Articles by Veronica Dolginko
Not-sferatu: Vampires in a Different Light | Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001), Therapy For a Vampire (2014) & Near Dark (1987) — Back Row
Near Dark (1987) represents a pretty good combination of the two previous movies. The vampires are monsters without question, but they live and die by their own rules. They face mundane interpersonal issues like people in the group not getting along or being unhappy with their situation, but they also kill at random in order to survive.
Veronica’s Top 12 Movies of 2024 — Back Row
I’m not even totally sure how to explain this movie. Not a whole lot happens in Do Not Expect Much From the End of the World, it’s more about someone dealing with their job and making wild videos on social media than anything really plot-driven. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t include it in my end of the year round-up considering how hard it made me laugh.
Double Feature: Desperate Man Double (Dog Day Afternoon & The Mist) — Back Row
All times are desperate times. I’m not saying they have to be but they sure do seem to be. There are few idyllic epochs that someone could point to as non-desperate but overwhelming, times tend to be desperate. Also, those few epochs are probably only idyllic for, like, one group of people, and everyone else was on edge with their head on a swivel. I say this just to bring up that the following double feature is about desperation beyond comprehension.
I Watched It So You Don't Have To: Singapore Sling — Back Row
As with all of the films in our I Watched It… series, we strongly encourage you to watch these movies if you’re interested. We’re just here to prepare you for what you’re getting yourself into. In all of my time watching shock cinema, I’ve found that my favorite selections are the ones that didn’t set out to be shocking. The films that were aiming to make squeamish the steeliest viewers aren’t really what landed me – though I will never pretend they didn’t have an effect on me.
Adventures In Wonderlands: Problemista, Alice through the Looking Glass & The Rare Blue Apes of Cannibal Isle — Back Row
The classic set-up of “stranger in a strange land” is pretty common in pop culture. Television, movies, books, and plays often have a character arriving in a new place and stumbling through a journey where they are met with roadblocks and ridiculous rules, to say nothing of the bizarre characters. In some cases, these places are familiar to us in that we recognize them as a version of our reality.
Double Feature: They're Living East Coast vs West Coast (They Live & They Look Like People) — Back Row
It’s not uncommon for people to think that there’s some massive conspiracy going on behind the scenes to make us miserable and complacent. We see echoes of this in science fiction literature, horror movies, news channels of varying political leanings (re: all of them), and even among ourselves. There’s a strange sort of comfort in the idea, though it might not seem that way at first.
In Fate's Hands: Movies About Creating One's Destiny — Back Row
A common question among first-year philosophy students, religious types, and stoners is: are we in control of our own destiny? Is free will an illusion or do we have some ability to steer ourselves to where we want to go? People who claim to have the answers to any question in this vein are just giving their best guess.
Veronica's Top Twelve Movies of 2023 — Back Row
2023 was a solid year for movies and an alright year for my ability to get to the theater. I feel like I saw considerably less than I have previously yet I still had trouble narrowing it down so enjoy my twelve best. This list might be a bit more mainstream than other years, which is a fun change of pace and should keep you as a reader on your toes. You’re welcome. 12. Brotherhood of the Wolf (dir.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Crazy: Saltburn, The House of Yes and Grey Gardens — Back Row
The lives of the obscenely, generationally wealthy are a perennial favorite in the world of cinema, and it’s no mystery why. These are people who live in such a different fashion than the rest of us and move in social echelons that seem weird and stilted to the general public. All of this becomes easily lampoonable, even within their most enviable moments.
We Rise, Movies About Revolution: Dumb Money, Bottoms and Lawrence of Arabia — Back Row
Power doesn’t get handed over voluntarily, so history is essentially a narrative of revolutions and rebellions – some more successful than others, but all of them important. Even uprisings born out of ideals we might not share still hold essential meaning in this bizarre scheme of things we call humanity. What comes from these actions might not appear relevant until years, decades, centuries later, and it is within hindsight that we get to see how big things have small beginnings.
Girls Just Wanna Be Weird: A Spotlight on Female-Lead Comedies — Back Row
One of the best trends to really take off in the past decade or so is the rise of female-led comedies that dive headfirst into the weirdness and the uncomfortable reality of being a woman. Whether it’s competition between friends or navigating the complicated and often contradictory world of sexuality, comedic films made by and starring women are really finding their loud-mouthed footing and hitting their deranged stride.
Double Feature: We Live in a Society (Polite Society & Society 1989) — Back Row
Double Feature: We Live in a Society (Polite Society & Society 1989) A great woman once said, “no, it’s the worst because of society”- Liz Lemon, 2012. Society supports us and also confines us to what is expected, in both good and bad ways. These societal pressures and structures naturally make a very fertile ground for all variety of art – be it satirical, comedic, or body horror.
Double Feature: Trapped and Bothered (Certain Women & All the World is Sleeping) — Back Row
Feeling trapped is not an exclusively female anxiety by any means, but when it comes to portraying ‘trapped’ onscreen, the male and female versions do differ some. Layers, both social and biological, add that extra pizzaz to the claustrophobia inherent in seeing no way out. In the female version, feeling ‘stuck’ can come with things that can’t be easily outrun – like pregnancy and starkly limited options for upward mobility.
We Thought You Were One of Us: Movies About Finding Your Origin — Back Row
There’s a continuing conversation in the modern age about what it means to come from somewhere or to be part of a specific group, be it gender, race, nationality, sexuality… the list goes on and on. Humans have a funny relationship with labels, and we are often quick to dismiss ones applied to us from external forces. Besides, being part of a group we have choose can be more satisfying than trying to force blood relatives to not kill each other.
