Untimely Movie Review: "About Time"

Bill Nighy, Rachel McAdams, Domhnall Gleeson

Directed by Richard Curtis

Most Romantic Comedies are a dime a dozen. Cue the perfectly coiffed girl with optional awkward best friend meets tall, meaty man with optional "bro" friend(s). Insert gross misunderstanding that would be resolved in two minutes if they just talked to each other. End with a dramatic chase where boy catches girl right before she leaves town (or visa versa), and neither of them really apologizes or explains themselves, but they get to make-out as the camera moves to a wide, crane shot.

This neither resembles or represents anything in real life, and, as a matter of fact, it's not even good fantasy. 

Full disclosure: I partake in these shenanigans, especially if they're Hallmark Christmas movies, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize them for what they are. They are the over-stocked, low-quality products of Wal-Mart in the movie world.

Why am I ranting about this? Because "About Time" is decidedly not the the above-mentioned formula. "About Time" is the RomCom Gotham City deserves. (But maybe it should be a RomComDram.)

I'm sure any way I describe the film will sound sappy. You'll just have to trust me that it's not schmaltzy or cheesy. "About Time" is about finding happiness  and value in the ordinary days of living, which for most people are all the days of living. This takes form in one man's quest for happiness through his relationships with the love of his life, his father, and his sister mostly, with a few foray's into small acts of love and kindness with other people as well.

The first thing you must know is that there is time traveling in this movie. But miraculously, the time traveling is not the star of the film in any way shape or form. Plus the mechanics of the time travel is not complicated so it's not distracting. And while the main character can redo moments, days, and, in theory, his whole lifetime, the film never even has the sheen of a "Groundhog Day" situation. 

The next thing you need to know is that the movie is not about Rachel McAdams. I would go as far to say that she is barely a supporting character. Don't misunderstand me, I like McAdams and think she's a talented actor who is excellent in this film, but she is often cast as the center of attention, for lack of better phrasing.

But what's you really need to know about this movie is that it's beautiful and charming and heartbreaking and it feels realistic in feeling and how people work in and at relationships...aside from the whole time traveling thing.

I give it five stars up.

Top 5 Male Celebrity Eyebrows

Everyone can agree on who has the best mustache in the biz (Tom Selleck, obviously), but have you stopped to consider the best male eyebrows?

In fact, we should consider—nay, honor—eyebrows more than any fancy, full-bodied mustache, because eyebrows serve a higher purpose than mere frosting on the face. As proof, please consider a recent outcropping of websites that delight in showing you what celebrities look like without eyebrows.

At best, those images are slightly disturbing.

Aside from GrouchoMarx—whose iconic eyebrows were mostly drawn on—here are my suggestions for best eyebrows in the biz. I based my choices on thickness, shape, grooming and expressiveness. Who would you choose?

Peter Gallagher
This choice is a gimme, since most people already associate him with his eyebrows. They are naturally arched to perfection and uber thick, giving his eyebrows an A-list star quality.

IMDb.com

Dave Franco
Dave Franco, the for-now-less-famous younger brother of James Franco, gives Gallagher a run for his money. They are practically eyebrow doppelgangers, but Franco has the edge of being younger and more handsome. (Hey, even the best of us are “that shallow” at times.)

IMDb.com

Zac Posen
If you don’t follow fashion you’ve probably never hear of designer and regular “Project Runway” judge Zac Posen. But take a look at the nice point atop each substantial brow. Although they arch considerably on top, they are flatter on the bottom, which is perfect for a man brow. Only cartoons villains have high-arch eyebrows. I’m looking at you, Jafar.

IMDb.com

Lee Pace
Mr. Pace has what I like to call “caterpillar” eyebrows; they’re nice and fat and fuzzy with little arch. They give him an approachable look, which is great for the many sympathetic characters he has played. You can next view his eyebrows in high contrast and 3-D when he plays elven king Thranduil in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” But you won’t find much sympathy there.

