An Unseen Audrey Hepburn

I was visiting the Fabulon website today and he's posted some pictures of Audrey Hepburn I've NEVER seen before and I had to share them here! I highly suggest you check out this blog - he always posts the most amazing and interesting photos, kitsch, videos, etc.

(500) Days of Summer - My Review

I was eagerly anticipating (500) Days of Summer for months before its limited release and then I had to wait even longer for it to finally come to Las Vegas. Not everyone is a Zooey Deschanel fan (there’s odd backlash against her and her indie-hipster-quirky self) but I love her and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly proving himself to be one of the better actors of his generation with incredible turns in films like Mysterious Skin and Brick. Between Zooey’s side life in the music industry (most notably her band She & Him with fellow indie darling M. Ward) and Joseph’s wonderful little collective website hitRECord.org they are definitely two people to watch and admire.

So anyway (500) Days of Summer: I really enjoyed it. The idea of the film is to show the arc of a relationship that spans 500 days by jumping back and forth in time. The scenes are like vignettes from different days in the relationship and every time it switches there is a title page that announces the day: (500), (488), (1), (316), (28) etc. It works kind of like a flip chart and it’s a fun concept, utilized in a way that shows the highs and lows of a relationship in a completely relatable way. Don’t we all remember our long term relationships in flashes of good days and bad days? And don’t all our memories have a difficult time sticking to chronological order?

The two leads are wonderful together and their acting is assured and honest, not flashy or over-precious. At first I was disappointed in the way that Summer (Deschanel) seemed to be underwritten as a character. But upon further reflection from myself and others I realize that the character was meant to be written that way: mysterious, unknowable, uncatchable. Tom (Gordon-Levitt) is instantly enthralled by her and is soon convinced she is the ONE for him. The majority of the film is spent revealing to him and the audience that just because someone may be the ONE for you, doesn’t mean you will be the ONE for them.

The film has some really great fantastical moments. After Tom and Summer’s first night together, Tom’s walk to work evolves into an incredibly happy-go-lucky dance number as if he’s stepped into an MGM musical, when he is particularly down about their relationship he sees himself as the protagonist in a Fellini style film, when he attends a party at Summer’s house the film goes into a split screen showing the events unfold on one side in reality, and on the other side as Tom WISHES it would. All these were fun touches that gave visual interest to the film and seemed true to the characters, not distracting.

Of course there is much hype about the music in the film: The Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, Regina Spektor, Feist, Simon & Garfunkel, Hall & Oates. Too twee? Too hipster? Too much? Maybe. But for the most part the soundtrack worked and again, it seemed true to the story and wasn’t distracting. I especially loved the drunken karaoke scene and am tempted to buy the deluxe version of the soundtrack (available on iTunes) just to get Zooey Deschanel’s adorable rendition of "Sugar Town" by Nancy Sinatra and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s earnest "Here Comes Your Man" by The Pixies.

The one serious complaint I have about the film is the narration by, of all people, Leslie Nielson. It was really unnecessary (as most narration in film is) and just seemed an excuse for the writers to expound upon witty, wistful ideas about love and relationships in a wry, flat narrator voice. It was unnecessary because the film itself was already expounding on those ideas quite articulately and beautifully.

There were a few other little things that I could complain about, little cliché-y things, but I’m going to refrain, because they’re minor and don’t detract from the film enough to ruin my overall enjoyment of it.

Go see (500) Days of Summer and give yourself over to the bitter, the sweet, and the everything in between.




***On Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s website hitRECord.org, he’s posted the following video and here is what he had to say about it:

"Zooey's absence from the dance number in (500) Days of Summer was a tragic injustice. Here we have a remedy.

We shot (500) Days of Summer a little over a year ago. And even then, we kinda knew we had to do this. We talked about it back then, Marc and Zooey and I did. I mean, it really felt a bit wrong -- Zooey's born for musical numbers, and the one day she wasn't on set, we go and shoot a musical number? The wrong had to be righted. So when it came time to start promoting the movie, we had the idea to kill two birds with one stone.

Now I'll be honest; promotion, publicity, etc etc etc -- not usually my favorite part of the job. But this is different. This is creative. It's a work of art in its own right. And to me, it seems like so much more effective an endorsement of the movie than any interview or fashion shoot. Wouldn't you say? I wish all movie promotion could be like this: new, free bite-sized creations by the same people who made the movie. Plus it was about as purely fun a day on a set as I've ever had. Hope you like it!"

