Before Midnight {movie trailer}

Truth be told, I haven't seen this trilogy yet, but I have heard crazy-amazing things about these movies and can not wait to see both, including the upcoming release of Before Midgnight.  The movies take a real look at relationships - it's many difficulties, the ups & downs, the giddy beginning and painful endings. 

The story of Jesse and Celine begins in Before Sunrise, where they meet on a train and spend an incredible & incredibly romantic night together.  It's the beginning of a love story that survies 9 years of being apart when they happen upon eachother once more in Before Sunset, reminding you of how raw & incomplete love can be through time and distance.  And now the story concludes with this third installment.

Just reading about it reminds me of how unfiltered our emotions can be, and how deep feelings can linger burdening you with happy thoughts and enduring pain.  Have you seen the first two?  Planning on seeing the third?  It's my mission of the week.

Fav Tune of the Week: The Civil Wars

It's a bit of a mystery how The Civil Wars ended up on my Ipod because I have absolutely no recollection of downloading their album nor does my boyfriend.  Nonetheless, it was a happy accident and here I am, listening to their album, Barton Hollow, from start to finish for the billionth time.

Barton Hollow, is a folk album by the dashing duo John Paul White and Joy Williams who met by chance and created a following for themselves by recording a live album at Eddie's Attic and by making it available for download from their MySpace account for free.  It was a brilliant PR move and goes to show how much they care about their music reaching an audience versus a blockbuster paycheck.

I've always enjoyed folk music, especially the amazing tunes of Ani DiFranco, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Townes Van Zandt and Simon & Garfunkel, but if you mention those artists to a 20-something year old today, they would have had no idea how rad folk music was if it wasn't for The Civil Wars.

"The Violet Hour" is absolutely haunting and makes for the perfect soundtrack of an eerie day, its melodies trailing behind you as you walk from place to place.  "The Girl with the Red Balloon" is a tragic love story that makes you want to get swept up by the four winds to find the girl's lost love with strums of the guitar so perfectly placed the movie reel plays in your head as you listen to the story unfold.

Their highest acclaimed song from the album is "Poison & Wine" which tells about the good & the ugly in relationships, but honestly I'm still thinking about how can't no preacher man save my soul  from the title track, "Barton Hollow".  It's a brilliant album with few instruments, beautiful harmonies, and haunting lyrics.  Buy it.  Listen to it.  Love it.  Seriously.


{photo via The Civil Wars}

Happy Friday.

Wow, what a week.  On Tuesday my boyfriend and I celebrated my 31st birthday and it was just an incredibly sweet evening of him showering me with love & affection.  To continue the celebration we're thinking of having a few friends over on Saturday for a barbecue, cake and yard games.  Then on Sunday we plan on stopping by the Farmer's Market for some fresh produce & flowers, followed by a trip to our local succulent shop to use our Groupon. What are your plans for the weekend?  Are there any movies you're anxiously awaiting?  Either way, I hope it's lovely and here are a few links for your browsing pleasure...

AH-mazing industrial light sculptures

mint green earrings

did you know you could learn new
languages on BBC?

my favorite Oscar look

on dressing Lena Dunham

chalkboard gift tags

mint is definitely in

yummy


{photo via here}

Etsy Tuesday: Mustache Mania

Mustache-Themed products & parties are all the rage right now - you see them on photo booth pictures, on Hipsters, and even kids' parties.  To celebrate the current trend, here are a few Etsy finds featuring mustaches!

* * * * *

1. Mustache Wayfarer T-Shirt  2. Bushy Mustache Hand Carved Rubber Stamp  3. Mustache Bash Birthday Invitation  4. Vintage "Father!" Mug  5. Mustache Men's Cufflinks  6. Mustache Collection Print on Canvas Tote Bag  7. 2012 Mustache Calendar  8. Mustache Drinking Glasses  9. Black & White Mustache Coffee Mugs

Woody Allen Documentary

I have always been a fan of Woody Allen's work despite his lifestyle choices.  As a creative writing grad, I simply commend him for being such a prolific screenwriter and director.  During his career, he has written, starred in and directed a numerous amount of movies, with such big hits as Annie Hall, Manhattan, and his most recent movie, Midnight in Paris. 

Until recently, I hadn't really thought about Allen and his body of work.  I owned Annie Hall and could recall a handful of others, but there was no collective memory of what his work embodied.  An avid moviegoer, I usually see each new movie that comes out at my local theater.  However, the quality of movies coming out of Hollywood a few years ago really went downhill and so I decided to take that time to go back and watch movies I'd missed along the way, especially those that are highly regarded.  Included in those were a few Woody Allen flicks which then set off this domino effect for my boyfriend and I - we set out to watch every movie Woody Allen had either directed or written.  Some were not so great, but others were hilarious.  As always, the same neurotic, self-loathing, anxiety-driven character was there struggling with their existence in the world.

Woody Allen is a true comedian and writer whose prolific work has truly earned his place in pop culture and movie history.  And lucky for us fans, PBS is airing a documentary on their "American Masters" segment titled Woody Allen: A Documentary.  Part two airs tonight.  Will you be watching?

