Meet Matilde

I'm way behind on my blog reading and just got around to seeing this delightful little mini film by Jeana Sohn and Claire Cottrell. If you haven't seen it yet, press play -- gorgeousness awaits.

                                 
                                                      Matilde from closet visit on Vimeo.

A Single Man: The Best $12 You'll Spend This Week

I'm aware that Tom Ford's debut film, A Single Man, has already been blogged to death, but after seeing it last night I feel compelled to inform you that it lives up to the hype and then some. Please go see it. Not only is it visually arresting (which is to be expected, being that it is, after all, a Tom Ford vehicle) but it really showcases the formidable acting chops of stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore (whose hair, I believe, should have been credited with it's own role -- fierce to the nth degree). I've always been sort of lukewarm on Firth, but his nuanced performance left me speechless and I quickly came to realize that the reason this film was so enjoyable for me was due largely to his talents.

Detractors and critics have argued that the meticulous styling takes away from the story, but I'd have to disagree. I think Firth owned the role to such a degree that his beautiful possessions became an extension of him and only served to emphasize his character's personality, tastes, and neuroticism. Though it certainly showed us a world more handsome than the one we live in, its loss and pain were made all too achingly real by Firth's performance. That being said, there was certainly tons to drool over, and I expect the styling will be hugely influential in the months to come.  As details about the wardrobe and props emerge, I'll be looking forward to seeing Ford's next feature.

Some images:

Apartment Therapy LA has stories on the homes of George Falconer (Firth) and his gal pal Charley (Moore), and it turns out George's John Lautner-designed house is actually on sale! Click through to see the listing.

A house of glass.

 

Love the large brass knobs on the front doors of Charley's Hollywood Regency home, her headboard, and her pink filter cigarettes. She's all hair and eyeliner and fabulous gowns.

 

The Isherwood novel is next on my reading list.

Sunday Linkage: Mr. Fox's Fantastic Soundtrack, Southern Charm in Chelsea, and My New Crush on the Girl Next Door

In which we take a break from shopping to gaze at pretty pictures and read about things that caught my fancy this week.  

I went to see the Fantastic Mr. Fox last week and absolutely adored it.  I haven't loved Wes Anderson's more recent films as much as his earlier work, but he definitely won me back with this one.  As is the case with much of his oeuvre, the colors were breathtakingly beautiful and the soundtrack was mind-blowingly awesome, featuring the Stones, Jarvis Cocker, the Beach Boys, Burl Ives, and beautiful instrumentals composed by Alexandre Dusplat. I can't get the Bobby Fuller Four's "Let Her Dance" out of my head. It just sounds like my birthday when I listen to it. If I have a party for my next, it'll have to be my theme song.  I want to walk into a roomful of all my friends with a cassette walkman strapped to my waist, hit play, and let the party begin. Here's a teaser featuring the song:

What to eat next: Southern-style comfort food at Tipsy Parson, the second venture from the pair behind Little Giant. While waiting to be seated in the repurposed church pew along the wall, we sidled up to the bar, where I enjoyed their famed frozen concord grape mint julep, which they churned out of a slushie machine. It was then and there that I decided I must have a slushie machine in my home. As my bf pointed out, it tasted a bit like frozen Welch's grape jelly, and from that keen observation, a new descriptive term was born: Welchy. And Welchy drinks are a very good thing. At table, we started with buttery, herbed house rolls and ordered the steak (him) and dayboat scallops (moi) as mains and the brussel sprouts and mac and cheese as sides. Waiting an hour for your food to show seems to be the norm here, judging from both my experience and other diners' reviews, but no matter because I had excellent company and when at long last our food arrived, it was so good that we immediately pardoned the Tipsy Parson. I'd really wanted to try the grasshopper for dessert, but alas, I had no room to spare. Next time, Mr. Grasshopper.