From Blip.fm - Fever Ray

My friend Nelse turned me on to Fever Ray this weekend. She's pretty cool! ♫ http://blip.fm/~blppb

My John Hughes Top 10

The passing of John Hughes is truly the end of an era. The movies he wrote in the 80s completely informed my life. I watched them over and over again. I loved Molly Ringwald because she was a redhead like me and whenever there was a redhead in the movies (Annie, Molly) or on TV (Sheila from Dungeons & Dragons), or even in a book (Anne of Green Gables) I had hope that my awful red hair wouldn't be a hindrance to me through the rest of my life the way it felt like a hindrance when I was very young. Kids are cruel. Redheads stick out. We get ridiculed. It makes no sense, but it's the way it is.

Anyway, over the summer some theaters in town had a Flashback Features series and I saw Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles on the big screen. I still know most of the words by heart. With Pretty in Pink I still love Andie and Fiona, I still hate Blaine, I still love Duckie, I still think Stef is kind of sexy, I still love The Smiths. With The Breakfast Club I still laugh at most of Bender's lines, I still feel sorry for Brian, I still hate it when they make Allison "pretty" at the end! And Sixteen Candles, oh Sixteen Candles! I couldn't wait to grow up and go to parties like the one thrown at Jake Ryan's house while his parents were out of town (I went to a few, but they never quite lived up to it). I still love Sam, I still drool over Jake, I still laugh at the Geek and Long Duk Dong. Sixteen Candles is the one I most identified with. It really got the feeling of being a teenager. I can remember being at school dances and crying over the boy that didn't know you liked him in the first place.

You can see my John Hughes Top 10 list with notes below. It wasn't easy and I've switched things around over and over again. But I think I have it set now.

1. Sixteen Candles - For all the reasons stated above it edged out Ferris to capture my number one spot.
2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - I worshipped Ferris as a tween. He is so charming and together, yet so naughty. I love Cameron. I love the friendship between the three leads. I remember thinking it was so sweet when Sloane and Cameron are walking together slightly away from the parade, discussing Ferris and his craziness and what they'll do after graduation and Cameron is holding her hand. It was a revelation to me that a boy and a girl that are only friends could hold hands!
3. Some Kind of Wonderful - Besides Mask, Eric Stoltz has never looked more terrible than in this film, yet I loved him. He was so sensitive and artistic and blind. Who could possibly go for Amanda Jones over Watts?? Was he crazy? I wore out my copy of this soundtrack. The scene where Watts teaches Keith to kiss a girl was always my favorite. When he grasps the back of her jeans? Sexy!
4. Weird Science - I had a bit of a crush on Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Wyatt. I loved his voice, kind of raspy and squeaky. What ever happened to that kid? And Kelly LeBrock was so crazy beautiful and as Lisa she was so badass!
5. Pretty in Pink - I still don't see what Andie saw in Blaine over the devoted Duckie. All Blaine ever did was insult her: "Do you want to go home and change?" he asks, when she already had. "We could go hang out with your friends if you want, go crawl under a rock." Uh, hello asshole? Now of course, she had been friends with Duckie since childhood so he felt like a brother to her. I get that. But couldn't Hughes have written a slightly better character for her to fall for than Blaine? But still, so many great lines and scenes and music! I luv it.
6. Mr. Mom - I can't tell you how many times my cousin Jenny and I watched this movie. Michael Keaton was so funny when he went all mommy and we laughed at the way he took care of the kids: using the iron to make a grilled cheese sandwich, stapling the kid's blanket when it rips. We cracked up when he battled the vacuum cleaner and when the baby gets into the can of chili.
7. The Breakfast Club - Again, for all the reasons listed above.
8. Vacation - Chevy Chase chasing Christie Brinkley across America. That's what I think about when I think about this movie. Oh and Randy Quaid was the greatest.
9. Career Opportunities - I loved Frank Whalley. This movie is very silly and fun and speaks to that fantasy of being locked in a department store or mall overnight and what kind of fun you could have. And Jennifer Connolly is hot. I wished I looked like her in a white tank top.
10. The Great Outdoors - Boy, Chris Young sure was a dreamboat to this twelve year old girl. And the rest of the cast was a hoot too!

I'm sure I'll catch some flack for no Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but for some reason that one missed me. It was never something I watched over and over again. Same with Uncle Buck. She's Having A Baby MIGHT have made this list, but only for the heartbreaking Kate Bush music montage at the end. That's really the only part of the movie worth watching.

I sure hope John Hughes passed with the full knowledge of what his movies have meant to my generation. It's quite a legacy he has left.