IMDb.com

Stephen Colbert
Last, but certainly not least, let’s consider Stephen Colbert. What makes his eyebrows great is their bananas expressiveness. Sure, he’s got the thinner, arched eyebrow of a villain, but he doesn’t use them for evil, he uses them for good. Very funny good. With one timely flick of his eyebrow, Colbert makes the world a funnier place.

IMDb.com

Reasons I Wish to Marry

I need or want to go places at night, but I supremely hate driving at night

Jar loosening purposes
Companionship
For the jokes (because he’d have to be funny)

Someone to frame for my crimes

Sexy times
Financial and tax purposes

Foot warmer on cold winter nights

To dress up him up like a doll…a manly, tailored doll

Travel buddy

For someone to look after my as yet non-existent cat when I’m at work
To shut up the people who  ask me why I’m not married

Casting Agent

I've always fancied that I would make a great casting agent. At least I'm always casting stories that I'm reading, recasting terrible choices in existing movies, or making lists of actors in my head that would make believable siblings, be good foils, or have some sort of chemistry. (I don't get out much.)

Once I shared some casting ideas with a college professor, who was also a writer and stage director, and he was very impressed with my ideas. So based on my word that one person was impressed with one casting conversation we had, I'm pretty sure you all are convinced of my untapped casting talents.

If that's not enough evidence to convince you of my innate casting ability, which clearly it should be, I will tell you of my latest casting wish.  I wish it because a) they look similar enough to be related, b) they all are attractive to me on some level, and c) they all are skilled and talented actors brimming with charm. I don't have a story to cast them into, but they would make glorious brothers: Tom Hiddleston, JJ Feild, and Lee Pace.

So all you Hollywood execs or BBC producers who read this blog (none), please make this happen. And not just because these three in a movie together would make my ovaries explode.

Behold! (And you're welcome.)

Untimely Movie Review: World War Z

Introducing a new blog category: Untimely Movie Reviews! Let's be honest, I'm never on the edge of hip and happening. I usually come to the party a little late or not at all, because I don't care all that much any more. Mostly. But hey, I still have opinions, no matter how fashionably late they are.

Again, let me be honest. I'm sick to death of zombies. And I have been for a long while. That's mostly why I didn't want to see World War Z. That and my inexplicable distaste of Brad Pitt. It's weird. I almost never look forward to seeing him in a movie, but I'm also rarely disappointed in his performances. It's probably leftover "I'm not mainstream" feelings from when everyone lovey-love-loved Brad Pitt in the 90s because he was "so handsome," so my teen self felt as though I had to reject him completely. That and I never thought him particularly handsome. There's no accounting for teen brains.

Braaaaaains. (Perfect segue. Dismount!)

World War Z doesn't waste much time in starting with the action. You get about 4 minutes of a happy family morning scene, then immediately people start dying in hoards because of the fastest, freakiest, and weirdly-est contorting zombies ever represented in film. Not to mention the clicking. (You'll just have to see it.)

The intensity is brutal. Let me put it this way, every muscle in my body was so clenched the entire movie that I got the best workout I've ever had. (For context, I workout almost none times a year.)

But what was so great about the intensity aspect was that the director didn't constantly show graphic up-close shots of the violence over and over again. I don't mind violence in a movie, but if it's constantly repeated up-close violence, I get weary and burnt out during the film. Ultimately, if the story and action are good enough in the first place, you don't have to rely on gore to entertain. For instance, there is a scene in Z where Pitt takes out a zombie with a crowbar to the noggin. But I didn't have to see the entrance of said crowbar into the skull to know that it was gruesome. Even further, when Pitt has to tug and tug the crowbar out of the skull to defend himself against yet another zombie, I didn't need to see the crowbar exiting the skull for the incredible tension and suspense to be there. (And the director didn't show us the crowbar in the skull at any point.)

