Royal Wedding Recap

Prince William's cousin is frightening.  But that hat...

I sincerely hope that the next hot internet meme is the girl in the bottom left corner of this photo.  Grace van Cutsem is Prince William's goddaughter.

What wasn't to love about the wedding?  Kate's dress, her hair, the tiara and mini bouquet.  My favorite part was her make up.  As someone with pale skin and dark hair I can appreciate good make up when I see it.  It turns out the bride took lessons from Arabella Preston, and then did her own make up for the big day.

One of the vergers at Westminster Abbey was so overjoyed by the ceremony that he began doing cartwheels down the aisle after everyone had left.  When I'm having a good day this is how I react.

Royal Wedding

The royal wedding is finally here!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. Rejoice.

Let the countdown begin, the last movie of the series is released at midnight on July 15.

Snooki meets 19th century British literature

Since the season finale of Jersey Shore aired one month ago, my Thursday night television schedule has been left with a gaping hole.  Luckily the cast of Broadway's "Importance of Being Earnest" has adapted the Jersey Shore dialogue to the literary stylings of Oscar Wilde.  Amazingly, Algie and Jack are able to make the words of The Situation and Snooki seem clever. 

The Bully Project

Happening right now in New York is the Tribeca Film Festival.  While it's not nearly as big as Cannes, Venice or Sundance, it has gained a lot of steam since its inception in 2002.  "The Bully Project" screened before a full house on Saturday, and has been getting very strong reviews.  Watch the heartwrenching, yet uplifting trailer to see why.

Today, Harvey Weinstein secured the rights to the film, so it's likely to be an entrant for the Best Documentary Oscar next year. 

Oh so British.

The royal wedding is less than four days away and television networks have saturated the airwaves with coverage leading up to the nuptials.  Many reports have revealed that we colonists have more interest in Prince William and Kate Middleton, than our former sovereign nation.  Perhaps Americans are experiencing a little British envy right now.  England is rather quaint with their strict class system and little traditions. 

As a self-proclaimed Anglophile I was happy to read the results of a recent public opinion survey conducted in the U.K.  It turns out I’m already quite British.

Game of Thrones, episode two

Last night was the episode two of "Game of Thrones."  Below is a list of this week's winners and losers.  Be warned there are spoilers ahead!    

Winners

War Horse, the play.

I had the opportunity to go see Broadway’s newest play, “War Horse,” which is currently being adapted for film by Steven Spielberg.  Originally scheduled for a limited engagement at Lincoln Center, the play has been extended due to the overwhelming positive response it has received.

Based on the book by Michael Morpurgo, and brought over to the United States from the National Theatre of Great Britain, the play centers around 16-year-old Albert and his horse Joey.  Set in England between 1912 through the end of World War One, it would seem impossible to bring a story to the stage that’s so heavily centered on an animal.  Handspring Puppet Company from South Africa created three horses for the play, each operated by three people.  The puppeteers create a performance that is truly mesmerizing and overshadows the performance of all the actors on stage.  That is not to say that the acting in “War Horse” was weak.  Seth Numrich who portrays Albert did such a fabulous job creating the illusion of having and ironclad bond with a horse puppet that many audience members were in tears by the end of the play.

The music and the stage set supplemented Numrich and the puppeteers’ performances brilliantly.

The only weak spot I saw in “War Horse” was the young girl who played Emilee.  It felt a bit over the top, but she’s probably only nine years old, so I’ll ignore it in my overall assessment of the play itself.

I recommend “War Horse” to anyone who has the opportunity to see it, or has any interest in Spielberg’s movie that comes out December 28.

It’s a locomotive that runs on us.

When I heard "Community" was doing a clip show I was a little disappointed especially because the show is only wrapping up its second season.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that "Paradigms of Human Memory" featured 78 clips of brand new material.  As always the writers found such a clever way to bring in laughs while poking fun at stale television gimmicks.  Why is this show so good, and so under appreciated?

For those who watch the show, my favorite part was the montage of Annie/Jeff stolen glances which was actually a spoof of a fanmade tribute to Jeff and Annie:

And of course Dean Pelton's different outfits:

My future home

Earlier this week Yahoo featured a slideshow of designer Steven Kuhl’s work on a one-of-a-kind pirate ship bedroom he built for his six-year-old nephew’s bedroom. 

