Jeff Bridges in still from Fearless © Warner Bros. Having grown up in San Francisco, I have long yearned to see films that are quintessentially San Franciscan in character. Most films shot here show off local landmarks as a shortcut to high production value or simply to provide atmosphere to their story. While there's a vibrant and tight-knit film community in the Bay Area, San Francisco has oddly not developed its own film aesthetic. Perhaps it's partly due to its proximity

View of the Pacific from Hearst Castle in San Simeon Last fall, J and I drove down the California coast to San Simeon and spent an entire day at the famed Hearst Castle. While we wound our way through the magical estate, I started to think about William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles' stinging and mythical portrayal of him in Citizen Kane, which still overshadows the truth of his life. To most of us, he was always be that great and lonely man in a very big house. Another my

Sill from The Incredible Shrinking Man © Universal Pictures A good book or film will speak to me differently at different points in my life. My ever-growing experience and associations continually supply new layers of meaning. That's why, from time to time, I love to re-watch or re-read favorite films and books. While they provide a familiar environment in which to relax my mind, they always have surprises in store for me, spawning new connections and even the occasional epi