This "new" take on violence wasn't the only refreshing thing about the movie. I was surprised, and therefore delighted, with the lore and "the cure," for lack of a better thing to call it without giving too much away. I did guess where it was going somewhere in the middle of the movie, but it's still a nice departure from the zombie norms.

Also there was also not a character that I hated or that I thought was superfluous. Everyone had a purpose, and all were well written and acted. In fact, there is a female Israeli soldier that pushed the movie over the line from good to great for me.

(Side note: This is the first thing I've seen Peter Capaldi in since it was announced that he's the next Doctor Who. Based on even this very small role, I am now confident in his takeover.)

Lastly, I was struck by a strong undercurrent of themes of a) the safety and importance of family, and b) how family is defined by that feeling of safety and protection. Basically, if World War Z comes true, just remember that we're all in this together.

The non-up-close violence and lack of swears is what kept this movie at PG-13, but I certainly wouldn't recommend that any 13-year-old should see it.

Rating: 4 stars up, but proceed with caution.

P.S. This movie is based on a book, and I'm on the library's waiting list, so I'll let you know how it stacks up when I get my turn.

Click, click, click.

An Open Letter to the Group of 4 Moms on the Train with 12 Kids Under 6 Years Old

Dear Moms,

I get it. You've each had three kids, one right after the other, and sometimes you want to get the hell out of Dodge. But when you all trooped onto the train and sat right behind me, I knew that I didn't want to sit next to 12 toddlers and infants for an hour. So instead of huffing or rolling my eyes and giving you dirty looks, I moved my seat to give both you and myself space. For some reason, and based on what followed, that seemed to offend you and inspire forced immersion therapy.

First, one of you left your seat on the upper deck to come down to the lower deck and change your baby's diaper across the aisle from me, directly on the seat, without some sort of cover or pad, which can't be sanitary. And your baby absolutely screamed the whole time. I can only assume that either the seats by your group in some way had inferior surfaces on which to change your baby, or I offended you enough to seek me out and force the presence of your...blessings upon me.

With that noise- and smell-mare over, two stops later the whole lot of you inexplicably shambled your way down to the first deck and again sat right next to me. One baby continually moaned while the kids who could walk then began to run up and down the aisle touching everything, including me. Again, I get it, they're kids. But I also get that you as a parent are responsible for your children (no matter how overwhelmed you are), and I also get my limits. Which is why I chose to move in the first place. So I once again switched my seat, this time walking to the other side of the train car and sitting in an already populated area in order to avoid any other misunderstanding about my desire to wallow in your children.

Here's the thing, not everyone loves kids based on the fact that they are kids. Not everyone thinks your kids and precious and infallible.  Some of us think your kids are loud and gross, and we will not excuse your kids from being unruly on the basis that they are "just kids."  Some of us believe that as a parent--who has chosen to not only have, but to rear children--you are responsible for their behavior and discipline, and we will not treat you like you're some sort of superior being with endless get-out-of-jail-free cards because you have kids.

I know that it is socially unacceptable to not only voice these opinions, but merely to have them in the first place. However in my experience, parents assume that their children to be precious to everyone. But here's the deal. I will not harm your children ever, I will even help or protect a child that is in danger, but I don't see how that means I should tolerate your complete disregard for other human beings on the basis that "kids will be kids."

I know you're busy and tired. Maybe you even feel that since having kids you have been banned to the Island of Misfit Toys and you want to make appearances in society in order to grasp at whatever you think you lost when you had kids. But we all make our choices, and choices always come with consequences. In your case the consequences of corralling wee ones are temporary, but don't make your consequences become my problem, and I will do the same.

Sometimes it's a conscious effort to not yell at your kids or say mean things to them when they touch me with their sticky hands or scream like a pterodactyl in enclosed spaces for no apparent reason. I honestly try to not give you dirty looks as you lollop around public places all glassy eyed and unaware that there are other people around you as your kid sneezes on me or  I step on your kid because they aimlessly amble in front of me. I do my best to veer away or simply change my seat without rebuke.