Inside the room there is a floating pirate ship, equipped with a crow’s nest, cannon ports and guest bed.  To access the ship, there’s a rope bridge sitting atop the jail cell at the opposite end of the bedroom, or there’s a trap door beneath the captain’s wheel concealing a rope to the inside of a closet on the floor below.

At another client’s house, Kuhl’s design build company installed a 55 foot spiral slide hidden in a mudroom closet that leads to the basement, a hidden staircase that leads to a private office and library, a climbing wall, and a golfing room.

I plan on building a house with many of these features, except the climbing wall and golfing room.

Meek's Cutoff

The American West has been romanticized in film many times over, just as the American pioneers are often portrayed in pop culture as adventurous, courageous and filled with determination. 

“Meek’s Cutoff,” though slow and plodding, serves as a realistic portrayal of the arduous trek west.  Michelle Williams stars as the level-headed, but meek woman in a group of eight crossing the Oregon territory in 1845.  Led by Stephen Meek, a fur trapper and an explorer, the group forges through uncharted territory only to realize their guide is much less familiar with the land than he initially led on.  They go days without water, cross rocky and mountainous terrain in their wagons, and are under constant fear of being attacked by Indians.  Eventually, they are forced to follow that fear in the form of a captured Cayuse Indian, who they hope might lead them to water.

Though the setting of the film is beautiful at first, it’s much less grand than Monument Valley or the Arkansas Plain.  The tension increases gradually as the travelers’ circumstance become more dire.  Overall “Meek’s Cutoff” is a very quiet film with no major plot twists or turns, until the uncertain and unsettling ending.

Game of Thrones

"Game of Thrones" was just as good as expected, and critics across the board seem to agree it will do well at the TV awards later this year.  Anyone who enjoyed the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Tudors," or any show that has at least 15 main characters, should give "Game of Thrones" a try.

I won't rehash the plot of the first episode, but I will establish some bullet points of what they should expect, and why they should tune in.  SPOILER ALERT!

• Heavy fantasy elements including a Predator lookalike, and zombie children.

• A lot of boobs, rape and twincest.
• Wolf puppies

• A promiscuous dwarf
• Decaptiation, dismbowelment, and a ten year old being thrown out of a window
• Serious facial hair

Yo-Yo Ma and Lil Buck. Obviously.

The Conspirator

"The Conspirator," Robert Redford’s latest film, focuses on the trial of the lone female charged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Robin Wright plays the stoic Mary Surratt, owner of the H Street boarding house, where the plot to kill President Lincoln was hatched by John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt and Surratt’s son, John.  Following the assassination, Mrs. Surratt is among the conspirators arrested and tried by a military tribunal.  Fred Aiken, a former captain in the Union army, and a young lawyer played by James McAvoy is enlisted to defend Surratt.  Though Aiken is not convinced of Surratt’s innocence, he defends her on the belief that there is insufficient evidence to prove she played an integral part in the assassination.

“The Conspirator” is a wonderful Civil War movie, and history buffs will relish how closely the film adheres to historical fact.  The downside of sticking so closely to historical fact is that it leaves little room for the actors to breathe or develop their characters.  Wright is terribly underutilized, and McAvoy makes a concerted effort to show his abilities, but it just falls flat.  Redford who is much better known for his acting has proved his skills as a director in the past, but there are a few scenes in “The Conspirator” that show cracks in the façade.  There were some scenes that seemed out of place and a bit comical in such a serious film.  A more adept director would have been known better to leave those bits on the cutting room floor. 

The tenor of the movie is quite timely considering the Obama administration’s decision to try the 9/11 conspirators in front of a military tribunal, after failing to gain political support for a federal trial.  Redford may have intended for the film to be an allegory for the treatment of prisoners in Iraq, but he could not have anticipated the underlying message to become as heavy as it has with this recent news.

Overall, “The Conspirator” was an enjoyable experience and worth the money spent on the movie ticket.  I would highly recommend the film to history buffs, and half-heartedly suggest it to anyone else.

Indies to Watch For in 2011: Like Crazy

"Like Crazy" won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance this year and was quickly picked up by Paramount for distribution.  It's about two college students, one American (Anton Yelchin) and the other British (Felicity Jones), who meet in Los Angeles and fall in love.  Over the course of eight years they must learn to cope with the difficulty of being in a long distance relationship, and all the bittersweet aspects of first loves.  Although I haven't seen it yet, I would liken it to last year's "Blue Valentine."  "Like Crazy" comes out on Friday, October 28.

