categories: those on the sidewalk across from the theater holding “No on Prop 8″ signs and those of us on the sidewalk closest to the red carpet snapping pictures and leaning over the barricades for a better look. I have to really give it up to the political advocates across the street, they were very enthusiastic and were chanting since before I arrived and were still going at it after I left. I’m sure this premier was looking like the perfect opportunity for those anti-Prop 8ers to get out there and voice their opinion in the grand tradition of the city; what with the theme of the movie, the historic location and the vote so near. San Franciscans have never had trouble exercising their right to assemble; we’re a very participatory society, which brings us to the extras in this film.

To be an extra on the set of Milk you pretty much had to sign up online and show up at the right place in the right dress for the period. There was a call for people of all races and genders to come and help recreate the marches that originated in the Castro during the 1970′s. There were no auditions and the website stated “If you sign up you will be used”. It was a nice extra little touch to give people who live in San Francisco now the opportunity to be apart of the retelling and connect with a pivotal part in their hometown’s history.

“Milk” officially hits theaters November 26th. I suggest you go look up the trailer if you have not seen it already, this one looks like it’s going to be a good one.

By Sky Madden | Foghorn Staff

Acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut with “Synecdoche, New York”.  It opens in San Francisco tomorrow Friday, Nov. 7th.  Kaufman’s previous works “Being John Malkovich” (1999), “Adapation” (2002) and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) have asked audiences to let the hand of existentialism come out of the big screen and massage their brains relentlessly.  This time, Kaufman reaches even further into the absurdist abyss with character Caden Cotard in his new script, “Synecdoche, New York.”  Cotard, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is a tired American playwright, frustrated with pluming bills and paranoid of terminal illnesses.  His contentious wife, Adele, played by Catherine Keener bruises Caden’s mental state with her outright detached life philosophy.  Adele understands romantic love to be mere projection and that the more you know someone in this way, the more disappointing they become.  The brutal estrangement of his wife only elevates Caden’s spiraling state as he attempts to finally execute a biographic play–the play that might save him from a life of meaninglessness.

Foghorn Podcast: Interview with Charlie Kaufman

“Synecdoche, New York” was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman and produced by Spike Jonze, Anthony Bregman and Sidney Kimmel.  It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Dianne West and Tom Noonan.

Mr. Charlie Kaufman talks with Sky Madden about scriptwriting theory and his experience with making “Synecdoche” for Foghorn Scene Podcasts.

Do you know who these ghouls are? The first three correct replies (to scene@sffoghorn.info) will win a prize courtesy of the Foghorn. The contest ends at Midnight on Halloween night. Don’t forget to leave the e-mail address you would like to be contacted at!

When some think of a neglected arthouse film, the image that comes to mind is a modern, avant-garde affair that looks into the abyss of the human condition and returns with stylishly esoteric profundity–all on a shoe-string budget, backyard sets, and a cast of newly-graduated drama majors. By this logic, though privately financed, minimally distributed, and completely unconventional, “The Fall” barely qualifies as arthouse. It is simply art.

In a 1915 Los Angeles hospital, a young Romanian girl named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) recovers from a broken arm. Her boredom and curiosity lead her to discover Roy (Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies), a silent movie stuntman crippled during a shoot. Apparently amused by the girl, Roy spins a fantastical story about five eccentric heroes and their quest to bring down an evil governor. Thereafter, the film alternates between the hospital and storyland, with aspects of each entwining and coloring the other.

Unlike other movies that alternate between story lines, such as “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Fall” throws itself into the entire concept of the role of imagination in storytelling . Instead of crisp transitions, the story changes and contradicts itself. The storyteller and the listener both influence what we perceive-Roy speaks of an Indian with a wigwam and squaw while Alexandria pictures an Indian with a turban and scimitar.

The characters defy convention as well. Alexandria is a real child, not a Hollywood wunderbrat. She babbles, misunderstands, and possesses equally vexing and endearing wide-eyed sweetness. Roy, meanwhile, is not the typical wizened storyteller. His injuries and personal traumas have left him damaged and despairing beneath a lacquer of easygoing wryness. It is no coincidence that the evil governor in the story doubles as the man who stole his girlfriend in real life. More so, we soon learn that he wants to keep Alexandria enthralled so that she will steal morphine for him. Though Alexandria’s perceptions color the story, Roy’s inner turmoil guides it. For both characters, the story twists between a lighthearted adventure and a painful dirge.