Please understand that my actions are a white flag of peace that I'm desperately waving so I don't have to deal with your kids, and so you don't have to deal with...whatever happens when I break.

Best wishes,
Martha

Day 11-23 of 30 Days of Pictures

Brace yourselves, I'm doing 12 at once. Because I have been taking the pics, but after the Frozen Chicken Incident of 2013, I needed to emotionally regroup. These may or may not be better than the chicken, and they may or may not be in order.

From Yuki, my favorite shaved ice place, because the owner makes all his own syrups from scratch. If you don't know it's my favorite, you haven't been paying attention. But I thought these colors of beet and apricot were particularly lovely. (Yes, he makes beet shaved ice. And it's delicious.)

A pair of shoes I'm considering. My sister pointed out that they look like Sarah's shoes in Labyrinth, which they do. But I can't decide if that makes them better, worse, or has no effect. Thoughts are welcome. Also I can never remember how to spell labyrinth.

I'm commuting every day on the train right now, so you'll just have to deal with train shots. Mostly I read, but when I look up, sometimes I see interesting things. The green and unusual industrial shapes caught my eye here.

 This time it's from the train station: a capitol building and fantastically fluffy clouds.

This is half the apparatus I use to make Thai sticky rice. Dad: "I don't know where this goes." Me: "On your head, of course." He almost willingly let me take this picture.

More sky from one of my evening constitutionals. 

My brother Dave and my nevy Noah on our way to see Annie Get Your Gun at an outdoor theatre. I built some of the costumes, which I have no pictures of, of course.

Impromptu "fierce" photo shoot with friend Becca to take her mind off the fact that we were walking up a mountain after 10 p.m. 

More shoes I'm considering. (Can you tell I'm updating my wardrobe a bit?) Don't worry, I won't roll my pants in exactly this fashion. 

 A pastoral view from the train. There were lots of cows, but I just didn't get my camera on in time. The yellow tone of the grass stood out to me.

 My parent's house was built by a geologist, therefore we have what we call a "rock garden" in the front yard. It's quite sizable and even colorful. Sometimes I see a rock that I can't remember seeing before. This hollowed out rock is such a one.

And today on the train, an abandoned book. On the Road by Jack Kerouac. 

Day 10: The Madness Has Set In

Day 10 of 30 Days of Pictures

Wow. This 30 days of pictures thing is making me realize that I sure don't have a lot of friend-based human contact. All my pictures are of things sans people. Yay, introversion! 

Also this exercise has made me realize that the process of forcing yourself to do something, even though it's something you were excited about in the first place, can quickly lose its sheen and produce boring results because you're bored. (And if you're bored, you're boring, right?) Exhibit A: Yesterday's photo is of a piece of FROZEN CHICKEN. Chicken that I thought might be mildly interesting because it's Hulk huge. (Banana for scale.) Riveting stuff, this.

The alternative is to go out and do more stuff with actual humans in the hopes of taking more interesting pictures. No thank you.

Day 8 & 9: Reading and Living

Day 8 & 9 of 30 Days of Pictures

If a turn of phrase or an idea catches my fancy while I'm reading, I like to take notes. Physically writing them down is much more satisfying than typing them into my phone on the go. (More on the book I'm reading in a later post. Because it's amazing and I love it.)

The freight train that the commuter train passed today looked like it had lived a few lifetimes.

Day 7 of 30

Day 7 of 30 Days of Pictures (Taken but not posted yesterday.)
I take too many pictures of the sky. Ug, and I didn't realize how bad the quality was until I uploaded. I think my camera phone is jacked since I cracked the back of my phone. Draw metaphorical life lessons here as you will.

Brandi Carlile, Round Two

If you were creeping around this blog last year at about this time, you may have read my post about seeing Brandi Carlile in concert. And this year the same friend invited me to go again, so off I went to the merry old land of Red Butte Gardens to take in the show.