Cowboys & Aliens

"Cowboys and Aliens" is directed by Jon Favreau and written by Damon Lindelof, co-creator of "Lost."  This is one of the top movies I'm looking forward to this summer because it could be one of very few successful hybrid genre films, like "Shaun of the Dead."

I went to camp so long ago that it was the Stone Age!

When I was younger one of my most sincere desires was to go to summer camp.  Hanging out with other kids all day, playing sports and swimming then getting sit around a campfire at night, and sleep in a bunk seemed like such an adventure.   Movies like “Heavyweights,” “It Takes Two,” and “The Parent Trap” only made that desire grow stronger.   Alas, the closest I ever got to summer camp was being shipped off to a boarding school with no air conditioning in its dorms.

I’ve written about my affinity for Jetsetter before.  They hold flash sales for hotels in some of the world’s most desirable destinations, but every once in a while they’ll feature some outrageous trip, like the sixty-day expedition to the Arctic.  This week they’re holding a sale that makes me wish I was nine-years-old again: three different summer camp experiences for kids.  The first is the classic all-boys camp experience for two weeks in the wilderness, the second is an all-girls weeklong horseback riding camp, and the third is a co-ed cooking camp for one week. 

Napolitano and Draper

AMC has announced that they are ready to launch their first two network reality television series.

"Inside the DHS” will follow Homeland Security employees and tell the real story of the day-to-day battles to keep America safe.  It will premiere in the fall.

Feeding off the success of “Mad Men,” “The Pitch” goes inside the cutthroat world of creative ad agencies as they pitch to clients and prepare campaigns. It will premiere in early next year

Both of them sound interesting and could perform well if they’re able to catch the real drama. It sounds like AMC is trying to do a white-collar version of what the Discovery Channel did with “Deadliest Catch” and “American Loggers.”

Sidney Lumet, 1924-2011

Last week director Sidney Lumet passed away at the age of 86.  I rewatched "12 Angry Men" this afternoon and again was amazed by how simple such a great film could be.

It made me wonder if a movie like "12 Angry Men" could get made in 2011, and if it did would people go to the theater to watch it?  One star, eleven character actors and one set.  No special effects, or violence, just a strong script.  It reminded me of Hitchcock's "Lifeboat," and to a lesser extent "Rear Window."  It takes a skilled director to make a movie like that successful.

I'm not the only one who has these feelings about "12 Angry Men," because the movie is ranked number seven on IMDB's top movie list by 138,000 users.  The only movies ahead of it are "Shawshank Redemption," the two first "Godfather" movies, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "Pulp Fiction" and "Schindler's List."

Does that make me crazy?

Catherine Zeta-Jones went to treatment for bipolar disorder.  Who would have guessed?

The List

Earlier this week Kurt Anderson of Studio 360 talked with Oscar-winning director Stephen Soderbergh about what he's been up to this past year as he prepares to retire from filmmaking.  It appears as if Soderbergh has kept a list, dating from April 12, 2010 through March 23, 2011 of every movie and television show he's watched, along with every book, play and short story he's read. 


The list is incredibly extensive, watching 92 movies in under a year, some of them multiple times.  They include the movies he's working on before retirement, classics like "The Godfather," "Jaws," and "All About Eve," and last year's hits "The Social Network, "Black Swan," and "The Fighter."


I'm not crazy about Soderbergh's work, but I love the idea so I'm totally going to do this.  I've already logged four movies today.

Lulu Frost

Accessories, more particularly jewelry, can make the most conventional outfit truly eye-catching.  For this reason, I think it's the most important part of any look, especially when being paired with neutrals or solids. 

One of greatest parts of shopping is discovering a new designer or look, and picking up items that are unique to anything found in a mall.  My favorite jewelry designers include the more mainstream Solange Azagury-Partridge and Tom Binns, as well as less under the radar designers Miss Bibi, Gemma Redux, Servane Gaxotte and Pyrrha.  The newest designer I'm in love with is Lulu Frost. 

Oops...I did it again.

What is Serena Williams wearing?  Below are some images of Serena's previous hits on the court.

     

The Shire

Shooting for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" began last month, and like James Cameron did with "Avatar," he's pushing the technological boundaries of film with his new movie. 

Jackson confirmed on Facebook that "The Hobbit" is being shot at double the frame rate of normal movies.  Almost every film seen in theaters for the past ninety years has been shot at 24 frames per second.  Jackson has been shooting "The Hobbit" at 48 fps, resulting in increased clarity and smoothness.  Jackson says it will be most notable when the camera moves around quickly, and the images appear less blurry and more lifelike than they would when shot at 24 fps.

