Coraline

I watched this movie expecting hauntingly beautiful animation and some sort of nightmarish, but ultimately well-resolved plot. And it had all of that. I didn't expect my favorite part of the film to be its score. It was beautifully done and I recommend it with all my heart. It, of course, had a predictable general story (the neglected child who seeks love from her over-worked parents and when she discovers it in another way, is ultimately dissatisfied and misses her parents), but that was beside the point. The world was just so fascinating and intricate that it was almost overwhelming. And like I said, the score was gorgeous and by Bruno Coulais who did the music for Les Choristes as well.

AVATAR 2.0

I'm writing this without re-reading what Fay wrote in her post, but I just saw Avatar and you must go see it. It's mindblowing. And heart-achingly good. When I say heart-aching, I'm trying to evoke that simultaneously effervescent and desperate feeling you get in your chest and brain when you can't get enough of someone -- in this case, something. Sort of an increased awareness in all synapses within a selective state of oblivion. At times I caught myself holding my breath and had to remember to breathe. 

Imagine if that world existed. At one point in the movie, I thought (likely out loud, if you've ever watched a movie with me), "well that's unrealistic," before I realized that the entire thing was unrealistic, of course.

Now that's good cinema. And excellent technology. And art. And a truly beautiful imagination I very much respect. Alright, enough gushing from me -- don't take my word for it, see it for yourself.

Avatar

I hated the trailer when I saw it this summer.

Yes, some of it was cliche (I guess a lot of it? Imperialism, love, bad guys, flying) but the way it was presented was just mind-blowing.

Mind. Blowing.

It was absolutely breathtaking and I'm still working through how I actually feel about the film. It's that glowing feeling you have when you have a crush on someone, except in this case the someone is the feeling of escapism and faith. I'm in love.

Georgina, don't make fun of me if you go see this movie and you don't like it as much as me. I am the one, after all, who made avatars on Second Life for her machinima class.

Ahhhh it was genius! The fact that it was digitally made is completely consistent with the fantasy of digital avatars--Pandora is simultaneously reality and imagined, and for someone with an incredibly impressionable mind like me, I am completely dazzled by its ability to rest as a real place in my imagination. I can't get my thoughts out clearly, but I just want to say that Cameron is a master of making audiences emote.

Oh, and the Sigourney Weaver part was perfect. She basically had to be in this film as the culmination (?) of her career in sci-fi with the director.

Ok I'm going to go see it again like 5 times before I go back to Hanover, which is basically the opposite of Pandora. Ughhhhhhhh I am writing like a 4th grader right now. Signing off,

Fay

I'm baaaaaaaack!

My computer is fixed!!! It looks like new and I will never abuse it again, I promise. Maybe this is what parents feel like when they drop their kids or something. It's rather sad/frightening how dependent I am on my computer, now that I've had to be without it for a week+. Also, I've left Dartmouth and am in NY now, where I will stay for the duration of summer, save the occasional visit (HOPEFULLY) to Hanover, D.C., Boston, Nantucket, and the New England region in general.

Oh, how I've missed the blog.

Lots to write about - firstly, I saw The Hangover a few days ago at The Nugget, a local nonprofit movie theatre in Hanover, NH. I paid full price too, because I forgot my Dartmouth ID, which allows students to watch movies for $4.50. Sigh. But it was worth the full-price ticket.

I was a tad skeptical about the movie at first, despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews it's been receiving (see metacritic.com), since I've seen one too many similarly set up bro-humor movies that have severely disappointed. For example, Observe and Report; unlike Fay, who saw some merit in the movie, I strongly, strongly disliked it. "Disliked" as in if I had paid to watch the movie (it was pre-screened for free at my school), I would've demanded my money back, if I did that sort of thing. It was overly crass for the sake of ... well not humor, because it certainly wasn't humorous. It's difficult for movies to be funny without crossing the line of being TOO inhumane or offending some group vs. the other end of the spectrum of being corny and expected and general lameness. O and R crossed the line, and wasn't even funny when it did. I don't mean the oft-cited pseudo-date-rape scene, which gave me pause but also some nervous laughter. It was the violence-related humor -- Seth Rogan and his gay mall cop lackey (who, while we're at it, was just gratuitously gay - his sexual orientation really didn't make his character any funnier or add any depth) smashing children over the head with skateboards? NOT cool. And (maybe) even worse - NOT funny.