Visually, the film is a bedazzling dream. Where the story can grow thin, the visuals offer wonder after wonder. From traversing the seas on the back of an elephant to epic standoffs atop an Indian palace, the shots that director Tarsem Singh composes are marvels of beauty and artistic brilliance. The visuals and the story, both prone to wandering, ultimately hold each other together. Because it is a fantasy story, the visuals can become as dramatic and epic as they want, and therefore justify the escalating drama of the hero’s quest. The grandeur of the sets can only be matched by the intricate costumes, designed by virtuoso Eiko Ishioko, which provide more insight into the fairytale heroes than any amount of dialogue.

Make no mistake, despite a charming story, “The Fall” revolves around mood and images. Sometimes, the story seems only to provide a means to get to the next magnificent set piece, yet each set piece delivers a flourish of silent emotion.

“The Fall” splashes across the arthouse scene in an eruption of color and drama. It tangos between intimate emotion and explosive epic, childlike innocence and world-weary cynicism, until it reaches a tempo where everything runs together. It does not have much to say about the human condition, but delves into the spectrum of human emotion. “The Fall,” directed by Tarsem Singh, was released on DVD September 9th.

Staff Writer: Kylah Frazier

    I knew there were going to be a lot of people at the Red Bull Soap Box race this past Saturday but I had no idea that there would be that many people. Later on that dayone of the MCs would announce that there was an estimated 75,000 that showed up. Dolores Park was swarming when we arrived, though I really should have foreseen that when busses packed with people passed us over and over again. The bus situation was so hopeless we ended up having to get a cab. San Francisco has an awesome public transportation system any other day but then a big event rolls around , it doesn’t matter who you are no bus is going to stop for you. Same thing happened last weekend when I headed down to the Warf to see the Blue Angels, I ended up walking from the Westfield Mall downtown to Pier 39 and back again, but that’s another story. 

    Back to the park, we did our best to navigate all the people and find a spot to sit. That was a struggle in itself because there were people EVERYWHERE. There were people covering the grass, there were people sitting on the roofs of buildings and houses across the street, there were even people in the trees. In fact, the trees lining the track were the hottest real estate with as many occupants packed on the limbs as they could possibly fit. We walked up and down the row under dangling feet trying to find one for ourselves before we finally gave up and squeezed in on the lawn. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the track all that well but there were huge screens set up all around the small park (or maybe it just felt small because it was so crowded) so we didn’t have to miss a thing. Watching the screens also allowed us to see our very enthusiastic MCs that we wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise. I didn’t feel like I was missing much by not being up front. 
    The races were already underway by the time that we got settled in. As we sat down a cart called “The Big One”, a rolling replica of San Francisco complete with its own little Transamerica Building, was coming down the track and I was immediately impressed. I was thinking that the vehicles in this competition would probably be go-carts that had been painted wacky colors with the occasional standout shaped like something funny but I had no idea that so much time and effort would be placed into all of them. These people all obviously knew what they were doing and they weren’t messing around. 

    The carts were being judged in three categories: creativity, showmanship and, of course, speed. Each team was allowed two crashes on the course before disqualification and had to perform a skit before they could push off. Among my favorites was a cart shaped like a giant baseball trailing orange smoke. It was manned by drivers who wore Giants uniforms over muscle costumes. One of the carts was a rotating Death Star whose team included a cross-dressing Princess Leia. Another was a Hamster wheel that four giant red hamsters shoved a lab scientist into to send him spinning down the track. In addition to first, second and third place there was the People’s Choice Award that went to a Rubix cube cart whose drivers were dressed like nerds complete with suspenders and kick me signs. 
The only thing I thought the race was lacking was a prize for most awesome wipeout which team “Breakfast Club” would have won hands down. Two guys, one dressed up like a fried egg and the other like bacon, went flying when the frying pan they were driving hit a hay bale and literally exploded. The pieces went everywhere and the metal axel holding the wheels was the only recognizable piece left. 
I had a blast and it was just all around fun to watch, but I think next year there should be a USF cart, we could probably do some damage whether it be intentional or not.

Director Robert Grey’s film “Save Me” provides an intimate look at the church driven phenomenon of “reassigning” the sexual preference of homosexuals. Although the idea of converting gays to the “straight-and-narrow” through prayer and religious conditioning is nothing new, it has become increasingly prevalent in recent years as gay rights continue to move forward.  Filmed in New Mexico, “Save Me” is an honest, humanistic look at the conflicts between the hardships faced by homosexuals and the religious sect’s unwavering opinion homosexuality is a choice or a sickness. The film, introduces Chad Allen’s character, Mark, as a gay man with an addiction to drugs and sex that is slowly destroying his life. His brother takes him to Genesis Rehabilitation Camp where Gayle and Ted (Judith Light and Stephen Lang) run a program to help “heal” gay men of their sexual deviancy. Founded on good intentions, but run my closed-minded people, the Genesis Program provides gay men who have faced difficult and discriminated lives with a safe and loving community. Gayle and Ted take Mark in and he quickly becomes a part of the group, befriending fellow housemate Scott, played by Robert Grant.
 