I am adamantly against watching films in 3D.  I find the experience to be gimmicky and limiting, but I'm very looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit" in 3D when it comes out in December of 2012.

There Will Be Scientology

Scientology is a very serious religion created in the early 20^th century by L. Ron Hubbard, which includes secret teachings about Xenu the ruler of the Galactic Confederacy 75 million years ago.  It was only a matter of time before someone in Hollywood realized that a movie about the Church’s creation would be a fabulous idea.

In the works in a Paul Thomas Anderson directed film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Hubbard-esque leader.  Joaquin Phoenix has just joined on as Hoffman’s right-hand man who begins to question his mentor.

If the cast and director stick this movie could be pretty incredible.

Shifty eyes

A four-second video of the new Planet of the Apes movie has been released.  If there's one thing I learned years ago, it's to not trust animals with shifty eyes.

TV show food truck

Two Sundays from now HBO premieres "Game of Thrones," so this week they promoted the debut by sending out food trucks in New York and LA.  Each truck was stocked with dishes that included racks of rabbit, squab, roast duck, and lemon cake desserts, all made by "Top Chef's" Tom Colicchio.


I thought the DC Pie Truck was a treat, but clearly I've been missing out!

Pregnant in Heels

My new favorite reality television show is most definitely "Pregnant in Heels" on Bravo.  It centers around Rosie Pope, a maternity concierge on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as she attempts to meet the demands of rich New Yorkers who are borderline insane.  In the first episode one couple labels their coming child as "a parasite," while the other set of parents enlists Pope's services to help build their baby's brand, starting with its name.  The first couple gets a therapy session, the other a think tank and a focus group.  Oh, to be rich and famous.

It's my weekend...

Washed up stars from the 80's

Fifteen seconds in Kirstie Alley crushes her dancing partner.  I can't stop watching it.

There is just so much that I love about the Meatloaf Meltdown.  I would be upset too if Garey Busey stole my art supplies.

J'adore: London edition

Someday I plan on building my own house with a home theater, secret passageways, and a study that has built-in bookshelves.  It's going to be pretty great. 

Since I really don't have an eye for interior design, I'll have to compensate for my shortcomings by decorating with really fabulous wallpaper.

Cole & Son was founded in 1875 in North London, and manufactures hand crafted wallpaper from block print designs, screenprint designs and hand drawings.  Their selection includes styles from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and has provided its services to historic houses that include the White House and Buckingham Palace.

  

Downton Abbey

It's obvious that period dramas have become the hottest thing in movies and television.  "The King's Speech" won the Academy for Best Picture and critics just adore shows like "Mad Men" and "Mildred Pierce."

I've recently become obsessed with Masterpiece Theater.  To anyone who enjoyed "Pride & Prejudice" with Colin Firth, I highly recommend "Downton Abbey."

The Hunger Games update

The love triangle for "The Hunger Games" trilogy has been finalized. 

Announced earlier last month, Jennifer Lawrence was awarded the role of heroine Katniss Everdeen.  Some fans of the books have complained that she's too old, too pale, too blond and too curvy for the role.  As I've previously wrote, I think she's a great choice for the role because she can actually act.

Today Lionsgate revealed that they've chosen Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson to play Gale and Peeta, opposite Jennifer Lawrence.  Gale Hawthorne, Katniss's best friend from home, will be portrayed by Liam Hemsworth.  Hemsworth is best known as Miley Cyrus's boyfriend.  Josh Hutcherson appeared in last year's indie hit "The Kids are All Right," and will play Peeta Mellark, Katniss's partner in the Hunger Games who she eventually develops a complicated relationship with.

Director Gary Ross is obviously more interested in talent, than aesthetics for the movie which is promising.  Though Liam Hemsworth may be the weakest link in the trio, his role in the series is minor compared to Lawrence's and Hutcherson's.  Hutcherson is said to have lobbied hard for the part of Peeta because he was already a huge fan of the series, so hopefully he will do the role justice.

Filming begins in a couple of weeks, and the first film is released in March of 2012.

Review: The Killing

On tonight...

"Mildred Pierce" on HBO, "The Killing" on AMC, and "The Borgias" on Showtime.  All at 9pm.  My DVR only records two programs at a time.  TV gods, why are you so cruel!?