Recently in Film Category

DANIELS are Daniel and Daniel. One is from Massachusetts, the other is from Alabama, but they both live and work in Los Angeles. Together DANIELS direct, animate, shoot, edit, and sometimes act in groundbreaking music videos for the likes of New York's The Hundred in the Hands and Reykjavik's FM Belfast. Their narratives are full of fine young things of the Williamsburg variety frolicking hazed and haphazard through darkened streets, claustrophobic dance parties, and within the seemingly private confines of their bedrooms. Hypnotic, creepy, and often explosively beautiful, DANIELS are two dudes who are double-handedly making music videos matter again.

I know. I'm freaking out, too. If you haven't seen Pedro Almodovar's crazytown awesome 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, please put it in your Netflix queue now. The Broadway musical version is set to open on November 4, 2010, with previews starting October 2nd at the Belasco Theatre. Starring Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Sherie Rene Scott, I'm going to go ahead and declare this the show of the season. Or at least the one I'm willing to shell out the hundred smack'ems to see. Please, please let it stand up to the original...

Some of my all-time favorite movies from the 80's (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Footloose, and Mannequin) mashed up to my new favorite song. Ah, sunshine on this cloudy day! Also, why aren't we all dancing more these days? IT'S TIME TO DANCE!

Natalie Portman will be at Soho's Apple Store this afternoon to talk about her new web project, MakingOf.com. In short, it's a website all about the making of movies. In a word, it's AWESOME.

Portman, along with her partner and CEO Christine Aylward, has created a behind-the-scenes Web portal that gives an in-depth look into how movies are made. Everything from a writer's initial idea (and how to get it to the page) all the way through to the casting, production, and post-production editing process is casually discussed in an accessible way by some of Hollywood's hardest working insiders. There are interviews with actors (including a fantastically candid one from Ms. Portman herself), writing tips from screenwriting champions like Don Roos, casting insight from the always inspiring Todd Thaler, and directing discussions from a who's who of Hollywood's best--we're talking names like Ron Howard, Michel Gondry, and Marc Forster. In addition to interviews with producers and cinematographers, MakingOf promises to cover all areas of the filmmaking process and will also give voice to the often unsung heroes of a production such as assistant directors, production designers, lighting designers, and special effects and make up teams.

Whether you're a student or a fan, MakingOf.com gives an unprecedented and intimate peek inside the inner workings of the filmmaking machine. So check out the new Fame trailer or sit down with Aaron Sorkin. You're guaranteed VIP access every time.

If you add this...

... plus this:

What do you get?

TRON 2.0!!!

It was a rather odd year for film in 2008. I didn't really look forward to seeing anything other than the three films that ended up being my favorites: Reprise, Let the Right One In, and The Wrestler. I have high hopes for 2009, though. I feel like there are sunnier days ahead. Less nuns, fewer Nazis. I can safely say that my suspicions may prove correct after watching the new trailer for Sundance darling (500) Days of Summer. Man, I can't wait to see this movie! The festival bloggers were in a tizzy over this flick about unrequited love starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. It's been described as everything from "perfect" to the next Annie Hall. Judging by the trailer, it appears that prolific music video and commercial director Marc Webb is giving us something new here (and in my opinion zee cinema is in need of some serious shaking up), with sweeping visuals and Billy Wilder-esque charm.

Old school? New school? Possibly a little of both with lovely technicolor, covetable costumery, and a hip backing track that subtlety supports what appear to be elaborate musical numbers. This looks exactly like the film we're all craving to see.

A modern girl...
A master chef...
A culture clash...

"Begin by putting tears into your broth."

Ladies and gentlemen, here's my pick for Favorite Movie in 2009 (a prediction): The Ramen Girl starring Brittany Murphy and...ramen noodles. Need I say more?

A bunch of my talented, creative, and resourceful lady friends have started an awesome new blog called Recession This! to help us all "navigate the economic downturn with style and humor". Loaded with quick witted tips, delicious recipes, and freebies galore, Recession This will keep you from Dreading That which ails us in these trying times. "Cheap but Chic"!

I recently started eating burgers again.

Meat and Cheese by Mike and Jen aka Duotard video by The Selby from the selby on Vimeo.

Photo by Catherine Ledner courtesy of The Beholder (via the lovely blog 2 or 3 Things I Know...)

Noble, gentle, sweet.
The donkey quietly weeps.
No one understands.

Absolute beauty. Rent it.

The most famous donkey of them all! You can celebrate Eeyore's birthday here.

A donkey is always misunderstood, so please show some love.

The new Tatty Devine collection is available, and I'm screamin' for these:

Why not pair them with Bjork's new 3-D video?

You know who I miss? Pippi Longstocking! She's my style icon of the week. "There's no one like her!"

I enjoyed this:

But this is the one that I LOVE:

Please check out Wes Anderson's new short film "Hotel Chevalier" for free on iTunes. It's absolutely lovely.

Sigh. I miss Paris. I could board a plane RIGHT NOW and spend a few days snuggled up in the hot pink carpeted gloriousness that is the Hotel Amour. I'd take my petit déjeuner at the Rose Bakery and then walk around for hours until I made it to the Palais de Tokyo for some art browsing, book buying, and a tidy salad at Tokyo Eat. I'd then wander aimlessly again, maybe stopping for some macarons (pistachio, anise, and rosewater) at Laduree before finding my way to Deyrolle where I'd hang out with a lion or a cougar...or maybe the zebra if he's not tied up. There would absolutely be a stop at my favorite bookstore on the planet, Shakespeare & Company. I would make sure not to leave before typing a poem on the ancient typewriter hidden up the stairs. Dinner would then be three courses at Astier followed by some selections from the biggest cheese basket in the world (a basket three times the size of your head!!!), and then a long walk home in the twinkle that is Paris after dark. Oh, Paris. J'taime.

Check out our pictures of all of the above right here.

This past Saturday, we joined the ladies and their lads for a screening of the French punk film La Brune et Moi at Williamsburg's Monkeytown (a super cool space with delicious drinks...try the lavender mojito). Shot in one week and a day on a "borrowed" camera, this charmingly flimsy story follows Parisian punkster Anoushka as she flings herself into both the punk rock scene and the men in its periphery. While Hamish found her "frightening", I loved her Robert Smith hair and ridiculously short dresses paired with grandpa cardigans. With 1980's Paris as a backdrop and several performances from obscure French punk bands, this is a lost film (literally...it was found last year by Rockenscope after vanishing following it's premiere in 1980) that demands more screen time. You can contact Brune if you're interested in screening it in your town, and I suggest you do. It makes for great late night, pre-party entertainment.