An Underrated Master.

May he too rest in peace.

:(

Style Sunday.

Carey Mulligan came out of nowhere to fill film screens with delight and red carpets with the kind of sartorial magic, actresses twice her age only wish they would achieve.
She's simply stunning in this simple Nina Ricci ensemble. She's classy, sexy and timeless without looking old. It's unbelievable to think she's my age! I'm filled with joy thinking all the future fashiongasms I'll get from her.


From the newbie to the master, only Sarah Jessica Parker could pair leather, lace and pink and make it look utterly fabulous.
Her leather jacket and ruffly lace skirt from Burberry are incredible but what gives this ensemble the killer touch is its use of Alexander McQueen accessories. This is how you do clothes people!


Kate Winslet is one hot momma! Her Gucci minidress proves not only that the black little dress is essential and timeless but that Winslet has found the secret to looking better as she gets older.
Her Louboutin peep toe pumps are perfect!


Remember how I was complaining about my beloved Julia last week?
She did me good this time around by dressing like a mature lady without looking ancient. This simple pantsuit does wonders for her.
Notice the light pink shirt and how it lights up her gorgeous face. She doesn't even need to smile to look like a princess!

Who's your fave of these beautiful ladies?

Sheet-y Saturday.

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.


The upper half of this poster is a thing of beauty. Simple illustrations to make a powerful point.
The lower half is a mess though. Not only is it a total ripoff of things that have been done better before but the images and credits are so conflicting.
For starters the movie is called Company Men, emphasis in "men", yet we have the awesome Maria Bello right in the middle of that testosterone party looking all lost and confused.
What's weird isn't that the lack of her name among the credits makes this seem like some misogynist Neil Labute experiment but that once you realize she's the only one in that group who doesn't have an Oscar (or a goddamn nomination for starters!) makes it all seem more unfair and just plain bad.


This movie is honestly making me think of this too much.
But just how cute was Matt Damon in the 30 Rock season premiere?

Interested in either of these movies?
Also I just realized this edition of Sheet-y Saturday paired Ben and Matt, I promise it was totally unintentional.

Going the Distance ***

Director: Nanette Burstein
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long
Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Ron Livingston, Natalie Morales
Jim Gaffigan, Christina Applegate

There is something about Going the Distance that probably makes it the kind of movie you either really like or just completely despise. Something about how ordinary it is makes it feasible for you to be swept off your feet or offended by its brand of comedy.
It's a basic story about boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries to get back girl but it does so in a way that seems unique if only because it's so lacking in the kind of cynicism that rules the genre nowadays.
By no means the savior of the romantic comedy, at least it's refreshing because it buys its own clichés so much that you can't really accuse it of being too smart for its own good or too naive.
It tells the story of Erin (Barrymore) and Garrett (Long), she's interning at an NYC newspaper, he works for a music studio. They meet on a random night after an incident involving a Centipede machine and a few scenes later we see Erin trying to sneak out of Garrett's room after what seems like another one night stand.
But Garrett has the clever idea of asking Erin to join him for breakfast and pretty soon they realize they might wanna see each other again. They make things clear from the start though: he's just gotten out of a relationship (with Gossip Girl Leighton Meester who has a hilarious cameo) and she's due back in San Francisco to attend grad school after the summer is done.
Despite their best knowledge they end up falling in love and then must endure the long distance relationship mentioned in the title.
What follows is a series of hilarious moments in which we see them Skyping, texting, phone sexing and paying each other the random visit in order to see if they can make this last.
The movie isn't about long distance relationships as much as it is about people holding on desperately to whatever humanity they can find in these times.
That statement might make it sound like a profound study of love but the truth is that the movie perhaps would never even dare think of itself that way.
It's interesting to see the way in which the director gives the film a natural flow; the characters don't talk like smartasses and even their vulgarity seems part of who they are, as opposed to being profane for the sake of shocking, like most "adult" comedies do (you will love hearing Drew Barrymore say "fuck" and "dick" without blushing).
The way in which it deals with sex is refreshing (it's not an issue but it's not vapid either) and while it might not be the greatest romantic comedy ever, its approach to how people act nowadays feels groundbreaking.
Something about the characters' seeming immaturity gives Going the Distance enough punch to make you laugh your ass off while providing it with the sort of melancholy that springs from laughing to keep from crying.
In its apparent craziness and nothingness, the film taps onto the terrifying fact that even if dating has changed and sex is no longer taboo, even the most skeptical find themselves yearning for "the one".
It might not be The Way We Were but except from an overdone scene featuring Applegate (who otherwise is a true scene stealer) this movie might just steal your heart.

Two Things I Didn't Know About Harry Shum, Jr.

First of all yowza. No wonder the girl dumped the guy for him.
I mean I sorta saw this one coming but I was willing to give one of the bigger guys the benefit of having the perfect body.

Second of all, did you guys know Harry was born right here in Costa Rica? Down where I live? Maybe not cool but some of us can never get enough useless trivia huh?
Speaking of which just how crappy was that season premiere? It was like deja vu from season one all over again...any of you liked it?

Style Sunday.

This Dolce & Gabbana dress with lace appliques is nothing short of stunning but Julia makes it look so matronly. Or perhaps the dress is already too severe for her? I keep imagining Sophia Loren owning this big time. This time not even Julia's smile can save her from the utter lack of oomph.


Cate Blanchett on the other hand is pure sartorial perfection.
This look is just so wow. Words aren't enough to encompass just how mind blowing this is. Is Cate trying to make up for Robin Hood by looking so glorious?
This vintage Christian Lacroix is already gorgeous (the detail in the embroidery!) and Cate's porcelain skin gives the intense burgundy a great contrast.
What makes this even more perfect is the simple bob she went for. I don't think we'll see a better look in any celebrity this year. This is just too much.
Hats off to Cate.