Here are 5 of Allen's movies you should watch besides the obvious:

1. Manhattan Murder Mystery
2. Play It Again Sam
3. Take the Money and Run
4. Melinda and Melinda
5. Whatever Works

And here's an article in Vogue regarding PBS's documentary on Woody Allen.

{Photos via here & here}

Movie Rewind: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Hi, my name is Crystal and I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Until yesterday.  Sure, I know who Audrey Hepburn is and can vividly recall the famous shot of her exiting the cab in that black dress, pearls and those wide-rimmed sunglasses and walking over to the Tiffany's display window eating a croissant and drinking her coffee.  But I had never seen the movie.  To be honest, I wasn't even completely sure what the movie was about.  So, I finally watched it yesterday.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a wonderful snapshot of Manhattan in the 60's - the scenery is amazing, the fashion is iconic, but the story is completely implausible.  Holly, as a character, in incredibly flawed - she's extremely naive, a social climber using men of a certain wealth to maintain her lifestyle, and is arguably very selfish having abandoned her family and married life for a Hollywood/Upper East Side lifestyle.  She steals from the Five and Dime, regularly, just to see if she can get away with it and is such a commitment-phobe that she even refuses to name her cat.  All of that aside, you just can't help but love her.  Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly is so charming that you find yourself looking past the character's flaws and wishing nothing but the best for her, even wishing you were her.


{photo via Pinterest}

Audrey Style

A striped shirt and black pants never looked so chic.

{photo courtesy of Secrets of a Belle}

The Evolution of the Beatles

______________________________

genius.



{photo via Flowing Data}

Horror Movies for Halloween Night

There's no better way to set the mood for a frightening & eery night, than to watch a scary movie.  I used to love watching them as a kid, biting my nails during the movie and then staring at the door all night as I tried to sleep afterwards.  To make matters worse, the house I grew up in had a really long hallway and as I'd walk down it my anxiety would build up to a point where I found myself running to the very end of it and frantically knocking on my parent's door.

Here are a few of the scariest movies ever, with notes from IGN on the scariest scenes.

Scene to watch with the lights on: All of it. No no no, trust us. Watch it at mid-day, with the blinds open and the lights on. And then get used to the fact that you may never, ever sleep again.

Scene to watch with the lights on: Laurie Strode is trying to hide from Michael Myers, and crouches down inside a closet. She manages to tie the door shut, but that's not going to stop Michael, who begins smashing the door in, causing light to shine in and for Michael's spooky mask to come into plain view of the understandably terrified Laurie. 

Scene to watch with the lights on: When Freddy gets a hold of Tina in her dream, we suddenly realize just how big the stakes are, as her sleeping body is suddenly pulled up into the air, and four fatal cuts rip into her. The fact that she's dragged along the ceiling, screaming, before she dies, as her boyfriend looks on in horror, only adds to the shock of the scene. 

 Scene to watch with the lights on: "The blood usually gets off on the third floor." When both Jack and his psychically attuned son begin communing with the many spirits haunting the Overlook, things quickly take a turn for the worse. Deadly hedge mazes, elevators full of blood and the terrifying Room 237 are only some of the horrors that await viewers.

Scene to watch with the lights on: Man. Just pick anything. How about the guy who tears his own face apart or the malicious clown doll that loves to strangle or the vengeful zombies coming out of the swimming pool. This movie will hit you from every direction and leave you cowering in the corner. 

Scene to watch with the lights on: What scene could we pick but the quintessential shower slaying? Coupled with the iconic music cue, this scene remains a horror classic 50 years later.

****

{photo credits for movie posters N to S: Exorcist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Shining, Poltergeist, Psycho}

TV Rewind: Felicity

It's been almost a decade since I last watched Felicity, and so much has happened since then that all I can really remember about the show is that everyone went berserk in Hollywood when she chopped off her hair.  In fact, I remember them saying it was the reason for the show's demise and since then studios have written into actors' contracts that they must first consult the shows' producers if they're going to make such a dramatic change in their physical appearance.  The only other thing I remember is that she could never decide between two guys.  I think I was Team Ben then (that smile!).

Since it's now available on Netflix, I decided to re-watch it from the beginning, and Wow, I don't remember it being so heavy this early.  I'm almost done with the first season, but so far we've dealt with excessive gambling, cheating (I definitely didn't remember Jennifer Garner was in it.  And Taraji P. Henson totally makes a camoe!), date rape, plagiarism and alcoholism.  And if you want, you could probably include stalking as well because Felicity would definitely qualify as Ben's stalker today.

I am enjoying it though and look forward to remembering where this goes.  The only other surprising thing is that I did not remember J.J. Abrams being a co-creator of the show. (What do I remember?!  Oh yeah, see the first paragraph again.)  It's weird to think of someone who's created Lost, Cloverfield, and Fringe could have created Felicity.  It just doesn't seem to go together in my head, but then again, it kind of does since Kate could never make up her mind between Sawyer and Jack....