50+ Bands/Artists I Have Seen Live

Test your memory and your love of live music by listing 50 artists or bands (or as many as you can remember) you've seen in concert. List the first 50 acts that come into your head. An act you saw at a festival and opening acts count, but only if you can't think of 50 other artists. Oh, and list the first concert you ever saw.


Yes, it's probably showing off, but I just went until I coudln't remember any more. Oh and I left off local bands completely unless they broke big (like The Killers). Otherwise, this list would have been insane.

In completely random order, except for the first one:

1. New Kids on the Block (first concert ever)
2. Wilco
3. Mazzy Star
4. The Jesus & Mary Chain
5. Pixies
6. No Doubt
7. Mighty Mighty Bosstones
8. Pavement
9. Van Morrison
10. Neko Case
11. R.E.M.
12. Kings of Leon
13. The Strokes
14. The White Stripes
15. Loretta Lynn
16. Stevie Nicks
17. Sting
18. Rufus Wainwright
19. The Violent Femmes
20. Travis
21. Blur
22. Joan Baez
23. Aimee Mann
24. Michael Penn
25. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
26. Elliot Smith
27. Grandaddy
28. We Are Scientists
29. The Stills
30. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
31. Dance Hall Crashers
32. Squirrel Nut Zippers
33. Interpol
34. Paul Simon
35. Brian Wilson
36. Bob Dylan
37. CSS
38. Cub
39. Dixie Chicks
40. Le Tigre
41. Modest Mouse
42. Rilo Kiley
43. Everclear
44. Morrissey
45. Blitzen Trapper
46. L7
47. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
48. The Killers
49. Tori Amos
50. Green Day
51. Built to Spill
52. The (International) Noise Conspiracy
53. Vampire Weekend
54. Pearl Jam
55. Mudhoney
56. Rocket From the Crypt
57. Flight of the Conchords
58. The Specials
59. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
60. Sebadoh
61. The Like
62. Live
63. Counting Crows
64. Death Cab for Cutie (Snoozie)
65. Coldplay
66. Berlin
67. Dave Matthews Band
68. Perry Farrell
69. Porno For Pyros
70. Rollins Band
71. Voodoo Glow Skulls
72. Face to Face
73. Let's Go Bowling
74. The Honorary Title
75. Cherry Poppin' Daddies
76. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
77. Placebo
78. The Apples in Stereo
79. Beck
80. The Breeders
81. Grant Lee Buffalo
82. Minus the Bear
83. The Helio Sequence
84. Left Standing
85. Ani Difranco
86. Jet
87. Liars
88. Nada Surf
89. Eagles of Death Metal
90. Reverand Horton Heat
91. The Shins
92. Snow Patrol
93. Ben Folds Five
94. Voodoo Glow Skulls
95. Blink 182
96. Macy Gray
97. Catherine Wheel
98. Primal Scream
99. Dramarama
100. Jenny Lewis
101. Lucious Jackson
102. Pennywise
103. Reel Big Fish
104. Natalie Merchant
105. Brian Setzer Orchestra

From Blip.fm - Joni Mitchell

Song of the Day: Joni Mitchell's Cactus Tree. This song is so damn beautiful. Sometimes I forget. ♫ http://blip.fm/~addq9

The desert, my home.

It’s the time of year in the Las Vegas desert when it’s so hot outside it feels like your skin will melt off your body every time you step out of any fully air conditioned building or home. It’s the time of year when the average temperature hovers around 105 degrees and we are always above average. It’s the time of year when even the overnight temps don’t fall below 85 degrees. It’s the time of year when all outdoor activities are suspended unless a pool is involved. And even a day by the pool can be more trouble than it’s worth. I’m a natural redhead. I burn to a crisp in seconds. I apply 75 SPF sunscreen at least once an hour (thank goodness for the invention of spray on sunscreen!) when I’m going to be outdoors for any extended period of time. And I wear a big floppy hat, which, yes, makes me look funny but I look funnier when my skin is the color of a lobster.

But just when I’m cursing my fate of living in the desert for another horrendous summer, something happens to remind me why I love the desert, my home. The other night it was when I came out of the movie theaters at Aliante Station after seeing Casablanca (love). It was about 8:25pm and my truck was on the fourth floor of the parking garage. The sun was already set but still illuminated the sky to the northwest in a way that was brilliant and left layers of color above the city whose lights were just starting to blink on for the night. Instead of just getting into my truck and driving home, I walked over to the edge of the garage to watch as the last remnants of this setting sun changed the sky from blue to purple to black. And I took three pictures with my iPhone which I share with you now. A sky like this is why I love the desert.

You should really click on these pictures to make them larger. They are so much prettier larger!

