Movies We Love - Escape from New York



One silly evening not too long ago the husband took me out for a Throwback Thursday treat. New York City's Film Forum was running a SciFi and Horror festival replete with a bevy of old movies, and we found our way into the neighborhood one evening for a showing of Escape from New York. The theater is a real joy: small, always packed with avid film fans that are a pleasure to view with and ever-fresh, old-fashioned popcorn that seems to taste fresher and is infinitely more satisfying than the fast food version sold at most chain theaters.

Best of all? The film features old favorite Kurt Russell, an actor that Pie and I can't seem to get enough of lately. The entire move is a trip; from it's over the top dramatic tone to it's cheesy, synthesized 80's soundtrack. Russell plays "Snake," an ex-military man turned criminal banished to the island prison of Manhattan. Yes, Manhattan, the golden isle, is just one big prison in this "future." If the absurdity of that premise doesn't grab you then Snake's growling, gravelly voice might. Or maybe the ridiculously dramatic dialog and fantastical premise that Air Force One would happen to land on an island full of criminals and the U.S. President would be the only survivor.

Cue a mad scurry to rescue the President in 24 hours lest our poor anti-hero Snake be neutralized himself. It's a ridiculous journey, but goodness it's a fun one.

Movies We Love - Drinking Buddies

 

Olivia Wilde has been on my radar ever since I saw her in Butter, a dark comedy about the sordid world of butter carving.  Already a hugely popular actress, I had somehow never seen her in anything before.  And she was just hilarious.  A few disarmingly candid interviews later, and I was decidedly charmed - and very eager to see her latest, Drinking Buddies.

 

The film is largely improvised, the director only providing a general outline of each scene.  Shot predominantly in a brewery, the action is centered around the close friendship between co-workers Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson).  Seemingly made for each other, they're both in other relationships.  After the two couples spend a weekend away together, however, things start to get complicated.

 

As with most of the movies I end up falling for, I can't explain much more without giving away the goods.  But I love the choices made by the actors in unraveling this tale.  It would be so easy to jump to conclusions about what happens, but normal conventions of love triangles (squares?) aren't at play here; the film is so much more real than that, which I think is largely because everyone improvises.  Even costume selection, which was also left up to each performer, plays a part in the story.  Luke's girlfriend, Jill (Anna Kendrick), wears a never-ending array of flirty dresses I kept wanting to steal for myself.  Kate, though, is a total guys girl - in one scene, her and another male co-worker realize they're even wearing the same pair of pants.  I found the fashion choices really interesting in how they reveal a bit about each character.  While Anna plays Jill as silly and fun, still able to hold her own in a group of guys, she is, at heart, 'traditional'.  She wants to get married.  She's a huge nurturer.  And her outfits reflect that, as she's always found in an ultra-feminine frock.

 

The acting is phenomenal; Olivia Wilde, yet again, is so, so funny, and Jake Johnson, who I love on New Girl, is as sweet and sarcastic as ever.  And although the final moments of the film leave something to the imagination, I think there is an ending hinted at - one that I thought was really appropriate, a perfect end to this unpredictable, immensely enjoyable ride.

 

Drinking Buddies

Movies We Love - Take This Waltz

One of the loveliest things about our recently instituted Pie + Fortune movie night is getting the chance to revisit all the films over the years we’ve been meaning to watch but have yet to check out.

On my laundry list of future selections was Take This Waltz.  Popping into my consciousness every few months, I've had it waiting for me on my trusty Netflix instant queue for ages.  I absolutely adore Seth Rogen, so I was eager to see him in a less comedic role, and Sarah Polley, the feature's writer and director, is another longtime favorite.

Visiting an old friend recently for an impromptu day in her pool, she mentioned an amazing movie she had just seen that was still with her days later.  We quickly put two and two together and decided to reconvene in front of the TV for her second viewing and my first.

Now I, days later, am, too, still thinking about this treasure.  The tale follows Margot, a happily married writer, who has a chance encounter with her artist neighbor, Daniel, that makes her reevaluate her life and marriage. 

Throughout you wonder, as Margot herself does, what will happen - will she remain with sweet, loyal Lou?  Or will exotic Daniel entice her to leave her marital home for good?