The movie follows all of the housemates’ struggles  to fit into society and feel loved. Mark appears to bring life to the house, and progresses quickly along the twelve-step program in Genesis house, becoming a favorite of Gayle and admired by his fellow housemates. Yet, as Mark and Scott become closer and their friendship takes off to another level, their relationship not only sparks confusion and questioning within the Genesis community but a beacon of hope that confirms for the men that love is possible. Each character is put at odds with the religious view of what is right and the need for acceptance and understanding. “Save Me” creates a powerful, moving experience for the viewer; the struggle Gayle faces as she fights with her own sorrow, judgment, and love for what she believes is right plays beautifully along side the sense of belonging the men desire so desperately.

When Scott leaves Genesis House and Mark is left to decide what he feels is true—a “normal” place in society or the one he loves—one can sense the heartache of each character as the Genesis House begins to unravel and all are forced to re-examine what they truly believe. Whether gay, straight, religious, or otherwise, this movie provides a perspective for all sides that does its best to be considerate of all views without being stereotypical. Many can relate to the issues of loss, confusion, and love portrayed in this film, previously playing at Landmark Theatres and now playing all this week at Lumiere Theatre 1572 California St. Artfully done, emotionally charged, and fundamentally human, “Save Me” expresses everyone’s basic desire to love and be loved, no matter what sexuality.

Staff Writer: Colin Gibbons

Wednesday, October 8, 2008. Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco.

Baltimore noise rockers Ponyail have been gaining a lot of attention in the wake of their recent release Ice Cream Spiritual, an experimental celebration of all things wild and raucous. The quartet’s penchant for untethered live performances has earned them a reputation as one of today’s most energetic and exciting young bands. I sat down with guitarists Dustin Wong and Ken Seeno, vocalist Molly Siegel and drummer Jeremy Hyman before their show at the Bottom of the Hill on October 8th to discuss the dangers of touring, their influences, and the difficulty of categorizing the band’s sound.

San Francisco Foghorn: So you guys have been doing a lot of touring this year.

Ken: Since May we’ve been doing a lot of touring.

SFF: How’s it been treating you?

Jeremy: I’m a little bit tired tired, but I’m having a lot of fun. Ken got a paper cut… Oh, I got really sick! That was kind of a disaster. It started in Iowa. About a week before we went on tour I got my wisdom teeth out, and it was fine for about a month and a half, but then I got a huge infection in my mouth. I couldn’t swallow or bite down, and Molly’s mom bailed me out and prescribed me antibiotics. It was kind of scary for about 24 hours.

Ken: It was worrisome, but we haven’t faced any mortal danger.

San Francisco Foghorn: You’ve received really positive reviews for Ice Cream Spiritual, has your audience been changing as a result?

Dustin: It’s been getting a little bigger.

Ken: It’s been slow.

Dustin: I feel like we’re getting to know them rather than seeing a change.

Ken: It depends on the city, you know? Some of the east coast shows have been getting pretty awesome. And we were really surprised in Europe; [at] some of the turnouts; the people who knew who we were. we were kind of baffled.

SFF: Is it very different touring in Europe?

Ken: It was definitely pretty crazy.

Dustin: It just felt like people cared more.

Ken: There weren’t as many bands. People like music but they don’t have as many bands. There were some really cool places though.

Molly: Each country was really different. I think my favorite place was Lyon. We played at a squat there called Grrnd Zero. It was weird. They just have this really incredible set up. They have this huge building and they gave us a place to sleep, and they fed us really well. There was a really good vibe there, and I thought the city was pretty nice.

SFF: So you guys are based out of Baltimore, and I realize you are from all over, but do you identify as a Baltimore band?

Molly: I think that we have really strong roots there, we came of age doing all of that. Now we might not have as much time playing shows with other bands from there at the moment, but that’s where we came from.

Ken: If we ran into another band from Baltimore we could connect with them on a level, like before a lot of other people knew about us, playing in warehouses and stuff like that. We are a Baltimore band because that’s where it all began, and there’s a lot of good energy going on there. Nowadays a lot of Baltimore bands are touring, they’re all over the place.

SFF: Are there other bands right now that you guys see as doing the same thing as you or pushing for the same sound?

