Film Scene I Love - Barefoot in the Park

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in the opening scene of Barefoot in the Park. These two are so gorgeous together it might hurt your eyes. And Jane as Corie is so feisty and sexy - and irrational! There are many fun scenes in this film, but the cute factor in this one cried out to be posted!

One of my favorite onscreen couples. . .

Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

Atonement - Book Review

Atonement by Ian McEwan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read Atonement because I hated the film, but a friend of mine adored the book and I was hoping that by reading it maybe I would find the connection to the characters that I missed when watching the film.

I've never read McEwan before and I enjoyed some of his quick, seemingly throwaway ideas that later took on more meaning when you look at the entire story as a whole. I'm specifically thinking about this passage written about the young Briony:

"She raised one hand and flexed its fingers and wondered, as she had sometimes before, how this thing, this machine for gripping, this fleshy spider on the end of her arm, came to be hers, entirely at her command. Or did it have some little life of its own? She bent her finger and straightened it. The mystery was in the instance before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and moving, when her intention took effect. It was like a wave breaking. If she could only find herself at the crest, she thought, she might find the secret of herself, that part of her that was really in charge. She brought her forefinger closer to her face and stared at it, urging it to move. It remained still because she was pretending, she was not entirely serious, and because willing it to move, or being about to move it, was not the same as actually moving it. And when she did crook it finally, the action seemed to start in the finger itself, not in some part of her mind. When did it know to move, when did she know to move it?"

That is such a universal thought! Who hasn't thought that before? Who didn't as a child or even as an adult had those moments where your body seems a mystery of science and mechanics? And this idea presents itself again later within Robbie Turner while he is trekking his way to Dunkirk. . .

It's a rather lovely connection.

Reading the book made me want to re-evaluate the movie. The distance from the characters I felt during the film was also present during my reading of the book which has let me see that it wasn't a flaw of the film - it was intended. There are definitely some things, especially internal dialogue of the characters, in the book that could not be translated to the film which is a detriment, but it's to be expected in a transition from page to screen. That's why reading the book was a good thing because it filled in those holes. I will watch the film again with a new understanding and think I will ultimately enjoy it more than I did the first time around.

I think I would also like to read more McEwan. Any recommendations?

One of my favorite real life couples. . .

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Old Camera

I downloaded this app to my iPhone called Old Camera (thanks to a tweet from the director Rian Johnson!) and now I'm a little obsessed with it. You take a picture using the app and it processes the image with various effects to make the shot appear "old." All the following are shots I've taken using the app.
(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

My Kirin beer at Kai sushi.

My margarita at Chapala's Mexican Restaurant.

This is actually a shot of the sunset from the parking lot of my office.

Odd streaks in the sky at dusk.

The blinding afternoon sun.

Sam Boyd's Fremont Hotel & Casino, Downtown Las Vegas

Valet area of The Plaza Hotel & Casino, Downtown Las Vegas

Souvenir Shop, Fremont St., Downtown Las Vegas

Fremont East, Downtown Las Vegas

The Griffin, Fremont East, Downtown Las Vegas

Photo I Love

Billie Holiday and her dog Mr. Downbeat by William Gottlieb, 1946 - I love the random pineapple sitting on the dressing table.

An Education - My Review

Carey Mulligan is cute as a button. She appears to be this year’s "it" girl and she wears the mantle well. I went to see her new film An Education over the weekend and I must say it was quite enjoyable. You can't really go wrong with a script written by Nick Hornby. He has perfected the art of writing characters that are charming even when they are being shits.

It's early 60s London and Carey Mulligan's character, Jenny, is working hard at her all girls preparatory school with her (and her father's) sights on Oxford. She longs to be out from under her parents' expectations and on her own so she can read what she wants, smoke cigarettes, sit in cafes and experience everything life has to offer. Then she meets David, a charming older man who allows her to begin these worldly experiences a little sooner than expected.

Carey Mulligan gives a promising performance and seems to validate her up and comer status. She's getting a lot of Oscar buzz already and although I think she was very good, it's not the kind of tour de force performance that I usually consider Oscar nomination fodder (I'm still partial to Abbie Cornish's performance in Bright Star as the most astonishing work done by a young actor this year). The best thing about Carey Mulligan's portrayal of Jenny is that it was very authentic, a refreshing quality in a young Hollywood actor.

Peter Sarsgaard was incredible as always. His character, David, the older man who sweeps in and opens our young heroine's eyes to the wonders of an adult world, is a tricky character to play. Luckily Sarsgaard is an accomplished actor who was able to get across David's charm without any of the smarminess that would usually accompany an older man pursuing a teenage girl.

The two actors played well together, and again I'm going to use the word authentic. Their interest in one another was believable and the way their relationship developed slowly from a friendship to something more (and on the girl's terms, not the man's) made the situation palatable and not uncomfortable to watch.

The rest of the cast was just as good, from Alfred Molina's over protective, blustery father, to Rosamund Pike as David's spacey blonde socialite friend who takes young Jenny under her womanly wing. Emma Thompson as the headmistress of Jenny's school struck me as a wee bit of stunt casting and although she played her scenes with her usual aplomb, the entire time she was onscreen it was just, "Hey look! It's Emma Thompson!" I think Olivia Williams as one of Jenny's teachers was my favorite of these lesser characters and I enjoyed their scenes together very much. Olivia's teacher character is a nice foil for Jenny's new sophistication, trying to point out to Jenny the falseness that she has accidentally fallen into and giving her a way to escape it once she comes to the realization on her own.

I will watch the upcoming awards season with eagerness to see how well An Education will do. I’ll also be watching the new "it" girl Carey Mulligan as she navigates her first season with her new found Hollywood status.

Film Scene I Love - The Philadelphia Story

Cary Grant, John Howard, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. Katherine is so sexy in this scene, maybe the sexiest I've ever seen her. This is one of my comfort movies. Whenever I'm feeling down or sick or even when I just want to while away an afternoon I can pop this in and be perfectly content.

Jane Eyre - Book Review

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently reread Jane Eyre. This is the second time I've read it and the first time I read it I think I was in my late teens/early 20s. On this second reading it has lost a star in my review. I really liked it, but it's not five star worthy.

**Spoiler Alert** There were inconsistencies in the character of Jane that bothered me this time round. When she was with Rochester she was so capable, had him wrapped around her little finger, controlling his every move, all while making him think that HE was controlling everything. I don't think I realized that when I read this book as a young woman. Jane is strong enough to hold to her beliefs and leave Rochester when necessary and make it through trials of destitution. But then she loses her strength and assertiveness when it comes to St. John Rivers. She does everything he tells her to do because she wants to please him and live up to his morals. I don't really get as a character why she would go to these extremes for him. She had no love for him. Why would she feel so compelled to obey him? It didn't feel right to me. The Rivers family portion of the book dragged for me. I don't like Jane with them. I just want her to get back to Rochester!

Luckily overall, the gothic mystery and the passion of the story make for a great read.

I do love reading a book at different times of life and coming away with different views.

Maybe I'll read it again when I'm fifty and see how it affects me then.

Film Scene I Love - Good Will Hunting

The other day I saw a commercial for Goldline.com which is simply a guy talking for like two minutes directly to the camera. The guy in the commercial was familiar, his voice especially. I knew that voice, I knew him. I could vaguely picture the guy in some movie where I knew he played a douche hitting on a girl. That was what came to me, but it took me about 20 minutes to place him. Then it hit me! He is the douchey, pony-tailed, college guy in the "How do you like them apples?" scene from Good Will Hunting! Great scene! I love when Casey Affleck says, "My boy is wicked smart!"