But The Hangover (come on, even just the name is discouraging if you're wary of badly-made bro-humor) had almost none of this. The only thing that stands out in my mind is when they accidentally hit the baby in the face when opening the car door, which is actually in the trailer - I wonder why, because most of the humor in the movie is NOT like that. And that one cringe-worthy scene (hitting babies? really? since when was this funny?) was countered by so many other scenes involving the baby that were genuinely, genuinely hilarious (Omg the sunglasses?? So simple yet so funny!) that I can forgive that one questionable moment and appreciate the movie on a whole for what it was -- a very nearly perfect comedy. I hardly stopped laughing.

Aside from being HUGE LOL funny, the characters were well-developed (enough) -- with the noteable exception of Heather Graham as the stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold, who was well-acted and so beautiful but painfully empty; in terms of her character, she could've been replaced by Kendra from Hefner's Girls Next Door and the audience would hardly have noticed, except that Heather Graham is an infinitely better actress. The filming was rather good too, or at the very least easy on the eyes and fun to watch. Lots of wide-angle nightline shots and crisp, bright daytime shoots a la The Hills (but better, obv).

If you haven't already, go watch it in theatres! It's a great, great comedy. And then tell me what you think.

In other news, I made two purchases yesterday that I am very, very excited about -- I still have that addictive post-purchase high pumping through my veins right now. The first is a super versatile red velour bag with a gold chain (potential for: clutch, long single chain, double chain, wristlet chain, shoulder, across the body, etc.), which is kind of exactly what I needed.

The second is a beaded Herrera skirt that I am equally in love with (ahh the color and detail and intricacy of beading pattern) that I in no way or form could ever need but it SEEMS like it could be versatile. Shown here with a Hanes vneck, but I could wear it to work, right?

Greenery, Flora, Ball

I just chose out the flower arrangements for the Green Key Ball this past Saturday and they are incredibly beautiful, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to see it in person. It's a bright almost fluorescent green plus rich, luxe purple, pink, yellow, and white. It's a very fresh spring look to me that's neither blatantly cool nor warm but rather a balance between the two with a very chic, refined yet young, modern, slightly unexpected look to it.

Here are some of the components:















This article below from the WSJ is so timely! It even mentions the bright colors and bright greens.

Of course, there are filler flowers in between all of these huge attention-gathering flowers. And it's a more draping, long horizontal arrangement as opposed to those very tall ones. I will post a photos of it when we pick up the arrangements.

_______________________________________

FASHION MAY 9, 2009

Choosing a New Flower Czar

The longtime chief florist retires as White House tastes take a modern turn

By AMY CHOZICK

Washington

Nancy Clarke, the longtime chief florist at the White House, plans to retire May 29, but not before she helps Michelle Obama incorporate her personal style into official floral designs.

Flower arranging at the White House has taken a more modern turn since the Obamas moved in, Ms. Clarke says. "They are more youthful...so we gear things a little bit younger. A lot more color, brighter colors, happier colors," she says.

A White House Floral History

In the Obama White House, clear glass cylinder vases hold sparse displays of white orchids or dogwood branches (Mrs. Obama "likes a lot of branches," Ms. Clarke says), while classic porcelain urns are filled with more structured arrangements. Glass cylinders of hot pink tulips and purple anemones were placed in Sasha's and Malia's bedrooms right after the family moved in.

...

But the Obamas' edgier tastes are welcome news to others, who say White House flowers could use an update. Tina Stoecker, president-elect of the American Institute of Floral Designers, says she hopes to see more loosely arranged designs, using bright greens and Fuji chrysanthemums, to replace the traditional floral structures. "It's always been ostentatious masses of flowers," Ms. Stoecker says.

"It's time to shake things up a bit," says New York designer David Beahm, who helped with White House events during the Clinton Administration. He envisions bright, symmetrical designs of locally-grown flowers arranged in some of the antique vases in the White House collection.

from:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124182945920002661.html#mod=rss_Weekend_Journal

Mario Testino

KNOWS how to take a photo.