With the exception of Emmanuelle Beart, my girl crushes are usually brunettes, but I made an exception for Jennifer Aniston after seeing her at Tipsy Parson last night.  Living in New York, star sightings are fairly commonplace, but for whatever reason, I was so taken with her that I wanted to write about it. I noticed a familiar head of highlights and remarked that the woman at the end of the bar bore a striking resemblance to her. I grew increasingly certain that it was her, but bf remained unconvinced, arguing that she would never be casually seated at a bar, in plain view -- they would surely have ushered her to a private table in the back. I decided he was probably right, and that an A-list celeb wouldn't dare venture outside of a blackened SUV on a Saturday night in Manhattan without handlers or at least a pair of dark sunglasses to shield her from onlookers.  Most stars of her caliber go out on weeknights so they don't have to deal with the gawking hoi polloi. A few stolen glances later, however, I knew I was right. The shape of her face was undeniable. She looked great (chic yet natural), laughing and having a great time with her companions for over two hours (she was stilll there when we left), and I loved that she was eating at the bar. No one was bothering her, save one idiot who took cell phone pictures, which she handled in a very polite manner. The cell phone photographer then proceeded to excitedly look at the photos with a friend, right in front of her. Ugh. She seems like an unfussy, down-to-earth, nice lady, and I really hope she comes back to sitcoms, because I think that's where she really shines. She's adorable and funny (sadly, a rare combination), and has great timing. It's high time she was in our living rooms again.

Time to get this beautiful Sunday started. I'm going to see the Tim Burton exhibit (opens today at the MoMA),  grab din at Burgers and Cupcakes in Hell's Kitchen, and then let Devendra Banhart sing to me at Town Hall.

Photo credit: 

1) Video: Fox Searchlight

2) Blackbook - www.blackbookmag.com

3) Vogue

Sunday Linkage: Gorgeous Filmspiration, Stylish Teenagers, Adorable Yogurt, and 70’s Chick Flicks

In which we take a break from shopping to gaze at pretty pictures and read about things that caught my fancy this week.

This weekend I saw and fell in love with An Education, in which Jenny, a plain sixteen-year-old, is transformed from Oxford-bound cellist at an all-girls prepatory to enviably chic girl about town, zipping around 60’s London in Peter Sarsgaard’s beautiful red Bristol and keeping company with a crew of fun-loving, fast-living, art-world dilettantes. The gorgeous period wardrobe filled me with want for everything from the decidedly unsexy school uniforms to très Parisienne cocktail dresses and coats that would make Holly Golightly weak in the knees. The interiors, covered in wallpapers that would’ve faded into loveliness by now, were positively swoonworthy. From the kitchen to the classroom, I loved it all. The acting is spot-on, with Sarsgaard’s rakishness and practiced seduction playing beautifully to Carey Mulligan‘s adolescent naivete. Rosamund Pike is delightful as a pretty but dim gadabout, convinced that academia will turn Jenny into an ugly troll, and Emma Thompson is perfect as Jenny’s tough, unempathetic headmistress.  Skip the melodramatic trailer -- the film is a lot more subtle than the preview implies -- and do download the soundtrack (Mel Tormé’s "Comin’ Home Baby" is my fave). Some stills:

 

 

 

Speaking of precocious adolescents, Dakota Fanning looks all grown up in her recent Teen Vogue editorial. Refinery29 has the scoop. Having already played muse for Marc Jacobs, the child star, now 15, is the fashion world’s latest debutante. With her delicate, still child-like face, wan complexion, transparent blue eyes, and slender limbs, I can see her gracing the pages of many a glossy.  While she looks lovely and is fully entitled to age as a normal human being, I find it a bit worrisome. Will she go the way of fallen teen actresses before her or take the Emma Watson road to likable, preternaturally chic co-ed? As intrigued as I am by her foray into the fashion world, I’m more interested in her choice of film roles. I’m hoping her career trajectory more closely resembles that of Natalie Portman than LiLo.

She's playing a cougar, already?

That's more like it.

I can’t believe I only just discovered yogurt, so late in life. My morning routine now involves La Yogurt’s strawberry flavored goodness, of which I am a steadfast consumer, but I’d be willing to switch over to this just for the lovely packaging. Via {frolic!}:

Has anyone else noticed that the Vena Cava girls have great film recs on their blog? Add these to your Netflix queue, stat.

P.S. - Yes, I’m aware that Sunday was yesterday, but I choose to view the delay as a sign of a good weekend.

Photo credit:
1-4) www.sonypictures.com
5 & 6) www.teenvogue.com

7) www.elseachelsea.typepad.com/frolic