Brandi and her band are still amazing and delightful. I extol more of her virtues here. I was particularly delighted this time around by Brandi's acoustic cover of Radiohead's Creep. It was raw and rich, just how I like it. 

I also really enjoyed the opening act, The Lone Bellow. Their music is along the same veins as Brandi's--a healthy mix of rock, bluegrass, classic country, and wicked tight harmonies. They did an amped up version of this song during the show:

Day 6 of 30 Days of Pictures
Naturally my picture for the day is from the show.

Brandi and the twins, Tim and Phil, who wear bad hats. 

The sky and the venue. 

Yesterday & Today

Day 4 & 5 of 30 Days of Pictures

I took a picture yesterday, but I forgot to post it, so I'm posting two. I'm sure you will enjoy both more than anything else you've enjoyed in your whole life.

Cutting out a top.

Tonight's sky as seen from my constitutional.

Half-hearted

Day 3 of 30 Days of Pictures
A bit boring today. I forgot to take pics when I was out and about. Yay for a half-hearted shot of fabric for two projects I'm working on this weekend! The mustard is a voile and the black and white is a knit.

The Bike

Day 2 of 30 Days of Pictures
My sissy bought a bike today. I went with her because she was nervous to see a stranger about it alone. It turns out that the seller, Frank, was really nice, really good at restoring bikes, and a really good salesperson. He almost had me riding a bike out of his shed, and I certainly ain't in no market for no bike. We chatted a bit, and it turns out Frank used to own a bike and skate shop in Echo Park, California before he moved to Salt Lake City be closer to his kids. Now he restores bikes on the side and sells them through the KSL classifieds. So if you're in the market for a bike or need repairs, I have a feeling that this is your man.

"Ch-ch-ch-changes!" -David Bowie

Hello, hello! It's been a while. I didn't have ideas or motivation to write for a while, but a a change has come to my life, and it feels like it's spurring more changes. And boy am I ready.

As you may know, I was out of regular work since I finished my BA. I've had work here and there come my way, but nothing permanent, and I like a sense of permanence in my job. But yesterday I started a new job—a job filled with the sparkling glow of part-time permanence—for a local news organization. Basically I will be writing, rewriting, and managing a small amount of content (as part of a bigger team) for their website, in a very peon-like manner. But this is much closer to the type of experience I want than what I've been doing, so I'm jazzed.

Then today, as I was making my internet rounds, I saw that a couple of my FB friends had posted a short and sweet TED talk given by Matt Cutts about making changes.

I'm a look-before-you-leap type of gal, so changes for me, especially major ones, move as quickly as molasses on a cold day. But Cutts isn't necessarily talking about big scary changes, and if he is, then his prescribed shortened time commitment of 30 days somehow makes the idea of change more manageable. So while I think of other 30 day change challenges, I'll start with one he mentioned: a picture a day to be posted right here starting today. They probably won't be glorious, and they may not even be mildly interesting, but it's something. And something is something, ya dig?

A view from my first train commute, an old industrial part of town.

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Things that Stress Me Out in Movies

Sometimes my energy is spent on weird things when I watch movies. It's mostly little things—things that perhaps directors and actors don't really think about—and it's more than likely that whatever I'm noticing stresses me out. It's probably a weird branch of anxiety disorder.

1. When women put their purses down I keep track of if they pick them up before they leave. I may have an exaggerated fear of losing my purse, because I have vivid memories of my mother losing her purse or wallet several times.

2. In chase scenes where poor bystanders get their business shot up or destroyed. Now how are they supposed to support themselves and/or their families?

3. I keep track money exchange in restaurants. If characters leave a restaurant in a hurry and don't throw a wad of cash down first, they are dead to me.

4. On a related note, I get antsy when a character orders food, but they take no bites or one or two bites. Such a waste.