Fairytale Posters Re-imagined

These posters are absolutely amazing and I love their minimalist design.  Hansel & Gretel is one of my favorites because it totally reminds me of Pac Man with those dots but much more morbid.  And the Little Red Riding Hood poster would make a great backdrop for a Halloween invitation - it's sort of haunting because of the color scheme and the wolf's paw peaking out from behind a tree.  What do you think?

To see more, check out Christian Jackson's website here.

Ron Weasley!

in a music video/parody of course!  <3

Cast Reunion Photos

Entertainment Weekly recently did a photo shoot reuniting casts from some of our favorite TV shows and movies.  The magazine goes on sale October 15th, but here are a few sneak peeks.

 The photos of the Carol Burnett Show are absolutely hilarious, and of course I had to include the pictures of the Gilmore Girls & Home Improvement casts here.  I absolutely loved those two shows.  I'm actually thinking of digging out my Jonathan Taylor Thomas poster from Teen Beat magazine because I am definitely still crushing on him.  And isn't the Pretty in Pink photo adorable?!

{all photos copyright of Entertainment Weekly}

My boyfriend definitely knows how to make me smile.

While working late the other night, he changed the sign at work from the 

image on the left, to the right.  He's so amazing.  And he makes me laugh. :)

 {Image by my brilliant boyfriend}

Paris versus New York

 

I absolutely love these illustrations by Vahram Muratyan, especially the godard/woody one.  It's such a great way to honor both city's differences & likenesses.

Via A Cup of Jo

The New 50

On MSN's homepage today, they featured an article titled "How to Keep the Passion Alive After 50" and featured the above picture.  Is it me, or does their featured couple look more like 70?

Well, I was sure 50 looked a lot different than MSN suggested and so, I googled famous people over 50 and here are the results. The first picture is of Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth, who turned 50 this year.  The picture was taken at this year's Oscars, and I must admit, I have a bit of a crush on him.  He's gorgeous, mesmerizing, a fantastic actor and has a British accent.  What do you think - does he look 50?

The second photo is of Patrick Swayze's Baby, Jennifer Grey.  She also turned 50 this year and is looking quite fabulous as one of this year's Dancing With The Stars contestants.  Though she has had a number or surgeries on her nose, she is in excellent shape and makes dancing with 25 year old Derek Hough look effortless.

So, if this is what 50 looks like, then what was MSN thinking?  I will leave you with one last picture and that is of the beautiful Queen of England, Helen Mirren. This year she turned 65 and looks, Incredible.  Seriously, I hope I look as great as her in my 60s.

(Jennifer Grey photo courtesy of DWTS)

The Epitome of Chanel

Maybe it's just me, but Keira Knightley exudes Chanel.  I had seen the first picture listed of Keira at People Online, and her cropped hair, signature Chanel bag and gold-toned dress with blazer at the recent Chanel fashion show in Paris reminded me so much of what Chanel is all about.  So I googled her, and the images I found below were so much like the ones I'd seen before of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, that I had to post them. Honestly, doesn't she look like the modern day Coco?

 

Coco Chanel via My Vintage Darling, Keira Knightley pictures 

courtesy of People Online, with the exception of Keira's Elle cover

As a side note, I was just reading Coco Chanel's biography on Wikipedia and I had no idea she had had ties to Nazi Germany and had even been arrested in 1943 for collaborating with Walther Schellenberg to make contact with Winston Churchill.  She avoided trial because of her close connection to the British Royal family, whom she had designed clothes for throughout her career.

Also, there are two biographies out that I would love to read including Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life and Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky.  The first attempts to separate the facts from the myths, since Chanel often lied about her upbringing in an attempt to guard herself.  The latter is about the affair between Chanel & Stravinsky when she meets him after a performance of the Rite of Spring.  She takes him and his family into her home, seduces him and begins an affair despite the presence of his ill wife.  Both sound fascinating, especially since most of her history eludes me and until now knew none of the things I've just written.  

Out of curiosity, would knowing all of the things above keep you from buying her clothes?  I remember people refusing to buy Tommy Hilfiger clothes because they believed him to be racist.  Would knowing she was a Nazi sympathizer and mistress to various men make you think different of her clothes?  Food for thought...

Emily Deschanel Weds

Photo courtesy of People Magazine

Emily Deschanel & David Hornsby were married this past weekend and had this photo to share with People Magazine.  Isn't she just adorable?  I love the dress - it's ethereal but vintage looking and her toenails almost look blue! Too cute.  Of course, most of us know Emily from Bones, but David is also an actor and has been seen in the TV show, Always Sunny in Philadelphia which he also writes for.  Cheers to a happy marriage!

But this makes me wonder, did we ever see a picture of Zooey & Ben Gibbard in their wedding garb?  I would love to see what Zooey wore on her wedding day, but I'm sure it was vintage looking and almost envision her looking something like Jenny in Forest Gump on her wedding day, barefoot with her long black hair down & a flower pinned somewhere in her hair.  Of course, Ben would have written a special song for her which he would play on his guitar and she would bat her big blue eyes at happen adoringly. What do you think?

Photo courtesy of Paste Magazine