There are so many things I loved about Polley's story - visually, it's stunning and curiously directed.  One scene, for example, is a continuous 360 degree shot, circling over and over in a time lapse that spans a year or so in Margot's life after her fateful decision.

The outfits, too, are sweetly perfect; Williams wears so many gorgeous sundresses and vintage finds that each time she came on screen my friend and I would exclaim 'I want that!!!'

But, putting aside superficialities, this movie just plain hit me in the gut.  I identified, in a sense, with Margot - not with her love triangle and the choice she had to make, but with her underlying struggles within herself that cause her to be in that situation in the first place.  She is sometimes needy, sometimes overjoyed with life.  The happiness, though, always fades...there is a void, there, in her, in life...will she ever be happy?  Can she ever be happy?

I think Sarah Silverman's character, Margot's recovering alcoholic sister-in-law, has the best answer yet:

"Life has a gap in it.  It just does.  You don't try to fill it like a lunatic."

 

Take This Waltz

Fly me to London - Mr. Darcy Gets a Sculpture

This. Just, this:

David Parry / AP Photo

Oh Lordy, Mr. Darcy. How many of my friends and family members did I subject to BBC's 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice, featuring Colin Firth and the less well-known, but positively enchanting, Jennifer Ehle? I already loved everything I had ever read devoured by Jane Austen, but this interpretation brought the beloved novel to life just so perfectly that I was hooked. I sat everyone who had the slightest tolerance down to watch all 5 hours and 12 minutes of the miniseries. It was brilliant: funny, romantic, ridiculous and charming just like the novel. Jane Austen's wit is not to be undervalued; I defy anyone who has given her work a thorough chance not to fall in love with her writing. Her beautiful irony and that biting humor all laced with the romantic? What's not to love?

Well, it's been nearly 20 years but apparently I'm not the only one still enamored. A 12-foot sculpture of the scene from the mini-series in which Darcy emerges from a pond at Pemberley only to run into a very mortified Elizabeth Bennet who has been touring the estate has been installed in Hyde Park. This watery element was not imagined by Austen (as many have pointed out since the sculpture was installed at London's Serpentine lake), but I believe the writer would approve. I've always loved how this scene plays in my memory later, when Elizabeth and her sister Jane are discussing the former's sudden affection for Darcy. In the novel Elizabeth's observation that she might have first come to love Darcy after seeing Pemberley is a good joke, but when paired with the image of a dripping Firth in the film version I've always gotten more of a snicker out of it.

The best part? The sculpture will eventually be moved to Lyme Park, the great house that was used to represent Pemberley in the film. So, does anyone have an extra ticket to London for me?

Variations on Our Favorites - Early Disney Concept Art

As you've surely come to notice, I'm pretty enamored of all things Disney.  While meandering around online the other day, I stumbled across this gem - early concept art of Disney favorites.  I love the way Snow White's eyes are so representative of the animation style at the time.  But Aurora as a brunette?  I think I'll pass.

Snow White

 

Sleeping Beauty

 

 

Belle

 

 

Jasmine

 

 

Buzzfeed

Movie Night - Funny Men

Movie night continues to be a success, with recent selections made by the wonderful men in Pie + Fortune's lives. Both of their film choices were comedies, and both were accompanied by a great bottle of wine and ceaseless chatter and running commentary. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was viewed at the suggestion of Pie's other half, and got us all feeling thoroughly silly and more than ready for the upcoming sequel: Anchorman: The Legend Continues. Who can resist such silly mustaches? Who is resistant to Steve Carrell's blank-eyed stares? Not this lady, at the very least.

Fortune's husband chose to expose the group to Big Trouble in Little China. Pie was particularly delighted, after having searched on Netflix sporadically for the movie to no avail. What a fun night this movie made for- we talked through the entire film. Voiceovers, mocking, exultation and the loudly cooed coveting of opalescent wedding dresses- we covered it all. I'm starting to think that there's no movie that couldn't be improved by our ensemble viewings. Challenge accepted.