5. When characters don't close their blinds at night. I don't care if it's a RomCom or family movie, there are probably weird dudes peeking in their windows.

6. When characters "wash" their hands, but really they just rinse them for one second then dry them off. We all saw that, we all know you're now germ-riddled. Gross.

I'm sure there's more. Do you have any movie stresses, or am I the only one living in Crazy Town?

Project Runway: "Take It All Off!" and "He Said, She Said"

"Take It All Off!"
It worked out that I'm behind on posting, because there is nothing worth posting about from the Thunder from Down Under challenge. I watched it like I watched a scary movie when I was a kid: mostly with my head down and only peeking through my fingers to see what was happening. Nothing good has ever come out of a PR men's challenge. It's always a catastrophe, a tragedy, and a black mark on the show. I imagine the producers think it clever and twisty to do a mens challenge, and while it is twisty, it's not so clever to demand that the designers do something that that have no training or experience to do.

The fact is that there are different branches and sub-branches of fashion, and those branches require different training, knowledge, and experience. While some methods and techniques transfer, each branch is simply a different beast. So to say "do this thing you've never done and don't have the skills for and make sure it's not complete garbage" is one of the most unrealistic demands ever made. It's like asking someone whose food prep training consists of working a fast food grill to make a four star meal for a shi-shi dinner party the next day. You'll get food on the table, but the chances of the meal being four star are virtually nonexistent.

The best part of the episode is when one of the...ahem..."dancers" said in his Australian accent, "They didn't have time for proper stitching." Like all tragedies, there was no winner. Amanda went home, mostly because of team drama.

Side note: One of my pet peeves is when reality show contestants say "I didn't come here to make friends" when they are being nasty, and this week I finally figured why it bothers me so much. Sure, I understand you didn't come to make friends, but did you really come to make enemies? Civility does not equal making friends, and holding grudges only weakens your focus as a competitor.

"He Said, She Said"
It was a relief to have a straight-up challenge this week. The designers had to create a ready-to-wear outfit inspired by the Lord & Taylor rose. No tricks or twists. However, the winner's garment would be produced by Lord & Taylor and sold in their stores. That's a pretty big deal. Yet again there was a new team breakdown, this time chosen by the judges, but each designer was responsible for their own outfit.

It was no surprise that Richard, Samantha, and Layana were the losing team. Because of last week's ridiculous drama, Richard wouldn't even talk to Layana, so of course they had nothing constructive happen as a team.

Layana was safe because the judges thought her silhouette was perfect, but her fabric choice was terrible. I don't necessarily disagree, but even if she didn't have that dated floral, I don't think the dress would've been anything new or special.

Richard made a dress that is not only similar to one he already produced this season, but one that I could easily see as a $29.99 Target special. While there's nothing wrong with Target clothes per se (I've purchased many an item there myself), it's not something you want to try and sell to Lord & Taylor.

Samantha went home this week with her effort at making a younger look, but walking straight over the junior line. The biggest mistake was the heart cutout in the back. With all the ruffles and color blocking, the heart became too much. It's also very difficult to make a clean-looking cutout that is properly stabilized. I actually liked the idea of Samantha's dress, but as I've seen throughout the season, she clearly needs to up her construction skills and hone her editing skills. I would love to see her on PR after a few years of experience.

Team Stanley and Patricia were safe this week. It was weird, because Stanley continually harassed and bullied Patricia, which of course made her mad, but in the long run it totally helped her. While I still didn't like her design, it was much more current and salable than anything she's made, and it still totally looked like Patricia.

I can't say that I liked Stanley's dress either. If you're going to make a basic, that thing better be the most well-constructed, well-proportioned, and well-fitting garment on that stage. While it was mostly okay, those front darts were so distractingly low, that I can't believe the judges didn't say anything about it. Stanley chose the length for "appeal to more than one market," but I can't imagine that many people want a mid-calf skirt.