From Blip.fm - Billie Holiday

I'm going to see Casablanca on the big screen tonight. Here's Billie doing "As Time Goes By" - ♫ http://blip.fm/~9ut7z

Up - A Review

I finally went to see Disney Pixar’s new animated feature UP the other night - in 3D no less! To summarize the plot, Up is about Carl, who as a quiet child is drawn to exploration and adventure, focusing intently on a famous adventurer of the time named Charles Muntz. He meets a neighborhood girl Ellie, who although the complete opposite of him in temperament, shares his passion. They let their imaginations run wild together as children and eventually grow up and marry. With every intention of going on wild adventures together, they instead find life continually getting in the way. It’s now years later, and Carl, a curmudgeonly widower finally decides to go on that adventure he and Ellie always planned by tying thousands of helium balloons to his house and flying himself down to South America. A neighborhood kid, Russell, a scout of sorts intent on earning his “aiding the elderly” badge accidentally stows away with Carl in his flying house and all sorts of adventure (prominently featuring an exotic bird, a gaggle of “talking” dogs, and the reclusive adventurer Muntz) does find them. Whew. I meant to summarize that a little more succinctly, but oh well.

The first 15 minutes of Up are quite possibly the most beautiful minutes of any animated feature I’ve ever seen. And I don’t mean just visually beautiful, they are emotionally chock full of the beauty of childhood wonderment and imagination, the strength of love that can grow between two people as they form a life together, and the tragedies that life can bring. After a brief scene where we see Carl and Ellie first meet as children, we get to see, in silent film fashion, their life together unfold. So much is learned about these characters in such a short amount of time: their hopes, their careers, their heartbreaks, their seemingly mundane everyday existence, and ultimately her death. By the end of this film within the film I was in tears. And although Ellie as an adult does not utter any lines of dialogue she is a fully fleshed character whose presence is felt throughout the film. I wish there was an entire movie of just Carl and Ellie’s life together. Get on that Pixar, I’ll watch it!

Widower Carl is heartbreaking in his sadness and retreat from the world. In your heart you know that Ellie would not have wanted this for him. When he makes his decision to finally go on their great adventure without her, you can’t help but be thrilled. And he does it so spectacularly with his thousands of balloons!

Little Russell is a delight and he brings welcome, cheerful, balance to our grumpy main man Carl. Although at first unwelcome, Russell eventually gives Carl what he was missing after the loss of Ellie: loyalty, friendship, wonder, joy.

A lot of the humor in the story comes when Russell and Carl are trekking through the jungle in the attempt to get the house to Paradise Falls. The exotic jungle bird that takes a shining to Russell (and the chocolate he feeds it) is appropriately brilliant in color and personality and the dogs, equipped with high tech collars that relay their thoughts into speech, that are tracking the bird are a delight. I cried with laughter when the menacing lead dog, called Alpha (haha), suffers from a malfunctioning speech collar. And the misfit of the bunch, Dug, who ends up befriending Carl and Russell, is perfectly goofy and one of the best things about the entire film.

Pixar really used 3D wonderfully here. Nothing jumps out at you in an obnoxious fashion. The 3D is more subtle, giving the entire movie more depth and really helping to create a tangible world. After Coraline and now this picture I’m excited about what 3D used right can add to a film.

Ultimately Up is a dazzling adventure story that teaches you the age old lesson that you can find adventure in your own backyard and that even the most mundane life can BE an adventure if you go through it happily with the ones you love. It also encourages you to remain open to love in whatever shape it comes in: wife, bird, dog, neighborhood kid. . . :)

I want to see it again.

The moon followed me home.

I was driving home last night after seeing Up with my friend Christopher (a movie review will be forthcoming) and hanging above the city was this enormous moon! It greeted me with the equivalent of a smack in the eye! It was so bright! It's hard to outshine the lights of Sin City, but this moon did it. It followed me all the way home and I kept my eye on it through the windshield, through my side window, and then through the rearview mirror. I didn't want it to go anywhere because I was determined to take its picture. Once I pulled into my garage at home I walked out onto the driveway and would you believe that moon sat up just perfectly between the tops of the houses across the street and the lowest branches of the tree in my front yard and I snapped this photo of it with my iPhone. I think it liked having its picture taken. It made sure to suck in its stomach and shine just a bit more brightly until I had my shot. I was kind of sad to leave it. I could have visited with this moon a little more, but it was quickly rising further and further away from me, although it lost none of its brightness. I knew I should let it get down to its moon business, so, satisfied with my picture, I thanked the moon for seeing me home safely and retreated into the house.

(clicky to make biggie)