What do you think of these two? Remember when Cate dropped out of Closer and Julia got the part? I know this has nothing to do with anything but watching that Lacroix is making me delirious...

Sheet-y Saturday.

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming movies.


Now we all know I probably won't be attending Jackass 3D although the idea of feeling like I can touch Johnny Knoxville might tempt me for a while (let me be, we're all entitled to our gross little crushes).
This poster caught my attention because it's exceptionally made. The idea is simple, straightforward and the execution is marvelous. Watch how a little piece of the picture outside the frame gives the rest of the composition real depth and perspective.
One simple detail like this can spark so much curiosity from the audience who will probably want a larger, and nastier, than life experience when they attend this movie.
We could've done without the too-big 3D title, perhaps just the trademark skull would've sufficed? But the rest is poster perfection.

Salt **

Director: Phillip Noyce
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl, Olek Krupa, Hunt Block, Corey Stoll

For about one third of its running time Salt is a damn good, almost spectacular, thriller. Then it's not.
Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent accused by a Russian defector (Olbrychski) of being a KGB sleeper agent sent decades before to accomplish a top secret mission ominously called "Day X" (i.e. complete world destruction).
Since this happens within the first minutes of the movie, the next hour and a half has Salt on the run, while agents played by Schrieber and Ejiofor pursue her. She goes all MacGyver and builds explosives with cleaning supplies, infiltrates top secret bunkers and thinks of her German arachnologist husband Mike (Diehl) while wearing fabulous ushankas.
The energy contained in the first part of the film is akin to J.J. Abrams superb spy series Alias, in how it builds a strong female character, hints at some heavy emotional background and provides her with badass qualities without ever reducing her to a mere male fantasy.
What goes wrong here is that director Noyce doesn't seem able to juggle every aspect of this character. He tries to make three different movies with her, one where Evelyn is a wrongfully accused woman trying to clear her name and save her husband (which gives Salt its only chance of having a heart), another where she is a fembot wreaking havoc wherever she struts. Plus another movie where she's an excuse to resurrect the Russians as America-hating villains often bordering on the ridiculous.
It's this movie that's the most troubling because its flirting with parody makes the others seem completely preposterous and incoherent.
Of course, nothing about Salt is supposed to make much sense and Jolie seems to be having a ball in the part. Besides making most of her amazing stunts her exotic beauty doesn't interfere with the insanity of the plot and we somehow still believe that someone like her would end up married to a complete nerd.
What the film fails to do is give Salt a soul and as Jolie travels seamlessly from genre to genre she does so with all the professionalism of an actor but none of the je ne sais quoi of a movie star.
For a star vehicle, this one's on automatic mode for way too long.

"My, was she yare!"

Beware of the Bob.

I am always surprised when I remember that back in 1929, the character of Lulu from Pandora's Box was a bit like the Bridget Jones of our times.
Not in the out there sexuality and femme fatale-ness mind you (although arguments could be made for both cases) but in how German audiences were appalled when American actress Louise Brooks was cast to play one of their most iconic characters.
Brooks, it seems, had a hard time adjusting to the hostility she received at hands of the cast and crew. They weren't only against her because of her nationality but because they thought she had no talent and was pretty much a temptress who had put director G.W. Pabst under her spell.
Now if that doesn't sound like the perfect embodiment of who the character of Lulu was, then nothing else does.
You either hate or fall for Lulu and given how the 22 year old Brooks created that sort of extreme thinking amongst people behind the camera makes a great case for what a genius Pabst was in choosing her (Marlene Dietrich was second choice).

This polarizing nature is best captured in my favorite shot in the movie.



In it, Lulu has just received her former employer Schigolch (Carl Goetz) in her apartment. We can assume there is more than meets the eye by the way in which Schigolch demands things of her. Most surely he was her pimp too.
She sits on his lap and smiles in the sweetest of ways. He asks her if she still knows how to dance. One of the philosophy that "actions speak louder than words" Lulu stands up and proceeds to show him she's still got the moves.
As she approaches her stage, we see a painting hanging on the wall behind her.
Something in the setting feels slightly disturbing.
It hits us. She's the woman in the painting!
This masterful work of framing pretty much encompasses the entire film's spirit. We have two Lulus.
There's the one men want to possess-in the form of the painting- and the irrepressible force of nature she actually is. Then it does make sense that people feel so strongly towards her. It's not her fault she can't become the fixed artwork they all want to contemplate and behold.
But it's not their fault that her exuberance makes them want to do just that to her.


As she dances for Schigolch she covers the painting behind her revealing her true nature. At least who she is to herself.

But things make even more sense when we realize that the apartment where she lives is the one where she's kept by her lover, the great newspaperman Dr. Ludwig Schön (Fritz Kortner) who also comes to visit her and demand his rights.


Surprised by his visit, she hides Schigolch in the balcony and tries to distract her lover.
Once again the painting obtains prominence as Lulu takes lies in a similar position on the couch.
Notice though how Pabst places them in opposing directions. The two Lulus make a ying-yang of sorts.


As she seduces her lover we get the antithesis of the moment when she was dancing, for here it's Schön who covers the flesh and blood Lulu as we see more of the painting (the Lulu Schön desires).

For the rest of the running time we are left wondering who this woman actually is. Sinner or victim, Pabst makes sure the only thing we know about her, is how much of an enigma she actually is.


This post is part of the Hit Me With Your Best Shot series hosted by the fabulous Nat of The Film Experience.

Betty Crocker.

I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself.

J'adore Blair Waldorf.

"Blair, come and meet Lou Doillon"

"Maybe you can ask Lou Doi-LLON to be your new best friend, because I'm done."


Why the hell is the brilliant work of Leighton Meester in Gossip Girl snubbed for all awards?