Veronica's Top 13 Movies of 2022 — Back Row
In not being able to narrow down my choices to ten or less, I was also unable to rank them. At least not definitively. There is some thought to the order in which these fall but can I really tell if I liked a movie landing at the number five slot more than the movie at number six?
The American Dream and The Ark of Lilburn Documentary Review — Back Row
The American Dream and The Ark of Lilburn Documentary Review None of us are under the delusion that the American Dream exists in the same way it did for generations past. That’s not to say said dream was truly accessible to all in previous decades, but the belief that hard work, sticking to it, and aiming high could reap rewards for those bold enough to try wasn’t entire false either.
Double Feature: Youth In Exciting Times (Diary of a Teenage Girl & Acid Test) — Back Row
There’s an old Chinese curse, “May you live in exciting times,” with the idea being that exciting times are turbulent, unstable, and often don’t end well for a lot of people. Being a teen during these periods of upheaval can be even more confusing and radical since kids (and now that I’m over 30, I consider everyone under the legal drinking age to be a kid) are still in the process of creating and understanding who they are so there’s a lot to disillusion and influence them.
The Kids Are Sorta Alright: Gen Z On-Screen — Back Row
In the heyday of movie theaters, it was much more obvious when a breakout movie could be considered the defining view of a generation. Films like The Graduate, American Graffitti, and Reality Bites were all surprise box office hits that captured the zeitgeist of the moment. Audiences either related to these characters and circumstances, or reminisced about this particular slice of their recent history.
Review of '223 Wick': Psychedelic Parrish, Midnight Movie Madness — Back Row
Review of '223 Wick': Psychedelic Parrish, Midnight Movie Madness It’s no secret that I love low budget horror movies. I’ve also been drawn to the ‘midnight movie’ aesthetic where things are a little rough around the edges but everyone involved is giving it their all.
Events Archives | Potrero View
Last month, Starr King and Daniel Webster elementary schools, The New School San Francisco, and Live Oak School collaborated with PREFund, a nonprofit that encourages Potrero Hill families from a diversity of incomes to raise their children in the community, to produce Maker Fest, one of a number of individual and collective school events held… Keep Reading For Kids October 27, Mission Bay Parks typically holds a Halloween festival for kids, either at Mission Creek Park or Mission Bay Kids’...
Founder of Sonoma LGBT youth agency needs help
Jim Foster started Positive Images in Sonoma County. Photo: Courtesy Alicia Wicks Community is not always an easy concept. In theory, the idea of having a core group that supports and looks out for each other sounds great, but in practice it can be challenging. The LGBTQ community has often had to keep eyes out for their fellow members, and in the Bay Area, an epicenter for so much gay history, it can be hard to imagine a staple of said community struggling to find support.
SF arts orgs awarded $12M in city grants
The GLBT Historical Society, which operates its small museum in the Castro, received funding from Grants for the Arts. Photo: Courtesy GLBT Historical Society Arts organizations in San Francisco recently got a boost, as Mayor London Breed and City Administrator Naomi Kelly announced $12.9 million in funding from Grants for the Arts for fiscal year 2020. At a time when a lot of people are concerned about the culture of the city, it looks like good news for a long list of recipients.
Pride 2019: Book sheds light on gay closeted Eisenhower aide
Pride 2019: Book sheds light on gay closeted Eisenhower aide by Veronica Dolginko Tuesday Jun 25, 2019 Robert Cutler, on screen in glasses, was a closeted gay man who served as national security adviser for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His great-nephew, Peter Shinkle, right, recently wrote a book about Cutler. Photo: Veronica Dolginko The years during and surrounding Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency were some of the most socially conservative this country has ever seen.
Book traces history of SF's Civic Center
James Haas has written a book about San Francisco's Civic Center. Photo: Courtesy David Perry Civic Center has a checkered reputation to match its history but James Haas, author of the new book, "The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design, Controversies, and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece," wants everyone to know how unique and important it is. "This beautiful city built a place that was the heart of functions," he said.
Book traces history of SF's Civic Center
Civic Center has a checkered reputation to match its history but James Haas, author of the new book, "The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design, Controversies, and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece," wants everyone to know how unique and important it is. "This beautiful city built a place that was the heart of functions," he said.
Potrero Hill Schools Engage Their Community
Prototyping station. Photo: Jennifer Longaway Last month, Starr King and Daniel Webster elementary schools, The New School San Francisco, and Live Oak School collaborated with PREFund, a nonprofit that encourages Potrero Hill families from a diversity of incomes to raise their children in the community, to produce Maker Fest, one of a number of individual and collective school events held this year.
Esprit Park Renovation Planning Process Continues
The Esprit Community Advisory Group (ECAG) was formed last year to recommend approaches to the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department about how to best maintain and renovate Esprit Park.Members include Dogpatch resident Susan Fitch, Irma Lewis of Toes and Paws for Green Space, Green Benefit District executive director Julie Christensen, and Dogpatch Neighborhood Association treasurer Jared Doumani.
Community Expresses Mixed Feelings About Potrero Power Plant Project
Closed in 2011, the Potrero Power Plant sits on more than 28 acres located on a central piece of waterfront property. It was purchased from NRG Energy by Associate Capital in 2016, which in 2017 started planning to develop the area into a multi-use complex that’d include 2,682 residential units, according to an environmental impact report published in October.
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