Dustin: I really like Abe Vigoda. I feel pretty connected with their sound, with their attitude. They have a very light and positive attitude towards music. I really like them.

Ken: It’s hard to compare [ourselves] to other bands. I just don’t know where we stand. I don’t want to be like “yeah, we sound like Led Zeppelin” or whatever.

Dustin: I don’t think we sound like anybody, its more of an attitude.

Ken: We just saw Dirty Projectors and we’ve always felt like there’s a good kinship there somehow, like an exploration.

Jeremy: But we don’t sound alike…

SFF: In a lot of write-ups you’re mentioned in association with current acts. It seems like you are very much regarded as a current band. Do you feel like you draw heavily from past influences?

Ken: Actually yeah most of the stuff I’ve been listening to is pretty old it seems like.

Dustin: We like all kinds of music. My roots are surf [bands] like the Ventures That’s kind of the first band I really got into. I’m a guitar nerd, so anything that’s guitar oriented like Ashra …

Ken: And also stuff without guitars too. Like electronic music, ambient music, and experimental composers too. Like Terry Riley and Brian Eno. There are just so many different ways to go.

Jeremy: Lots of punk

Ken: Yeah, like The Police even– still a punk band. Or Minor Threat or Fugazi. Minute Men.

Dustin: Minute Men, yeah. We love music.

SFF: If you could describe your sound or what you’re trying to get across, how would you describe it?

Jeremy: Allegra? I don’t know..

Ken: Upbeat…

Jeremy: Cialis?

Ken: That’s a hard question

Dustin: Clicking and popping noises.

Ken: A puzzle.

Molly: A happy puzzle.

Ken: Funky punky happy puzzle.

Jeremy: Easy peezy.

Staff Writer: Brita Thompson

If you’ve seen the previews to this film, wherein thousands upon thousands of dancing and singing CGI Chihuahuas swarm over an Aztec pyramid, you’re probably looking forward to this film being an immensely expensive mess. To its credit, Beverly Hills Chihuahua had its moments that were surprisingly funny in a self-deprecating way. Part of the shtick is that Beverly Hills Chihuahua knows that it’s a ridiculous movie about talking Chihuahuas. But the film can’t make up its mind about being serious or not and so becomes a jumbled attempt at cultural awareness and Mexican pride in a horrible, cartoony, ‘Disney-fied’ way.
 

The story features Chloe, a white-coated, bootie-wearing Beverly Hills Chihuahua (voiced by Drew Barrymore) who lives through many wealthy white American’s worst fears – Mexican Kidnapping for ransom. In Chloe’s case the kidnappers are men from an underground dog-fighting ring who realize that her Harry Winston diamond dog collar might mean she’s worth something.

Ultimately Chloe is smuggled back into America’s safe luxury by friends both canine and human, but not without struggling through some genuinely scary scenarios. In one scene she spends the night homeless and alone under a park bench in downtown Mexico City. In another shocking scene she is smuggled onto a cargo train headed to Juarez with help from a coyote-guide (who in this film is an actual talking coyote). Hopefully this scene raises questions for kids about Mexican-American border relations: “Why are the nice doggy and her puppies sneaking into America, mommy?” I commend Disney for attempting topicality. 

Eventually Chloe is rescued by her Landscaper’s Chihuahua, Papi (voiced by George Lopez) who, when not singing his love for Chloe, his “Corazon”, shouts in exclamation: “Hold your tacos!”, “I’m going to beat you like a piñata!” and an audience favorite: “We’re mexi-CAN, not mexi-CAN’T!” 

“Disney-fied” glossing over of real-life social dilemma, as seen in the coyote scene and the wince-worthy lines, like those shouted by George Lopez are to be expected with a title like Beverly Hills Chihuahua. In one of the worst examples of racial insensitivity we see Chloe’s owner, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, standing in her garden in front of her tall, hunky and very Caucasian-looking landscaper. The landscaper proclaims in a thick Latin accent, “Thank you for allowing me to better myself”. 

On the other hand, when Chloe stumbles upon a (spoiler alert!) self-sufficient utopian Chihuahua society living among the Aztec ruins, the sage long-haired Chihuahua Montezuma teaches her a lesson in self-respect. The wild Chihuahuas rally on their pyramid where they shout “No mas!” to the disrespect humans have shown their race. “We were not meant to wear silly hats!” Montezuma declares to great Chihuahua applause, “We shake because we know the power of our own inner strength!” 

In the end, like every Disney movie, the film wraps up in a frighteningly squeaky clean fashion. Everyone leaves the theater smiling, because ultimately the film is nothing more than a love story between Chihuahuas with animated faces from very different places.