Moonrise Kingdom: The Trailer

O frabjous day, calooh callay! Thank you, Wes Anderson. Thank you for your mere existence. And thank you for choosing to sharing your existence with us.

In no particular order:
Bill Murray
Tilda Swinton
Francis McDormand
Jason Schwartzman
Edward Norton
Bruce Willis
Harvey Keitel
Co-written by Roman Coppola

Project Runway: All Stars!

I am very excited by Project Runway All-Stars. It's like an unexpected sequel to a good book. You know the characters, you already have attachments and opinions, and now you get to pick up where you left off and have a jolly romp! It's also nice feeling that each designer has already proven themselves and we won't have to wade through as much poor construction and design. We can just bite directly into the gooey center and lick our lips with satisfaction.

I am most excited to see Mondo and Michael. Mondo is one of my favorite designers from the entire PR series, and I just love how he and Michael (why were they so mean to him?!) bonded and are so sweet to each other. I'm also happily anticipating both Austin and Anthony's antics and hilarity. 

Of course, there are two designers that I'm not so jazzed about--Kenley and Elisa. Although I share some of Kenley's aesthetic, she is really an off putting person, and Elisa is just too...hippy-dippy for me. Bless her heart. So I was more than happy that she was eliminated frist with her odd concoction. 

I'm not sure how I'm going to like Angela as the new host and Joanna as the new mentor, but I'm willing to give them a chance. The only things amiss so far is that Angela's pacing seems awfully slow and Joanna doesn't have the warmth of Tim that I've come to rely on. But I will say this for Joanna, she definitely asked the right questions when she came into consult with the designers. Her experience and expertise as a fashion editor shows.

I don't have much to say about the first episode; nothing greatly stood out for me. It just felt good to be watching.  However, I would like to say thank you to Mondo for wearing a boater hat (see pic at the top). His personal aesthetic both cracks me up (short shorts and knee socks!) and makes me intensely jealous.

Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol; A Review

I'll admit that I was skeptical about the newest Mission: Impossible installment, mostly because the second installment was bad enough that I didn't see the third. But I've been having a love affair with (mostly) comedic actor Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek) for many years now, so I felt compelled to override my skepticism enough to see the movie. And the truth is, no matter how...wibbly-wobbly Tom Cruise appears in his real life, I have always enjoyed his acting a great deal. (Apparently his talent lies in translating his personal intensity into his roles.)

Simon Pegg

And guess what? I loved it.

Under the direction of Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Ghost Protocol has one of the best action/humor balances I have ever seen. When humor arises, Tom Cruise generally plays the straight-man to Simon Pegg's impeccable comedic timing and mild bumblings. But it never gets overly silly or condescending, and it never pulls you out of the movie or becomes distracting. It does what it's supposed to do; it gives the audience a moment to relax and it breaks up the very intense action sequences.

The "team" is rounded out by actors Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton, and both do a fine job. I was particularly pleased that Paula Patton seemed like a normal woman as opposed to the overly sexed-up "sidekick" women that one often finds in action films. Sure she is very beautiful, but it was entirely refreshing that her sexy, sexy, sexiness was not her only asset as a team member.

Of course, no movie is perfect and Ghost Protocol is no different. At times it felt like nothing ever went right for the team, and that the whole movie was about playing catch-up to fix mistakes made in previous scenes. But this was not overly egregious and should not stop any action-lover from seeing the film.

"The Muppets" in Review

I grew up on the Muppets. I love the Muppets. In fact, The Great Muppet Caper is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time, both for its hilarity and its nostalgia.

So with glee I traipsed to the movie theater this weekend with a load of family members to see the newly released "The Muppets" starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams. For the first twenty minutes I was perfectly delighted. It was funny and energetic, and the first musical number was a jolly treat. (Despite the obvious choreography editing to keep Jason Segel from "dancing.") After that, the magic petered out a bit (with the exception of a hysterical soul searching song about being a muppet or a man). The energy dropped off significantly, the celebrity cameo's were mostly wasted, Amy Adams was underutilized with her singing and dancing talents, and Kermit was a total downer. A DOWNER! How dare he.

But even after my indignation, I think most Muppet fans will like this movie, and a lot of other movie-goers will enjoy this movie enough to make it worth the price of the ticket. And wouldn't you know, much to my dismay, the movie got a 98% fresh on RottenTomatoes.com.

Wes Anderson: A Love Story

I hardly know how to begin speaking of Wes Anderson. For me his scripts always have the exact balance of drama, heartbreak, humor, and quirk to satisfy the bitter-sweet realities I crave in movies. And on top of that praise, each movie is a rich visual feast. What is comes down to is his attention to detail. Every aspect of the film, be it script, costume, music, set, etc., directly services the characters or the story, yet nothing feels wasted, gratuitous, or superfluous. Watch any of these titles and see for yourself.

And that, dear friends, is why I am overjoyed with anticipation of Mr. Anderson's new film Moonrise Kingdom. I don't know much about it except that the cast is amazing and what the these photos can tell me. I mean, come ON, how great are these costumes? Answer: They are super great.

Picture Pages: I Want to Go to There

Sometimes I see things on the Internet. Things I have never seen before and know nothing about. Things that are beautiful and make me immediately say "I want to go to there" à la Liz Lemon.

This is a house somewhere in Switzerland. (I managed to lose my original link and thus any specific information.) I'm sure I'd be fine milking cows and being snowed in and what not if I lived here. Right? RIGHT?!

This is Trinity College's library in Dublin, Ireland. I can just image how this place smells of old books and wood polish and learning. Mmm...learning.

Awesome Sweater is Awesome

I want, nay, need this sweater from Gant by Michael Bastian. It is so kitchy, yet not old fashioned. But it's a mens sweater, and I'm afraid those two cardinals would "perch" a little too smugly and 3-D-ly on my chest. (Thanks, grandma.)

Bonus: Much of Gant's website looks like it was ripped right out of The Royal Tenenbaums. Wes Anderson's movies always look so delicious.