After a little drama that I still don't understand, team Daniel and Michelle were declared the winners! I know just how Daniel felt as he burst into tears when he talked about ripping his jacket apart. When you make something, especially something you believe in, it is a heartbreak to have it not work out. (I have certainly mourned more than one project.) Since he used up so much time on that jacket, his dress was basic and not so great construction-wise. But past challenges have certainly showed that Daniel has great construction skills, so I was glad that he was safe under the umbrella of Michelle's win. The thing that's so great about Daniel is that he is amazingly positive, and 99% of the time he has the true gift of taking criticism gracefully and internalizing it to his benefit. All he needs to do is figure out how to make his aesthetic more current and he's golden. Either way he is the dearest, tenderest heart.

Michelle won the challenge, and her design was certainly the best of the lot. It was simple enough, but the layering details, colors, and fabric combinations made it a current and young winning look.

I've had a few discussions with friends, and this season really doesn't have a stand-out talent. But we have what we have so I'm predicting for the final three Michelle, Layana (even though I don't like her), and a toss up between Daniel and Stanley. I keep thinking that Stanley will be this dark horse that suddenly starts showing us amazing things. I'm not sure why I keep having these thoughts, so we'll see if they come true.

Project Runway Teams: A Sticky Situation

I haven't posted about last week's episode, but I haven't watched this week's episode, so I'll just pretend that last week's is this week's and that y'all haven't already moved on. (I hope I reminded you of this clip.)

This was one of my favorite unconventional challenges. Partly because I've actually seen and heard about people doing this in the real world, and partly because some really interesting things came out of the challenge. In teams of two, the designers made one prom dress out of Duck brand duct tape in less than 24 hours.

There were three bad and two good dresses. First, out with the bad.

Even though it was one of the best for the judges, Patricia and Samantha's dress was the worst for me. What the judges found charming in it's insect-like or alien-like qualities, I found off-putting. I didn't like the jittery way the dress walked, I didn't like the colors, and I didn't think it was special. I will admit that Patricia's cutouts were neat, but we already know that she creates mostly good fabrics and mostly bad designs.

I had hope that Richard and Daniel would come up with something fabulously crazy between them, but I was frankly not surprised by their 80s space foil number. It wasn't the worst dress ever, but I feel that's how all Barbies were dressed in the 80s. Their one good idea, that was only slightly successful, was making a corsage. Of course the ladies need a corsage!

After last week's rip about putting denim skirts on the red carpet, Kate and Tu went ahead and used "denim" tape for their prom dress. But that wasn't their only mistake. Kate kept insisting that a long dress was young, and I kept screaming at the TV that they weren't. Especially a mermaid cut that would inhibit dancing. At prom. I admit that some girls probably want a long dress to appear older or because they fantasize about being grown up, but they always look a bit ridiculous. Kate went home for bulldozing over Tu (which she happily admitted during interview sections), and I'm sure Tu will soon follow since he has few construction skills.

In with the good. Stanley and Layana did a decent job. I almost always love a vintage silhouette, because in this day an age it tends to connote young without any hint of trashy. The armor-like style lines in the bodice were a great foil to the exaggerated hot pink bow, and making a petticoat was that extra touch that raised it from good to great. I personally would have put the bow in the back because 1) it wouldn't be in the way, and 2) I always love a good exit dress.

My favorite design, and the winner, was Michelle and Amanda's exaggerated houndstooth dress. It wasn't perfect, but it was young and fresh with that mix of soft and hard that I'm continually drawn to. Is it a dress that every girl would wear to prom? Certainly not, but their challenge wasn't to dress the "norm," and both Michelle and Amanda serviced their own aesthetics. The silhouette overall had great proportions, and I especially loved the cut and lay of the skirt. I didn't love the exaggerated bodice, because I think the dress is strong enough without it, but it didn't ruin the dress either. Michelle was declared the winner, which I was very pleased with. I mean, at this point she's basically held on with her fingernails through a lot of bad luck.