Movie Night - Bringing Up Baby

Sometimes Pie and Fortune, with husbands by their sides, get together for movie night. This has been happening more frequently now that our old standby, The Office, has closed its final season. We've watched three films each Thursday since the Office's finale, with an eye towards rotating (each of us takes a turn selecting the flick du jour). So far this has resulted in viewings of FAQ About Time Travel (Fortune's husband), Cyrus (Pie) and, most recently, Bringing Up Baby (Fortune). The best part about this arrangement is the variety in the films we're being exposed to: first a Sci-Fi comedy, then a romantic drama-comedy hybrid and finally a slapstick, classic film featuring silver-screen greats Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

Selecting a movie for a group viewing can be troublesome. Will the group like your selection? How will a universal panning feel if your offering is a movie that you love? I labored over these questions before finally realizing I was overthinking what should be a simple, and even fun, task. After all, our particular group is certainly seasoned by similar dilemmas. We share books all the time, rarely have the same things to say about them and have still managed to escape the hard feelings and worrisome teeth-gnashing that sometimes result after a cherished book is dismissed by a close friend... Or maybe that teeth-gnashing part is reserved for literary nuts like Pie and me.

The result of the showing? Everyone seemed to enjoy my choice, although I think I laughed the loudest and the most often. But isn't that exactly what you'd expect when watching an old favorite? Fond memories often improve everything from movies to music and food. Best of all? Next time I can choose with confidence.

It's Pie's husband's turn next week, and I'm excited to see what he surprises us with.

Gatsby, Revisited

 

Last week in New York City, Tiffany & Co unveiled a series of gorgeous, art-deco styled windows to coincide with the release of their Jazz Age Glamour Collection.  A jewelry line created for the upcoming film, The Great Gatsby, the decadent installation was designed in part by director Baz Luhrmann and his wife and business partner Catherine Martin.  A huge fan of Luhrmanns work throughout the years (I was even lucky enough to see his interpretation of La Bohème on Broadway many moons ago), I can't wait to stop by and lose myself in his always visionary work.

 

Tiffany & Co. Jazz Age Glamour Collection | CBS

Movies We Love - Safety Not Guaranteed

*Wanted* Someone to go back in time with me.  This is not a joke.  You'll get paid after we get back.  Must bring your own weapons.  Safety not guaranteed.  I have only done this once before.

So begins Safety Not Guaranteed, an enormously rewarding film by the makers of Little Miss Sunshine.  The dark comedy follows three cynical journalists who stumble upon a mysterious classified ad seeking a companion for a mission through time.  On the hunt for the story of a lifetime, they head out to meet its oddball writer, and end up embarking on a very different kind of journey - one of self-discovery, love, and magic.

It's impossible to adequately write about this gem of a feature without giving away its many secrets; I struggled with the idea of even writing this blog entry; with so many plot twists and turns, I was petrified I would give away far too much in singing its praises.  I will say that the story reminds me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (a film that I obsessively love) in incorporating magical realistic elements to relate universal truths about relationships.  Throughout, the tale left me off-balance and unsure; the viewer is constantly left guessing about the motivations of each of the main characters, and never really knows what is and is not real until the very last moments.  I fought myself over and over, wondering if time travel was going to prove possible or if it was simply a hoax perpetuated by a lonely, mentally ill man. And what I found most important is the thought-provoking central question posed by the filmmakers - are we ever capable of stepping outside of ourselves, forgetting everything we may believe, to take a huge leap of faith for love?

The movie left me feeling breathless, and the adventure, both cinematic and in life itself, is more than worth it in the end.

Safety Not Guaranteed

C'est le temps de l'amour, le temps des copains et de l'aventure

I saw Moonrise Kingdom on an enchanting summer day.  My husband and I took off from work on a random Tuesday and, fortified by frozen sangrias and bbq seitan tacos, jaunted off to the cinema.  The film has haunted me ever since, a magical adventure story of first loves running away from home to be together against all odds.  Although the quest tale mirroring my own impromptu journey instantly resonated with me, I was captivated by the young female protagonist played brilliantly by Kara Hayward.

Kara is featured in Lula Magazine's Fall 2012 issue wearing a slew of delightful retro-inspired looks for the season.  I love the pieces chosen for her spread (so dainty without being fussy!), and am certain we'll be seeing her in many charming performances to come.

Lula Magazine

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